Website Optimization. Speed, SEO and Conversion Rate Secrets

Book Details

Title	Website Optimization: Speed, Search Engine & Conversion Rate Secrets
Author(s)	Andrew B. King
Publisher	O'Reilly Media
Year	2008
Edition	First Edition
Language	English
Pages	367
ISBN	9780596515089
Genre	Web Development / Internet Marketing
Series	Unknown
Size	7.87 MB
Extension	PDF

Summary

Website Optimization is a practical guide written by Andrew B. King and published by O'Reilly Media in 2008. At a time when website optimization was still largely understood as a purely technical concern, King argued that true optimization required a synthesis of marketing strategy and engineering performance. The book emerged from his experience as president of Website Optimization, LLC, a firm he founded in 2002 that served clients including Bank of America, AOL, and Time Warner [citation:1][citation:2]. King brought a distinctive background to the subject: he holds engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and was recruited by NASA before choosing a career in web consulting, giving him a technical perspective that informs the book's detailed treatment of performance tuning [citation:6].

The book is organized into two major parts that reflect its dual focus. Part One addresses Search Engine Marketing Optimization, with chapters on natural search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and conversion rate optimization. These chapters are interspersed with case studies, including analyses of PhillyDentistry.com for SEO and BodyGlove.com for PPC, grounding the techniques in real-world examples [citation:4][citation:8]. Part Two covers Web Performance Optimization, moving from web page optimization and CSS tuning through Ajax optimization and advanced performance techniques, before concluding with a chapter on website optimization metrics. This structure allows readers to see how marketing visibility and technical responsiveness work together rather than as separate disciplines .

What distinguishes the book is its insistence that optimization is ultimately about persuasion and return on investment. King writes that "website optimization is about persuasion," and that well-optimized sites persuade visitors to email, call, and buy [citation:14]. The conversion rate chapter focuses on landing page design, benefit-oriented copy, credibility-based design, and value hierarchies—elements that bridge the gap between traffic acquisition and actual business results. On the technical side, the performance chapters explain how to reduce download footprints, improve reliability, and use techniques like HTTP compression and cache control to make sites faster and more navigable. The metrics chapter brings both strands together by explaining how to measure what matters, covering search marketing metrics alongside performance measures such as waterfall graphs [citation:2].

The book is explicitly intended for business and IT managers rather than pure developers or pure marketers. King assumes that readers may be responsible for both the technical health of a site and its commercial performance, and he writes accordingly, avoiding unnecessary jargon while still providing specific, actionable techniques. The O'Reilly publisher description notes that the book offers "specific techniques for you and your staff to follow," indicating its orientation toward implementation rather than abstract theory [citation:2]. Readers with a basic familiarity with web technologies and online marketing concepts will find the material accessible, while the case studies and detailed guidelines provide value for more experienced practitioners.

Website Optimization occupies a useful place in the literature of its time, bridging the gap between SEO manuals and web performance guides. Jim Sterne, founding president of the Web Analytics Association, endorsed the book by saying it "brings together the science, the art, and the business of Internet marketing in a complete way" [citation:14]. While the specific tools and techniques have evolved since 2008—Ajax optimization and certain PPC practices, for instance, have changed considerably—the book's core argument that visibility, usability, and conversion must be optimized together remains relevant. For readers seeking to understand the foundations of modern conversion rate optimization and technical SEO, King's work provides a well-structured and historically grounded starting point.

Key Features

• The book integrates search engine marketing and web performance tuning into a single optimization framework, arguing that visibility and speed must be addressed together.
• Part One covers natural search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and conversion rate optimization with dedicated chapters and real-world case studies.
• The PhillyDentistry.com case study illustrates SEO techniques in practice, while the BodyGlove.com case study demonstrates PPC campaign optimization.
• Conversion rate optimization guidance includes landing page design principles, benefit-oriented copywriting, credibility-based design, and value hierarchy construction.
• Part Two addresses web performance tuning, covering HTML, CSS, and Ajax optimization techniques to reduce download footprints and improve responsiveness.
• Advanced performance chapters explain client-side techniques such as on-demand content and progressive enhancement, as well as server-side methods including cache control and HTTP compression.
• The metrics chapter covers both search marketing measurements and web performance measures, including Pathloss and waterfall graphs for diagnosing speed issues.
• Pay-per-click optimization guidance addresses ad copywriting, profit-driven goal setting, bid calculation and optimization, and campaign management.
• The book is written for business and IT managers rather than specialists, making it accessible to readers who oversee both technical and marketing functions.
• Author Andrew B. King founded Website Optimization, LLC, and drew on client work with major organizations to ground the book's techniques in practice.
• Endorsed by Jim Sterne of the Web Analytics Association as bringing together "the science, the art, and the business of Internet marketing" [citation:14].
• At 367 pages, the book provides comprehensive coverage of its subject without becoming unwieldy for managers seeking practical guidance.

