As a programmer, I expect a certain level of specificity from books about things like SEO and social media. Website Optimization, for instance, is a wonderfully detailed, technical yet highly readable book on how to achieve higher search engine rankings and more conversions. Inbound Marketing, by contrast, is for non-technical managers. It assumes that you have employees who will figure out the details for you if you give them broad guidance. It expects you to be unfamiliar with terms like "subdomain" and "RSS." So the advice in this book is apt, but air-thin to experienced web developers.

There are some parts of the book that are well-intentioned but unrealistic, such as the chapter on how to hire a marketer. I don't envy the non-technical manager charged with making such a hire; it must be even more baffling than trying to hire a brilliant programmer. But the suggested interview questions--e.g. "How many LinkedIn followers do you have?" and "Do you have a channel on YouTube?"--are weak indicators of talent at best.

Ultimately, if you are a manager who wants to build a strong web presence but have no familiarity with Twitter and its social media ilk, then I'd recommend Inbound Marketing. But more importantly, I'd recommend that you foster an interest in the details of what your employees are doing to build that presence and why. The average programmer with a Twitter account knows more about inbound marketing than you will at the end of this book; you can learn a lot from them.