Bummer! This is just a preview. You need to be signed in with a Basic account to view the entire video.

Preview

Start a free Basic trial
to watch this video

Sign up for Treehouse

Search Tools and Analytics

2:51 with Dan Gorgone

Search Engine Optimization is a process that requires refinement and regular review. There are many tools online that can help you discover ways to identify great keywords, analyze current SEO efforts, and improve your site.

Keyword Research Tools

If you're looking to do keyword research for your site, some recommended tools include:

Things to Consider

  • Do you use any analytics tool to track your website? How often do you look at the stats?
  • What keywords do you focus on when publishing content? Do you research them using online tools to determine how competitive or popular they are?
  • How often do you analyze your site marketing efforts with automated tools? Which ones have you tried, and which ones offer feedback that provides helpful direction?
  • 0:00

    When it comes to building a successful website for your business,

  • 0:03

    search engine optimization isn't just a step on a checklist.

  • 0:07

    It's a process that requires refinement and regular review.

  • 0:12

    To help you discover ways to identify great key words

  • 0:15

    and to see how your current SEO efforts are going and improve them across your site,

  • 0:20

    let's discuss a few of the online tools to get you started.

  • 0:24

    [Google Analytics] [http://google.com/analytics] Millions of websites use Google Analytics

  • 0:27

    to begin their analysis.

  • 0:29

    By dropping in some code, Google can begin to track the activity on your site.

  • 0:35

    Even the most basic stats can reveal great insights about your business

  • 0:39

    such as sources of traffic and common locations of website users.

  • 0:43

    But it can also reveal which search terms brought users to your site.

  • 0:48

    These key words can reveal patterns,

  • 0:50

    and you might be able to infer which content

  • 0:52

    works best to attract the users to your site.

  • 0:55

    It would be helpful to know what competitors are also benefiting from those same key words,

  • 1:01

    and you could do a search with those key words to see what comes up.

  • 1:04

    Or you can use a site like SEMrush to see [SEMrush] [http://semrush.com]

  • 1:08

    a detailed analysis of related key word phrases and the top organic results.

  • 1:13

    For example, if your business prints business cards you'd certainly be interested in

  • 1:18

    knowing some of the similar phrases users type in when they search

  • 1:22

    for products like yours.

  • 1:24

    You'd also like to know which sites are dominating the organic results right now.

  • 1:28

    [Google Trends] [http://google.com/trends] Google Trends can also tell you if the

  • 1:30

    key word phrase is one that's growing in demand or decreasing.

  • 1:35

    This might provide some ideas on what SEO efforts--

  • 1:38

    not to mention products, services, and content--

  • 1:41

    you might want to introduce or phase out.

  • 1:44

    There are many additional tools out there

  • 1:46

    that can check your key words, your search results, and more.

  • 1:50

    But remember that strong SEO isn't just about key words

  • 1:53

    but about generating great content in interesting ways.

  • 1:58

    [HubSpot] [http://hubspot.com] HubSpot is an Internet-marketing company that provides

  • 2:01

    paid software solutions for analyzing online marketing efforts.

  • 2:06

    They also provide a number of free tools like their Marketing Grader

  • 2:10

    that you can try out on your own.

  • 2:12

    From SEO, to mobile, to social, and beyond--

  • 2:15

    this free tool will look at your site--and a competitor's, if you'd like--

  • 2:20

    and provide feedback and tips on how you can improve various parts

  • 2:24

    of your online marketing efforts.

  • 2:26

    Keep an eye out for more tools

  • 2:28

    that can help you track and improve your SEO efforts.

  • 2:32

    SEO is a heavily-researched and talked about topic online

  • 2:36

    because of its influence on business, so there's no shortage of tools,

  • 2:40

    checklists, and advice.

  • 2:42

    Just be sure to monitor what you're doing and how your site is performing

  • 2:46

    and you'll have a place to start when considering any new strategies.

You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.

Sign up