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Title: Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization by Andrew B. King ISBN: 0-7357-1324-3 Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 14 January, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.82 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Fantastic Resource for Designers and Marketers Alike
Comment: King has written a masterpiece. Web site response time can literally make or break a Web site's success. Companies spend millions on strategies to drive visitors to their expensive Web sites but if the site doesn't load quickly enough, it's over; you have lost an opportunity to win a new customer. Internet users are not patient! Get your site to pop up quickly or you lose, no matter how many people find your site in search engines or click on your banner ads -- what a terrible waste of marketing dollars!
This book is loaded with practical information on speeding load time via changes to HTML, JavaScript, graphics, PDF files, multimedia, and other elements. Plus, it includes an entire chapter on compression, and not just the graphic variety.
"Speed Up Your Site" is simply a must-read for anyone, not just Web developers, who are responsible for a Web site's success.
There's even great data to help you make your case to your boss that you've got a problem that needs to be addressed, and, a powerful chapter on Search Engine Optimization -- a chapter that distills down a great deal of complicated information into some very simple to follow steps that will get your site top rankings in search engines.
I read this book, I loved this book, it was easy to read, and I have already sent copies to friends in the industry. It is that valuable. I recommend this book and I encourage you to own it -- you will not be disappointed. It is, hands down, the best book I have read on building or re-designing a Web site.
Fredrick Marckini
Rating: 5
Summary: Definitely a Definitive Guide on Site Optimization
Comment: When I read this book, I was hoping it would explain the purpose behind the necessity for fast web sites. Right out of the gate, the author provides sufficient research on this topic. Not only does he discuss the speed of response time as a certain factor in user satisfaction, he takes it to the next level by discussing the major causes of user impatience. I really enjoyed the part about "attunability". It's a very valuable term for web designers. As for me, this discussion alone was worth the price of the book.
The book follows this discussion with the idea that it's not enough to speed up a web site. To improve user experience and keep them on a web site longer, flow becomes an important factor. As for me, I am always trying to build sites that flow well. It's very annoying to visit a web site that has inconsistent color schemes, a plethora of navigation techniques. Hey, use all the cool techniques that you want but if it doesn't flow then I'm not impressed. Give me something that is simple and pleasing to use and I would probably hang around longer. This book stresses flow but doesn't spend much time on the subject.
With the groundwork laid out as to why sites need to be optimized for speed and flow, the rest of the book explains with great pain-staking detail how to optimize. It offers techniques and examples for areas such as HTML, XHMTL, CSS, JavaScript, graphics, multi-media, and meta-tags. Furthermore, this book covers server-side techniques and search engine optimization. Finally, to measure web site optimization, this book includes references to benchmarking tools.
With the concentration on coding techniques and optimization of code, I can understand why this book is recommended for experienced developers and designers; however, this book is organized such that a beginner could read the first three or four chapters and then do follow-up reading as their skills progress. With that said, I think this book could have presented more details on site flow; but overall, this book is worthwhile reading. With almost 500 pages, it's jammed full of research and useful examples and techniques on web optimization. I have built many web sites and fine tuned them. This book is a gold mine. With its awesome amount of coding optimization techniques and examples, I am sure that I can double the speed of my web sites.
Rating: 5
Summary: A MUST read for every web designer and developer!
Comment: When the GUIguy reviews books, it is usually with the intent of reading fairly quickly to get a sense of the author's approach, their writing style, and the value of the content.
When I picked up Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization, an amazing thing happened: I was captivated by the content and the style. Amazing! A first! I found myself reading every word and every line of code, lest I miss some gem hidden within the letters.
Andy King's basic premise is clearly stated: "At current bandwidth-to-CPU speed ratios, bandwidth is the limiting factor." Therefore, optimization of code is vital for a well-received web site.
Sure, that's easy to write, but how do you do it?! The author meticulously goes through many, if not all of the ways code can be streamlined, addressing HTML, XHTML, DHTML, CSS, and even more.
As for style, you can almost hear the author talking; the conversational tone pervades the tome. The book is a delight to read, and the text is peppered with subtle and not-so-subtle humor like "Link to external style sheets site-wide to cache in." Even code snippets are occasionally injected with nostalgia and rib-ticklers. (There is a reference to Burma Shave signs-search the web if you don't know what that is- and even the Emperor with No Close. (sic))
And for those who wonder why all this optimization is important, the author opens with two chapters on the Psychology of Performance, with well-researched excerpts and citations from human factors writings. The forward is even written by usability guru Jakob Nielsen.
There is a companion site (http://www.speedupyoursite.com) that contains all the code along with all the references, chapter summaries, chapter excerpts, color figures, etc. After all, web sites are living documents, and having all this information on a web site allows it to be updated easily.
The only flaw that I found with the book is that there is no accompanying CD. I would love to be able to search the complete text for suggestions and tips that I probably won't remember when I need them-like when I redo my own web sites, a job that I must undertake now that I have read this book.
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Title: Designing With Web Standards by Jeffrey Zeldman ISBN: 0735712018 Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 14 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design by Eric A. Meyer ISBN: 073571245X Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 28 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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Title: Cascading Style Sheets 2.0 Programmer's Reference by Eric A. Meyer ISBN: 0072131780 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 20 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: The Design of Sites: Patterns, Principles, and Processes for Crafting a Customer-Centered Web Experience by Douglas K. van Duyne, James A. Landay, Jason I. Hong ISBN: 020172149X Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 22 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $54.99 |
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Title: Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug ISBN: 0789723107 Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 13 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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