11 of the Best (Free) SEO Tools and How to Use Them by Alexander Cleanthous

Just as a there are tools which make the process of building a house easier, there are tools which make the process of ranking a website at the top of a search engine easier.

Every seasoned SEO professional has their own arsenal of SEO tools which they use every day to help them rank websites. It saves time, effort and provides a strong advantage against those competitors who do not use the same tools.

Here are 11 of the SEO tools which I use on a regular basis to rank websites at the top of the search engines. You'll note that there is a strong focus on Google - this is because ranking a website at the top of Google will, in my experience, drive anywhere between 10x and 100x the traffic of a top ranking in Yahoo or MSN combined.

1. Google Adwords Keyword Tool - this is a free tool provided by Google, which provides keyword suggestions based on 'descriptive words' or 'website content'. Although this tool is made to assist Google Adwords advertisers, you can use it to research SEO keywords as well, by selecting 'Exact' from the 'Match Type' drop down menu. The best thing about this tool is that you can see estimated traffic volumes for exact match phrases within any country where Google has a search engine. And what better place to get keyword suggestions than from the search engine which controls the lion share of search engine traffic online?

 

2. Google Adwords Traffic Estimator - this is a free tool provided by Google, which provides Adwords advertisers with an estimated cost of running a PPC campaign using specific keyword phrases. Use it like this: export the exact match keywords from the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, paste them into the Google Traffic Estimator, select the country you are optimising in, run the search and then sort the keywords in descending order by 'estimated cost per day'. This is a great way of identifying the keywords which may have high traffic volumes but don't convert very well, because those phrases which do not produce revenue for advertisers will have a low cost-per-click and an overall lower estimated cost per day as a result.

 

3. Google Webmaster Tools - this is a free service provided by Google to provide information to website owners about how Google views their website. You can see the top search queries which produce traffic for your site, as well as the top keyword rankings which you have. You can also see how many back links each page on your site has, as well as which sites are linking to each page. Other features include uploading an XML sitemap, generating robots.txt files, removing URLs and finding broken URLs on your website. Use every tool available in the Google Webmaster Tools service.

 

4. XML Sitemap Generator - use this tool to generate an XML sitemap of your entire site, and then upload the sitemap inside of Google Webmaster Tools. If your site is less than 500 pages then the free version is fine. But if it is larger than 500 pages you will need to purchase the full version, which then needs to be installed on your server.

 

5. SearchStatus - this is a Firefox plugin which provides a range of competitor SEO analysis information through a toolbar, including PageRank, Alexa Rank, Yahoo Backlinks, Highlighting Nofollow Links, Indexed Pages and Whois Information.

6. SEO Quake - this is another Firefox plugin which provides information similar to SearchStatus. The main difference with SEO Quake is that it displays the competitor analysis information within the search results, rather than the toolbar, which means that you can see information such as PageRank, Backlinks, and Domain Age etc. without having to actually visit a website.

 

7. Google Analytics - this is a free analytics service provided by Google. Simply open an account and paste the tracking code on every page of your website and you'll be able to see a wide range of information about your website visitors. For SEO purposes, you want to look at the 'traffic by non-paid keywords' report to see which keywords are producing traffic for your site. Setup conversion tracking and sort the list in descending order by keywords which are producing the highest number of conversions. Keep an eye on this report to find new keywords which are driving traffic and conversions which you weren't aware of and then focus SEO efforts on them as well.

 

8. Wordpress - this is the leading blogging platform for SEO professionals because of the internal linking structure of the blog software as well as the customisations and plugins available. Maintaining a regularly updated Wordpress blog will have significant impact on your SEO rankings.

 

9. Pingoat - once you have setup your blog and have posted some articles on it, use Pingoat to notify the RSS directories of your blog. This will build exposure to your blog as well as incoming links from those directories.

 

10. RSS Submit - similar to Pingoat, this is a piece of software which will notify additional RSS directories of your blog. To notify all of the RSS directories available in the software you will need to purchase the full version.

 

11. Google Trends - this is yet another free service by Google which shows the trends of particular keywords over time. You can compare the trends of multiple keywords against one another, with a specified country. As the process of ranking a website at the top of a search engine can take 12 months or more, you want to make sure that the trend of your target keyword is moving in an upwards direction.

