HostGator’s SEO tools are a complete web-based solution that gives you the power to manage your off-page search engine optimization efforts. Easily track your keyword rankings, identify new opportunities, and monitor your overall progress with just a few clicks.
Whether you’re an experienced SEO or just beginning to explore the field, our tools are designed to help you reach your goals without a hassle.
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Hostgator Seo Tools
Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, you can accomplish a lot with the free SEO tools on the market.
1. Google Analytics
Everyone with a website should be using Google Analytics. It’s an extremely useful free tool that allows you to track how many people visit your website, and how they found it.
That latter part is important for SEO. You can see how well your SEO efforts are paying off based on how many visitors find you in organic search, and which pages they land on.
You can also use Google Analytics to see which keywords you’re currently ranking for (in Acquisitions>Search Console>Queries). And you can set up tracking for your desired conversions, such as email signups or purchases, in order to track how well SEO is helping you achieve your main business goals.
2. SEO Web Page Analyzer
Plug a URL into the SEO Web Page Analyzer and it will provide a score for how well optimized it is, along with details for what you’re doing well now and things you could be doing better. The tool looks at your meta title and description, your heading structure, your internal links, and the keywords used on the page.
It’s a quick and easy way to spot opportunities to improve your on-site optimization.
3. Yoast
For WordPress users, Yoast is a free plugin that makes filling in the SEO metadata for each page on your website more intuitive. You don’t have to mess with the HTML, you simply fill in the form Yoast provides for each page within WordPress.
It will also analyze the page for you and provide a score on how well optimized it is, along with recommendations for things you can do to make it stronger.
4. PageSpeed Insights
Site speed is a key ranking signal for SEO. PageSpeed Insights, Google’s speed-testing tool measures how fast your site loads and provides a score from 0 to 100.
If the score is lower than you’d like, it also offers details on what’s slowing it down and recommendations for how to speed it up.
It’s worth noting that the PageSpeed Insights rating can be pretty harsh, so don’t worry too much if you’re not at that 90-100 range.
5. Google’s Keyword Planner
Keyword research is the cornerstone of any good SEO strategy. Many of the tools on this list are therefore focused on helping you identify the best keywords to target in your efforts.
Google’s Keyword Planner is a good one to start with. It will both provide average monthly search estimates for the keywords you enter, and recommendations for additional related keywords to consider.
While the tool is technically designed for people using Google Ads and some of the information relates more to Google’s pay-per-click service than search, the details are still useful for identifying SEO keywords.
6. Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere is a free browser plugin that adds keyword data and suggestions right onto the search engine results page (SERP) for every Google search you do. The data includes average search volume, cost-per-click, and level of competition for a list of related keywords, along with the keywords that show up in the “People Also Search For” section at the bottom of the SERP.
It makes doing keyword research a convenient part of your research process for every piece of content you work on.
7. Answer the Public
Answer the Public is another keyword research tool that will help you generate content topic ideas to target in your strategy. You enter a keyword relevant to your brand and it provides a list of related questions and comments divided into categories based on the type of question it is, prepositions, and comparisons.
8. Moz Link Explorer
While many of Moz’s tools require a subscription, Moz Link Explorer is free for up to ten link queries a month. The tool will provide you the link profile of any URL you enter.
Since backlinks are one of the most important (and hardest) parts of SEO, it’s valuable to identify both the links your website has already, and those your competitors have as well. Seeing what links websites similar to yours have can reveal opportunities to target in your link-building efforts.
9. Ahrefs Backlink Checker
Like Moz, Ahrefs is a company with a suite of paid SEO tools that also provides a free backlink tool you can use.
The Ahrefs Backlink Checker provides similar functionality—you can plug in any URL and get a score for the website’s domain authority, the number of backlinks it has now, the anchor text most commonly used, and a list of the top backlinks.
