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I'm after the best ranking software available and I'm not interested in any of other facilities, just rankings!
In this day and age however, I have not used any of late and will not use any ever again.
Automated rank checkers places a heavy burden on search engines, and ultimately takes or reduces the abilties of "qualified searchers" to quickly find what they are looking for.
In the end -- SE users could be looking for, and finding you but as more and more rank checkers clog up the database resources, over burden bandwidth with redundant searches, more and more users will search elsewhere.
Google (and others) are on record -- indictating that use of such software can be detrimental to your online visibility.
Your IP from where you check ranks can be banned or worst -- the site being checked can be banned.
If your an SEO'er working for others, this would be a nightmare, and almost certainly an end to your business.
So I'd be very careful.
I check my stats, if relevant traffic is up, I'm happy.
If its down, I do a hand check.
Is there anything that can be done automatically without hurting your ranking? I have seen many software packages claiming to increase your ranking dramaticly if you od as they say. These software generate doorway pages and seeks linking partners for your website. If this all needs to be done manually, it sounds like a mission impossible...
Which, if any, software would you recommend?
Thanks in advance for explaining,
spietreser
You are far better off, at least for a while, in doing these things by hand. A "doorway page" that you create with unique content about a particular topic won't look like a machine-generated page and you won't get penalized. The same goes for links you arrange with other sites.
For limited reporting purposes, I still use WebPosition Gold, but certainly not for Google. I no longer use it for submittal, content creation, or other stuff that it can do but is potentially risky.
So if I get the point right here, you are all saying that I should definately not use any software in the SEO process?I think you'll find that most who do SEO regularly and professionally don't use any of the heavily marketed SEO tools that promise to make it easy.
It's not that we don't want it to be easier, just that they've been found not to work at best, and to have detrimental side effects at worst.
Here [webmasterworld.com] is yet another related thread, where you'll see the trend: what people are using most are online tools for keyword research, log analyzers, and basic software like text editors and spreadsheets.
If this all needs to be done manually, it sounds like a mission impossible...
Not at all impossible, just a lot of work!
spietreser,
Welcome to WebmasterWorld!
Please note that Brett's classic on building a great web site is titled Successful Site in Twelve Months with Google Alone [webmasterworld.com]. You may not need 12 full months, but it definitely takes a lot of time and of hard work.
If there is tools that working why not use it if it can save you time?
If you are going to do a report of were your site is ranked and you know that google is not like it dont use it on google then, use it on the other SE's.
There is some very good tools out there i think its how you use the tools that counts.
I dont think your site will get banned if you do a ranking report from a software, if it should be that easy i dont think there have been so much websites on the internet then.
Use program that can help you with respect of the search engines and you will do fine.
/Ove
Consider for a moment that you're #1 in 1000 keyphrases, but generate no sales, no traffic, but your #1 over and over again.
Your log files tell you alot more, for alot less and all you need to do is place that information in some meaningful array. They tell you what is working.
Might I suggest, log tracking software.
First - it's real bonofied data, (not - look "you're #1 for red cows with widgets on their tails") but actual results from work you have done.
Second - Passively targets search engines and directories
Third - substantially more information with much more value. (your site targets visitors strickly in the US, but you currently have 20 x more visitors connecting from Canada, x 10 more visitors, from Mexico.
Even though you are ranked extremely well on >> red widgets << in Yahoo, almost all of your visitors are coming from Google on the keyphrase >>household devices<< and >>homemade tools<<.
Your most successful web page is www.domain.com/directory/file.html with 8 x the daily traffic as your mainpage (2nd) - maybe you should place a discount package "link" there.
I also noticed that (all new and COOL Page) is receiving nothing but 408 errors, the 2 Mb Flash file that automatically loads and tries to appear is also the single greatest exit page on your web site.
With more expensive log software - oh and BTW in the US (remembering the campaign in New York State) all of your inbound IP addresses resolve to Florida.
You have a two large traffic corridors from page1 to page10, and page2 to page 17, however, all of these pages require 10 clicks to get close to the buy button, maybe we should think about adding some product buttons in there.
All in all, it's a good thing that your not concerned with automatic rank checking now, since you're not banned and actually learning how to make your web site better, for the people that matter.
the "search" only creates the "find".
Around here, a posted article is often referred by other members as: "an excellent find!"
If you only work and perceive your site from a "search" stance it will not matter how excellently ranked you are... users will enter and then leave immediately.
People do not want to come to a web site and attempt to make sense out of it.
They want to come and have you make "meaning" for them.
If you spent too much time (even a little) considering your "ranks" you are losing more than you gain.
Nevertheless, understanding your ranking is important - it tells you where you may be missing out on additional traffic, and where you need to do more work. It also tells you something about maximum traffic potential - if you have lots of #1 rankings, you probably aren't going to double your traffic by more optimization, at least on those keywords.
In short, I wouldn't entirely dismiss rank-checking as a tool - it's just important to use it wisely.
I have to agree with fathom that it's better to check your log files. From your log files you can also see what is the keyword people use the most to get to your website (and which search engine sends the most visitors for a particular keyword search). That would be safer than constantly ckecking the SE's.
In my experience, my clients have consistently found that 2-3 search engines provide 85% plus of the overall traffic (as the top-referring URLs). And yes, Google is one of those. Thus, quick manual checks of the ranks aren't overly laborious but neither are they the focus or the ultimate measure of success.
If you're pages (clients) repeatly appear at the same position, they should not need reporting.
If they are flailing all over the place, generally there is something wrong and you shouldn't report this at all.
Increasing ranked position should be a process of progress (always moving up).
Reporting consistency (or ranking as "projected" without going into details) is much better in the long run.
Please note: the backlash from rank position "dropping" serves the client a message: "is my SEO really that competent". What contingency plan do you have when things go bust? They can, and do, and often.
That said, if you run a so-called 'ranking software', be at least careful of doing it through proxies.
[And, oh yes, with all the headers right&random created.. I fear not so often in these progs, unfortunately ;)]
cminblues
Can't login to webrank to cancel the reports! Get 500 error. Yikes.
