Bing recently released their SEO Toolkit (currently still in beta) and I took some time to run through the toolkit to see what kinds of information it gave me.

The first thing you should know is installing it is less than a breeze.

First, you need to be using a PC – no surprise there.

In order to install the toolkit, you need to jump through a bunch of hoops first.

1. You need a PC running Vista, Windows Server, Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. It won’t work on XP (which is a shame).  Most of you reading this (if you’re not using a Mac) will have Windows Vista on your computer.
2. If you do have Windows Vista, you need to be sure that youalso have installed Windows Vista SP1 (service pack 1) or higher. Most of you will also already have this if your computer updates itself regularly.
3. You also need IIS 7 running on your computer. Unless you’ve worked on a server team, the typical webmaster probably won’t understand what this means (huge problem!). Click here to view the Microsoft installation guide and get IIS 7.
   UPDATE: Note that on the Microsoft site – this link points to a topic that is “No Longer Available”.  After checking Microsoft’s own post about this installation guide, I receive the same message.  Hopefully they’ll have it fixed soon.
4. Next, you need to enable IIS 7 before you can install the SEO Toolkit. To do this…
   1. Click Start.
   2. Click Control Panel.
   3. Click Programs.
   4. Select “Turn Windows features on or off”.
   5. When the window opens, select the “Internet Information Services” check box.
   6. Click the plus sign (+) to expand the directory (they call them nodes), expand “world wide web services” and then expand “Application Development Features”.  Finally, check the box next to .net Extensibility.
   7. Click “OK” and then wait…a long time…while your computer updates.

Now, you next have to determine if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

(By now, I’ll bet that a vast majority of people have already said “This is WAY too much trouble – forget it!).  And I wouldn’t blame you.  As much as Microsoft search has evolved, it seems that the rest of the company has not.

To do this…

1. Click Start
2. Right click “Computer” and then choose “Properties”
3. In the “system group” the System Type will tell you what kind you’re running; 32-bit or 64-bit.
4. FINALLY, install the right version.  (Note that these links will download the SEO Toolkit to your computer – they’re directly from Microsoft. If you’d rather view the Microsoft page itself, click here.):
   1. IIS SEO Toolkit for 32-bit Windows
   2. IIS SEO Toolkit for 64-bit Windows
5. NOW, you’re ready to install and use the SEO Toolkit (and it’s probably time for a quick break).  I don’t know about you but my head hurts!

Once you have the SEO Toolkit installed, you’ll need to open the program.  But like most programs that you install, where you expect to see them in your Start menu, this one’s a little tricky.

1. Click the Start icon on your Windows Vista computer.
2. In the Start Search box, type “IIS”.
3. IIS manager should pop up in the window. I suggest that you move this to your desktop in an easier-to-find location.
4. Double click the program.
5. Once it loads in the main menu section scroll down to “Search Engine Optimization” and double click on “Site Analysis”.
6. Next, on the right, click “New Analysis”.
7. Give it a name.
8. Enter in the URL of your website and make your additional choices from here (which aren’t many).
9. Finally click “OK”.

Now the program will traverse your website and find issues (if any) that relate to SEO (as Bing sees it).

There’s various categories that Bing looks at such as SEO, Content, Standards and Performance.

Now, while this was a hassle to install it does give you a great deal of on-page SEO information.

For instance it found multiple spots where I had missed giving an image an alt tag attribute.

It also found a few spots where my description was too long and where I had a few broken hyperlinks – many of these attributed to a bookmarking service that I had included on my web pages.

If you double-click on any of the pages that had issues within the SEO Toolkit, you’ll get a very detailed analysis of that web page (this is definitely a plus).  Things like:

• A Word Analysis which shows you…
  • The counts for any specific word or phrase up to three word phrases.
  • The character count on the page.
  • The links referenced on the page along with their anchor text.
  • The links pointing TO the page.
  • The links coming FROM the page.
    • As well as what the linking status is, is it OK or not found, the linking title, the linked URL the type of link and the anchor text.  All invaluable information to have.

Now, all this being said, I will tell you of one very large (and frustrating) issue that I had.  After I ran through the steps and set up everything exactly as explained, I could NOT get to any of my websites that I had set up in the SEO Toolkit.

I could get anywhere else (so I knew it wasn’t my internet connection) but just not to my own sites.  Obviously very frustrating.

Now, my husband who is a VoIP engineer and who works with this kind of thing on a daily basis couldn’t even figure out what the issue was.  And we together tried multiple things…all to no avail.

Until…for the heck of it, I unplugged my DSL modem, plugged it back in and all was fine (Occam’s Razor).  So in the event you follow through this process, and have the same issues, just try rebooting your modem.  I can’t guarantee it will work for you, but it worked for me.  (You’ve just received a 5-hour-time-saving tip).

All in all, I think that the SEO Toolkit provides great information, so long as you’re willing to put up with the installation of it.  And best of all it’s free!

