Software Review: Advanced Web Ranking

The strategy of obtaining high search engine results for a Web site is known as search engine optimization (seo). Keywords — specific words or phrases used in a search engine query — play an important role in this process.

There are many tools available to aid in finding the right keywords and phrases as well as numerous articles on the topic.

Once you have selected and implemented your keywords, you will need to track their usage in relation to your Web site ranking. That usually entails separately typing each keyword into each individual search engine. That could take up a lot of time. The Advanced Web Ranking (AWR) application (developed by Caphyon) was created for just that purpose.

Developed for webmasters, developers, and search engine optimization firms, AWR can track any number of Web sites and keywords at the same time. It's easy to use and is easily customized to suit individual needs.

The software does not send the URLs you are tracking to the search engines; instead, it executes a keyword search, downloads the pages, then searches your computer for the URLs you specified. To the search engine it looks just like a browser. It's quite fast, working through each query, page by page, and pausing between two consecutive pages. For each engine, it will only do a single query at a time.

Project Wizard

In order to track a group of Web sites and keywords, the program compiles them into a "project", along with each search engine they are to be checked against (the program lists over 200 search engines). They range from Google, AltaVista, Teoma, and Yahoo to others such as Rambler (Russia), Mirago (UK), and Interia (Poland). The list is updated each time the program is started.

Keywords can be added or deleted at any time, as can URLs. The program can handle an unlimited amount of projects, making it very effective for search optimization firms with a large number of clients. In additon, each project can contain an unlimited amount of keywords and URLs. These can be displayed in different colors to make tracking easier. Competitor's URLs can also be tracked right along with your own. Projects are configured using a wizard, making the process quick and painless.

Rank Evolution Graphical Report

The tracking begins once a project is set up. Each project can be updated either manually or automatically. Setting it to automatically check the search engines saves time and the reports can be emailed to you and your clients. The update progress is displayed within the program.

AWR provides the search results in several different reports in both tabular and graphical formats. Tabular reports include: current ranking, listing by URLs or keywords, top sites and an overall report. Graphical reports show the rank evolution by search engine or keyword.

Two versions of the software are available: standard ($49.00) and advanced ($99.00). A 15-day trial version is also available. The price includes a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee, a one year maintenance plan (product and search engines updates), and free e-mail support. The advanced version includes the ability to email the reports to any number of addresses set up in the address book. These reports can also be printed or exported into several different formats — PDF, XLS, HTML, XML, TXT, and CSV, with customizable headers and footers for a professional apprearance. Reports can be scheduled to run automatically at a given time on a regular basis. i.e. Daily, weekly, or monthly.

The program is available for the Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and generic Unix platforms. A 67-page User Guide with tutorials is available in PDF format.