Posted on: - by Robyn Smith
Lately it seems that every article I read about SEO or online marketing techniques is thrusting a new programme or app at me. It’s always ‘the best new SEO tool’ or the ‘app that SEO’s cant live without’ and all I keep thinking is… I’m coping pretty well without this tool already?
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I’m coping really well without this tool. So if like me you’ve come to that conclusion, it might be time to take a quick look at your current repertoire of go-to tools and show your appreciation for the years of service they’ve given you.
Since my entire working life pretty much revolves around Google, it’s no surprise to anyone that some of my best used SEO tools are courtesy of the Big G itself (and free, of course). So, if you’re not bothered by the latest SEO fad, here are the steadfast Google products that I think every SEO and online marketer should use:
Google Analytics
You know how I referenced Google as the Big G? Well to me, Google Analytics is the Bible. No matter what your marketing strategy is, you will need to track it which will probably mean you’ll spend time in here on a daily basis.
Improving for presence in Google Search? Track it in Analytics. Experimenting with different AdWords campaigns? Track them in Analytics. Studying how users navigate around your site? Track them in Analytics.
Seriously, pray to it.
Google Webmaster Tools
Webmaster Tools is like your websites doctor, except you go for a check up every day. It can tell you exactly which bits of your site arent working; links, broken pages etc. and for the bits that are working, it can give you various stats like CTRs, navigational patterns, referrers etc.
It can also show you which search queries are bringing traffic to your site, which pages they’re landing on and how many impressions those queries are receiving. Even more recently, Webmaster Tools can show your +1 statistics and which pages are receiving the most +1’s. It’s like the Bible, part 2.
Google Think Insights
If you’re a content creating online marketer then Think Insights is a haven of sharable information that Google will freely allow you to use in your blogs, articles, white papers, infographics, case studies etc.
If you’re just looking for a little educational material then you can search for journals and studies based on your industry, your media platform, your audience, or your marketing objective. The marketing objective search is really useful as you can search for objectives like ‘Drive Online Conversions’, ‘Engage your Audience’, and ‘Build Brand Awareness’; all great stuff if you need a helping hand.
You can also compare search patterns for certain terms and over certain periods of time. So if you’re really clever you could make an educated guesstimate of which search patterns are likely to emerge and tweak your SEO strategy accordingly.
Google AdWords
Given that this is a paid tool, it’s not vital that you use it, but it’s a pretty big part of most online marketing strategies so I’d recommend that you do.
AdWords is a pretty intricate system and can take some time to get used to but once you’ve got the hang of refining campaigns and keyword targeting it’s a great tool for bringing in highly targeted traffic from an audience with the right intent.
Google Keyword Tool
It’s likely that you already have a list of obvious keywords you want to try to rank against/include in content/advertise against; but sometimes obvious isn’t enough to produce an effective marketing campaign.
Enter the Google Keyword Tool. Based on a phrase or website you provide, the tool will show you a load of similar terms and how high the competition for ranking is. Its not a tool you need to rely on but if you find your keywords arent putting out the results you’d like, then giving it a go is a good idea.
Google Website Optimiser
As you well know, everything you do when it comes to marketing (online or otherwise) needs to be tested. Testing SEO changes is relatively easy in that traffic will either increase or decrease, you’ll either rank or you wont, etc.
Where it does start getting a little tricky is testing how effective actual pages are, and that’s where Google’s Website Optimiser can help you out.
A/B split testing is a pretty common thing when you’re trialling landing pages and the website optimiser will allow you to test several different elements on the same page to see which headlines, content, images, etc. are the most effective. (You can do similar tests using AdWords and running a few different campaigns).
So there you have it, my favourite Google tools for SEO and online marketing! Let me know what your favourite tools are in the comments below. (No, SEOmoz doesn’t count, everyone loves SEOmoz).
Recent Comments