5 Awesome SEO Tools for Beginners
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David
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December 11th, 2012
All hail the SEO deities! (Photo via FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
Building a website on your own can be very challenging. Throw in the absolutely crucial need for search engine optimization, and you have the stuff of budding web developers' nightmares. Really, it doesn't have to be that awful. Yes, it does take time, and yes, it's constantly changing, but there are awesome SEO tools for beginners that work their magic all the time.
Below, you'll find 5 of my absolute favorite, most awesome SEO tools for beginners. Want to know what's even better? They're all free!
5. GFSEO
For a simple and explicit overview of must-know SEO basics, I recommend reading and internalizing this list of skills and actions. I would tell you what GFSEO stands for, but you'll figure that out pretty quickly when you head to the site.
I tracked them down through an older Reddit thread. The basic premise is to share crucial 36 SEO tips in a brief, useful manner. There isn't a blog, there aren't endlessly long pages of descriptions. Instead, it's a list, littered with f-bombs, that can teach you everything you must always remember about SEO. No tricks. It's awesome!
4. SEOMoz's "The Beginner's Guide to SEO"
So, it turns out that SEOMoz features highly in my SEO knowledge acquisition process. If you really know nothing about SEO at all, start off with this free, 10 chapter-long file. It's regularly updated, has been been read over a million times, and is essential to your future SEO success.
3. WordPress SEO by Yoast Plugin
We've discussed this in the past, and I feel like I'm constantly shouting "SEO BY YOAST" to random strangers on the street. They want SEO help, and that's the first place to go! Read our review of SEO by Yoast, including directions, right here.
2. SEOMoz's The Daily SEO Blog
With about two new incredibly authoritative and insightful posts published everyday, this SEO blog from the giants of SEO is a huge ace in your hand. If you're brand new to the game, I recommend reading as many of their articles as you can. If you read enough, it will start to make sense. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's the best way to understand the often xenophobic and scary language of SEO pros. But, the Daily SEO Blog is user-friendly, straight-forward, and jam-packed with must-have skills.
If SEOMoz had an apartment over their garage, I'd tell you to move in and do any menial work possible in exchange for knowledge.
New Google Keyword Tool (Photo credit: rustybrick)
1. Google AdWords Keyword Planner
Despite all of the fuss and blunder about different search engines, Google is still the top dog on this porch. With over 60% of all internet search traffic, there's no better place to look for stats and figures. When you're doing research for anything, be sure to spend at least a few minutes inspecting keywords with Google's Keyword Tool.
From blog posts to domain names, it's a crucial tool that far too few beginners ever use. In fact, that's why this tool is number one in my Arsenal of Awesomeness.
Which tools do you use the most? What do you wish you knew about SEO? Tell us!