SEO software - a quick review

I've recently had to do some research into SEO audit tools for my job, and since this is something I haven't really talked about before, thought it was worth a post. This should help remind SEO beginners that there is software out there to help if you're not an SEO wizard!

In the past I've used Axandra IBP and webCEO and found them very useful tools, so i'll focus on these today.

Why use SEO software?

As many of you will know if you've worked on SEO before, even though some tasks are very straightforward, optimising a site can be very time consuming...and this is where SEO software comes in.
Both IBP and webCEO include functionality that allow you to assess your site for search engine friendliness based on the most common variables included in search algorithms, saving you a lot of time in research.

What features are available?

Both solutions offer a wide range of features, from search engine ranking analysis against chosen keywords to technical audit (code structure, w3c compliance, kw density, metadata).
One of the biggest benefits is that alongside analysis, you also get recommendations on how to improve your site, both for onsite and offsite variables (link analysis and link builders are part of the packages).
Both software also offer keyword research tools which are essential to any SEO, with IBP offering Wordtracker as part of the deal.
Here's a fully comprehensive comparison chart which should give you all the information you need about the features

How much does it cost?

webCEo offers a free version and IBP starts at €250 for the standard solution so affordability should not be an issue.

One thing to bear in mind with both tools is that the cost only includes 3 months worth of free search engine updates, so you'll need to buy updates on a regular basis to get the most accurate results for rankings.

Which one to choose?

While I'm only referring to 2 different tools here, the market is full of similar options, so the choice is yours. However, having used both IBP and webCEO in the past, I do think they are some of the best available.
From a user interface/usability point of view, I do have a preference for IBP, but webCEO is slightly cheaper and offers a few extra features that could make a difference if you're looking for deeper analysis.

Whether you're new to SEO or need a tool for ongoing improvements, SEO software are great time savers and will help you maximise the impact of your site in SERPs. They should also save you a lot of money if you can't afford a search marketing agency audit.

The S factor - how site speed can now influence your rankings

Google confirmed on Friday that site speed is now part of their algorithm along around 200 other variables.
Although this was announced a few months ago, it's worth checking if your site could suffer from this change. One of the best ways to do so is to use the Google Webmaster Tools - the diagnostics functionality should give you some very valuable insights into your website and how it performs.
If you're using any rich media on your site such as Flash, animated images or videos, make sure they are fully optimised and compressed as they will affetc your pages load time.

The easy way to do keyword research

Who said you need expensive tools and agencies to do keyword research?
A very good article on Search Engine Land about the use of SERPs to find out more about keywords
http://searchengineland.com/3-ways-to-use-googles-search-results-for-keyword-research-39474

Keyword research has always been a long and complicated process, especially if you don't have the right tools, but with a bit of common sense you can get a lot of information directly from the results page in the main search engines.