SEO is a vital part of driving traffic to your websites and blogs and there are plenty of resources on the internet that can help you improve your SEO knowledge and skills.

As far as websites go, no-one should be without a bookmark in their browser to Aaron Wall’s SEOBook.com. This is one of my favorites and it’s well worth subscribing for useful tips and advice on getting the best results in terms of rankings. However, even if you prefer not to add another email subscription to your inbox, an RSS subscription or at least a bookmark in your browser should be considered.

This post is about SEO software however, and you will find some great free tools at the SEOBook site but in this post I wanted to mention three software suites that have all been around for some time and offer free versions for everyone.

Over the years I have used all three but I have to confess that I don’t like SEO and find it tedious, even though I know full well that the potential increased rewards are undeniable. The following three software packages all offer a range of analytical tools and will offer suggested improvements that can be made to any site in order to achieve higher SERPS positions for given keywords. In all honesty, which you prefer will probably depend on a variety of factors but suffice to say, all are very good tools.

1) S.E.O Power Suite – I love the look and feel of this software and it delivers information in a clear and easy to understand manner. Of the three software suites listed here I have to say it is my favorite. The free version is fully functional but you are unable to save your projects and other data. This does not make it any less useful but if you are intending to engage in long term SEO work, the upgrade is worth it. Try the free version and I think you will be convinced if you are serious about your SEO.The company also offers a range of other SEO Tools geared towards specific tasks such as link building.

2) IBP (Internet Business Promoter) – This software has been around for many years and I have used both the free and paid versions in the past. Again. very comprehensive reporting and analysis on offer, even in the free version but naturally, paying for a licence gives you access to even greater power.

3) WebCEO - I have not used WebCEO for a number of years but you will find the free version an extremely useful and revealing piece of software that can offer analysis and suggested improvement steps for your websites and blogs.

My preference for SEO Power Suite is purely personal – my recommendation would be to download all three of these programs and have a play around with each – you will soon come to a decision regarding your own favorite.

You might also like to consider Traffic Travis whose free version offers some easy to understand and implement checks on your sites to improve your position for given keywords etc. It may not be as comprehensive as some of the other offerings, but it is pretty good and, as they say, sometimes less is more. You can grab the free or pro version by clicking the ad below.

If you are a WordPress user and want to learn the best way to optimize your WordPress installations our 40 video series and accompanying book WordPress-SEO-Secrets will give you everything you need to know and all the free tools you will require to put yourself ahead of the vast number of WordPress users.

TCH