Tracking Site Statistics

Google Analytics
A very convenient tool, especially for checking your back links. Since Google's tool for checking back links is not reliable (link:www.domain.com), it only displays a small number of links that actually exist, Yahoo Site Explorer will give you a better idea of how many back links you actually have. A back link is an external link pointing to your site on a page-by-page basis. It is probably the most important factor for high SEO ranking.

Check your site's Page Rank (PR)
Google updates its PR every 3-4 months, it seems. Use this free tool to check your rank. Keep in mind that even sites like Yahoo only get 9 out of 10. Anything over 3 is good. 5/10 is excellent!

Yahoo Site Explorer
A very convenient tool, especially for checking your back links. Since Google's tool for checking back links is not reliable (link:www.domain.com), it only displays a small number of links that actually exits, Yahoo's Site Explorer will give you a better idea of how many back links you really have. A back link is a link pointing to your site from another (external) site.

Sourceforge.net 
This is the world's largest development and download repository of Open-Source code and applications. This resource would save you incredible amount of time and money. For site statistics, search for "web logs" and select from hundreds of free programs.

Web analytics and management tools
This is a list of priprietory web analytics tools. Note that in our experience, small and medium sized businesses seldom need to resort to expensive tools. Google Analytics is usually enough, and it is free. If you really need more information, use sourceforge.net:  search for "web logs" and select from hundreds of free programs.

For very detailed breakdowns and very particular slicing and dicing, consider the following providers:

• Did-it’s Maestro
• Atlas One Point
• SearchIgnite
• Webtrends
• Hitbox Professional
• Omniture
• Core Metrics

Traffic analysis by Alexa
This is a sweet free tool. Use it for your own site and to analyze your competition. We also recommend downloading their famous toolbar, it is also free.

Evaluating web pages: Questions to ask 
This page presents an excellent method of evaluating web pages, but it can also be used in relation to any other written document. Learn how to develop a "healthy skepticism" and recognize real quality. Take a look at the top right corner, they even provide a web page check list in .pdf format!

Free SEO tools
A large repository of free SEO tools ranging from AdSense calculator to keyword density checker to link popularity and other useful metrics.

WebsiteGrader
Excellent site analysis reports, but as with all tools, certain entries are questionable.

Search Engine Links

International Directory of Search Engines
An international directory of search engines featuring links to search engines from 195 countries and 38 territories around the world. You may use either English, French, Spanish, or German when using Search Engine Colossus. Global, country, and subject based search engines are listed.

Search engines statistics
Although sometimes outdated, this site nevertheless offer good information about search engines. Find reports on how various search engines rank in terms of size, freshness, change over time, database overlap, unique hits reports, and dead links report. Google has the largest database of web pages, including many other types of web documents (e.g., PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint documents).

Excellent info about search engines from UC Berkeley
This is an excellent source for information about search engines. Consider reading some of their tutorials.

Service that monitors search engines and directories
Most of the site's content is offered free to the public.