SEO Tools You Should be Using! RIGHT NOW!

August 3, 2015 by Staff Writer

Search Engine Optimization (otherwise known as SEO) is a series of techniques that help websites achieve a higher rank in Google's search results. Obviously, the higher you are in Google's list of sites for a particular search term, the more people can see details about your site, and the more likely people are going to click on Google's link and find themselves at your website. Of course, if you are an ecommerce site, this could mean more customers and an improved bottom line!

There are a number of conditions a site needs to fulfill to be regarded as being a 'good' website. Fortunately, there are a number of tools that will help you to fulfill those conditions. Many are free tools provided by Google itself, but there are others from other providers that are also invaluable. Below is a list of such tools. Most are free, but some require additional payments if you need a deeper level of service than the average user.

1. QuickSprout

QuickSprout is a bit like Christmas Day - loads of free gifts and they're all really nice. Just by adding your website URL into QuickSprout you get a comprehensive list of tips that will impact your position in Google. You get an overall SEO score (A+ to E-) and recommendations on how to make things better. The speed of your site is considered, as are the length of headings, and which of your images do not have ALT tags. It also looks at your internal links and your social media impact, too. In addition, it considers how many other sites link to your site. This is a very nice tool to play around with, and one that you will find very helpful.

2. XML-Sitemaps.com

XML sitesmaps are small files that basically list every page on your site. When Google crawls your site the first thing it looks for is your XML sitesmap file. If it hasn't got one, the chances are some of your site's pages will not be included in Google's listings. People often overlook adding sitemaps, but they are invaluable. XML-Sitemaps.com makes creating sitemaps easy. You simply add your website URL and the site does the rest, delivering a sitemap that you simply upload through Google Webmaster Tools. It couldn't be easier, and it is bound to impact your results in a positive way.

3. SimilarWeb

Similarweb is another useful tool that is similar to Google Analytics, but allows you to compare websites against their competitors. It gives you information on two websites at any time, meaning you get a feel for the traffic particular sites receive compared to that of your own. In addition, it gives details on bounce rates and demographics (countries, etc.) and just how your competitors received their traffic (referrals, social media, search, etc.). This is a really easy way to find out what your site needs to do to beat your competitor(s).

4. Keyword Rank Checker and SERP Checker

Let's say you have a website selling judo suits. Obviously, it would be useful for you to know how far up the list in Google you are for the search term 'judo suit' or similar. The Keyword Rank Checker and SERP Checker does that for you. Just add your domain name and the search term you are interested in, and the system does the rest, providing you with details of where you are in Google's pecking order. This is vital information to know - if your site is very far down the list of sites produced by searches for the specific search term you require, you might have to consider what you are going to do to get your site to the top of the pile.

5. Find Broken Links, Redirects and Site Crawl Tool

Google likes to deal with websites that it thinks offer visitors a good user experience. There is nothing more annoying for a visitor (potential customer?) than clicking on a link to find that the site or internal page it used to lead to is no longer there. Obviously, this diminishes user experience considerably. Internet Marketing Ninjas has one of the best tools available for finding broken links. Add your website URL and it does all the heavy lifting. Find the broken links, mend them, and see your website jump higher and higher in the rankings.

6. Copyscape

Nobody likes a cheat. Nor does Google. If Google deems a website to have copied content/text from another website, then it will go down in the rankings. If you are getting content from third parties, it's good to run your site through Copyscape just to ensure what you are receiving is original. In addition, Google doesn't like sites that add the same content on different pages. Any sites with content on multiple pages go down the list. Copyscape is an excellent tool to check if there are any pages with duplicate content within your site. If there are, find them and either delete the content or rewrite it. Easy!