Search engine optimization is a complex process with many facets. Some
of these include keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page
optimization, acquiring inbound links, and tracking your rankings.
Fortunately, there are many tools that have been created to aid web masters in each of these tasks.
Below I have reviewed 7 of the top SEO tools so that you can quickly
find out what your site needs to rise in the search engines.
First up is the "Cool SEO Tool". I'll let you decide whether or not it lives up to its name.
Cool SEO Tool
This tool allows you to compare your site against the top 10 listed
sites in Google for a particular keyword or phrase. You simply enter
your keyword and the system will begin comparing 9 different metrics
for the top 10 rankings. This allows you to quickly compare the Yahoo
rank, MSN rank, Google pages indexed, altavista pages indexed,
backlinks to page, backlinks to domain, allinanchor rank, age of url,
and whether or not the phrase is on the page.
This tool can unveil extremely valuable information on how you can break into the top 10 search engine positions. Try it out at http://www.webuildpages.com/cool-seo-tool/
XML-Sitemaps
Google wants to make sure that webmasters have a way of communicating
information that is important about their sites. To accomodate this,
they created Google Sitemaps in 2005. Using this tool, you can tell
Google when you have created new pages and how often your pages are
updated. To get your pages indexed as quickly as possible, it is in
your best interest to create a sitemap for Google as well as for Yahoo.
Unfortunately, finding a sitemap generator that is easy to use can be a
frustrating task. However, after a lot of digging, I think I've found
one that you will like.
At xml-sitemaps.com, they have created a sitemap generator that enables
you to create a xml sitemap for Google and a text-based sitemap for
Yahoo. In addition, the generator can also create an optional HTML
sitemap for human visitors.
Go to http://www.xml-sitemaps.com for step-by-step instructions on how to get started.
Ultimate Keyword Tool
Keywords are the lifeblood of any site. Choose the wrong ones and your
site will quickly fizzle. Choose the right keywords and you will start
to see an abundance of traffic as well as sales. The key is choosing
keyword phrases that aren't viciously competitive and convert well into
sales.
For example, did you know that keyword phrases that are 3-5 words long
convert into sales much more often than any other keyphrase length? Not
to mention, these longer keyword phrases are also usually much easier
to rank for.
One of the best keyword tools is provided by SeoBook.com.
You simply enter in a keyword or phrase and hit sugggest. Once you have
done this, the keyword tools will return a variety of data, including:
For a keyword tool that has it all, go to http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword/
Link Popularity
For many of the top search engines, link popularity is one of the top ranking factors. Because of this, there have been a large number of link popularity tools to be released. However, after trying out quite a few of them, I settled on URLTrends.com (http://www.urltrends.com/). This site enables you to find out your link popularity on 8 different search engines.
Monitor Your Search Engine Positions
Monitoring your search engine positions is crucial to any successful marketing campaign. To obtain the highest possible search engine traffic, you must be able to monitor any sudden drops in your rankings. If you don't know where you stand, there is no way you can take corrective measures.
Fortunately, there is a tool that allows you to track all of your keywords for free.
This tool allows you to track:
Take control of your search engine rankings at http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/keywords/
Link Harvester
Are you looking to do some in-depth link analysis? If so, the Link Harvester is certainly for you. This tool is much more advanced than most link analysis software currently on the market. Link Harvester:
If you find this tool useful, you can even add it to your own site. Link Harvester is open source, so web masters are free to share it and developers are free to improve upon it.
Do your own link analysis at http://www.linkhounds.com/link-harvester/
Web CEO
I consider this the macdaddy of all of the seo tools. Web CEO combines many of the tools above into one solution. In one tool, you can:
Take this tool for a spin at http://www.webceo.com/
Search engine optimization can be quite a chore, but with a few simple tools, the process is made much easier. Start putting these tools to use and see how they impact your own online business.
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