We use this keyword ranking tool (Download Rank Checker) at least a couple of times a day to check keyword rankings quickly. In addition, we use the .CSV export to show the rankings to clients and potential clients. The rankings are tracked for the Top 200 rankings in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.
Additional features include the ability to set a preset list that will let you re-check at a later date as well as the history of the keyword preset lists. Once a preset list is setup, you can schedule the Firefox extension to run at a set time…be sure to set you search interval to between 4-7 seconds so you are being ‘friendly’ to search engines.
This product review of Wordtracker is by Aaron Wall of SEOBook.com and covers some useful keyword research techniques.
Basically, keyword research should begin with looking at your current web logs or analytics reports since basically these keywords should have some type of ranking. The logic is that you can probably rank for similar keywords.
The key to using a keyword research tool is to start with general themes like ‘chocolate’ and then find other keywords like ‘white chocolate’ and ‘chocolate truffles’. Once you identify some of these, you should visit competition to see how they have ranked.
According to SEOQuake, the more keywords in a search results the better lower quality sites did in the results. This long tail strategy can be good for sites that don’t have the authority to rank for competitive keywords.
Quintera shows keyword phrases that people might be using by relating keywords from the top Google SERP results. There are lots of keyword tools that can be used for ideas as part of the discovery process. Be sure to review keywords volumes as part of the input, but don’t rely on the data from any of the tools.
Google’s keyword tool not only provides keyword variations but you can also plug in a url and Google will use the content of the home page to pull relevant keywords. Compete also provides a traffic / ranking based keyword terms that allows you to ‘spy’ on your competition.
Picking the right keywords can lead to traffic quickly if you the right modifers. Only half of the search queries on Google are unique, so be sure to use modifiers that might include product names, brands, and action items like ‘buy’, ‘price’,'order’, ‘cheap’, etc. For another example, clothes might have modifiers like ‘loose’ or ‘tight’. Aaron Wall gives a lot of good ideas regarding the type of keyword modifiers that might be used and these items could potentially be used for on-page body copy.
Google is the top used search engine, which means it’s also an important asset for search engine optimization professionals to use. Fortunately, Google doesn’t leave SEO experts in the dark. Here are some of the most useful SEO tools that Google offers that will help you in your SEO endeavors.
1. Matt Cutts Blog. Cutts writes about Google of course, but he also includes posts about SEO including the Google algorithm for search.
2. The Google Blog. This more general blog talks about “insights from Googlers into our products, technology, and the Google culture.” This is a great read for staying on top of what Google and the people using the search engine like and find helpful.
3. Google Ad Planner. This free media-planning tool can help refine your online advertising, potentially saving you money in the short and long term.
4. Google Dance Tool. This tool allows you to ping three Google data centers to see if Google is updating their search algorithm. It’s a great way to stay up-to-date with the changes that are being made.
5. Google Search Appliance. This is integrated hardware and software that allows businesses to have the productivity-enhancing power of Google search within their own sites.
These five tools are just the tip of the iceberg as well. If you are involved in SEO in any sense of the word jump into Google’s site and have a look around. You just may be surprised to find out how much is there that can help you.
SEO’s and webmasters watched their computer screens with baited breath Tuesday afternoon (on the east coast, anyway) through a long press conference to download the latest revolution in web browsers from your friends at… none other than Google.
Google Chrome is now open source… and open to the public. Cool things about G-Chrome:
The fact that it lacks a file toolbar will no doubt confuse most regular internet users. Can speed alone cause the majority of Internet Explorer users to get over the potential confusion of a browser without a file bar?
Chrome also seems to have a hodgepodge of the best things from each major web browser out there… along with a smattering of improvements.
So, if the only major benefit most common internet users are going to get from Chrome is faster browsing, then what was the point of the G-team putting this product out? Simple… MORE SEARCHES! Faster browser – more searches. Faster search – more searches.
And at Google, more searches = more $.
Of course, there could always be another motive for why Google put out Chrome. As I mentioned earlier, one of the coolest things about Chrome is Incognito mode, which basically allows you to hide a screen’s content (and any notation of you visiting a site) behind a normal web browser window.
At the same time, that doesn’t mean no one will know what you’re looking at on the internet. ProspectMX, a Pennsylvania internet marketing company, has created a “Chrome Comic” that explains the real reason behind the development of what is sure to become known as “pRon mode.” Check it out.
Many online forums on the subject of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are available. They are useful for learning about changing SEO practices and discussing how to best implement different techniques. However, some forums are preferable to others, depending upon their level of activity and the subjects they cover. Read on to learn about how to find the most useful SEO forums…
To start, you can get a list of these forums on any search engine by searching for “SEO forum” or “SEO + Forum”. If you prefer, the DMOZ.org web directory also has a useful list of SEO and other internet marketing forums, which can be found under the subcategory “Computers / Internet / Web Design and Development / Promotion / Chats and Forums”. The next step is to separately evaluate these sites to see which one best meets your needs, works well on your computer, and has sufficient activity to be useful.
Some ways of determining whether or not a forum is active include checking how many members there are, how recently new messages were posted, and how many users are currently logged in. Check to see if SEO categories you find interesting are covered – different forums include specific subjects like web directories, small search engines, Alexa rankings, blogging, specialized searches (image, news, product, etc) or domain names. They might also feature other marketing topics like affiliate programs, PPC, or banner ads.
Certain search engine optimization forums provide useful boards for particular activities like offering to sell SEO services, initiating link exchanges, selling web sites, requesting paid SEO services from other members, or asking for web site reviews. Other forums don’t allow some of these actions. Make sure the forum doesn’t have a lot of offensive posts or “spam”; some boards have too few moderators to find and prevent this behavior. Looking around the forum will also confirm that its pages load fast enough for your internet connection and it is compatible with your web browser.
After reviewing these factors on each forum you find, register for membership in the active forum which offers the most useful features for you. Evaluating the individual SEO forums in this manner before signing up will save time, which otherwise might be spent registering for forums which turn out not to be useful for one reason or another. Finally, don’t forget to save your password and bookmark the site’s URL after registration.
Keyword Research, Search Engine Optimization Tools | seowhitehats | October 19, 2008 | 
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