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Search Engine Optimization Resources

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Useful Links for Search Engine Optimizers (SEO)

There are many freely available tools out there that will help you understand the ins-and-outs of internet marketing and SEO. No doubt you've seen a few--they range from absurd to the sublime. Whether you're just starting down the Search Optimization path, or you've been at it a while, there's probably something here that you'll find useful.

Table of Contents

Analytics & Statistics

Okay, here we go. First, before you can expect anything good to come of all this, you'll need some sort of traffic analysis. These tools range from very minimal "hit counters" to extremely robust, deep, and sophisticated analytics packages.
Google Analytics
The first in the list is the best. No one has yet come up with a more useful and flexible way to track a website's traffic, at least not for free. Sign up with Google Analytics and then you'll need to place a snippet of JavaScript code on every page you want to track. After that, data just pours in. You can slice it and dice it and generate about a mozillion reports. Really, practically NOBODY needs to pay for a statistics package when Google's giving it away.
Alexa
Next up, Alexa. This is a very popular way to get statistics--and you can learn some very useful things here--but one word of reservation: All of Alexa's data comes from people who've installed the Alexa Toolbar (either deliberately or through cluelessness). Toolbar users' surfing habits are aggregated into a big old pile of data, which you can then use. The question is, is the pool of Alexa Toolbar users REALLY a good cross-section of the whole internet? I've got my doubts.
StatCounter
This is a simple free widget you paste into your source code that then tracks hits and some other stats. It works in a similar way to Google Analytics, only not quite as detailed.
Free Stats
Pretty much same as above.
Site Tracker
See above. Okay, there about fifty companies trying to clone Google Analytics. All of the ones I've looked at are okay, and definitely better than nothing, but when Google Analytics is right in front of you, why go second rate?
eXtreme Tracker
I've used this one before. It's kind of minimalist, but for a quick hit checkup on your traffic stats, it works fine.
Webalizer
Ok, this one is totally awesome. Webalizer is a free downloadable log-file analyzer. If you don't know what a log-file is well, let's just say that it is every bit of information your website can normally see about every single visit to that site. Which is a surprising amount of stuff, really. And Webalyzer turns all that data into charts and graphs and stuff that makes sense to regular webheads and even not-so-much web-newbies.
SEOracle
Here's a site I just came across that's got quite a bit of useful info, mostly on Google Analytics. Worth a look, for sure.

Amazon

Need more? You could these things called "books." Believe it or not, the internet used to only be available on paper.
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How-To Information

For the SEO Do-It-Yourselfer, this group is awesome. Any of these sites can be accessed for free, to one degree or another. Many of them ask you to register to gain access, and some even have a paid subscription option, which gets you even more knowledge, but whether or not you're willing to sign up and whether or not the free stuff is enough is up to you.
SEO Book
Okay, this site will probably show up more than once. They've got quite a lot of stuff. There tutorial section ain't bad.
Search Marketing Info
Fairly rudimentary info, but easy to digest.
Wikipedia-Search Optimization
Not strictly a "how-to" but still a very good primer on SEO and search marketing.
Wikipedia-Search engine marketing
This one is more general than the Wikipedia link above. What else do you need to know? Wikipedia knows everything.
SEMPO
This is the organization of search marketing professionals. It is not free to join, but there is some good info available here for visitors. It's also worth considering a membership. If you're a serious SEO Geek, between webinars, seminars, and a database full of articles, joining SEMPO will pay for itself.
SEO Chat
Rocking good stuff. Lots of articles for every level of seo-meister with new ones coming all the time.
SEOmoz Beginner's Guide to SEO
This is a pretty darn thorough primer on search marketing. Highly recommended for the newbie.
Search Engine Optimization Tutorial
From About.com (the website that knows how to do everything brings us this fairly thorough (though not very deep in its instruction. For instance, under the heading "Get High Quality Links Incoming to Your Website" all it says is basically "These are good and you better get some." Still, it's organized well and covers a lot of newbie ground.
21 Essential SEO Tips & Techniques
Search Engine Land has a lot of good info on site. This one is pretty sharp and to the point.
SEO Dos and Don'ts
A pretty decent quick list of things to pay attention to. Also a short quiz! Everybody loves a short quiz!
What Is SEO?
This PowerPoint slide show is a fairly elementary explanation of what SEO is and does.
How to Research Keywords
A very impressive instructional on a complex topic. I know, it seems like grabbing a few keywords would be easy.....

