Saturday, March 17, 2012

Yahoo Site Explorer Replacement Options

I've only been acquainted with Yahoo! Site Explorer (YSE) for barely a week when I heard the news that it's been shut down.

YSE was a free tool that internet marketers use to get backlink statistics and a wealth of other information collected by Yahoo! on a particular website. It was a very useful tool for analyzing websites - yours, or your competition's. Decisions concerning your own SEO efforts can also be influenced by the results churned out by YSE. It was a helpful SEO tool, but unfortunately it has been discontinued.

Instead of getting disappointed, I am now reading up on Yahoo Site Explorer alternatives, mostly recommendations by other SEO experts, to see which one can best replace, or even surpass what YSE offered. Here are some of the free options I found:

Open Site Explorer - This tool by SEOmoz seems pretty straightforward, having a Google-type front page. It provides a detailed link analysis of websites. A free version is available, but it only allows limited access to query results. The upside is, it is probably the only one on this list that accepts multiple website queries for comparison (up to 5). Upgrading to PRO status for $99 a month will unlock the restrictions.

Majestic SEO - Majestic SEO has been getting good reviews on backlink analysis, but looking at its free option, it doesn't give away a lot of information. There are almost no results given until you register for a free account, but a paid account seems a much better option because it yields more results. Paid plans start at £24.99.

Searchmetrics - Searchmetrics is also a promising tool. It has an easy to navigate interface, but it focuses on keyword metrics, not backlinks. Like the others, an upgrade to paid status is needed to enjoy the whole thing.

Ahrefs -This offers the most comprehensive free results I've seen on backlink analysis and it even has a section on SERP analysis. Freeloaders can enjoy up to 10 requests per day only. Paid plans start at $49 per month, which unlocks more detailed information.

Domain-pop and Backlinkwatch- These are simple backlink checkers, which focus on just that. Domain-pop serves quick results, but even though backlinkwatch takes some time to churn out a list, it is more detailed than the former. Both are absolutely free tools, without extra paid features.

WhoLinksToMe - This website promises a free backlink report but one needs to register first to receive the results by email. It seems like a lot of work, but it might be worth trying.

Yahoo! Site Explorer was not totally discontinued. The bulletin from Yahoo! says that it has been integrated with the new Bing Webmaster Tools. But instead of being able to run queries on different websites like before, you may only enter your own registered websites to explore.

These free YSE replacement tools may not be at par with what it used to offer, but a combination of what they have to offer is useful, especially for those who are not ready for paid services.


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SEO Website: SEO Expert's Diary on Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing - http://www.SEOWebsite.com


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