The year 2008 was a wonderful year for the blogging community. The community grew exponentially, and people who wouldn’t even think about writing on the web just a year ago caught on with the concept of blogging. The truth is, all the free and premium tools available on the WWW have made it easier for ordinary Joes and Janes to get started with blogging. Whether you are using Blogger or Wordpress (or another CMS for that matter), you have a wonderful piece of software at hand that makes writing and managing content easy and more efficient. But just because writing a blog has become easy, it doesn’t mean you should not take time to optimize your posts for search engines.

The SEO process remains the same for blog posts. Each blog post is a page of its own, which means you are going to have to optimize it properly to get free traffic through organic search engine listings. In fact, it’s always better the do a big chunk of the SEO work up front in order to get the best out of your posts. Here are the steps that I take in order write blog posts that are not only optimized for search engines but also have the best chance of getting ranked:

• Topic: figuring out what to write about is not that simple. If you have been blogging for a while, you probably have realized that. I personally use tools such as WordTracker, Google Adwords Keyword Tool, and Google Trends to figure out what to write about. Another useful tool here is WordTracker questions.
• Keyword Phrase(s): once I have figured out what I want to write about, then I will try to figure out what keyword(s) I should go for. I use SpyFu and WordTracker to find out keywords that are worth going for and the ones that my competitors are going for. SpyFu Kombat is one of the best tools you can use to figure out what you have in common with your competitors, and where they are beating you.
• On Page Optimization: Once I have decided what keyword phrases I am going for, I will try to stick with 3% keyword density and write my post around these keywords. I will also make sure the keywords are used in my title and in my URL (if possible). After I am done, I will update my Site-map to include the new page. Finally, I will make sure to link to other pages on my site, if possible.
• Off Page Optimization: Once you have taken time to write content, you want to make sure you give it a chance to succeed by promoting it on the Social media sites such as Twitter and FaceBook. I also write articles and use an article distribution service to promote my content.You can also work your network on Delicious and StumbleUpon to get some more eyes on your content.

The process above is the simplified version of the blueprint I use for my blog posts. At the end of the day, you should try to develop a blueprint that you comfortable with. For instance, some folks prefer to use Wordze, Keyword Discovery, or SEO Elite to come up with keywords. That’s perfectly fine if you are comfortable with those tools (you can see a list of SEO tools here). Some folks even pay to show up on Facebook or Stumbleupon. It really all comes down to your budget and what you are comfortable with. Having said that, you should never write a blog post without proper SEO Planning.

That’s one of the interesting debates that is going on in the SEO world. On the surface, it really shouldn’t be much of a debate. If you have a thousand of keywords that you are planning to keep track of, do yourself a favor and get Web Position Pro.

WebTrends’ WebPosition software has been around for quite a while. The old school SEO folks probably remember the WebPosition Gold. It’s a nice software package that allows you to import your keywords and keep track of your rankings on a daily basis. But you really shouldn’t! Keeping track of your daily rankings can not only be a headache but could put enough load on Google to get your IP banned. And what are you going to get by checking your ranking every hour or every day? I personally try WebPosition twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays). That should be good enough for most folks.

But checking organic rankings by hand is a very useful exercise. It’s sort of like using a dictionary book to look up a word. Your eyes will wander on others’ listings on a daily basis, and you can concut how you are going to compete with the top guys in your niche. So I would choose a couple of keywords to look up everyday in order to not lose sight of my market.

Which way do you prefer? Do you trust automated rank checking scripts? What software package do you use to check your ranking?

I have used many keyword tools during my not-so-short career as a SEO professional. I personally don’t believe in the top-bottom keyword research approach. In other words, if I am creating a site in the credit card niche, I don’t start from the word credit card and branch out until I find the best keywords for my site. I start somewhere in the middle (depending on the niche such as small business credit cards and go from there).

This approach doesn’t work for everyone, but has worked wonders for me. Best of all, I don’t have to spend so much time going through useless keywords terms. And best of all, the site that I make is guaranteed to be highly relevant to the keyword phrases in my market.

The middle-bottom approach, as I like to call it, works great but you still need to have a solid keyword tool. I did mention a while back that I am a SpyFu junkie, but I have consistently used a keyword tool such as WordTracker in addition to Google keywords tool. I was hooked on WordTracker for quite sometime. The fact was they gave me a good deal on their annual subscription, and the tool was good for what it was. But nowadays, I only use Wordze.

I like Wordze because they haven’t been raising their prices on me even when the dollar was getting weaker every hour. Besides, unlike WordTracker, Wordze offers a short-term plan (1-day). Wordze provides more data than Wordtracker, and similar to Keyword Discovery in that sense.

Having said that, SpyFu and Google Adwords keyword tool are still my favorite keyword tools. But having a keyword subscription to Wordze or Wordtracker is a necessity these days.

