Better SEO: 5 Free Tools That Everyone Should Use
If you’re new to SEO, here are 5 basic tools that you must have in your arsenal.
Improving your website’s search engine optimization just isn’t possible without a few good tools. Fortunately, there are many free SEO tools on the Web that allow you to make some good decisions without breaking the bank.
If you’re new to SEO, here are a few basic tools that you must have.
Google Keyword Tool – This is probably the most-often cited tool when it comes to SEO. Type in a phrase, and the tool returns a list of keyword ideas. For each phrase, it provides a sense of how many advertisers are bidding for the phrase, as well as the number of monthly global and local searches for each term.
Google Trends – For seasonal businesses, this tool provides useful insight into the best times of year to optimize for specific keywords. It allows you to compare terms over a period of time from the last 7 days back to 2004. You can also identify regions where there is stronger interest in a particular term.
Google Analytics – Every Web site is unique, and for that reason, you should keep a close eye on the type of traffic that is coming to your website. This tool tells you which keywords people use to find your website and where your traffic comes from. This is especially valuable for evaluating the effectiveness of your SEO.
Hubspot Marketing Grader – SEO is just one component of this report, which evaluates your inbound marketing efforts, including social media and demand generation. It’s a handy checklist for optimizing your site, and a good starting point for beginners.
SEO by Yoast – Available as a plugin for WordPress, this tool helps you maximize the SEO on each page of your blog. It provides a page analysis for each new posting, assessing keyword density, meta descriptions, page titles, character count and more. This gives you the information you need to optimize before you post.
Diane S. Thieke is the president and founder of Simply Talk Media, a digital media marketing consultancy. With more than 25 years in digital media and technology, she helps clients build stronger relationships with their customers and communities, using both social and traditional channels. Follow her on Twitter at @thiekeds or visit her blog at www.simplytalkmedia.com/blog.
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About the Author
Diane S. Thieke is the president and founder of Simply Talk Media, a digital media marketing consultancy. With more than 25 years in digital media and technology, she helps clients build stronger relationships with their customers and communities, using both social and traditional channels.