Investing in SEO software is an important business decision.
Your online marketing efforts can be significantly enhanced by a
piece of software that closely matches your business needs and
current knowledge level, yet a poorly chosen product will damage
your marketing efforts and waste money and man hours. Luckily
most software developers offer time limited trials of their
products, which usually have very few limitations on the tasks
that can be performed. But before you fire up a trial, consider
the following 10 points that will help you come to the correct
conclusions.
1) Don't install demo software if you have a major project or
very busy time coming up. You will need to dedicate some time to
explore the software before it expires, which will require some
dedication and time!
2) Install the software as per the developer's instructions.
Don't try and manipulate the install, as the software might
develop bugs that are not present in the full version.
3) Once installed, scan through the setup and quick start files.
You will lack the time to read through all of the help files -
particularly if you are assessing several software titles in
order to make a decision, however it is important to get a feel
for the basic principles. When looking through the help files,
note how detailed they are. Poorly written help files can
indicate a poorly designed software program.
4) Note whether there are any demo files. If there are, open
them up and play with them. It can be tempting to jump straight
in with your own data, but often it takes many months to build
up useful data which will show the full capabilities of a piece
of software. The appearance of demo data is a big plus point,
and its absence is a negative.
5) Look for a link to online help facilities, including active
forums. Online help files are useful when a piece of software is
updated regularly, and when the broader software subject is
likely to change (as in search engine marketing). Take 5 minutes
to search for unofficial forum or help sites. The more
unofficial sources of help there are, the more popular the
software is. As a rule, the more popular the software the will
be easier to use.
6) Set yourself a simple aim, then launch the software and delve
in. Get a feel for the interface. Is it intuitive? Easy to
navigate? Quick at running reports? Does it produce clear
results that you can readily understand? Does the software help
you to achieve your aim?
7) Contact the developers with a simple query. This can be one
of the most telling signs of all as to whether the software is
adequately supported. Do not contact the sales team (who will
undoubtedly respond within minutes), so make sure you direct
your query to the support staff who you will be dealing with
once you make a purchase. Do they respond quickly with an
effective solution? If you do not receive a response within the
trial period (or if the support team will not answer queries
from trial customers) think carefully about purchasing the full
product.
8) Note whether the software is updated automatically during the
trial period (or whether any updates have been released recently
via the developer's website). Most SEO software will require
frequent updates, and if they do not occur regularly the
software may cease to work.
9) Search for independent reviews (like those on
SEO Software or
">Amazon for example). Now that you have used the software
you will more readily recognise what the reviewer is saying. Do
they share any concerns with you, or do they like the same
things as you? If any negative reviews ring true, contact the
developers for a response. Will these issue be addressed in a
future update.
Using this checklist will help to focus your evaluation efforts.
It will help steer you away from seductive flashy graphics and
instead draw you attention to the key issues of usability,
quality of support and business objective fulfilment.
Happy testing!
About the author:
Paul Fisher is a professional in the search arena and is editor
of
SEO Software - a
website dedicated to the independent comparison of SEO marketing
software programs.
