Just over a year ago, we got our hands on 2 great pieces of software - Advanced Web Ranking and Advanced Link Manager. At that time we wrote quite a substantial review on what we found as initial reactions to this software.
We have now been using AWR for just over a year and we are still as happy with the help it gives us as we were when we first reviewed this wonderful piece of SEO software. AWR automates the incredibly important, but time consuming task of checking the rankings of the website we administer. If we had to break it down to some bullet point of "Why we love AWR", it would go like this.
1. Time management.
AWR frees up valuable time to be able to move onto cash producing tasks such as marketing, client meetings and actual design work. A huge part of any SEO program is actually knowing where a website sits or ranks among its competitors. My Mom had a great saying on her Skype for years... "How do you know what you don't know, if you don't know what you don't know?" And that's my point. If you don't know where a site ranks how can you plan a sensible strategy for doing it better? And how can you track any improvements?
AWR automates the process of checking rankings on a user definable basis, and gives you, the SEO specialist, a wealth of data. But, at least as importantly, is it gives you time to work elsewhere. AWR is like an AGM-65 Maverick "Fire and forget" missile. Set the controls and let AWR go out and do it's thing without you having to spend time yourself. Then pick up the results when it's done.
2. It's automatic.
Everyone is busy - we all get busy and, even the "best-laid schemes o' mice an' men" (thanks Robby Burns!) go awry at time and jobs fall through the cracks. Advanced Web Ranking allows you to schedule ranking checks to run automatically. Better still, the program will even grab the reports, present them in a layout of your choice or making, then email them to your clients all on its own! Never forget to run a ranking check again. Clients will love the clear easy to read reports that turn up in their inbox every <insert your time period here>!
3. Frequent updates.
Yes, the core program, but, importantly, regular updates on the search engines and other crucial features. The people behind AWR certainly give you, the owner of this complete SEO solution, the feeling that you matter, that they actually care about what's happening. The program is complex, no doubt about that. But the team at AWR give good support and their website has plenty of help on it too from How-tos, to a forum, manuals, FAQs and more.
4. Powerful reports and customization.
There are loads of reports and options. You can graph, chart and follow almost everything to do with rankings, and display them in many ways. This is a very powerful program through every area, and reports are no exception. They are all fully customizable and can have as much or as little data in them, displayed how you or your client wants, as you like. Forget reports that look cheap and horrible - AWR reports are very slick.
We're a small business that faces all the problems associated with small business. One of those is a lack of staff to do all the critical jobs - one being rank checking. AWR is a great piece of SEO software that, in a sense, gives us another person in the office. Hours of work each week are handled automatically, on schedule and on budget. Who could ask for more?
