Since a lot of web designers and web workers use Firefox, it makes sense there would be a multitude of extensions to test the SEO of a site. Even if you don’t actively do much to insert keywords into your site, it isn’t a bad idea to know how to do the basics.

1. KeywordSpy SEO / PPC Plug-in

KeywordSpy works in conjunction with your favorite search engine. Once the plug-in is installed, you will immediately notice the difference when you search. Searching for anything will display a bunch of additional links and options are added under the site description. Some of the new additions are: Rankings, number of links to the site, organic and PPC keywords.

If you need more information, one of the 3 paid options could be purchased. According to the list of client who use this service, you would be in the company of some heavy hitters like American Express, IBM and Toyota. That means it must be good right?

2. SeoQuake

Seoquake has similar options as KeywordSpy. The layout in the search window is a little more cramped, the logos for the sites whose information is being displayed makes it a little easier to decipher. If you like, SeoQuake allows you to save and download the information to CSV (comma separated values) file for you to view later in Excel.

One thing I really like about this plug-in, is just under the main Google search bar now resides a [related keywords] link. If you would like a better idea of phrases or keywords a competitor is using, simply click on [more keywords]. You will be whisked away to a page with plenty more.

3. SearchStatus

SearchStatus seems to be the easiest on the plug-ins so far. It is very straight forward and least invasive. Your Google searches still look as they did before.

If you want to put SearchStatus to work, you can Ctrl (or right) click on the icon in the status bar. Doing this brings up a contextual menu with all of your options. These features will stay turned on as you move from page to page.

For example, say you wanted to see all of the nofollow links on a site. Turn this option on in the menu and where ever you go these kinds of links will be highlighted.

SearchStatus will highlight the keyword you are searching for, as well as telling you how many times it is used on the page. Sometimes it is a good idea to see how your competitors are working these words into their content.

4. KGen

KGen, short for keyword generator, is a sidebar pop out which makes it stand out from the others. This plug-in’s sole purpose is to display the keywords on a specific page. The words are ranked by the number of times they are repeated and the weight of the word.

5. Foxy SEO Tool

Foxy SEO Tool is fast becoming my favorite plug-in. It seems to have the best mix between tools and usability allowing access to the search options one of two ways.

The first is via the toolbar. I am personally not a big fan of addon tool bars, but when you are using Foxy SEO Tool for multiple searches, it does make things easier. Click on the menu you want to see and out comes the drop down with all of your choices for that menu.

The second option is the standard Ctrl (or right) click contextual menu option. This option is handy to take a quick look at something that catches your eye.

6. SEO for Firefox

I have used this extension for a while. I find it to be very handy when I am looking for information on a site I am working with or checking out a competitor. It is easily toggled on and off by clicking the icon in the status bar.

When its time to use SEO for Firefox, you can access it by Ctrl (or right) clicking and working your way over to the options. The feature that sets this SEO for Firefox a part from the rest is the SEO xray.

What makes this option so great is it shows the incoming, outgoing, nofollow, Meta keywords, HTML tags and all kinds of other stuff in a pop out window. Then if you want to see the keywords, there is an option for that as well.

What kinds of tools do you use to better your search engine rankings?

Image credit: Jeffrey Beall

Bookmark Access

Often, it’s faster to send your computer instructions with the keyboard rather than with the mouse. This includes accessing your favorite websites. On my computer, for example, I’ve got a few different bookmarks for MakeTechEasier.com to access different parts of the site. If I want to log in to create a new post, I’ve got to grab the mouse, go into the Bookmarks menu, find the MTE submenu, find the section I want, and click the icon. While that’s not exactly rocket science, keywords can make that faster and easier.

Open your Bookmarks menu and pick something you use often. Right-click the icon and choose Properties. You’ll get a screen much like the one below. In the Keyword field you can enter whatever keyword you’d like to use to access that site.

From this point on, you can click in the address bar (or use Ctrl+L) and type in your keyword to be taken immediately to that site.

Keyword Searches

This is my favorite use for keywords. By default, Firefox includes a fair number of search engines in the box in the upper right corner, and even more available to be added from their website, but they can’t cover everything. There are several websites I search regularly and we can use the Keywords feature to do it better. The same method from above can be used to search your favorite sites. Above, we took an existing bookmark and edited the properties to include a keyword. This time, we’ll take a different approach.

In our example, I’m going to set up a keyword search for, you guessed it, MakeTechEasier.com. As you read this, you may notice the search box in the top right corner of our site. This box allows you to search for articles from within MakeTechEasier.com.

We’re going to use that box to create a custom search for this site. Right-click the blank space in the search box and choose Add a Keyword For This Search. You’ll get a dialog box where you choose the name and keyword. Since I’ve already got a keyword named mte I made this one mtes.

Now, wherever I am, I can click in my address bar (or use Crtl+L) and type mtes (search query) to find whatever I need on the site.

This works for all kinds of web sites. If you like movies you could make a keyword to search IMDb. If you download a lot of torrents, you can make a keyword to search your favorite torrent site. Keywords can be useful in many different ways to let you access just the information you want, right when you want it.

Do you have any other handy uses for this great feature? If so, let me know in the comments.