My Favorite SEO Tools – 2009 edition Wil Reynolds, Associate, SEER Interactive

Tools for SEO New tools & Oldies but goodies – revisited Twitter: @wilreynolds (one l)

New tools

&

Oldies but goodies – revisited

Twitter: @wilreynolds (one l)

Lesson Learned from a Hangover

It all started with a hangover

Client use of dog breeds by gender to jumpstart print campaign testing

Client use of dog breeds by gender to jumpstart print campaign testing

One of the most overlooked metrics SEOs should start evaluating TODAY

One of the most overlooked metrics SEOs should start evaluating TODAY

Bounce Rates & SEO How do you know when your rankings stop driving increases in leads / sales for your business? “ my rankings are the same but my business from search is down?”

How do you know when your rankings stop driving increases in leads / sales for your business?

“ my rankings are the same but my business from search is down?”

Bounce Rate Impact on SEO Case Study + Impact Analysis

Bounce Rate Impact on SEO Case Study

+

Impact Analysis

Bounce Rates - Case Study We evaluate bounce rates daily for each keyword (daily=catch problems quick) Caught a page 1 keyword with a sometimes 80% bounce rate for a client Homepage ranked for product search instead of product page

We evaluate bounce rates daily for each keyword (daily=catch problems quick)

Caught a page 1 keyword with a sometimes 80% bounce rate for a client

Homepage ranked for product search instead of product page

Bounce Rates - Options 1 – Target a new page (risk = losing ranking) or 2 – Dynamically change products on homepage based on high bouncing keywords (risk = over aggressiveness) Showed first 3 products to match this high bouncing word group…result

1 – Target a new page (risk = losing ranking)

or

2 – Dynamically change products on homepage based on high bouncing keywords (risk = over aggressiveness)

Showed first 3 products to match this high bouncing word group…result

Bounce Rates - Results Ranking is still on page 1 Bounce rate for this product was cut by over 20% Sales for his product increased 2x% And we didn’t improve their ranking

Ranking is still on page 1

Bounce rate for this product was cut by over 20%

Sales for his product increased 2x%

And we didn’t improve their ranking

Bounce Rates – Your takeaways 1 – If you are analyzing SEO by where you rank you would never have caught this issue - analyze SEO by more than just rankings to maximize SEO efforts 2 – Trend out your bounce rates for top keyword buckets & trend conversion metrics too - impact of rank and bounce rates on conversions 3 – Take action! 4 – HINT: Scale this with GA API or your analytics providers API

1 – If you are analyzing SEO by where you rank you would never have caught this issue - analyze SEO by more than just rankings to maximize SEO efforts

2 – Trend out your bounce rates for top keyword buckets & trend conversion metrics too - impact of rank and bounce rates on conversions

3 – Take action!

4 – HINT: Scale this with GA API or your analytics providers API

MSN Commercial Intent http://adlab.microsoft.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/

MSN Commercial Intent

http://adlab.microsoft.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/

MSN Commercial Intent Why you should care: Affiliates need to know research vs. commercial queries Marketers need to know what kind of message to put in front of someone

Why you should care:

Affiliates need to know research vs. commercial queries

Marketers need to know what kind of message to put in front of someone

MSN Commercial Intent

MSN Commercial Intent

MSN Commercial Intent

MSN Commercial Intent The plural is much more likely to be commercial according to our snowboards vs. snowboard test. This is true for some of our e-commerce clients

The plural is much more likely to be commercial according to our snowboards vs. snowboard test.

This is true for some of our e-commerce clients

MSN Commercial Intent Look for queries highly skewed to one or the other (commercial vs non) – look for high degrees of confidence Test against your own data set on keywords that are currently ranking well before taking this tool at face value If accurate place more value in the tool

Look for queries highly skewed to one or the other (commercial vs non) – look for high degrees of confidence

Test against your own data set on keywords that are currently ranking well before taking this tool at face value

If accurate place more value in the tool

Affiliates need to be taking advantage of hot keywords

Affiliates need to be taking advantage of hot keywords

Hot Keywords MAJOR competitive advantage Big companies move slow Their inability to act for mid / long tail / hot keywords = opportunity for you

MAJOR competitive advantage

Big companies move slow

Their inability to act for mid / long tail / hot keywords =

opportunity for you

Rising Searches – Google Insights

Hot Keywords Product getting hot? How do you rank for it? Tip: Move it up one level in the hierarchy – possibly link from homepage in a hot product section.

Product getting hot?

How do you rank for it?

Tip: Move it up one level in the hierarchy – possibly link from homepage in a hot product section.

Hot Keywords

Hot Keywords Takeaway from pricegrabber.com? Top 200 products are always at most 2 clicks from the homepage

Takeaway from pricegrabber.com?

Top 200 products are always at most 2 clicks from the homepage

Hot Keywords By the time your big competitors get wind of a trend, and get approval, you’ll be on to the next opportunity. Be NIBLE!

By the time your big competitors get wind of a trend, and get approval, you’ll be on to the next opportunity.

Be NIBLE!

Suit = Slow = Opportunity for you! =

Competing with Large Brands Google’s algorithm seems to be favoring large brands more and more, you’ve got to find ways to compete, this is one of the ways. Blogstorm.co.uk

Google’s algorithm seems to be favoring large brands more and more, you’ve got to find ways to compete, this is one of the ways.