 

12. SEO Elite - although this software is not free, it is great piece of software which you will need to use to monitor your ranking improvements over time, as well as analysing competitor backlinks for new linking opportunities. Although there are many free pieces of software available online, this SEO software is definitely worth the investment (note: I no longer use this software to monitor rankings as my needs have grown over time, as will yours, but this is a great piece of software to use when starting out).

 

As with any toolset, you will gain the maximum advantage by using all of the tools in conjunction with one another. For example, you will conduct keyword research using the Google Keyword Suggestion Tool. You then export the results into the Google Traffic Estimator. Take your top 3 phrases and put them into Google Trends. Type each of those phrases into Google. Use SearchStatus and SEO Quake to research your competitors, and so on?

 

The process of ranking a website at the top of Google takes a long, focused, consistent effort and is difficult even at the best of times. Using every tool you have at your disposal will give you an unfair advantage and will make the process that much easier.

How to Recognize a Bad SEO Company ?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about getting potential customers to visit your website. It is also about building a quality website full of great content. It uses keywords appropriately and gets links "naturally" because people love what you have on your site. SEO companies can provide very useful services including keyword research, site review, providing technical advice on your website development and also management of online business marketing campaigns. They can also help with content development, article marketing and article distribution. Although it's not brain surgery, it is hard to do and usually requires a lot of thought and real work.

Some unethical SEO firms attempt to manipulate search engine results in unfair ways. These practices could get your website ranked lower or even banned. When looking at SEO - either to optimize yourself or if you are looking to hire a company, here are some things to take into account.

 

Be Cautious Of SEO Firms That Say They Will Get Thousands Of Links To Your Site

It is not the number of sites that make the difference - it's the quality of the sites. When firms promise huge numbers of links, or say that you will become part of their "network of sites", it usually means a link farm is involved. A link farm is any group of websites that all hyperlink to every other site in the group. Search engines don't like this and it can lead to penalties. Instead, practice reciprocal linking with legitimate and related websites for better search engine ranking.

 

Be Wary Of SEO Firms That Guarantee A High Ranking On Google

No one can guarantee a high ranking on Google. Some SEO companies provide a guarantee on their services. This is fine. What's not fine is guaranteeing high ranking in an incredibly short period of time. When these unrealistic results fail to happen, the company will balk at giving a refund, suggest other services instead and start to become unreachable or disappear.

 

Be Cautious Of SEO Firms That Send "Spammy" Emails

These emails are unsolicited and usually begin with "We've noticed that you are not lísted in some search engines..." You should be searching for a high-ranking SEO company; they will not be searching for you. Spam means scam. You don't buy your medications from spammers so why buy SEO services from them?

 

Be Wary Of SEO Firms That Are Secretive Or Don't Clearly Explain What They Are Going To Do

Most reputable SEO firms are upfront with their clients and like to share their knowledge. They are confident that even if their clients understand their process, they won't leave them. If the SEO firm claims it's too complicated for you to understand, or if they say they have trade secrets and proprietary technology, it's a sign that they may not be ethical in dealing with your website.

 

Be Wary Of SEO Firms That Say They Will Submít Your Site To Thousands Of Top Search Engines And Directories

Besides the small fact that there aren't that many search engines, consider that the guidelines of the search engines themselves tell you that it doesn't do any good anymore. Search Engines are good at what they do - searching for sites - and you don't need to pay someone to submít your site to a search engine. If they make this claim, they will probably use Free For All (FFA) junk sites that might damage your site's standings.

 

Be Cautious Of SEO Firms That Say They Can Optimize And Promote Your Site For A Low, Low Monthly Fee

Not all monthly SEO or SEM (Search Engine Management) service contracts or monthly fees are a scam. There are real reasons to pay a monthly fee to an SEO expert. These would include conditions when you would require SEO management: when you or someone else is constantly generating new content or new features for your site; implementing link-building campaigns; implementing PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns; or starting a brandcasting campaign. Press release distribution, email campaigns and article marketing campaigns could also require a legitimate monthly fee.

Not-so-legitimate fees could include monthly re-submittíng of your site to search engines, "tweaking" your code to keep up with changes and regularly submitting your site to hundreds of useless free-for-all directories. The worthwhile companies that charge a monthly fee will usually be able to tell you exactly how much it is per month to generate blog entries or generate and distribute articles or press releases. And it won't be for the low, low price of $79.95.

