The tool developers have gone to amazing lengths to create phenomenal tools . . . then give them to you totally free of charge. They deserve a huge round of applause!

Thanks to all of you who've sent me your list of cool tools. At the bottom of this article, you'll find links to Parts 1 and 2. Please continue to send me links to cool tools you've found in your wanderings on the Web.

Criteria: the tools have to be free, and they have to be "Cool"!

Wordtracker KEI Observation Deck

Many of you will recognize the name, John Alexander, and will connect John to Wordtracker. John is the author of an extremely popular e-book called, "Wordtracker Magic."

John's Wordtracker strategies take you out of the "keyword" arena and into the behavorial research arena. His strategies allow you to bring in targeted traffic to your Web sites without having to compete against hundreds of thousands (or millions) of competing pages.

If you don't believe there are decent KEI values in Wordtracker, or if you want to learn how to get outside of the competition, stop by the fascinating KEI Observation Deck and watch a true master of Wordtracker at work. Remember: it's Free!

Be sure to bookmark this page and visit again and again. It takes practice to learn how to think laterally. Once you do, you can do amazing things with Wordtracker.

FILExt ­ The File Extension Source

Do you ever come across a file extension that you simply have no idea what program to connect it to? FILExt is a detailed database of file extensions and programs that use them.

Googlesearches Tool

Use this advanced search tool to search The Mighty Google in virtually every way you can imagine, even in language- or country-specific searches. This handy tool is definitely one you'll want to bookmark and come back to again and again.

Hotscripts.com

Do you think that 28,959 resources in over 1,000 categories will keep you busy for a while? Someone asked about counters and log analyzers. This site has quite a list to choose from. Enjoy!

Bookmarklets ­ Add Extra Functionality to Your Browser with these Simple Scripts.

What are they? Bookmarklets are easy-to-use little programs that you can integrate into your browser to make your coding, debugging, and researching lives much easier. Give them a try!

Search Engine Decoder ­Relationship Chart

This cool chart shows the relationships between the various search engines and directories. Click on any search engine, and you'll see which search engines/directories supply results back and forth to that engine. It loads extremely fast, even with a 56K modem, and it's up to date. Very impressive.

Martindale's "The Reference Desk"

Though not a "tool" per se, Martindale's is a reference site that you'll want to bookmark and refer back to time and time again. What can you find at Martindale's?

How about 19,575 online calculators? Can you imagine? You'll find calculators for every type of project imaginable. You'll also find translators, patent and trademark information, and world maps. The list is virtually endless.

125 Legitimate Link Building Strategies

We all know the importance of off-page factors when it comes to search engine rankings. Link popularity is one of the crucial off-page factors that can make such a difference to the success of a Web site. In this article, which can also be downloaded in e-book format, over 30 SEO authorities offer their best suggestions for increasing the link popularity of your Web site.

HTML Tags ­ A Free Online Cheatsheet

This HTML quick reference guide is excellent. All HTML tags with attributes and values are for XHTML 1.1, also known as HTML 4.01. Print out the guide and keep it beside your computer.

Color Marketing Group ­ Forecasting the Color of Profit

The Color Marketing Group is an international association of color designers involved in the use of color as it applies to the profitable marketing of goods and services. Its major function is to identify the direction of color and design trends.

You might ask, so what? Who cares?

Do you realize that color can impact a buying decision? The Web is a visual medium, and we need to be very aware of the colors we choose on our Web sites. Even swapping out background colors can impact a buying decision.

What are the "in" colors for 2005? 2006? Visit these URLs to learn more.

Colors for 2005
Colors for 2006

CSS Tutorial at W3Schools.com

Learn how Cascading Style Sheets can make your life as a search engine marketer much easier, and how it can help you clean up your source code. W3Schools provides an excellent CSS tutorial free of charge, complete with a lot of examples and quizzes.

Parts 1 and 2 of the Cool Tools Articles

Cool Tools that are Also Free!

Yet More Cool Tools that are Also FREE!

Again, thanks to all of you who shared these "cool tools" with me. Be sure and send me YOUR list, and I'll add them to the next article. Thanks so much! ( robin@searchengineworkshops.com)

About The Author
Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe as well as online SEO training courses. They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through Search Engine Academy, and they have expanded their workshops to Europe with Search Engine Workshops UK.

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