Bruce Clay has long shared his passion for search engine optimization tools through the SEOToolSet. On the podcast Bruce gives an insider’s view on the company’s tools as they work hand in hand with Bruce’s SEO methodology. He also previews the new and improved SEO tools scheduled for release next year. With the SEOToolSet, users can simplify the process of site and competitor diagnostics.

Then Aaron Landerkin, Bruce Clay, Inc.’s IT Manager directing the development of the new SEOToolSet, demos the free SEO tools available at SEOTools.com. The recently launched site compiles the company’s freely available SEO tools, including the Domain Report Tool, the Server Response Checker, the SEO Cloaking Checker, the KSP Tool and the SEMToolBar. Aside from the SEMToolBar, the tools on this site are slightly limited version of their subscription-based equivalents in the SEOToolSet.

A complement to the SEOToolSet is the SEO training that instructs attendees on how to use the tools for best effect in partnership with Bruce’s methodology and SEO strategies. Standard SEO training courses are offered almost every month in Simi Valley, California, and the advanced course is offered almost every other month in California. Plus, the SEO training course is offered at many industry conferences, in New York and around the world. Bruce, Susan and Virginia consider some of their favorite qualities and contents of the training course.

At SES San Jose last week, Bruce, Virginia and Robert stayed busy in the expo hall and conference sessions. Opening the show, they recall the takeaways and stand-out moments of the event. Bruce explains some of what was discussed at the Advanced SEO Roundtable. Virginia considers some of the most popular live blog posts on the Bruce Clay blog, including The Death of Last Click Attribution.


Then Aaron Landerkin, Bruce Clay, Inc.’s IT Manager and lead developer of the SEOToolSet, talks to Virginia about the new SEOToolSet tools that were demonstrated at the show. The company has been in development of a new version of the SEOToolSet, and the first three tools — the Check Server Tool, the Ranking Monitor and the Single Page Analyzer — will soon be available for beta testing. Aaron and Virginia also talk about the intermingling of technology and people in the SEO profession, and how technophiles like Aaron maintain the balance.

Then Bruce, Robert and Virginia discuss Google Caffeine, one of the biggest stories coming out last week. They first look at the differences between the current Google engine and Caffeine. The hosts explain that they’re not surprised at the convenient timing of the announcement. They also consider why Google might be accepting and benefiting from developer feedback.

News moves fast in the search marketing industry so today’s show is all about recent Internet marketing headlines. Bruce, Robert and Virginia look at the expansion of local results for non-geo queries and what it means for SEOs and small businesses. The fact that local results are listed for relevant non-local queries will benefit small businesses and may change searcher behavior.

Jordan Kasteler, co-founder of Internet marketing company Search & Social and co-host of the WebmasterRadio program Mobile Presence, shares his thoughts on a number of social media news stories. Virginia and Jordan talk about Digg’s PageRank-passing ad links, if Twitter will be acquired in the next year, and how important it is to target social media sites in your link building campaign.

Jordan Kasteler

Rounding out the show, Virginia, Susan and Michael explore a few more recent industry news stories. Bruce Clay, Inc. has released two new SEO tools: a Firefox version of the SEMToolBar as well as a new tool that gives you one convenient place to see how many pages of a domain are indexed in the three biggest search engines. They also discuss Google Me profiles and the new Google Analytics API.

Social media and its link building power take center stage on today’s show. Susan, Scott and Virginia open the show by discussing a video in which Matt Cutts of the Google Web Spam team explains the relative value of social media links. In the video titled “Has Google changed the relevancy it awards to social media?” Matt says, “We tend not to think about, like, oh, just links from social media sites. […] We tend to think about links, whether they’re useful, whether they’re not useful, and so we use that as our litmus test. We try to give more credit or more trust to the links that we think are really valuable.”

Virginia talks to Michael Streko about a new tool he has helped launch called KnowEm.com. KnowEm? searches 120 social sites to see if your preferred username has been registered. If not, they offer a service to register the names for you. Monthly subscribers will have their username registered across new sites as they launch. As username squatting becomes more prevalent across the social media space, a tool like KnowEm? is very helpful for online brand and reputation management.

Michael Streko

Scott, Susan and Virginia then consider when to avoid social media. In a recent article in BtoB Magazine, the author lists five scenarios where social media should not be used. The reasons are: if you’re a high-ticket business; if you fight with your employees; if management does not support it; if a strategy is absent; and if there are privacy or regulatory concerns. Scott, Susan and Virginia disagree with nearly every reason above, arguing that there are reasons to be cautious and strategic in your social media campaigns, however avoidance and lack of understanding is unwise.

Today’s show is aimed at the intersection of analytics and content. Content, one of the most vital components of any successful Web site, should be optimized in order for easy searchability and findability. Analytics and testing allows those working on the site to make sure site content meets the expectations and needs of a visitor.

Then Apogee Search’s Bill Leake, president and CEO, and Alissa Ruehl, manager of website effectiveness consulting, talk to Virginia about the latest in conversion tracking and testing. Apogee Search recently became a Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant (WOAC), so Bill and Alissa explain what additional services their organization can provide through this distinction. Google Website Optimizer is a multivariate and A/B testing solution. The different levels of testing provided by Website Optimizer as well as other necessary analytics solutions are discussed.

Finishing out the show, Susan, Michael and Virginia look at what’s needed from an SEO-friendly CMS. Since the recording of this show, Pixelsilk was launched. Pixelsilk is a prime example of a content management system that was created with search engine optimization in mind. According to the company, the CMS “allows full access and control of the HTML to implement a branded design, custom development, e-commerce cart or search strategy – while still being easy for those editing content”. The ability to customize HTML is a major requirement for successful implementation of SEO recommendations.

Search Engine Strategies Chicago is going on this week and Bruce Clay is there to speak on the SEO Tools panel. Tools are an important part of any search marketers arsenal, so today’s show focuses on tools that can help gather data and get tasks done with maximum efficiency. Bruce, Susan and Virginia start off the show by looking at the evolving attitude toward tools and how they can help.

Then, Bruce Clay, Inc.’s IT Manager Aaron Landerkin joins the show to talk about the newest features and additions to the SEOToolSet. The SEMToolbar is set for release in early 2009. It features keyword stats and keyword demographics, how many pages of the site are indexed in Google, Yahoo and MSN and the number of inbound links. For subscribers to the SEOToolSet, the SEMToolbar can act as a gateway to the SEOToolSet while allowing you to see helpful information as you’re surfing the Web.

A helpful feature that will be available on both the SEMToolbar and the new version of the SEOToolSet is proxy searching. This will allow you to view localized search results for cities and countries across the world. The SEMToolbar and SEOToolSet can both be viewed in twenty languages. A new interface, a new back-end structure, increased data storage and enhanced speed are all part of the new SEOToolSet, which will be available at the beginning of the year.