SEO Tools
Among the many tools for search engine optimization are platforms and apps that monitor competitors, identify keywords, analyze Google’s search result pages, review changes in organic rankings, evaluate backlink quality, and much more. Our coverage also recommends tools based on the experiences of our contributors.
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SEO Tools
The SEO Benefits of Web Scraping
April 6, 2021 • Bill Sebald
In "SEO for Google Shopping," I addressed the need to optimize product feeds. I stated that including keyword product descriptions and titles in the feeds was scalable with "scraping." But I didn't describe it further. In this post, I’ll explain scraping.
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SEO Tools
SEO How-to, Part 12: Technical Tools
August 18, 2020 • Jill Kocher Brown
Implementing a search engine optimization strategy typically requires tools that can be dangerous when mishandled. Knowing those tools — when to use them and how — can make all the difference. This is the 12th and last post in my “SEO How-to” series.
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SEO Tools
SEO: Search Console Is an Untapped Source of Keyword Data
June 5, 2020 • Bill Sebald
Search Console now has more than enough data to return us to the glory days of natural search keyword data. But many businesses are not aware. I’ll explain the Search Console data in this article.
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SEO Tools
Using Google Trends for Ecommerce
July 23, 2019 • Bill Sebald
Google Trends reports the relative popularity of search terms across languages and regions. It's helpful for identifying when consumers start thinking about a product.
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SEO Tools
15 SEO Plugins for WordPress
June 24, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of search-engine-optimization plugins for WordPress. There are all-in-one plugins that provide a variety of tools and, also, plugins to improve specific search-related areas, such as site speed, tags, and image optimization. All of these tools are free, though several have premium versions as well.
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SEO Tools
SEO: 9 Content Optimization Tools
April 5, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown
Contextual relevance in search engine optimization refers to how the content on a website aligns with searchers' words and phrases. These nine content optimization tools will take you from keyword research to written word to optimized copy.
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SEO Tools
SEO: Using Lighthouse to Improve Site Speed
March 29, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown
Site speed is tricky for search engine optimization practitioners. It’s a ranking signal for Google and a key factor in a customer's experience. But few SEO pros have the development chops to improve speed. One option is to use Google's Lighthouse, a site auditing tool.
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SEO Tools
3 Tools to Analyze Content for Marketing, SEO
November 14, 2018 • Armando Roggio
A successful content marketing program often begins with creating and maintaining an inventory of every page on your site. There are several ways to conduct a content inventory. In each case, you begin by getting a list of all of the pages. Here are three of the best tools to generate that list.
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SEO Tools
Search Console Is the Gateway to Google’s SEO Data
July 27, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown
Search Console is Google’s way of communicating with webmasters and search engine optimization professionals about the status of their site within its search results. If you want more information about your site’s natural search performance, Google gives it to you.
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SEO Tools
Indispensable SEO Tools, from Free to Expensive
February 16, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown
Search engine optimization is rooted in data: technical data, analytical data, and contextual data. The tools you use to access that data fuel your ability to make smart SEO decisions, to keep your performance moving in the right direction. In this post, I'll recommend SEO tools in eight categories. Some of the tools are free or low cost. Others are more expensive, with many more features
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SEO Tools
Optimizing Google Search Options for Android Apps
January 7, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown
Apps for iOS and Android mobile devices represent a chance to sell to captive prospects — if they can find your app to download in the first place. The first place to start is the Google Play Store, where Android users install apps. Google web search is another opportunity for app search, but most of the optimization focus should be on the Play Store itself.
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SEO Tools
Mobile-first SEO Makes Search Console More Important
October 6, 2017 • Jill Kocher Brown
In 2018, Google will judge your desktop search ranking by the signals from your mobile site. Google’s mobile-first index, the algorithm update that will flip the importance of desktop sites compared ...
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SEO Tools
13 Free Tools to Test Website Speed
January 30, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Regularly testing the speed of your website is a good way to catch bottlenecks and improve the experience of visitors. Here is a list of free tools to test websites. There ...
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SEO Tools
How to Perform a Local, Competitive SEO Analysis
October 19, 2016 • Bill Hartzer
Businesses that rely on local consumers should periodically examine the search engine optimization efforts of their competitors. You’ll see what they’re doing — what you like and dislike — and ...