Is getting distracted an art? I don’t know about you, but after a few years of dealing with all kinds of distractions I am pretty certain that there is such a thing as the art of distraction. It’s simple really. The latest buzz in the SEO world is about the new tool that SEOMoz is going to be releasing soon. It’s called Linkscape, and it’s a very powerful tool. Basically, what it allows you to do is to find out how your competitors go about the business of building links.

The Unparalleled link intelligence advantage that you can get with SEOmoz’s tool is great. There is no question about that. But to most of us, Linkscape is like killing a bee with an elephant gun. Now folks new to the art of SEO want to have the most cutting edge tools in the world. After all, if the tool is branded as “Unparalleled link advantage,” then it must do magic. I call it distraction.

Linkscape is a great tool, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. But at the same time, it can be a big distraction for folks. Everybody in the SEO world is talking about how Linkscape will revolutionize the way SEO’s done. That’s all great. But I rather get the job done with my free tools and let folks talk it out.

Here is the thing. We all love “cool” things. In other words, we all want to be distracted, one way or another. The challenge is to stay on the ball and keep your goals in front of you. You can have the best tools out there on the market. But I rather be a producer than a consumer. If you want to take your business to the next level, just pick a few tools that let you do the job and keep your time investment in new tools to a minimum. Again, Linkscape is going to be great, and the next tool after it will be even greater. But the cold hard facts about SEO still remain: relevant valuable content gets the job done!

P.S. I am the master of this art (getting distracted). Are you?

Folks keep asking me about my favorite SEO tools that I use to get my job done. It’s true that I have a subscription to Wordtracker. Who doesn’t. But to tell you the truth, I use a dozen of free tools out there to complement what I get with WordTracker and SEO-Elite. One of my favorites is the toolset provided by MarketLeap.

MarketLeap provides the following tools:

• Search Engine Saturation Tool
• Keyword Checker Tool
• Link Popularity Tool

These are all great tools that provide a lot of value for free. For instance, by using the SES tool, you can figure out how many of your pages are indexed by Google and compare that to that of your competitors. In addition, you can figure out if there is anything wrong with your website that makes search engine unable to index some of your pages. That is simply too valuable to be free.

The keyword checker tool helps you get your ranking for a keyword. It’s quick, sweet, and easy, and you don’t have to shell out $300 for Web Position if you don’t have to, though I strongly suggest it.

Finally, the link popularity tool shows you how many links you have on major engines and how your competitors are doing. If your site is deemed to have a limited presence by the tool, you know you will have to work on getting more links. But you can figure out how many links you will need to catch up with your competitors. That’s the beauty of this tool. It gives you the goal and the measuring stick, so you can figure out where you are and where you should go.

MarketLeap tools are free for now and have been for quite a while. I have seen other free tool programmers ask for a premium after a while, but these guys have kept the tool free, and it’s a wonderful decision for us all.

We all have tools that we use to become more productive and get more things done everyday. SEO is no different. All SEO professionals have a set of tools that they use to get more done every single day. I thought I’d use this post to share a few of my tools that I use for my clients and my own sites:

• Web Position: Web Position is one of the oldest and most trusted search engine optimization tools in the market. This excellent software suite allows you to check your site’s rankings for multiple keywords across multiple engines. In addition, the page critic feature allows you to find out areas that you can improve upon. Many agencies use Web Position to create fancy reports for their clients. I personally use it to get things done faster.
• Google Adwords Tools: Google is the mother of all sites when it comes to providing solid tools for traffic estimation and keyword research. I have been using Google tools for quite some time, and I can’t imagine working without them.
• SEO-Book Keyword Tool: the mother of all free keyword tools was created by Aaron Walls and the folks at SEO-Book. You simply can’t go wrong with this free tool as it grabs data from multiple sources to give you the best results possible.
• SEO Digger: as the name suggests, this is one of the best tools out there for finding the keywords that other sites are using to get ranked on search engines. There is a premium service available, but I have personally not used it.
• WordTracker: this is the mother of all keyword tools. Every SEO professional that I know has a subscription to this service. You can also use the free service if you prefer, but there is nothing like a paid subscription to WordTracker.
• SpyFu: SpyFu is simply the best keyword competitive intelligence tools in the market. There are many other tools that claim to provide you with competitive intelligence that can help you gain an edge over your competitors, but this tool is the one for me.

There are many other tools that I use but are not necessarily for keyword research or spying on my competitors. At the end of the day, you should use as many tools as you can handle to gather information on your market and your competitors. If you can’t afford all the tools above, I’d go with WordTracker and Google Adwords tools (free). Anything less than that and you are not doing your SEO any justice.

We all want to rank high on Google, right? A lot of people believe that signing up for a service such as WordTracker is all they need to find their way to the top of search engines. While it’s true that having the right keywords can help you get to where you want to get, you simply can’t expect to keep Google happy if you don’t pay attention to what Google is telling you. Google’s Webmaster guidelines are often ignored by webmasters and that is simply unacceptable in this day and age.