 

Choose Your SEO Company And Services Carefully

Do your research and don't make the decision lightly. If you were hiring a contractor to remodel your kitchen you would want to see other kitchen projects they've done and speak with the owners about the company's business practices. You should do the same thing when hiring an SEO company. Get referrals and really speak with them.

There are many online tips about choosing and hiring SEO firms that you can check out as well. Remember, SEO is a long-term strategy and you should take the time to do your research before buying or you'll probably be buying again.

Writing SEO Articles

Ever come across articles on the Internet that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever? Ever felt frustrated with articles that take you for a ride and leaves with you nothing but regret…for reading it that far? I don't know about you but I've read so many of them that I lost count. These articles are mostly stuffed with keywords because the writer believes that when an SEO article is stuffed with HUNDREDS of their selected keywords, search engines will love them. To them, the concept of SEO article writing is to write nonsensical articles with hundreds of keywords slotted in between words!

Forget about them! Search engines are smarter than that. With continuous efforts in fine tuning the spiders (search engine spiders 'crawl' from site to site, page to page to index pages), search engines, like the formidable Google, has decided that enough is enough. If readers don't like overstuffed SEO articles, THEY don't either. Some search engines have gone as far as to ban or block out sites that overstuff their web content with keywords! So, please do be careful.

Anyway, if you don't have the budget to hire an SEO writer to write your articles for you, I'll show you a very simple way to write SEO-friendly articles. It's not hard, I promise you.Ok, let's get to it.

 

STEP ONE

The topic and the direction

The first thing you'll have to do is to decide on the topic you want to write about…forget about the title. Titles are usually given when the entire article is complete. Reason? Well, you'll discover that the gist of the article, the flow and the content is not always the way you first intended for it to be. At the end of it, you'll find a title that is right for your SEO article. So, don't spend hours mulling over the title. Just get to it and write it.

 

STEP TWO

 

Writing it

I've heard of people spending hours writing a single article because they want to make it perfect the first time round. No, no, no, no….that's not it. Remember, articles (especially books!) are never perfect the first time round. Accept this and you'll soon be writing tons of good stuff in the future! Just get to it and write it. You can forget about grammar and the flow. Just write it, ok?

 

STEP THREE

 

Keyword placing

Once you've completed your article, it's time to get to putting in the keywords that you want to put into the SEO article. At this point, don't worry about grammar and flow. You'll get to it soon enough…just don't worry about it yet! One word of advice, don't have too many keywords in one SEO article. Just one or two would be just nice. Start placing them into strategic places and in between sentences…but make sure they still make sense. The worst thing you can do is to piss your potential customers off, ok?

Example:

Writing articles for search engine is good for your business.

"Writing SEO articles for search engines is good for your business"

 

STEP FOUR

 

Editing and proofing

 

OK, here's where you get to correct all grammatical mistakes, insert more stuff that you think is relevant to your SEO article or remove stuff that you think is not suitable for your SEO article. Go through everything carefully…but remember, this is not the only time you're going to be proofing your article because….

 

STEP FIVE

 

Re-editing

 

Yes, you need to re-edit and proofread them again the second time. To ensure that everything is completely correct, you can read them more than just twice or maybe even read the article backwards to ensure that all words are correctly spelt in your SEO article.

Effective Ways to increase backlinks and get your website indexed faster

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

How to suggest a site to the Open Directory ( from dmoz )

What is Dmoz ?

The Open Directory Project is a web directory of Internet resources. A web directory is something akin to a huge reference library. The directory is hierarchically arranged by subject - from broad to specific. The ODP is maintained by community editors who evaluate sites for inclusion in the directory. They are our experts, and all submissions are subject to editor evaluation

Dmoz care a great deal about the quality of the ODP. We aren't a search engine and pride ourselves on being highly selective. We don't accept all sites, so please don't take it personally should your site not be accepted. Our goal is to make the directory as useful as possible for our users, not to have the directory include all (or even most) of the sites that could possibly be listed or serve as a promotional tool for the entities listed.

