Search engine optimization (SEO) is becoming increasingly vital and more complex. This is no longer something that the webmaster can accomplish manually – at least not at a high level. Therefore, software developers have begun to meet this need with sophisticated yet user-friendly SEO reporting and automation tools. One such option is the self-titled software solution by gShift Labs, a tool marketed as the “Web Presence Optimization†suite.
Overview
Up until now, most SEO optimization tools focus exclusively on the search engines themselves. The flaw in that design decision is that there are factors like social networking that have a serious effect on Web presence. The gShift Labs tool distinguishes itself from other solutions by integrating with Google Analytics to provide the webmaster with reports on how Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks are influencing a website’s Web presence. It also has a host of tools for analyzing backlinks, referrals, keywords, blogs, press releases, and even your competition.
The Good
The best aspect of the gShift Labs tool is that it understands the concept of limited resources. A web development team only has so much time and money, so it’s crucial to maximize that budget. GShift Labs accomplishes this by showing the team where they can achieve the greatest benefit. That may be blog posts, tweets, a greater presence on Facebook, or even traditional SEO measures like keyword optimization. In addition, the software supports all of those suggestions with real data, so there’s never any sense of mystery as to why it makes a choice.
The Bad
As an SEO data tool, gShift Labs is probably without peer, but it does require time to pick up steam. If you’ve been using Google Analytics for six months or more, you’ll be able to use gShift Labs immediately. However, if not, it’s going to take some time before many of the features provide usable data.
Rating and Review
We give gShift Labs 4.5 out of 5 stars because there’s still room for refinement, and we’d like to see some expansion of the automation features. Other than that, we found few drawbacks, and gShift Labs has quickly become our tool of choice. The no-download “installation†is particularly convenient because the entire team has access to it as soon as you set it up no matter where they are. We’re also quite enamored with the reporting system because there’s an incredible amount of flexibility in the configuration. This makes it quite easy to make one set or reports for the team and a simpler set for the executives. GShift Labs has managed to achieve a balance here that most solutions do not.