We recently downloaded an SEO tracking software, Advanced Web Ranking, on a 30-day trial. After opening, installing and running our first reports, I was sold. I highly recommend this software for anyone managing client website optimization. From a user's standpoint, there are several things that stand out about Advanced Web Ranking:
The download instructions were easy to understand, and the trial-version is a fully-functioning version. I was able to customize and print reports for our clients immediately. One of my "pet peeves" about trial software is that so many of the features I want to use are "turned off" in the trial version that I never get to really "try" the product. Not so with Advanced Web Ranking, they wisely let me take the product on a full test drive. The software is intuitive. I was setting up keyword and website ranking reports, printing out personalized, custom reports, and sending them via email and even by ftp online automatically -- all on the first day! The user's guide! Yes! There IS a user's guide, which is the first pleasant surprise. Next, it's a few hundred pages, complete with screen shots and keyword-search functionality. In other words, the user's guide was actually helpful! Again, what a pleasant surprise! Finally, when I did actually have a question that required an email to the AWR support team, it was promptly answered -- by a real person, with a real answer. Another pleasant surprise!
Our purpose in using the software is to track the search engine ranking of our clients' websites for keyword phrases. We run a baseline for each new optimization client before we begin optimizing their site. AWR also gives us a ranking report for the sites competing with our clients. This "top sites" competitive report is very valuable to us from a consulting perspective, as well as for optimization purposes. It gives us an excellent overview of the main "players" in any given market, tells us just how competitive it may or may not be to rank well in that market, and also gives us some insight into the strategies our clients' competitors are using online. Interestingly, we find many of our clients are fairly competitive, and seeing exactly which sites are ranking above theirs is a pretty strong motivator to getting the job done!
AWR allows us to pinpoint the primary keywords and phrases for each of our client websites, establish a baseline ranking for the site with all major search engines, and then track our progress once we publish the site. In this day of tight marketing budgets, it's imperative that we track our results and show our clients hard-copy proof of success.
Additionally, we are able to set up automatic tracking, so our clients' reports will run automatically overnight -- conserving precious resources during work hours -- and providing us with up-to-the-minute feedback on our clients' rankings. Clients who sign on for ongoing SEO management benefit from our pro-active approach to search engine ranking. The AWR reports show us quickly and clearly when a site has moved up or fallen in rank on any search engine, for any of our primary keywords or phrases. So, we get a heads-up and go to work on the tweaking and tinkering that will push the site back up. When our clients see the cold, hard facts reported in front of them, it's also much easier for us to convince them of the NEXT necessary steps -- whether that's building off-site links, establishing a blog, utilizing Twitter and Facebook, or implementing follow-up and conversion strategies that ensure site traffic becomes practice revenue!
Here is a screen shot of of the search engine rank for our client, Jerry Reif (the keyword phrase is Saginaw Michigan Estate Planning Attorney):
