In the last few years a whole industry has sprung up dedicated to getting websites listed high up on search engines – this should really come as no surprise to you if you’re reading this article! The SEO industry – like any other – has developed tools helped to make the process even easier, from keyword suggestion tools to software for tracking link popularity.
Any search for SEO tools will yield thousands of results, reflecting the sheer number of developers out there who are creating products. So do they really benefit you? The quick answer is going to be yes. The slightly longer answer is that it depends on what you do with it. Like any tool it’s going to important to learn to use it properly – and, of course, not all tools are going to be of the same quality.
Take Wordtracker, for example. This ubiquitous keyword research tool has been around since the dawn of SEO and consequently has become one of the most used of all search engine optimisation tools. The benefits of Wordtracker are myriad – it helps you research and analyse keywords based on actual statistics returned by the search engines, and provides actual data that enables you to make decisions as to which keywords you should be targeting.
However, there are drawbacks with Wordtracker that will also apply to other SEO tools. The most significant of these is that search engine optimisation is as much an art as it is a science, and that no matter how much data you have, you need to apply common sense and imagination to your SEO campaign to get the best results.
This is particularly true in the case of Wordtracker. While the keyword suggestion tools and analysis of competitiveness of each keyword that Wordtracker provides are going to be useful, it really should only be used to enhance rather than replace a “gut feel” response based on knowledge of your sector and of your customers.
Because the algorithms that power the search engines are a closely guarded secret, search engine optimisation is never going to be an exact science – it’s about making informed judgements, watching trends, analysing performance and continually monitoring how different SEO techniques affect your site’s ranking over time. This is why specialist SEO agencies have become so important – they have the time and expertise to monitor trends and performance and react with an appropriate response.
Of course, it is precisely because search engine optimisation is not an exact science that SEO tools are so useful. While the human part of search engine optimisation is highly important (building ethical links, creating keyword-rich copy that still appeals to your customers, responding to search engine performance with new niche products or services etc), the ability to track performance statistics and measure success is an essential part of building a viable long-term SEO campaign. From site link analyzers to spider simulators, any tool that gives you an edge in the SEO game is going to be important, but they’re not going to replace humans just yet!
This blog was written over 6 months ago and Internet Marketing and SEO is an always changing industry which means the information within this blog may be out of date. Use caution when using any methods or suggestions within it.