To keep the ODP running smoothly and to assist us in exercising our editorial discretion, we have set up policies for submitting sites for our consideration. We may reject, delete, or edit submissions that violate these policies or that we otherwise believe, in our sole discretion, should not be included in the directory. We may also reject, delete, or block other sites that we believe to be associated with a user who has violated these policies.

You should take a few moments to understand these policies and the steps to submit a site before you begin. Failure to understand and follow these instructions generally will result in the rejection of a submission.

Step One

Determine whether a site is appropriate for submission to the ODP:

Do not submit mirror sites. Mirror sites are sites that contain identical content, but have altogether different URLs.

Do not submit URLs that contain only the same or similar content as other sites you may have listed in the directory. Sites with overlapping and repetitive content are not helpful to users of the directory. Multiple submissions of the same or related sites may result in the exclusion and/or deletion of those and all affiliated sites.

Do not disguise your submission and submit the same URL more than once.

Example: http://www.dmoz.org and http://www.dmoz.org/index.html

Do not submit any site with an address that redirects to another address.

The Open Directory has a policy against the inclusion of sites with illegal content. Examples of illegal material include child pornography; libel; material that infringes any intellectual property right; and material that specifically advocates, solicits or abets illegal activity (such as fraud or violence).

Do not submit sites "under construction." Wait until a site is complete before submitting it. Sites that are incomplete, contain "Under Construction" notices, or contain broken graphics or links aren't good candidates for the directory.

Submit pornographic sites to the appropriate category under Adult.

Submit non-English sites to the appropriate category under World.

Don't submit sites consisting largely of affiliate links.

Step Two

Do a quick search in the directory at dmoz.org (the home of the Open Directory) to be sure your site isn't already listed. This saves everyone time.

Step Three

Identify the single best category for your site. The Open Directory has an enormous array of subjects to choose from. You should submit a site to the single most relevant category. Sites submitted to inappropriate or unrelated categories may be rejected or removed.

Note: Some categories do not have "suggest URL" or "update URL" links. These categories don't accept submissions, so you should find a more specific category for your site.

Step Four

Once you've selected the best category for your site, go directly to that category on dmoz.org and then click "suggest URL." Follow the instructions on the submission form carefully. Descriptions of sites should describe the content of the site concisely and accurately. They should not be promotional in nature. Submitting a promotional description rather than an objective, well written description may significantly delay your site from being listed or prevent your site from being listed at all. Auto-submission software is (and always has been) a violation of this procedure. Sites submitted automatically are flagged and deleted after the submission is accepted, without notification to you. Persistent automatic submission may force us to ban you from the dmoz site, so we can provide resources to real human beings.

How To Write A Press Release

There is a nasty rumor that press releases don't work. Not true! Press releases can be a fabulous tool for business promotion ... IF they are properly written and presented.

A problem occurs because most people are not aware of the special requirements of press releases. A press release is not a page-long advertisement. A press release is not a novel. A press release is not a tell-all promotional piece that is full of detail. So what IS a press release and how do you write one that will actually get placed? Let's go over a few basics that will help you in your press campaign.

 

A CHANGE IN TARGET AUDIENCE

The first mistake commonly made is writing a press release with your business target audience in mind. Unlike advertising copy, which is written to appeal to your customer, a press release is written to appeal to a journalist. The journalist is not someone who is seeking to buy your product or service. A journalist is looking to fill a news need.When writing a press release, you must meet that need by filling the reporter's requirements. Rather than answering the question, "What's in it for me", answer the question, "Why would ABC magazine's readers care"? The headline also takes on a new focus. Rather than using a headline proclaiming the benefits of your product, use a headline that proclaims its newsworthiness.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

One common error is submitting a press release without first reading the publication. it is virtually impossible to provide timely, news-oriented information to a site or magazine if you have no idea what interests their readers have.

Do a little homework before submitting. Visit the Web and look at the stories the site offers. Buy a copy of the magazine or newspaper and review the common interests of its readers. By understanding what the publication is looking for, you will be able to fulfill the need and thus get a much better response from your press release.

DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU

The biggest irritant reporters have is receiving calls from writers asking if the press release was received. Worse yet, asking if it was read. Journalists are very busy people. They get hundreds of press releases a day. I have actually heard reporters say that they throw away the releases of those people who call them.Resist the urge to phone. Once you submit your press release, rest assured you will be contacted if there is an interest.

