More and More Cool (and Free) Tools

By Robin Nobles

When I started writing these Cool Tools articles, I had no idea how popular they'd be. Obviously, my readers are seriously interested in helpful (and free) tools on the Internet.

The tool developers have gone to amazing lengths to create phenomenal tools . . . then give them to you totally free of charge. They deserve a huge round of applause!

Thanks to all of you who've sent me your list of cool tools. At the bottom of this article, you'll find links to Parts 1 and 2. Please continue to send me links to cool tools you've found in your wanderings on the Web.

Criteria: the tools have to be FREE, and they have to be "Cool"!

Wordtracker KEI Observation Deck
http://www.keiobservationdeck.com/

Many of you will recognise the name, John Alexander, and will connect John to Wordtracker. John is the author of an extremely popular e-book called, "Wordtracker Magic."

John's Wordtracker strategies take you out of the "keyword" arena and into the behavorial research arena. His strategies allow you to bring in targeted traffic to your Web sites without having to compete against hundreds of thousands (or millions) of competing pages.

If you don't believe there are decent KEI values in Wordtracker, or if you want to learn how to get outside of the competition, stop by the fascinating KEI Observation Deck and watch a true master of Wordtracker at work. Remember: it's FREE!

Be sure to bookmark this page and visit again and again. It takes practice to learn how to think laterally. Once you do, you can do amazing things with Wordtracker.

FILExt The File Extension Source
http://filext.com/

Do you ever come across a file extension that you simply have no idea what program to connect it to? FILExt is a detailed database of file extensions and programs that use them.

Googlesearches Tool
http://www.algotech.dk/googlesearches.asp

Use this advanced search tool to search The Mighty Google in virtually every way you can imagine, even in language- or country-specific searches. This handy tool is definitely one you'll want to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Hotscripts.com
http://hotscripts.com/

Do you think that 28,959 resources in over 1,000 categories will keep you busy for a while? Someone asked about counters and log analysers. This site has quite a list to choose from. Enjoy!

Bookmarklets
Add Extra Functionality to Your Browser with these Simple Scripts
http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/accessibility/bookmarklets.html

What are they? Bookmarklets are easy-to-use little programs that you can integrate into your browser to make your coding, debugging, and researching lives much easier. Give them a try!

Search Engine Decoder Relationship Chart
http://www.search-this.com/search_engine_decoder.asp

This cool chart shows the relationships between the various search engines and directories. Click on any search engine, and you'll see which search engines/directories supply results back and forth to that engine. It loads extremely fast, even with a 56K modem, and it's up to date. Very impressive.

Martindale's "The Reference Desk"
http://www.martindalecenter.com/

Though not a "tool" per se, Martindale's is a reference site that you'll want to bookmark and refer back to time and time again. What can you find at Martindale's?

How about 19,575 online calculators? Can you imagine? You'll find calculators for every type of project imaginable. You'll also find translators, patent and trademark information, and world maps. The list is virtually endless.

125 Legitimate Link Building Strategies
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/leglinkpop.html

We all know the importance of off-page factors when it comes to search engine rankings. Link popularity is one of the crucial off-page factors that can make such a difference to the success of a Web site. In this article, which can also be downloaded in e-book format, over 30 SEO authorities offer their best suggestions for increasing the link popularity of your Web site.

HTML Tags A Free Online Cheatsheet
http://html-tags.info/

This HTML quick reference guide is excellent. All HTML tags with attributes and values are for XHTML 1.1, also known as HTML 4.01. Print out the guide and keep it beside your computer.

Color Marketing Group Forecasting the Color of Profit

The Color Marketing Group is an international association of color designers involved in the use of color as it applies to the profitable marketing of goods and services. Its major function is to identify the direction of color and design trends.

You might ask, so what? Who cares?

Do you realise that color can impact a buying decision? The Web is a visual medium, and we need to be very aware of the colors we choose on our Web sites. Even swapping out background colors can impact a buying decision.

What are the "in" colors for 2005? 2006? Visit these URLs to learn more.

http://www.colormarketing.org/media/news/2005_consumer_col_dir.htm

http://www.colormarketing.org/media/news/2006_consumer_col_dir.htm

CSS Tutorial at W3Schools.com
http://www.w3schools.com/css/

Learn how Cascading Style Sheets can make your life as a search engine marketer much easier, and how it can help you clean up your source code. W3Schools provides an excellent CSS tutorial free of charge, complete with a lot of examples and quizzes.

Parts 1 and 2 of the Cool Tools Articles

Cool Tools that are Also Free!
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/cool-tools.html

Yet More Cool Tools that are Also FREE!
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/cool-tools-part2.html

Again, thanks to all of you who shared these "cool tools" with me. Be sure and send me YOUR list, and I'll add them to the next article.

Thanks so much! (robin@searchengineworkshops.com)

Wordtracker Magic Volume 2.0 - Keyword Forensics for SEO

Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe as well as online courses in SEO. They have opened the first networking community for SEOs calledThe Workshop Resource Center for Search Engine Marketers, and they have expanded their workshops to Europe with Search Engine Workshops UK.

If you want to achieve a highly visible website with high-performance conversions, then enrol now in an upcoming workshop.

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