Online or Browser Addon Tools

If you're doing SEO in a serious way, you'll want all the tools you can get your hands on. Much of info you need can be dug out by hand, but there are a number of very useful tools that will help. Plus, a lot of the stuff that has to be done is, well, just plain boring. If you can automate it, why not?
SEO Book's Firefox Extension
This is pretty awesome. I use it a lot. No really a LOT. See, even if you have a good relationship with your Google Analytics account, it won't show you what your competitors are doing. This one does. You can find out their PageRank, domain age, backlinks, indexed pages and more more more.
Google's Webmaster Central
Bunch of good stuff here, but of course, it's Google's game so they make the rules. Good source of spider-related info, and even a few shortcuts to the index. You will need a Google Account to use this, but what the heck? They're free and you probably already have one for Gmail or Analytics.
SEO Quake
I just started getting to know this Firefox toolbar addon and so far, I'm loving it. Great data at your fingertips, including keyword density analysis--which is a handy thing to know about your competitors.
Toolbar Browser
Another toolbar, this one has some neat tools, but overall I prefer SEOQuake.
SEO Book Rank Checker
Rank Checkers are so useful you'll want to use them all the time--but WARNING! Rank checking tools all violate Google's Terms of Use. If you hit them too often with a rank checker, they will cut off your access to Google. And that kind of sucks. I know this from experience. Anyway, this is a good one.
Google Adwords Keyword Tool
Nothing short of awesome. You enter either your own list of keywords or a URL, and Google returns tons of variations and similar keywords. But that's not the half of it. Google also returns search volume data for each keyword. And that, my friends, is worth all the tea in China. Would you find it at all helpful to know how many monthly searches a particular keyword averages? Or how about its average cost per click through AdWords. This tool is 24 karat gold. It is so useful, in fact, that Google is phasing it out. BUMMER. Use it while you can.
Google Keyword Toolbox
While we're at Google, let's look at the whole Google schmear: Google Toolbox lists all of their web advertiser resources.
ISPionage
This is interesting.... gets you keyword and search marketing data for ANY website. Like your competitors, for instance.
WordTracker Free Keyword Tool
WordTracker's free tool used to be pretty popular. Maybe it still is, but the amount of data it returns for free is pretty limited. Still, it gets you keyword suggestions and average search volume, which ain't bad.
Spider View
This tool emulates the way a search engine spider would see your web page. Good way to tell if your page is readable and just what the spider thinks the page is about.
Search Spider Simulator
Another as above.
Blogussion's Ultimate SEO Tool List
This isn't really what I'd call ultimate, but there are some decent tools here that I haven't included in this list.

SEO Related Blogs

Yeah, blogs. I know, most are kind of useless, but here's a few I like.
Matt Cutts Blog
Matt works at Google, and he knows everything. He is also a semi-official voice-of-Google authority on all things search. Of course, you always get the Google point of view here, so grain-of-salt it.
SEO Book Blog
These guys, AGAIN? Jeez, with all this decent content, you'd think they were doing their own SEO.
Search Engine Land
This site is huge and full of good info for search marketers of every stripe.
SEO News Headlines
This is an RSS aggregater that pulls from some of the leading SEO and search marketing-related blogs.
SEOmoz
SEOmoz has been around a while. They sell SEO software and have a number of decent tools that you can have access to with a paid subscription. That said, they also have a pretty informative blog.
Eugene SEO
News and views about search optimization from Eugene, Oregon.
SEOracle
Interesting blog, pretty good info. Especially good tips for using Google Analytics.