Blogstorm.co.uk

Hot Keywords http://www.blogstorm.co.uk/how-user-data-links-document-scoring-may-be-used-in-the-brand-algorithm/

http://www.blogstorm.co.uk/how-user-data-links-document-scoring-may-be-used-in-the-brand-algorithm/

Linkbuilding Linkbuilding is about exposure to stimuli You can’t have all the ideas You need a Spark Put yourself in a position to have great ideas

Linkbuilding is about exposure to stimuli

You can’t have all the ideas

You need a Spark

Put yourself in a position to have great ideas

Linkbuilding is about exposure

My linkbuilding sparks userscripts.org/scripts/show/43451

userscripts.org/scripts/show/43451

My linkbuilding sparks userscripts.org/scripts/show/43451 Google Trends http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends

userscripts.org/scripts/show/43451

Google Trends

http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends

My linkbuilding sparks Google Trends google.com/trends/hottrends

Google Trends

google.com/trends/hottrends

How do you measure up? Graphical representation of where you are weak SEOMOZ labs

Graphical representation of where you are weak SEOMOZ labs

How do you measure up? Graphical representation of where you are weak SEOMOZ labs

Graphical representation of where you are weak SEOMOZ labs

How do you measure up?

How do you measure up? http://www.seomoz.org/labs/

Rising Keywords in your backyard How do you find keywords / sites that are significantly creeping up in traffic over the last 7 days?

How do you find keywords / sites that are significantly creeping up in traffic over the last 7 days?

Enhanced Google Analytics http://www.juiceanalytics.com/writing/keyword-trends-google-analytics-greasemonkey/

http://www.juiceanalytics.com/writing/keyword-trends-google-analytics-greasemonkey/

Enhanced Google Analytics

Enhanced Google Analytics

Enhanced Google Analytics Rising keywords that start driving traffic will sometimes be dwarfed by higher traffic terms depending on the report length = no visibility in GA.

Rising keywords that start driving traffic will sometimes be dwarfed by higher traffic terms depending on the report length = no visibility in GA.

Google Analytics for Greasemonkey This tool will help you… Find rising keywords Find rising referral sites Understand the correlation between ranking movement and traffic movement

This tool will help you…

Find rising keywords

Find rising referral sites

Understand the correlation between ranking movement and traffic movement

How to use tools for SEO Linkbuilding Tools

Linkbuilding Tools

Hubfinder This tool will help you… Find which competitors / sites in the top 10 are linked from the same sources Find someone linking to 3 of your competitors and not you who’s also ranking well for your target keyword

This tool will help you…

Find which competitors / sites in the top 10 are linked from the same sources

Find someone linking to 3 of your competitors and not you who’s also ranking well for your target keyword

Hubfinder Paid Version: http://training.seobook.com/hubfinder URLs for mirror: www.cyclelicio.us/hubfinder/

Paid Version:

http://training.seobook.com/hubfinder

URLs for mirror:

www.cyclelicio.us/hubfinder/

Opportunity Found w/ Hubfinder

Opportunity Found w/ Hubfinder How does gottickets.com have a wikipedia link? (Hint, I think wikipedia links help)

How does gottickets.com have a wikipedia link?

(Hint, I think wikipedia links help)

Hubfinder vs. Linkdomain search Search for sites linking to several competitors but not you (Yahoo only): Voip phone linkdomain:competitor1.com linkdomain:competitor2.com linkdomain:competitor3.com -linkdomain:yoursite.com

Search for sites linking to several competitors but not you (Yahoo only):

Voip phone linkdomain:competitor1.com linkdomain:competitor2.com linkdomain:competitor3.com

-linkdomain:yoursite.com

Hubfinder vs. Linkdomain search Hubfinder is showing sites that are ranking for your target keyword. Linkdomain search doesn’t have that added quality check, so expect to use a tool like SEO Quake or SEO Toolbar for firefox to export your linkdomain searches into excel.

Hubfinder is showing sites that are ranking for your target keyword.

Linkdomain search doesn’t have that added quality check, so expect to use a tool like SEO Quake or SEO Toolbar for firefox to export your linkdomain searches into excel.

Hubfinder vs. Linkdomain search

Linkbuilding is Delicious Linkbuilding Delicious & Twitter Who was at my session in Vegas? It is the KEY to quality linkbuilding, vids are on youtube.com still.

Linkbuilding Delicious & Twitter

Who was at my session in Vegas?

It is the KEY to quality linkbuilding, vids are on youtube.com still.

Keyword Battles?

Keyword Battles? Fighting Internally on what keywords to use?

Fighting Internally on what keywords to use?

Seed Keywords

Seed Keywords

Structuring a KW test Warning , be very very non-descript in your test. Don’t ask someone what word they’d type in to find an ink cartridge

Warning , be very very non-descript in your test.

Don’t ask someone what word they’d type in to find an ink cartridge

Keyword Battles? Try something like What would you type in after your printer tells you its out of ink? -or- What would you type in to find a computer you could take with you when traveling

Try something like

What would you type in after your printer tells you its out of ink?

-or-

What would you type in to find a computer you could take with you when traveling

New things to keep an eye out for How do retailers get chosen?

How do retailers get chosen?

New things to keep an eye out for How will these tests impact CTRs on Commerce Queries in natural SERPS?

How will these tests impact CTRs on Commerce Queries in natural SERPS?

Compete.com Again, verify against your own data before making changes to your strategy Ask your friends to do the same. These tools can be WAY off sometimes

Again, verify against your own data before

making changes to your strategy

Ask your friends to do the same.

These tools can be WAY off sometimes

Lazy Bloggers Keyword Research Bring your keyword research tool right into your blog platform

Bring your keyword research tool right into your blog platform

Why Can’t We Be Friends? http://www.twitter.com/wilreynolds http://www.youtube.com/wilreynolds http://www.delicious.com/wilreynolds http://www.thinkseer.com/blog