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BACK to BASICS: Take Action on Data from the SEOToolSet

by Virginia Nussey, August 24, 2012

Audience: SEOToolSet Users

Reading time: 7 minutes

Takeaways:

  • Discover how to streamline three facets of the on-page SEO process using the tools in this article.
  • Find out how to optimize page Meta data and content with the Single Page Analyzer.
  • Learn how to focus new content by gauging keyword competitiveness.
  • Sign up for a 30-day free trial to SEOToolSet Pro Version with the code B2BTRIAL105.

At Bruce Clay, Inc., we're proud of our role as a leader in education and resource provision. The SEOToolSet's suite of diagnostic SEO tools is one of our esteemed assets; one that we prioritize because of the support it gives those doing SEO day in and day out.

The SEOToolSet is made up of about 12 tools, plus a few different views and variants. The data and reports generated by these tools can be used to inform SEO strategy and tactics in myriad ways. Toward the goal of improving overall on-site quality, the SEOToolSet can contribute by:

1. Optimizing Meta data
2. Optimizing current page text content
3. Optimizing new page content

For each of these objectives, use the SEOToolSet to give you info to make educated decisions about strategy, focus and next steps. Here are the tools you can use and how to use them during each of these critical on-page SEO tasks.

Optimizing Meta Data

Analyze a page's Meta data using the Single Page Analyzer. This tool will analyze any URL for a number of factors, including the formatting of Meta tags and an evaluation of the Meta tags' conformance to best practice guidelines.

In The Ins and Outs of Meta Data you'll find a helpful description of why a Web page's Meta data requires thoughtful optimization:

"Meta data is, essentially, data about data. The search engine (SE) uses it to 'read; the page it's on to better 'understand' what that page is about. That's why having well-written and optimized Meta data is so important; if you're targeting keywords and phrases on any given page, you want to tell the search engines about it."

Meta data also serves as a mini marketing tool. The results online users see when a search engine results page (SERP) is returned to them for a query they made about something related to your product, contains the Meta data you create. Meta data can give you additional online real estate to effectively grab the readers' attention and pull them into your website."


Using TraderJoes.com's cheese landing page as an example, the Single Page Analyzer evaluates the page's Meta tags, providing recommendations for each. The Tag Information of the analysis also evaluates image ALT attributes and anchor text.

Single Page Analyzer: Tag Information

Click for a larger image of the SEOToolSet Single Page Analyzer Tag Information.

Optimizing Body Content

It's the Single Page Analyzer we'll turn to again to evaluate the opportunities for improvement within a given page's body content. The body content is, of course, the bulk of the page, which will weigh most heavily in a search engine's analysis of on-page content quality.

With access to data about readibility, word counts, keyword usage, etc., the Single Page Analyzer is the go-to tool for optimizing an individual page. Aaron Landerkin, manager of Web development, explains why the data provided by the Single Page Analyzer is an advantage to the SEO process.

"It allows you to see everything about your page in one place. All of the important info is called out. You also get to see any 'best practice' errors, which are also called out. It's much, much more than just keyword densities."

The Prominent & Optimized Keywords section and the Word Phrases section gives SEOs a snapshot of the keywords and phrases present on the page. It also reports keyword inclusion in key tags and the important first-200 words of the body content.

Single Page Analyzer: Word Phrases

Click for a larger image of the SEOToolSet Single Page Analyzer Word Phrases analysis.

The Single Page Analyzer parses the text content of the page and locates its best match analysis for keyword phrases, phrases that appear prominently throughout the text. Keyword phrases are listed in order of length, from four-word phrases to one-word keywords. Inclusion in high-value areas of the page including Meta tags, Headings, ALT tags and the first 200 words is marked as a percentage of overall words.

Single Page Analyzer: Prominent & Optimized Keywords

Click for a larger image of the SEOToolSet Single Page Analyzer Prominent & Optimized Keywords analysis.

See a visualization of the prominent keywords and phrases used on the page along with the search volume activity of those words. The higher the Activity number, the more the keyword is searched for. The pie chart illustrates the word or phrases frequency of use on the page, telling you whether or not the page might be deemed relevant for the keyword.

Single Page Analyzer: Word Metrics

Click for a larger image of the SEOToolSet Single Page Analyzer Word Metrics analysis.

The Single Page Analyzer evaluates the body content of a page based on readability indicators. There are several scales for measuring readability, each varying slightly in favor of certain qualities. See this explanation of content readability measurements; your audience should be able to understand the message and be compelled and comforted by its tone and quality.

The first 200 words of body content are weighted more heavily by search engines in terms of relevance to a searcher's query; for this reason, it's important for targeted keywords to be present within the beginning of the page content.

Optimizing New Text Content

The final piece of the on-page SEO puzzle is new content. Your new content may outshine the competition by doing some advanced research. The two-fold approach to research includes finding new keywords and analyzing the competition.

I asked Aaron for his advice to SEOs looking to develop more content for their site. Which tools would you have them use to find new keyword phrases? And how can they find less-competitive/untapped keyword spaces?

"The Suggest Keywords tool is a good place to start. It uses three types of suggestions to find suggestions for you, and may likely find some candidates for less competitive ones. For example, if I use 'Internet marketing' as the seed for my suggestions; I get some very competitive suggestions like 'marketing', 'online marketing', 'Web marketing' and 'social media marketing'."

The Suggest Keywords tool is free to use and available on our free SEO tools page. Once you've run this tool, you'll also want to look at the listed metrics for the suggestions. Understanding how competitive a keyword is can help you discover untapped keyword spaces — ideally locating a sweet spot of high search volume and low competition. Aaron explains:

"If I sort based on the AllInTitle number, which measures how many pages have that keyword in the title of their page title, I can see that there are some less competitive ones like 'Internet marketing strategies', 'Internet advertising', 'search engine marketing', and so on.

The AllInTitle and CPC — the average cost per click for an ad for that keyword — are decent measures of how competitive a word is. In general, both numbers will be higher for more competitive terms."

With your data in tow, you can create and structure the text content of a new page in optimal fashion. Some helpful guidelines on the placement of primary keywords, clarification words and strategies for outbound links and engaging media can be found on the SEO copywriting checklist. Keep in mind best practices for Meta tag optimization, including the best character length and how to improve the odds that your important keywords show up in the SERP description.

Data Everywhere

While we're in the data and tools state of mind, here are some additional resources we hope will assist you in your SEO endeavors.

Page Analyzer: Here's another free tool from Bruce Clay, Inc. that you can use to keep tabs on your competition. Run a URL through the tool and you'll get an abridged version of the Single Page Analyzer — a solid, free alternative to the latter — including the most frequently used keywords on the page.

What, Why and How of 3 SEO Power Tools: This post explains why you'd need and how to use three of the work-horses of the SEOToolSet: the Search Engine Ranking Monitor, the Check Server tool and the Single Page Keyword Density Analyzer.

Try the SEOToolSet for 30 days free with the code B2BTRIAL105. Sign-up now and start simplifying your SEO.

For permission to reprint or reuse any materials, please contact us. To learn more about our authors, please visit the Bruce Clay Authors page. Copyright © 2012 Bruce Clay, Inc.