PUT IT IN THE RIGHT HANDS

Just like advertisements, press releases must be placed in strategic areas. Search the Web for outlets to run your release. A few I have gotten good response from are:

http://www.businesswire.com

http://www.internet.com

http://www.prnewswire.com

 

[Also visit the highly acclaimed ExpressPress.com - ed.]

Also, email your press release to the appropriate person at individual magazines, newspapers and Web sites. Target those that would be read by your customers. Be sure to find the correct name and email address for the reporter who handles stories related to your business. Releases that are sent to incorrect contacts are most likely thrown away... not forwarded on to someone else.

KISS

Keep it short silly! Press releases are not meant to tell the whole story. They are meant to give the reporter an idea of what's happening in your business that their readers need to know about. If the journalist would like additional information or would like to arrange for an interview, he/she will call. Your press release should be approximately 400 words - 500 maximum.

I know, all this sounds like a list of nit-picky rules. Not really. Just like with advertising copy, you must give your reader what he needs. Write a newsworthy release that meets the criteria of the reporter and his/her subscribers. The time you take to do so will pay off. As you know - when you fill a need, you get results.

3 Tips for Fast Google Indexing

If you have a new website then it takes some time until Google visits your web pages. Even if you submit your website to Google via their regular submission form, it usually takes weeks until Google visits your site.

There are some things you can do so that Google indexes your web page within 48 hours and not within weeks.

Tip 1: Get a link from an existing site

Links are very important for high rankings on Google. The more (quality) links you have, the higher Google will rank your pages.

An easy way to get a link to your website is to join a forum that is related to your website. Participate in the discussions and sign your posts with your name and a link to your website.

Make sure that you do not spam the forums. Only participate in an online discussion if you really have something to say about the topic. If you post in a well known forum then Google will quickly pickup the link to your site.

Tip 2: Create an external blog

Google likes blogs and many blogs are indexed very quickly. Use Google's Blogger.com service to create a blog that is related to your business.

Write a few posts and add a link to your website in your blog posts. Google will quickly index your Blogger blog and find the link to your site.

Tip 3: Get as many links as you can

The more other websites link to your website, the sooner Google will find your site. Use IBP's link building tool ARELIS and IBP's directory submitter to get as many links as possible.

If you use all of these methods, it's very likely that Google will index your website within 48 hours.

Links on the other pages make sure that Google finds your website more quickly. The more links point to your website, the more likely it is that Google will find your site. In addition, you will get higher rankings if many other pages link to your site. Further information on how to get high quality links can be found in our free link building eBook.

How Fast Does Google Index Your New Content?

Is your new web content being indexed by Google? When you publish a new web page how long does it take to be indexed by Google?The quickest way is to answer this question is by querying Google with site:yourdomain.com and scanning the list of URL's presented. You can scan pages 100 at a time (instead of 10) just by changing the "Number of Results" tab within your Google preferences. If you see the web page you just published in the list, then it has been indexed by Google. If it is not there, Google hasn't found it yet.

If this is the case, ask yourself is the page included in your sitemap? and, did you ensure the page isn't "orphaned" - not like Oliver Twist - but rather are other pages on your site linking to it? If no existing, indexed content is linking to the page and your sitemap is non-existent or not current, then Google has no way of finding your page.

So far so good?

If you are finding that new content on your site isn't getting indexed quickly you may have a big problem. Product launches, service launches and press releases lose a little of their online luster when Google doesn't index and return them in the search results until weeks after the content was published. If you're not sure how quickly your pages are being indexed, simply conduct an "Advanced Search" on Google, by clicking "Advanced Search" > Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more > and then changing the Date to "Past Month" - then, return to Google and use the operator site:yourdomain.com again. The results returned will show you all the new pages that Google found and indexed on your site in the last month. In addition, you will get the specific date that the content was published. This should alert you to a possible problem in the event that the date the content is indexed is more than a few days after the page was initially published.

Running this same type query for your competitors website is also a powerful form of competitive research. If a competitor is publishing content that is getting indexed quicker than yours - you have yet another piece of evidence that your site isn't up to search engine optimization (SEO) snuff. Plus, if a competitor is building pages quickly this is usually a major indicator that they are creating more online real estate, and more online real estate means more traffic, and more traffic means that their gains will come at the expense of traffic flow to their competitors.