Positon Checker?

[MadSicilian]

How do you guys track your postionings in the Search Engines without having to search each engine? Is there some type of software I could use? Any recommendations would be much appreciated. I know there are small scripts online to use to search the top 100, but i was looking for something on a bigger scale (multiple engines, etc.). I know there are programs like Web Position Gold out there, but is there anything similar without having to dish out $350 for Web Position Gold. Thanks in advance for your time and help.

[digitalpoint]

I think Web Position Gold is your best bet if you want to search multiple search engines. Although it does go against Google's terms of service to do it with WPG.

Google has a very nice API that doesn't go against it's TOS though... so for Google, look for software or services that use the Google API (if you care about staying within the realm of their TOS).

- Shawn

[ogletree]

Search Engine Commando is cool.

[Vermont]

A Good way to get a a search engine angry at your site is to use these tools.

[bruhaha]

A couple of free programs you might wish to check out:

"1-Click Rankings" -from webceo.com

"Internet Business Promoter" - from axandra.com

The freeware versions of these programs have far fewer limitations than the typical demos, and are not time-limited. You cannot search your whole list of words on all the engines at one shot, but you can still accomplish the same thing fairly easily by breaking the task into pieces. (IBP even combines the separate queries you run to various engine on the same date into one report.)

Another option that will work for some is a modified "manual" approach. Using a multi-engine searchbar in a tabbed browser, you can run searches in a whole set of search engines at once. My favorite is the abolimba browser from abolimba.com ($20 after the evaluation peiod expires) which runs very quickly, and also makes it easy to add your own list of search engines to the sidebar.

The biggest problem here is picking out your listings. But if you have a program like "hilite text" (another freebie), you can set it up to highlight your web site's name on the pages.

Yes, this can still be tedious --but if you are searching a fairly limited number of terms in just the top 10-15 search engines it can work. (Also, a list of where the term appeared the last time --maintained in a spreadsheet perhaps-- will speed things up.)

This may not be the "one tool" you want, but it can serve as a useful supplement to other tools, e.g., when you want to check out one or two keywords.

[juniperwasting]

IBP from axandra, does anyone know if they are using the Google API?
Recently began using it on a tip from a consultant, and I would like to be sure.

[ogletree]

SE Commando was a sponser at Pub Con. If it hurts you why do you see your sties going up. Using it can not hurt your ranking ever. The only ban you could get is that your IP can be banned from searching Google. You would have to hit it real hard to get on their radar. If it could hurt your sites we would all have it on our computers searching our competiters.

[pscott]

I wouldn't advise using ANY position checkers!

Firstly, do you really need it? It's not hard to manually track.

Secondly Google may ban you. Is it worth the risk?

Peter.

[edited by: heini at 2:21 pm (utc) on Nov. 8, 2003]
[edit reason] removed drop [/edit]

[ogletree]

Anyone who does much SEO uses them. There is no way it can hurt your ranking at all. Please don't throw around advice you can't back up. All they can do is ban your ip from searching Google. All you got to do then is change providers. Even then you have to hammer them really hard. I have seen Brett say somewhere on here that he has seen people get their IP banned from doing automated Google searches.

All these things do is search for search terms. They don't know what your site is. The programs doesn't click on any sites. They just search for a term and read the results.

[the_sean]

I would suggest having a look at Google's SEO guidelines before in regards to position checkers. You can find it in Google by searching for (google seo guidelines). Hope that helps.