SEO Forums

Get stuck? Or maybe just want to learn something cool? Just pop over to one these forums where SEO geeks abound. Any of them are happy to drone on endlessly about whatever SEO topic comes to mind.
SEO Chat Forums
Good, big, and old. And did I mention good?
SEO.com Forums
Not much familiar with this, but it looks pretty deep.
Webmaster World
The grandaddy of 'em all. If a topic hasn't been beaten to death at least once on WMW, it isn't worth beating. You have to join to get full, unrestricted access, but there's lots of free into here.
Search Engine Watch
Another one that's been around a long while. Very authoritative and filled with fun fun fun.

Amazon

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Directories

Submitting your site to directories used to be the easiest link gathering strategy known to the internets. That's changed somewhat. Most directories no longer pass "link credit" along when they index you. So the only real value to them is if they actually provide real traffic. Still, there are a bunch of free ones, and links can't hurt.... so go ahead. It's only time spent.
DMOZ
This all-human-edited directory is the oldest and still the best place you could ever hope to be indexed. Getting indexed here is pure gold. However, GOOD FRIGGING LUCK. I've had sites I've submitted sit at DMOZ for YEARS without getting reviewed. Sigh. What're you going to do. You have to give DMOZ a whack, even if it's a long shot.
Jayde
This is kind of good. Have at it.
Free Web Directories List
This is a top-level list of the most widely used free-submit web directories. The page itself is kind of a weird-looking table from prehistoric days, but most of the directories listed are still around. Beware of some that do have a free submission system BUT also have a paid one..... and the paid submission is always a lot easier to find than the free one.
Free Web Directory List
Another, even bigger, top-level list of directories. In fact, it is huge. There are many directories here that seem a bit suspicious to me, so be cautious. Quite a few links also appear to be out-dated.
Web Directories
Kind of out-dated, but some different directory listings here.
Suggest a Site
Kind of obscure, but seems to pass "link juice" from pages with a little bit of PageRank.
Directory Critic
This is a sort of meta-directory. Full of interesting directories, many I've not encountered before. I'm going to have to dig deep into this site.

The Black Arts

You've heard tales..... Some webmaster figures out a sneak way to take advantage of Google's search algorithm and makes enough money to buy a share of Google stock. I recommend that NOBODY does anything that's a violation of Google's rules. Because the WILL catch you. And they WILL penalize you. And it WILL cost somebody a lot of money. And if anyone asks where you found out about this stuff, you did NOT hear about it from me.
Black Hat SEO
Pretty spooky....
Black Hat SEO Team
This is a forum dedicated to, well, you know.
SEO Black Hat Blog
And a blog.
BHSeos
Lots of suspicious-looking folks hanging around here.
30 Black Hat SEO Techniques You Can Use Ethically
An interesting list and a pretty good attitude. Quote: "Personally I think black hat SEO is for the weak." I could not agree more.
Black Hat SEO according to Dilbert
'Nuff said.

Amazon

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The SEO Poll

Which would you choose?

Okay, you can learn all about SEO on your own and trial-and-error it until you get it right, or you can hire some maybe shady outfit and give them lots of money and maybe or maybe not get results. Tell 'em sent ya.

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Graffito

Hey, if know of any useful search marketing tools I've left out, please let me know. If it looks good to me, I'll post it here. Also welcoming comments, criticisms, questions, canards, castigation, and compliments.

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Other Sites I Like

SEO at the Speed of Light
Need an SEO? Live in or near Eugene, Oregon? Bob's yer uncle.
Squidoo SEO
Very good how-to-seo-your-Squidoo-lens page. Nice design also!
Eugene SEO
News and views on search marketing direct from Eugene, Oregon.
Free Web Graphics
This tutorial from GreekGeek is a great resource for finding and using web graphics legally, morally, and correctly.
Pet Sitting Services in Eugene, Oregon
No connection to SEO. Just like these folks.

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