There are plenty of businesses that can benefit from as many tools as possible when it comes to executing and monitoring their SEO efforts. But not all businesses, including car dealers, can afford some of the expensive tools that agencies and larger organizations can afford. Luckily, there are plenty of tools available that are fast, free, and easy to use, without costly subscriptions or investments.
Jennifer Laycock, the Editor-in-Chief of Search Engine Guide, moderated this packed session of largely do-it-yourself Web marketers. First up on the panel was Matt McGee of Key Relevance, who introduced a number of cost effective tools. The first was which was the SearchStatus extension for the Firefox browser. This free tool provides useful data, including a webpage’s Google Page Rank, Google Category, Alexa popularity rating, Compete.com ranking, Alexa incoming links, and Alexa related links and backward links from the top three search engines. One of McGee’s choices for keyword research is Keyword Discovery, which also offers a free trial. In addition, tools from the engines themselves, including Yahoo’s Site Explorer and MSN’s Webmaster Center, can provide advanced information about your website and its rankings. Another tool to explore the backlinks to your competitors is Link Diagnosis, helpful for finding places that you can also gain valuable inbound links! SEO-Browser.com can also be helpful to diagnosis any content issues you may have, as it looks at your website much like a search engine sees it.
Next up on the panel was Scott Allen from Hybrid6 Studios. For competitive research, Allen recommended using Compete.com as a resource as finding what works or doesn’t work in your competitor’s search strategy can easily open up opportunities for your own website. In addition, PPC Spyfu is a powerful resource for pay-per-click marketers. Although it’s still officially in Beta testing, Allen also recommended using Competitious for creating an informative matrix of your competitors.
Last but not least in this panel was Joe Abraham from Sage Rock. One of his favorite free resources is MSN’s AdLab, featuring a wide range of tools, from keyword research to demographic research. In addition, Crazy Egg was another suggestion that enables users to visualize traffic patterns on a website. This tool can supplement existing analytics to see exactly what’s happening on your website.
Quality SEO tools and research are more easily within reach than you might think. Car dealers may not have the budget for robust tools to diagnosis, track, and perform research online, but there’s plenty of tools to utilize online that are fast, free, and super easy to use.
***
Get the latest SEO tools and tips right here.
