Some Top Tools for SEO Newbies

Darren Franks - August 14, 2008

What does one do when trying to learn the complex, ever evolving world of SEO? Is it as hard as explaining what an SEO engineer is to your friends and family? Definitely not, as there are some awesome free tools to both guide you through the world of SEO and to help you in the process of making the most Search Engine friendly site possible.

It’s amazing to me the vast array of “stuff” out there when putting yourself through the exercise of getting the best SEO learning experience.

While searching through the milieu of learning tools, I stumbled across some keepers. These may seem basic and rudimentary to most of the seasoned pros out there, but they serve as a great foundation for those newer to the field.

I avoided the obvious suggestion of just reading “Search Engine Optimization For Dummies” as I‘ve never read it nor plan to, but in no particular order here are some top tools for SEO newbies:

Lynda.com (visual online training)

For a mere $25 a month, you get access to a whole suite of techie articles, but for the purposes of this blog post, the SEO class by Richard John Jenkins is really informative. The entire class lasts about 9 hours and you can learn at your own pace. The class itself is a few years old (he talks about Yahoo Overture as something that has yet to be phased out), with that aside, it’s a great learning tool. Mr. Jenkins talks in layman’s terms, so it’s easy to follow for all the newbs.

Webconfs.com

A very cool website that combines tutorials and free SEO tools. There’s even an SEO quiz! Tools include Search Engine Spider Simulator, Backlink Checker and even a Screen Resolution Simulator!

Sempoinstitute.com

Everyone knows about this I’m sure. Created to provide education to the industry and to promote growth in the field, it’s a great site for both beginners and veterans.

I could go on and on about the plethora of sites out there, but these are a few you should find helpful!