All posts in tools

In recent weeks I have set up Google Webmaster Tools for a number of different clients, some of whom wanted some documentation on how this could be done.

Based on that document I have decided to publish this very basic beginner’s guide for those who are unfamiliar with the set up process of Google Webmaster Tools.

What is Google Webmaster Tools?
Google Webmaster Tools (GWT) is a free and easy way for webmasters to view their own website the way that Google sees it. GWT is a free tool that can be used for websites of all sizes, and features information such as:

  • Which of your pages are included in Google’s Index
  • Any errors encountered while crawling your site
  • Search queries that list your site as a result
  • Which sites link to yours
  • And more

This guide covers how to set up GWT in seven easy steps, from creating an account to adding and deleting users and associating your Google Analytics.

With the start of Google+ your Google Profile is more important than ever. I’ve seen lots of Google Profiles that were broken in one or more ways recently when trying to find out who the people are who put me in their circles. Also

my name is by no means easy to remember, so I had to optimise my profile as well.

Let me tell you the most important ways to optimise your Google profile.

Last week I was busy upgrading our Facebook advertising account from ‘personal’ to ‘business’, which turned out to be quite an arduous task. To be honest, there aren’t many differences in terms of features, but you do get access to a Facebook representative and you can also apply for credit, which is certainly a better deal than making daily payments through PayPal.

When I set about moving campaigns from my personal account to the business account, little did I realise how far behind Facebook’s Power Editor tool is when compared to the more familiar Adwords Editor. To start with, the Power Editor tool is not a downloadable application and therefore the speed of navigation and editing is quite poor, especially if you are moving large chunks of ad creative across accounts. Also, I found it quite discriminating that the Power Editor tool can only be accessed on the Google Chrome web browser. However, Facebook do promise that they will dole out a version that can be accessed using all the major web browsers very soon.

As advertisers, it is imperative that we familiarise ourselves with the Power Editor tool, as Facebook plan to phase out the Bulk Uploader tool by the end of this month. I must confess that the Facebook Power Editor tool is a massive improvement compared to its clunky predecessor, the Bulk Uploader tool. It’s extremely useful if you are creating campaigns from scratch as opposed to moving existing campaigns that are large in size to another account. However, some of the benefits of the Power Editor tool according to Facebook are:

  • Ability to create bulk ads
  • Mass-edit ads
  • Compatibility with Excel
  • Ability to see key stats and performance in order to optimise from within the tool itself
  • Backwards-compatibility with the Bulk Uploader

It’s still early days for the Power Editor tool and Facebook employ some of the world’s smartest people, so I’m confident that the tool will get better as time progress. For the time being though, I’d really like to hear some of your thoughts on the Power Editor tool if you have had any prior experience of using it.

 

google +1 button

Google +1 for websites is here for a few days, and while some people are still (or again) skeptical, there are quite a lot of webmasters who have adopted the + 1 button almost immediately. The SEO industry has been especially quick to include the buttons. I am among them, while I still don’t use the Facebook like.

I’m not going to shout hooray because Google finally released a button, but nonetheless I can see that it’s the best and the hitherto most important attempt by Google at entering the social media arena. Most others failed miserably and Google has learned some lessons it seems.

The ease of use, for instance, and the quick announcement that the +1 votes will count as a ranking factor, are good signs that +1 will still be here a year from now.

Bird tweeting*

There are numerous ways of using Twitter for everything from business to fun. The key to using Twitter effectively is the use of tools. Without tools, Twitter can be overwhelming and difficult to fathom. There are numerous tools that allow you to sift through this massive resource of latest news, links and gossip.

So what are the Twitter tools that really make a difference for advanced Twitter users?

I selected just the best of them: 30+ Twitter tools that are most useful right now. Most of these tools have been around for years so they have a sound business model. They simplify manifold tasks but have one thing in common: you must be aware of these tools if you’re serious about Twitter participation.

question*

The hype of 2011 is Quora, the new Q&A site that attempts to become much better than Yahoo Answers by aiming at high quality replies.​ Everybody and his mum is on Quora it seems, especially SEO industry leaders like Rand Fishkin or Danny Sullivan. ​I’m not very active at Quora yet but I watch it closely. While at it, I collected so many resources and opinions that I wanted to share them with you.​ As usual in such cases, I have compiled one of my 30+ lists that you all love so dearly. So here it is: 33 Quora Q&A Resources to get actual ROI out using of it.

Before I throw the links at you, I’d like to summarize the most obvious current uses of Quora. You can:​​

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Web tools are useful when they don’t require a significant time investment to master them or use them. The best tools out there save time and make money at the same time. They don’t even have to deal with time and money like time management or micropayment tools do. They just have to make sure you reach your goals as fast as possible and that you finish the tasks you work on as quickly as possible.

Business tools in particular have to be time saving in order to make time for the actual business matters.

There are tools out there, such as Facebook, which require more time investment than others, and the ROI remains fuzzy. ​Today I want to focus on the kind of tools that are the exact opposite:  efficient. Check out the list of 30 efficient Web tools that save time and make money for power users below:

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