More importantly, if you read all the documentation that Google provides you with on its site, you can get a good understanding of what Google likes and what Google hates. For instance, if you read the documentation online, you should know that Google does not like cloaking or thin affiliate sites, and it’s not just for pay per click. I have had many of my thin affiliate sites penalized by Google for no reason, and the only possible for that would be the massive Google slap put on thin affiliates.

But when it comes to keyword research, Google Adwords Keyword tool is so powerful. It’s a hidden treasure really. Google not only tells you what it regards as relevant to each page on your site, it also gives you the LSI keywords that you should use to make your pages look more relevant to Google. It is simply amazing how many people do not use the Google Adwords Tool and settle for WordTracker or Keyword Discovery alone. Those tools are powerful but they don’t give you an indication on what Google actually likes to see on your sites. Who knew the best keyword tool was free?

I  often hear people complaining about how doing search engine optimization is like flying blind. That’s simply not true. If you know you SEO basics (keyword research, tagging, link building, and …), you are not flying blind. Sometimes SEO efforts take time to show up in your results, and often you are outdone by an even more dedicated site.

All hope is not lost though. There are tools out there that can help you gain competitive edge and stay atop of your market. One underrated tool that you can use to help you figure out whether you are on the right track is Google Adwords Keyword tool. I often hear people talk about how they subscribe to WordTracker or KeywordDiscovery to do better keyword research, but you should never ignore the tool that is offered by Google itself. Google Keyword tool is an excellent tool to find out what Google thinks of your website.

Google Adwords allows you to find out two key important items about your SEO campaing. By generating keyword ideas based on description, you can figure out the top keywords that you can target in your market. Not only that, you can also check to see whether you have enough relevant content on your site to keep Google happy as far as LSI is concerned.

The 2nd option is absolutely powerful. So you create a site, and you think it is optimized for the word “SEO.” But how can you be sure? That’s where the second option comes into place. You can check your own site with the keyword tool to see what Google thinks of your site (keyword-wise). It’s amazing that many don’t even notice these options. But I guess we all want to believe that a paid tool is much more powerful than a free tool. Don’t get me wrong. WordTracker is a must have, but when combined with Google keyword tool, you can take your game to a whole other level.

In the search engine optimization market, being productive is the best thing that can happen to you. Sometimes it’s really about who can get things done faster. Now you can’t take a big company’s site from zero to 10 in 5 days, but you can certainly do more for them by using tools that are available online. Here are a few tools that everyone can use to automate SEO tasks:

Keyword Research Tools:

• Google Adwords Keyword Tool (Free)
• Google Traffic Estimator (Free)
• WordTracker (paid)
• Keyword Discovery (paid)
• Wordze (paid)
• SEO Digger
• SpyFu

W3C Validation Tools:

• W3C Code Validator
• RSS Validator
• CSS Validator

Robots.txt Generator:

• Robots.txt file generator
• Robots.txt Validator

Htaccess Writers:

• Htaccess generator
• Htaccess writer

Site Analyzer:

• SE-Inspecter
• Website Optimizer

Linking Tools:

• Backlink Check Tool
• Broken Link Checker
• Link Verifier
• Reciprocal Link Checker
• Site Link Analyzer
• Back Link Text Analyzer
• Link Popularity Checker
• Link Quality Assessment Tool

I will have a more comprehensive post on each category later on, but the above tools should be plenty to get anyone started.

If you know anything about SEO, you know that article submission is a major part of link building campaign for any SEO campaign. Of course, we have link buyers who take a shortcut, but if you have an article handy and submit it to the top article directories, there is a good chance that sites pick it up and give you a link back ( I don’t recommend directories that require reciprocal links). Submitting articles is a tough job because:

• You need to know how to write an article
• Have the patience of Noah to submit articles to some of these directories

The first part can’t really be helped. If you know the basics of SEO and can write English and have something valuable to say, then you are set there. You can also hire ghost writers.

But the second part is tough. So I was going through forums the other day and I saw this discussion about Article Submitter vs. Article Announcer. These tools basically save you time by filling out forms (no, they don’t auto submit). I have personally tried both, and I can say that Article Announcer is a little bit better because it provides you with templates that you can use for articles. It may not look much but using the template can help you come up with more articles in a shorter amount of time.

Now, why am I talking about Article Announcer? The reason is DealDotCom has this item for 50% off for about an hour more before it expires. That’s right. An hour! Here is why you should get it if you can afford it:

• Training: John Reese and his colleagues teach you how to write effective articles
• Templates: The article templates with the package are very handy.
• Software: It has a list of directories that you can submit to. In addition, the software helps you draft emails to e-zine owners.

It’s still a little bit pricey but it saves you about 50% on the time that it take to write and submit an article so it could be well worth it, depending on your niche.