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Tools for SEO
Optimizing your Web site for a top search engine ranking takes a lot of time. When you do it right, you can stay at the top of search engines for a long time. SEO tools help your Web site achieve a top search engine rank and help it stay at the top.
You have two basic options to get to the top of the search engines. First, you can purchase pay per click (PPC) ads. We recommend PPC advertising if you need quick results. Secondly, you can launch a project to reach an organic top rank in the search engines.
If you elect to go the less expensive, but more time intensive organic route, you want to get to the first page. To get your site on the first page of the search engine results page (the page searchers receive after entering your target keyword), you must be strategic.
If you do not have the time or experience to perform your own search engine optimization
and cannot afford a consultant, SEO tools can help you. These tools can be your SEO
consultant in-a-box. The best SEO tools give you all the necessary programs and reports to
optimize your site for the top search engines. Since Google remains king of the search world,
we typically focus on getting a top rank on it.
We recommend white hat SEO techniques, which are techniques that will “do no harm” to your search engine rankings.
Our top recommendation is Aaron Wall’s SEO Tool set and books.
We suggest you avoid any tools using processes Google frowns on. For example, as of March 1, 2010, Google’s webmaster guidelines include the following text: “Google does not recommend the use of products such as WebPosition Gold™ that send automatic
or programmatic queries to Google.”
You may also find the following tools useful.
Basic Back-link and Anchor Text Checkers
After you optimize your pages, you must build backlinks, links to your Web site from other sites. You should build these links over time and not use a link farm. A link farm or link ring, which are set up for the sole purpose of building links.
You should build back links overtime by writing articles, news releases, online presentations, etc.
You should strive to get the ideal anchor text for these links. The anchor text is the keyword that the
site uses to link to your site. Ideally, these backlinks should include your target keywords.
After you launch a back-link campaign, you can use the following tools to measure your results.
Yahoo Site Explorer
Yahoo provides an excellent tool for tracking backlinks (or inlinks) to a Web site. This tool will display far more of the incoming links than Google's tool.
SEO Book Tool is a wonderful tool to download and run off a PC.
Or, use this nifty web-based tool, which allows you to export reports to excel. You will need the latest version of Firefox and the download plug-in from link diagnosis to run the tool. Link Diagnosis
Tools for SEM
Search engine marketing refers to the process of paying to bring traffic to a Web site. This paid traffic can include pay-per-click (PPC), pay-per-action (PPA), or paid inclusion (paying for listing a Web site in a directory such as Yahoo)
To select the ideal SEM tool, first define your own needs, and then select the best tool to meet those needs.
Do you want to generate leads for sales and track clicks all the way through to the final sale? In this case, look for an SEM tool that integrates with your CRM.
Are you seeking to sell a product (where you must track sales to each click)? In this case, make sure you can track the click through to the checkout and dollar sales.
Are you looking to increase general traffic to promote a brand and increase your social media reach? In this case, make sure you can track clicks through your social media engagements (blog sign-ups, tweets, Face book friends, etc.)
Some of the best SEM Tools include:
Google Adwords Editor a free SEM tool from Google that runs off your desktop. You download and use the tool directly on your desktop computer. After you make changes offline, you connect the tool to Google Adwords and upload the changes.
Benefit of Adwords Editor: By doing most of your work off line, you can make campaign wide changes more easily. As a bonus, you can also check changes more easily and avoid make mistakes in your account. The tool will check for technical mistakes before you upload.
Google Analytics is the well-known Web site traffic reporting system. If you are tracking sales from a PPC campaign, you can track sales by keyword through analytics.
Ad Wrapper is a free tool from Mike's Marketing Tools. This tool enables users to change raw search terms easily into one of Google’s match types (broad, phrase, or exact). If you manage hundreds of keywords, this tool saves time need to make match type changes. You can quickly quotes (for phrase match) to brackets (for exact match) for example.
PPC Ad Copy writing Tools
While you can find many tools to help with determining your ideal keyword list, do not forget the ad copy. With good ad copy, you can see vast improvements in your click-through-rates (viewers clicking on your ad).
What is good PPC Ad copy? Good copy compels the ideal viewer to click. Your ads should be snappy. You should pay special attention to the headline. Most experts agree that the headline is the most important part of your ad. In Google, you only have 25 characters to get that headline. Use strong action words that speak to the target market’s problem:
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Your best headline will promote a benefit and the ad should include a strong call to action. We offer below a free download of an excel file with strong action words.
Visual Thesaurus
What it does: The visual thesaurus helps you locate new synonyms by displaying them in a handy word tree.
Why use it: This tool facilitates brainstorming keywords and writing new ads. We've all had writers block at one time or another and this tool helps alleviate this issue!
Excel
Yes the tool on your desktop is great for SEM. If you are writing PPC ads, the search engines limit the lines by character.
Use this formula to monitor the number of characters for each line =LEN(target cell). For your target cell, enter the cell containing your title or description line.
No more counting characters to see if you are over
Google Insight
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