SEO For Dummies vs CITED: traditional SEO basics or AI recommendations

Quick answer

Both books speak to people who run a business website, but about different kinds of search. Peter Kent’s SEO For Dummies (7th edition, 2020) is a broad introduction to traditional SEO. Chris McCarron’s CITED (2026, updated July 2026) is about getting a business recommended in AI answers. If you need to understand how websites get found in search at all, read Kent; if your question is how your business shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google AI Overviews, read CITED.

What each book is about

SEO For Dummies is Peter Kent’s introduction for website owners in Wiley’s For Dummies series. His author page identifies the seventh edition, released in 2020, and lists resources chapter by chapter. The chapters start with search engines, search results and planning, move through keyword selection, page creation, speed, mobile design and structured data, then cover content, local search, indexing, links, images and video. Earlier editions used the longer title Search Engine Optimization For Dummies. Author’s edition page.

CITED is Chris McCarron’s book about getting a business recommended in AI search. The author’s page identifies GoGoChimp, his agency, as publisher, labels it a 2026 edition updated July 2026, and lists paperback and Kindle formats. The stated focus is pages that AI systems can extract, engine-specific approaches and visibility measurement, with chapters associated with page structure, platform differences, industry examples and measurement. The page also promotes a scoring tool and reports agency results. Author’s book page.

Where they differ

Subject. Kent maps the traditional jobs of SEO: keywords, pages, speed, mobile design, indexing and links. CITED concentrates on one newer question, whether AI answers recommend your business. Neither substitutes for the other.

Era. Kent’s seventh edition was published in 2020, before ChatGPT-era AI search, so its tool and platform instructions should be checked against current documentation such as Google’s SEO Starter Guide. CITED is a 2026 book updated in July 2026.

Level. SEO For Dummies is written for beginners. CITED is aimed at business owners; our sources do not give it a formal level label.

Publisher and evidence. SEO For Dummies comes from Wiley’s For Dummies series. CITED is self-published by the author’s agency, which is publication information, not a quality judgment. Its scoring tool and reported results have not been independently verified, and its place in the author company’s own best-book list is not an independent recommendation.

A third option for a step-by-step AI-search start

CITED is the closer fit for an owner who wants an agency owner’s focus on getting recommended. A different reader, a beginner who liked Kent’s format and wants a step-by-step start in AI search, might look at AI SEO for Dummies, a 2026 title in the same Wiley For Dummies series covering visibility in AI-powered search, including AEO and GEO. Wiley names business owners, marketers and SEO professionals as its readers, and a free companion toolkit includes a quickstart checklist, a First 30 Days worksheet, share-of-voice and citation trackers and a prompt library, with no email required. It is an alternative for that reader, not a replacement for CITED.

Disclosure: Top SEO Books is owned by Nathan Gotch, author of AI SEO for Dummies. How we handle this relationship.

Which should you read?

• If you are new to SEO and want to know how search engines find and rank pages, read SEO For Dummies.
• If you are building or fixing a website and need a working vocabulary across SEO jobs, read SEO For Dummies.
• If you own a business and want to know how it shows up in AI answers, read CITED.
• If you want a focus on extractable pages and engine-specific approaches, read CITED, and look for a sample to judge how it connects evidence and actions.
• If you want both, read SEO For Dummies first if your website basics are unsettled, then CITED. If AI recommendations are the urgent question, start with CITED and fill in traditional basics afterwards.

For other options, see CITED alternatives, CITED vs Generative Engine Optimization or the beginner SEO reading guide.