Using the right tool for the right job will save you a lot of time and headache when doing SEO research. There are many tools so Chris Warden has compiled a list of the five best in their class and ones that we at Spread Effect use on a daily basis.

2. Who to Follow in the SEO
Using the right tool for the right job will
save you a lot of time and headache
when doing SEO research. There are
many more tools on the market than we
have on this list but these 5 are the best
in their class and ones that we use
personally on a daily basis.
This guide will help you understand
the purpose of each tool and where to
locate it online.

3. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the king tool for tracking
what is going on with your personal site. The
most prominent uses are tracking how much
traffic your site is receiving, what keywords
people are searching for to find you, where do
users go when they come in to your site, and
where do users leave your site.
www.google.com/analytics
Cost: Free

4. Google Keyword Tool
Google Keyword Tool will help you identify how much
traffic individual keywords receive on a monthly basis.
You will be able to see how many people are searching
monthly for the keyword you are researching as well
as receive related keyword suggestions. Tip:
Remember to pay attention to the “exact” vs “board”
match toggle.
adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool
Cost: Free

5. SEMRush
SEMRush was developed to give you
competitive analysis of keywords. The
tool allows you to see what keywords
your competitors are ranking for as well
as how much traffic they are receiving
from each keyword.
www.semrush.com
Cost: $69.95 per month

6. OpenSiteExplorer
OpenSiteExplorer was developed by SEOmoz to track
primarily three things; domain authority, page
authority, and backlinks. The first use of
OpenSiteExplorer is to decide will a link be worth
acquiring from a particular site. The second use is to
evaluate a competitor’s backlink profile to understand
where they are receiving links from.
www.opensiteexplorer.org
Cost: $99 per month

7. Link Prospector
Link Prospector will help you quickly develop a list
of blogs that would be appropriate for you to build
links on. It takes out the manual work of searching
around the web for sites that meet your criteria.
www.linkprospector.citationlabs.com
Cost: $27 per month

8. For More Info
Please check out:
spreadeffect.com/blog
@ChrisWarden_SE