SEOmoz Builds Out 'Search Engine' To Aid Marketers

• Comment
• Recommend (5)
• Tweet
• 

SEOmoz, a Seattle-based SEO tools company, unveiled an upgrade to Open Site Explorer Wednesday. The tool suite allows marketers to view inbound links on their Web sites, pages and content or on others.

The platform enables marketers to discover the reasons why the competition outranks them in search query results for specific keywords, and to find content that is most interesting to specific consumers on a site or a page.

Google, Microsoft, Baidu, and Yandex collect link information, but the engines do not share it with marketers. Yahoo announced earlier this month it would shutter its version of Site Explorer by the end of 2011. U.K.-based Magestic offers a similar tool, but SEOmoz co-founder and CEO Rand Fishkin believes reports are not as detailed.

Open Site Explorer runs off a new Web index, since first launching 18 months ago. Fishkin said with the new features, the tool can step up and fill the void. "This new version lets us reach deeper into the Web," he said. "Previously, I would get frustrated with the tool because finding pages deep down in an important Web site was very difficult. This tool exposes deep pages on an important Web site."

While not all reporting features are available for every version of the product, overall the platform monitors and tracks URLs, as well as the top 25 pages based on authority of links. It reveals when users share or "like" content on Facebook, tweet on Twitter, or click on Google's +1 button. The new version identifies the content drawing the most links to competitor Web sites and allows marketers to compare up to five sites side by side. It also allows marketers to download advanced link or page reports filtered by authority, domain TLD, anchor text, and more.

This is noteworthy, considering that SEOmoz isn't building a traditional search engine, but a tool that identifies link structure running across the underbelly of the Internet.

"There are billions and billions of pages. So to build the index, our Web crawler, between 20 to 30 days, reaches about 59 billion pages represented across nearly 100 million domains," he notes.

The advanced reporting section in SEOmoz's Open Site Explorer shows link information around metrics and quality scores. It also has a filter that lets marketers see only internal, external or nofollow links. It doesn't provide feedback on whether linking to the content proves profitable or beneficial, but Fishkin said it's possible to provide the feedback.

Most of the tools are free with registration. Fishkin explains that advanced query reports, such as searching for the .gov links that point to bb.co.uk and contain the anchor text "monkey," require a paid subscription at $99 per month.

• Comment
• Recommend (5)
• Tweet
• 

0 comments on "SEOmoz Builds Out 'Search Engine' To Aid Marketers".

1. Elliot Mann from AC Lion
   

   commented on: July 28, 2011 at 9:41 a.m.

   Search engine optimization is a great way for companies and websites to gain popularity and exposure. By finding out what exactly people are looking for, adjustments can be made to attract target audiences and consumers much easier than ever before

2. John Mustin from Wasabi Rabbit
   

   commented on: July 29, 2011 at 2:07 p.m.

   Brand marketers will do well to understand what content is most valuable to their constituents, as well as have visibility into the paths through which visitors arrive at key content.

   SEOMoz has always been a tool we've enjoyed - both for the education of junior players in the space, and for deriving the most important elements of our clients' web content.

   Happy to hear and see their innovation continue.

   John Mustin
   President
   Wasabi Rabbit

Leave a Comment