View this walkthrough at Bing (complete with screenshots) by clicking here.

Related posts:

1. Link Building for Bing
2. Where to Find & Get FREE Content & Links
3. Beginners SEO – 8 Free & Easy SEO Tips

You have no doubt probably been bombarded with emails about Brad Callen’s new Keyword Elite 2.0 coming out tomorrow today.

So have I.

I usually don’t pay much attention to the product emails I get (I get a LOT of them – currently there are literally THOUSANDS of them in my inbox right now).  If you’re wondering why I even bother – that’s easy – you can’t be effective if you don’t know what your competitors are doing.  Period.

However, Brad Callen is someone that I have followed for years…and who’s software I’ve found extremely easy to use and effective for even the most novice website owners.

Lately he came out with a free report that tells you three key strategies to use to help you start making money – fast.  (Of course, I scoffed at this).

But…before even recommending the report to YOU, I downloaded it myself and became your own personal guinea pig.

The report, it turns out is actually very good!

These strategies are in fact very easy to implement; one of them might require a short learning curve but other than that, it is a very good report.

One that I would highly recommend you getting.

It’s free…and of course it promotes his Keyword Elite product in the process (but you don’t need the product to use these strategies – the product just makes it 100 times faster to do the work).  But that said, I highly recommend that you at least get the report for yourself.

And if you’re so inclined, get the product too when it becomes available.  Brad’s always put out quality software and this one appears to be no different.

I’m always an advocate for anything that can get my work done faster and easier than something manual (even if manual is free – my time is worth a LOT of money).

So, take the time, click this link, go to his page and get the report there.

You’ll be glad you did.

Related posts:

1. Guaranteed Top Ten Listings at Google!
2. Getting a Handle on Your Canonicals
3. Where to Find & Get FREE Content & Links

For example, if I type in the one word of “spa” within Google, I now get local listings of all the spas located in my area.  See below.

Google will show you local listings relevant to the search you just performed based upon your IP address.

Why this is so great for local businesses is because now, it appears that regardless of what keyword you place in the search box, you’re likely to get local listings instead of depending upon the user making a reference to their location.

Just consider the possibilities for local businesses here for a moment.  Previously if I wanted to locate a spa in my location of Des Moines, IA, I would have had to tell Google that I was looking for a spa in my city.  So I’d submit a query such as “spa des moines, ia”.

Now, all someone has to do is enter in a generic term (which is near to impossible to rank well for on a quick basis) and if your local business has set up a listing with Google and you’ve included keywords relevant to that listing, then your business would show up regardless of whether or not you specified a location.

If you have not yet set up a local listing for your business, I highly suggest that you do so by visiting Google Local and specifying your local business details.  It’s completely free but you do need a Google account in order to do so.

On the flip side of these new listings showing up, you might wonder where the rest of the listings are heading.

The good news is, that even with the local listings showing up for more competitive terms, there are still the typical 10 web page listings on the initial page.  The local listings (and any news listings or videos), are only placed within the actual search results as an “addition” not as a “replacement to” the current listings.

That being said, it’s interesting to note that even though some local listings might be more relevant to me as someone who is searching for a spa, I receive a couple of web page listings first and then receive my local listings.  However, the map for the local listings certainly draws the eye which may tend to make someone overlook a single blue link on the page.

The moral of the story is that if you do have a local business and you want to get it appearing in search results for those within your location, get that listing up on Google Local as soon as possible.

Related posts:

1. Preventing MapSpam On Your Google Local Listing
2. Google Local Business – 9 Steps to Adding Your Google Local Listing
3. Google Paid Local Listings – Coming Soon to a SERP Near You!

A new year is almost like starting fresh – having a new slate that you can start writing on and getting those goals that you’ve always dreamed of accomplished. So I sincerely hope that your plate is full of items that you wish to accomplish this year and that you achieve all of them!

That said, I’ve got a few things up my sleeve to help you accomplish those goals. The first of which is the Bonehead SEO Training course. Currently it spans 181 pages long and is nearly complete.

I’ve taken nearly everyone into account in this course. Those who are brand new to site building and SEO as well as those who have been around for some time and just aren’t getting the rankings they want.

I run you through everything from selecting a niche that will actually help you make money, to registering your domain name, getting hosting, getting your on-page SEO ducks in a row, doing some very detailed competitive analysis, black hat SEO techniques to avoid as well as even how to get your site optimized so that you remain at the top of the very latest trends.

The face of SEO is changing and it’s changing rapidly. I’ve incorporated all of the areas of SEO that I believe you need to be aware of and even teach you how to work those areas to your advantage before your competition gets there.

I’m looking to get this course out to you by mid-January so be on the lookout for that.

I’ll even be running some “beginning of the year” specials on it as well.

So until then, get your goals in order, and keep an eye out for this massive SEO course coming to you shortly.

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