Whether you want to find new link targets or get more insights and information, there are several tools out there that will help you boost your link-building efforts in a big way. Using too many tools can cause information overload but using the right set of tools will help you save time and get more out of your link-building campaigns.
Simple Analysis Tools – LinkDiagnosis
Simple analysis tools allow you to get simple information in just a few clicks of a mouse. For example, you may want to know how many links point to a certain page or which anchor text is used the most often. Simple analysis tools allow you to get insights quickly but they should never replace in-depth analysis tools. LinkDiagnosis is a simple analysis tool that can be used in conjunction with your in-depth analysis tool. Available as both a web-based tool and a Firefox plug-in, LinkDiagnosis filters out most low quality links. It provides a list of the most common anchor text as well as a list of the most popular pages of the websites you investigate.
LinkDiagnosis creates backlink profiles of small websites very quickly but for larger websites it could take up to half an hour. One of the biggest perks of LinkDiagnosis is the fact that you can download the data as a csv file and use it however you want. When it comes to getting a general backlink profile, an overview of the most important pages of a particular domain, and anchor text spreading, LinkDiagnosis is the best simple analysis tool out there.
In-Depth Analysis Tools – MajesticSEO
When you are investigating your own website or that of one of your competitors, you will need access to detailed information. In-depth analysis tools such as MajesticSEO can provide you with a broad range of data. All of the information on MajesticSEO can be downloaded in csv format. The tool is free to use for your own site but you have to pay a fee if you would like to use it to get a detailed analysis of your competitors’ websites. The only problem with MajesticSEO is that it provides so much information that it can be overwhelming for some people. However, MajesticSEO is very useful and comprehensive.
Information that MajesticSEO provides includes:
• Anchor text use
• Your most popular pages
• Incoming links of a domain
• Separated view of incoming links and referring domains
• Shows only links in frames, image links, nofollow links, and redirect links
• Shows past links
• Compares your backlink history with that of your competitors
• Free bad link neighborhood check
Link Target Tools – HubFinder
Once you have thoroughly analyzed your website and the websites of your competitors, you must use tools that will help you find new link targets. HubFinder is a tool from SEOBook that looks for sites that have co-occuring links to related authoritative websites in your niche. You must be a paid member of SEOBook in order to access the HubFinder tool. However, a few features of the tool are available for free so you can tinker around with it and decide whether it’s worth the investment. In the free version of HubFinder, you can enter the links of up to ten competing websites. The tool then finds websites that link to at least two competing websites. If you add the link of your own website to the list, the tool will automatically filter out the websites that already link to you. As a result, HubFinder generates a list of websites that link to your competitors but not to you and thus serves as a great way to find link targets. All that is required of you is to filter out the low quality websites from the list. Since HubFinder uses Yahoo! to gather results, its results tend to include low quality directories and guestbooks.
Link-building tools should not be all you use in your link-building campaign but they can be very helpful. These 3 link-building tools are indispensable because they can help you find out quickly and easily what your competition is doing and lead your link-building campaign in the right direction.