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SEO Tools
SEO: 22 Tools, Tutorials for Bing
April 24, 2016 • Sig Ueland
If all of your search marketing efforts are on Google, you could be missing out on Bing. It accounts for roughly 20 percent of all U.S. desktop searches, according to ...
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SEO Tools
26 Free SEO Tools for Merchants
March 6, 2016 • Sig Ueland
To optimize your website for search engines, you need a variety of tools to monitor performance and discover opportunities. Fortunately, many of those tools are free. Here is a list of ...
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SEO Tools
For SEO Time Travel, Use Wayback Machine
February 21, 2016 • Jill Kocher Brown
Which pages your site promotes as the most important is critical for search engine optimization. Remembering the details of past internal linking structures is impossible, unless you use the Wayback Machine ...
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SEO Tools
6 Free Android Apps for SEO
January 8, 2016 • Jill Kocher Brown
Put your Android phone to work for search engine optimization. These free Android apps will help you monitor your SEO performance and add critical insights in meetings, when you’re away ...
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SEO Tools
10 Local SEO Tools for Small Businesses
July 20, 2015 • Sig Ueland
For online businesses with physical locations, optimizing for local search engine results is an important component of a marketing strategy. Ranking factors, such as contact details and customer reviews, help ...
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SEO Tools
SEO: Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools Improve Search Rank
May 14, 2015 • Nick Mouledous
I often reference both Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools when writing about SEO for small business owners. These are the two most important resources available for digital marketing analysis and are free for anyone to use.
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SEO Tools
10 Sites to Learn SEO
August 31, 2014 • Sig Ueland
Developing your search engine optimization skills can seem intimidating. However, there are some excellent online resources to learn the basics, formulate strategies and launch your SEO campaign. Here is a list ...
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SEO Tools
SEO: Bing Webmaster Tools for the Other 20 Percent
February 28, 2014 • Jill Kocher Brown
Since Google is the largest search engine, its webmaster tools gets the lion’s share of attention. But depending on your industry and audience, Bing and Yahoo may drive around 20
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SEO Tools
Local SEO: 15 Marketing Activities that Improve Citations
February 25, 2014 • Kunle Campbell
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Web Marketing Today. Practical Ecommerce acquired Web Marketing Today in 2012. In 2016, we merged the two sites, leaving Practical Ecommerce as ...
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SEO Tools
Local SEO for Multiple-location Businesses
February 10, 2014 • Dustin Christensen
Search engine optimization for local businesses can be difficult. That is especially true for companies with multiple locations. But local SEO for small businesses with multiple locations isn’t impossible. It simply requires a highly organized plan based on your business’s goals and geographic priorities.
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SEO Tools
My Favorite SEO Tools
December 20, 2013 • Jill Kocher Brown
Search marketers’ toolboxes differ based on the type of optimization in which they specialize and how comfortable they are with raw data versus ready-to-use graphs. Many helpful tools aren’t specifically made ...
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SEO Tools
SEO: Google Adds Manual Spam Actions to Webmaster Tools
August 9, 2013 • Jill Kocher Brown
Google Webmaster Tools launched its new manual spam actions feature yesterday, enabling verified site owners to check whether their site has been manually penalized by Google. Over the last couple of years, Google has slowly increased its communication to webmasters, with the goal of ...
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SEO Tools
12 Free Google SEO Tools
June 13, 2012 • Sig Ueland
Before you spend any money on a search-engine-optimization campaign for your website, take advantage of Google’s free tools to optimize your site and increase its PageRank. And if you are just starting out with SEO, check out Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide PDF. Here ...
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SEO Tools
Top 5 Reasons to Use Google Webmaster Tools
March 16, 2012 • Jill Kocher Brown
There’s a common misconception that registering with Google Webmaster Tools somehow enables Google more access to information about a site. In fact, just the opposite is true. Google Webmaster Tools provides site owners access to data available from no other source, data every ecommerce...
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SEO Tools
8 Tutorials for SEO Beginners
December 22, 2011 • Sig Ueland
Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website to search engines. While that is a simple idea, putting SEO concepts to work can seem daunting ...
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SEO Tools
5 Conversion Tools for SEO and Beyond
November 29, 2011 • Jill Kocher Brown
The quickest path to earning more from an ecommerce site's organic search traffic is to convert more consumers who already go there. I addressed that topic previously, at "SEO: Convert More Before Driving More." Many SEO strategies focus on driving more visitors. But what use is driv...