Resources - David Sorenson

Here are a few great web resources (people, companies, tools, websites, and books) I like. (This is a partial list)

Usability

Shari Thurow and Omni Marketing Interactive – provides search engine optimization (SEO), Web site usability, information architecture, and Web site design services for a wide variety of industries
Nielsen Norman Group – Evidence-Based User Experience Research, Training, and Consulting
Human Factors International – Usability consulting and training

Annielytics.com – Annie Cushing’s Blog – A great resource for SEO, Analytics & Data Visualization

WordPress.org and WordPress.com – a fantastic CMS (content management system) that powers ~38% of all websites
Studiopress – Premium WordPress Themes powered by The Genesis Framework
Elegant Themes – WordPress themes and a great blog
Yoast – The Art & Science of Website Optimization

Heidi Cohen – Actionable Marketing Guide
Copyblogger – Solutions for Smarter Content Marketing
Marketing Land – Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips
Action Plan Marketing – no-hype marketing for independent professionals from Robert Middleton
CXL Institute – excellent marketing training. Peep Laja and team have created a wonderful resource

Search Engine Land – News About Search Marketing & Search Engines
Search Engine Watch – Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Paid Search Advertising (PPC) & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool – one of the best tools out there for diagnosing site issues
SEMRush – By far my most used tool. A powerful and versatile competitive intelligence suite for online marketing, from SEO and PPC to social media and video advertising research.
Majestic SEO – Link intelligence tools for SEO and Internet PR and Marketing. Site Explorer shows inbound link and site summary data.

Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition) (Voices That Matter) by Steve Krug – a great introduction to usability and keeping things simple. Sounds easy but it is very difficult to accomplish with success
Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works (Interactive Technologies) by Janice (Ginny) Redish – a classic on how to write for the web
Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content by Colleen Jones. Clout explains the key principles of influence and how to apply them to web content.
Search Engine Visibility, Second Edition by Shari Thurow – my all-time favorite book on laying down a web site foundation for your visitors – when you do that, the search engines will love you
The Art of SEO (Theory in Practice) by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Jessie Stricchiola, and Rand Fishkin – my go-to-guide on the nitty gritty of SEO
When Search Meets Web Usability (Voices That Matter) by Shari Thurow and Nick Musica – these guys are pros when it comes to thinking about the user experience and its impact on search. A great book.
Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond by
Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville and Jorge Arango – a classic book about IA
Content Strategy for the Web, 2nd Edition by Kristina Halvorson and Meliss Rach – one of my favorite books on content strategy
Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click? by Susan M. Weinschenk, Ph.D. – great insights on applying principles of persuasion research