My “Secret” SEO Toolkit
September 23, 2009
Recently – I’ve been pushing out some sites that are doing very well in the search engines (and doing it very quickly). Now, while I can’t give away EVERY secret for this, I can let you know some of the tools I’m using to make this happen.
We’d all like to think that we can manage on our own without any help – and, eventually, maybe you can. But, if you want to move quickly – and get your site out there and ranking (or make some drastic improvements to your site) it helps to have several tools at hand to make life a bit easier. The beauty of it is, none of these things are all that expensive, and they aren’t garbage “Secret SEO Software” that will rip you off for a couple hundred bucks. Each of these tools has paid for itself in time saved and results.
Be forewarned though – you still have to put in some work to make things happen here, but this is a really good start. Here’s the cocktail I’ve used to get to the top 5 in several competitive categories:
Shoemoney PPC/SEO Tools. Hands down the best deal in intensive niche research. Jeremy is letting you try this out for $3.95…so it’s cost effective way to test it out.
Thesis Wordpress Theme. Wordpress is the best blog engine out there, and Thesis is the best way to leverage it. I credit the super-SEO readiness of this theme with about 60% of my recent success. Watch the video and see for yourself.
Nichebot Keyword Research. It’s not the prettiest, but it’s the best value. Lots of ways to generate more, and better, keywords for SEO and PPC.
Cheap/Awesome Hosting Services – Hostgator has provided me with incredible customer service – and more importantly, has a push button Wordpress Installer that is second to none. You can’t beat $4/month for high-quality hosting.
Lastly, you want to makes sure that you get active in Google Webmaster Tools – it’s great intelligence for further optimization, and is a huge benefit in getting your entire site indexed.
(disclosure – I should tell you that if you purchase any of these products, I’ll be paid a small affiliate fee. If you’re not cool with that, just take the affiliate code out of the link…I’d recommend them anyway, because we’re friends)
Where can I find the time?
April 9, 2009
One common question I field from business owners is – “Where do I find the time to do all this stuff?”
That’s a fair question, because, as a business owner, you have a lot of things going on. First and foremost, you’re likely having to service your customers – you may be cleaning their air ducts, returning a package, or tailoring their suit. There’s not a lot of time to agonize over search engine rankings while you’re doing this.
Unfortunately, you also don’t have time to ignore online marketing – and especially search engine marketing. Why? Because your competitors sure aren’t ignorning it.
You have a couple options when it comes to managing your own online marketing – there are some tools out there that can make it a lot easier:
- PPC Management Software – There are several good options out here, all running in the $300-$500/month category. You may need a little help getting started, but you’ll be able to quickly manage your PPC campaign after a few months of getting used to it.
- SEO “Systems” – I may be being unfair here, but as a resident expert on SEO, I’m telling you there isn’t a system out there worth anything. Save your money.
- Off-shore outsourcing – This can be cost effective, as some companies will work with you for less than $300/month. However, every time I’ve done it, the results have been less than optimal (at best), to ridiculously bad (at worst).
- 7xo Media – Hey, I wouldn’t be fair to myself or your business if I didn’t plug 7xo here. You can get affordable, expert, top-quality service and results – all put into a no contract, no obligation system that makes sense for your business. From $150/month to $15,000/month – we’ve done it all!
Email me if you’d like more info on what we can do. We’ll start with a free analysis of your business, and talk about a plan that is custom built for your business.