About the Author

Andrew B. King is the president and founder of Website Optimization, LLC, a web performance and search engine marketing firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in the design optimization of structures. He was recruited by NASA after graduation but chose instead to pursue a career in engineering consulting. Since 1993, King has worked full-time as a web professional, applying and teaching web optimization and creation techniques. He is the founder and former managing editor of WebReference.com and JavaScript.com, two award-winning developer sites acquired by Mecklermedia in 1997 [citation:1][citation:6].

King's firm, Website Optimization, LLC, was founded in 2002 and has helped clients including Bank of America, AOL, Time Warner, Net Zero, WhitePages.com, and Caravan Tours improve their websites' effectiveness and return on investment. In addition to Website Optimization, King is the author of Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization, a book focused on web performance tuning and search engine optimization. His work combines engineering rigor with marketing insight, reflecting his belief that technical performance and commercial persuasion are inseparable aspects of a successful website. He remains active in the web optimization community through his firm's consulting services and the companion website to his book [citation:1][citation:2].

Related Books

• Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization — Andrew B. King
• Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability — Steve Krug
• Building Findable Websites: Web Standards, SEO, and Beyond — Aarron Walter
• Web Analytics: An Hour a Day — Avinash Kaushik
• Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions — Tim Ash
• High Performance Web Sites: Essential Knowledge for Front-End Engineers — Steve Souders
• The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization — Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, and Jessie Stricchiola
• Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Website — Mike Moran and Bill Hunt

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FAQ

Q : What is the ISBN of Website Optimization by Andrew B. King?

R : The ISBN for the 2008 O'Reilly Media edition is 9780596515089, with the ISBN-10 being 0596515081. Library records list the book as 367 pages, though the publisher's page and some catalogs cite 398 pages, likely reflecting differences between printings or inclusion of front matter [citation:1][citation:3]. The book is cataloged under QA76.625 in library classification systems.

Q : Is this book still relevant today, given that it was published in 2008?

R : While many specific tools and techniques have evolved since 2008, the book's core framework—that visibility, usability, and conversion must be optimized together—remains sound. The chapters on conversion rate optimization and the integration of marketing with technical performance are still conceptually valuable. However, readers should expect some techniques, particularly around Ajax optimization and PPC practices, to be dated. The book is best used for its strategic approach rather than as a current technical manual [citation:2].

Q : What is the difference between the two parts of the book?

R : Part One, Search Engine Marketing Optimization, covers how to attract visitors through natural search rankings and paid advertising, and how to convert those visitors into leads or customers. Part Two, Web Performance Optimization, covers the technical work of making pages load faster and respond more reliably. The book's thesis is that these two disciplines should not be separated: a fast site that cannot be found is useless, and a findable site that loads slowly will lose visitors. The metrics chapter at the end bridges the two by explaining how to measure both marketing and performance outcomes [citation:4].

Q : Who is the intended audience for this book?

R : The book is written for business and IT managers, according to the publisher's description. It assumes that readers may be responsible for both the commercial success of a website and its technical health, and it avoids assuming deep specialization in either marketing or development. O'Reilly categorizes it as intermediate to advanced, suggesting that some familiarity with web concepts is helpful but not a prerequisite for understanding the strategic framework [citation:1][citation:2].

Q : What case studies are included in the book?

R : The book includes two named case studies: PhillyDentistry.com in the chapter on natural search engine optimization, and BodyGlove.com in the chapter on pay-per-click optimization. These case studies illustrate how the techniques described in the surrounding chapters were applied to real websites, providing concrete examples of both successes and the reasoning behind specific optimization decisions. The table of contents for the book lists these case studies as dedicated chapters [citation:4][citation:8].

Q : What are Pathloss and waterfall graphs mentioned in the book?

R : Pathloss and waterfall graphs are web performance measurement tools discussed in the book's metrics chapter. A waterfall graph displays the sequence and timing of HTTP requests as a page loads, allowing developers to identify bottlenecks and slow-loading resources. Pathloss is a related concept for measuring and visualizing performance. These tools help readers diagnose why a site is slow and prioritize optimizations, connecting the technical performance chapters to measurable outcomes [citation:2].

Q : What are Andrew King's qualifications to write this book?

R : Andrew B. King holds BSME and MSME degrees from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in design optimization. He founded Website Optimization, LLC in 2002 and has consulted for clients including Bank of America, AOL, and Time Warner. He has worked as a web professional since 1993 and founded two award-winning developer sites, WebReference.com and JavaScript.com. His combination of engineering training and practical marketing experience gives him a distinctive perspective on website optimization [citation:1][citation:6].

Q : Does the book cover social media or mobile optimization?

R : The book was published in 2008, before social media and mobile web usage became dominant concerns for most websites. Its coverage focuses on search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, conversion rate optimization, and web performance tuning for desktop browsers. Readers seeking guidance on social media marketing or mobile-first optimization will need to consult more recent resources. The book's value lies in its foundational treatment of conversion principles and performance measurement, which remain applicable even as the channels have changed.