It would be nice if there were standards in place that made it easy to monitor all your SEO efforts
from a single dashboard. There are not. But you can piece together the tool solution that reduces
the amount of time you put into repetitive SEO work, so you can focus your energies better on
those activities that will truly improve your search rankings.
You have to be careful about choosing solutions, though. Some of the automation tools that you find
available on the Web are not worth the time it takes to install them. These tools are buggy, they don’t
perform as they should, and they can cause your system to crash — or worse, can create problems
with your web site.
When you’re looking for automation tools for your SEO efforts, begin by looking at the areas that you
need to automate. Are you spending hours and hours on keyword research when what you should be
doing is generating unique copy for your web site? If so, then a keyword research automation tool,
like WordTracker (http://www.wordtracker.com/), will help free up the time you need to work
on your content.
Are you obsessed with your rank and how your competition measures up? You shouldn’t be. Let
an automated monitoring tool, like SERP Tracker (http://sitening.com/seo-tools/serptracker/),
be obsessive while you spend that time doing something about your current rank.
What tools you’ll need are determined on an individual organizational basis. Evaluate your needs
and then look for tools that meet those needs. Also look for tools that might grow as you grow.
Your automation needs will change over time as your site matures, as your SEO efforts mature,
and as SEO as a strategy changes. Try to find something that’s scalable and will grow as your SEO
strategies grow and change.
Also remember that price isn’t always the best indication of what tools are better than others. Some
free tools on the Web are excellent. Those that aren’t free can cost anywhere from under $100 to well
over $1,000, but can also be as excellent or as lousy as some of the free tools. To make sure that you’re
getting a tool that will provide what you need within your budget, try finding tools that have a free
trial period. These tools usually allow you to try their software for 30 days for free. The full functionality
of the tool may not be available to you, but you should be able to tell from the trial if the interface
is comfortable and if the tool provides the metrics and solutions that you need.
One more way to find a good tool is to ask around. Chances are, you know other people who are
in SEO or who own a web site and have done their own SEO. These people may have already been
through the trial process with various tools, and they may be able to reduce the amount of time it
takes you to find just the right tool.
Automation works when you’re automating the right aspects of your SEO campaign. Keep your
automation related to administrative functions and use tools that suit your needs, and you’ll find
that this frees up time you can devote to far more important activities, like providing your customers
exactly what they’re looking for on their terms.
If you liked this article don't forget to subscribe and submit your website to our Web Directory ranking
| < Prev |
|---|
