Of all the types of tools that get nominated the most frequently, web site submitters
take the cake. There are a lot of different tools out there. Many look alike for good
reason -- the original developer has sold the reseller rights and allowed other companies
to OEM these under their own brand name. This only adds to the confusion. Couple this with
the fact that many of these tools are rather under-powered, poorly supported, and overly
expensive, and you have every reason in the world to ignore them.
Add Web 4 is a bit different. Now I know I have said this before about
some other web submission tools which I have reviewed, but Add Web 4
truly is different and here's why: it's packed with an exhaustive list of invaluable
features, it's wrapped in a well-designed interface, it has a thorough and
context-sensitive Help file, and it's search engine submission database is updated very
frequently, and updates are free.
Now I am not going to tell you this is easy-to-use. In fact, it will take an investment
in time to learn all the features and make it work for you, but the time you put into this
effort will reap untold rewards for you.
First thing you notice is the crisp and clean interface. On the top right
side (#1) is a list of well-written in-depth articles to help bring you up-to-speed on the
subject of web site optimization and submission. On the lower right side (#2) is a list of
available tutorials which is also very helpful for the newbie and expert alike. On the
left side of the screen (#3) is the general navigation menu, and the main part of the
screen where the action occurs is dead center (#4). When you first launch the program,
after it automatically checks for free updates, it presents you with general help.
After you invoke the program and get acquainted with it, you need to
set-up a profile:
There are many tabs and screens in the profile section. This may seem a
bit overwhelming at first, but the goal here is to get you to describe your web site
accurately and concisely. Here you include web site information including URL and contact
information. You'll also get a chance to populate keywords from your web site's META tags
and list competitor's web sites for search engine ranking comparison later on.
Reports can also be in plain text or HTML and either emailed or saved to
the local hard drive for archival purposes. Thus, if you want to start a web submission
and site ranking business, this tool will faciliate that and allow you to create and email
neat looking reports to your clients.
The next section is Page Advisor which may be the most useful competitive
marketing tool around. If you are wondering why your competitors are always beating you
out on search engine ranking and placement, this tool will probably show you how and why.
Once you dissect the competition, it's easier to beat them at their own
game. This is a slow but thorough process which looks at keywords, descriptions, and much,
much more. Comparing one page between your site and a competitor could take quite a few
minutes, but the resulting report will tell you more than you can imagine. Quite frankly,
the report is so thorough it's scary. You'll see the keywords your competitor uses and how
they compare to yours. You'll see if they use tricks to fool the search engines for better
placement. You'll gain a better understanding about the importance of selecting and using
appropriate keywords. And you'll find a long list of holes you need to fill in your own
web page design strategy. The tips included in the report are right on target.
The Page Builder Plus option will show you how to create your gateway
pages to submit to search engines. These pages will help you to achieve better ranking in
the engines' databases and redirect visitors to your actual site pages. This is a tricky
business and not all search engines appreciate these tactics. Some will ignore gateway
pages entirely. Still, Page Builder Plus does all of the work for you with the click of a
button. It couldn't be easier, and you can test, preview, and edit these gateway pages as
you see fit.
The Submission option allows you to zero in on the engines and directories
and anything else you want to submit your pages to, and as is typical with this product,
the options are amazing. You can even tell it to submit to the engines previously failed
or skipped the last time around. Very thorough.
The Rank Check option will allow you to select a web site and keyword and
to run a check on your ranking in tons of different search engines. This tool is
everything WebPostion should be and more. Within minutes you can see how you rank against
a competitor on all major engines.
Add Web 4 also offers a neat scheduler, so you can leave this running in
the background and have your sites resubmitted whenever you want.
Add Web 4 -- as if it already didn't over-deliver -- also includes an
integrated FTP facility for uploading your gateway pages. Additionally, it can integrate
itself into Microsoft FrontPage. Isn't that convenient? Nice extra features.
If you like, you can also have a free trial of their SiteStats Live!
service to better track your web site traffic. It is an extremely well-priced and
competitive offering and while we did not test this ourselves, we're intrigued enough to
see how it compares to our present stat service from HitBox. SiteStats is integrated into
the package which it makes kind of a sweet deal.
All in all, Add Web 4 is an impressive suite of tools that you would be
hard-pressed to match elsewhere. You can download a free trial or just buy it -- the
Deluxe version is only $69 and the Professional version is only $299.99 -- by clicking the
banner at the top of the page. It's a bargain at twice that price!
Add Web 4
