A Dynamite New Web-Based Reporting Service
May be Just What You Need to
Check Your Search Engine Rankings
By Robin R. Nobles
We all agree that it's important to check your search engine
rankings periodically. After all, unless you monitor your
rankings, you won't know when pages have slipped in ranking or
fallen from the index altogether.
While there are some excellent software programs for checking
your rankings, such as our favorite, WebPosition Gold, until
recently, there hasn't been a Web-based reporting service.
But why would you want to use a Web-based service? Let's look at
a few reasons.
Advantages for Using a Web-Based Service
Believe it or not, many people still access the Internet using a
modem. If those people have a lot of search engine marketing
clients, or if they're dealing with hundreds (or thousands) of
keyword phrases, using a software program could really tie up
their resources for literally hours.
While you can certainly run ranking reports at night, that
doesn't mean you won't be "booted offline" sometime during the
night, to where you'll have to start all over again the next day
or night.
Also, if you have a lot of clients, you've probably found that
ranking reports take up an enormous amount of space on your hard
drive. In fact, some companies devote entire computers just to
ranking reports.
Another reason for using a Web-based service versus a software
program is if you're in a location where you still have to pay by
the minute or hour for Internet access.
Finally, some people like the idea of turning over various search
engine marketing functions to someone else, to where they can
concentrate on other areas. For those people, Web-based reporting
is ideal.
Introducing WebRank (
http://my.webrank.com). . . a new Web-based
Reporting Service
Besides doing its job quickly and easily, there are two things I
look for in a software program or tool: intuitiveness and good
customer support.
Like most people in the search engine marketing industry, time is
crucial to me, and I have none to waste. WebRank is so easy to
use that you can get started immediately, without even having to
access the help files. However, to help you get started, they
have a "SupportMail" follow-up system, where new subscribers
receive little tips through e-mail on how to use WebRank.
And, I found that if I had any questions or problems, their
technical support folks answered those questions or concerns
quickly and efficiently.
How does WebRank work?
You simply enter your keyword phrases and your domains in your
Administration area. The service even offers a suggested list of
new keyword phrases in your topic areas, similar to a keyword
suggestion tool, which is very handy. You can also add competing
domains, then have WebRank compare your rankings to your
competitors'.
When you're ready to see your ranking reports for the first time,
you click on the Run Report link. Within minutes, you're
reviewing your rankings across 18 search engines and directories.
You can choose to view the ranking reports by domain, by keyword,
or by search engine, or you can create custom reports.
Then, once a week (or once per month, depending on your account
type) WebRank will check your rankings and generate your reports
automatically. Plus, you can choose to run the reports "now," at
any time, by going into your Administration area.
With WebRank, you can customize the service to suit your needs.
Do you want to receive reports by e-mail? Would you rather view
the reports online? It's possible either way.
The Email Notification Rules feature is also very handy, because
it lets you choose when to receive e-mail pertaining to your
rankings. For example, let's say that you've just created a new
page. As soon as the page hits a 1-30 ranking, you can choose to
be sent an email notification.
Once you've gotten your rankings and if they're not quite what
they should be, click on "Increase My Rankings" for a
comprehensive resource center that offers information on search
engine marketing for do-it-yourselfers or for those who would
rather hire a professional.
Also, their "Software Integrated Help System" will check your
account periodically and send "smart" messages that will help you
with your search engine marketing efforts. This system is
designed particularly for beginners.
Another very interesting part of WebRank is the Doorway Domain
Manager. Here's how it works. You decide on a domain name (with
help from some handy online tools), then buy it for $19 a year
through WebRank. Then, you use their step-by-step wizard to
create the doorway site. Within 48 to 72 hours, the domain is
live and accessible. You're then prompted to submit some of your
pages through free AddURL pages or pay inclusion programs. Then,
WebRank will begin notifying you when the pages have been indexed
and what their rankings are. Can't set up a Web site much easier
than that!
In Conclusion
If you're looking for an alternative solution to ranking
software, be sure to consider WebRank. Visit
http://my.webrank.com and sign up for their free trial, and test
drive the service for yourself. You'll love it!
Robin Nobles, Director of Training, Academy of Web Specialists,
(
http://www.academywebspecialists.com) has trained several
thousand people in her online search engine marketing courses
(
http://www.onlinewebtraining.com) and is the content provider
for (GRSeo) Search Engine Optimizer software (
http://www.se-optimizer.com). She also teaches 3-day hands on search engine
marketing workshops in locations across the globe with Search
Engine Workshops(
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com).
Copyright 2002 Robin Nobles. All rights reserved.