Unlike the Moz tool, you can use Ahrefs’ backlink checker without setting up an account, and there’s no limit on the number of searches you can do (but you do get access to more information if you upgrade).
10. Schema Markup Generator
Schema markup gives Google information about your web pages that increases your chances of showing up with rich results in the rankings.
For example, if you use schema markup to tell Google a page has a recipe on it and fill in the appropriate fields with details about calories, the time it takes to make the recipe, and a photo of what it looks like when complete, you can get a result that looks something like this:
Adding schema markup to your web pages can seem complicated at first, but Google’s Schema Markup Generator makes it easy. When you click on a section of your page in the tool, it gives you the chance to identify what that part of the page is, and enter any information required for markup. Then it automatically generates the HTML you need to add schema markup to your site.
how to set up website hostgator
Before you start the process of creating the website itself, you have a few decisions to make. Anyone with design and coding skills has the option of building a site from scratch. But for the majority of people, that path will be time consuming and difficult, and you risk putting a ton of work into a website that doesn’t look that great anyways.
For anyone new to creating websites that wants an easier route, you’ve got better options. You can use a content management system (CMS), like WordPress, or a website builder, like the one HostGator provides. Both options make it possible for anyone to create a website, regardless of the level of skill you start with. When using a website builder or WordPress, creating a website is faster and easier, and the end result will be functional and professional.
WordPress vs. Website Builder
The two best options new website creators have to choose from are WordPress or a website builder. Here’s a look at these two options in-depth, so you can decide which option best suits your needs.
Creating a Website with WordPress
WordPress currently powers over 38% of the entire internet. That alone suggests something about the power, flexibility, and usefulness of this tool.
WordPress is designed to be easy for non-developers to use, but it does have a bit of a learning curve. But if you’re willing to devote some time to learning, the sheer amount of helpful tutorials online—many for free—make it easy to teach yourself.
WordPress is popular in large part due to its flexibility. It’s used to build small personal blogs, all the way up to massive online magazines and eCommerce sites.
WordPress gives you the ability to build a custom, professional site. All you have to do is install WordPress on your server, pick a theme, and add the features you need via the extensive library of popular plugins.
With WordPress, you can feasibly create a basic website quickly. But if you have a specific vision in mind for your website, or aim to include much functionality, the process will have enough moving parts to require some time.
Creating a Website with a Website Builder
WordPress can help you build a highly custom and robust site. But, some users might not need all that flexibility. When it comes to ease of use, website builders reign supreme.
There are dozens of different website builders to choose from, but the core focus of all remains the same: to help total beginners create a professional site in the shortest amount of time possible.
Typically, you won’t have access to the same level of features as with a platform like WordPress. But you may not need an extensive set of features. The developers behind website builders have a pretty good idea of the main features and functionality most individuals and small businesses will need.
If you want a relatively basic website that looks professional and is intuitive for visitors, using a website builder can deliver. And while the exact process of creating a website varies based on the website builder you choose, typically you need only fire up the website builder and follow the instructions the tool walks you through. You’ll usually start with a design the website builder provides, that you can then customize with your own copy, images, and color choices using an intuitive website editor.
How to Build a Website [Step-by-Step Guide]
Now onto the specific steps you should take to get started.
Step 1. Secure Hosting and a Domain Name
Before you start building your website, you’ll want to set up a domain name and hosting.
Your web host provides the service of storing all of your website files and making them available to visitors. Your domain name is what visitors will type into their browsers to access your website. Without these two elements, it’s impossible to have a website that’s accessible on the internet.
Many different companies offer web hosting and domain registration, and often you can purchase them both with the same company (including with us here at HostGator). Keeping them in the same place can make administrative steps easier, since you only have to keep up with one account.
To sign up for hosting, head over to the HostGator hosting page and select your plan of choice.
On the next screen, you can even register a new domain while you complete the rest of your hosting account setup. Easy, right?
Or, you can register your domain the standard way by heading over to the HostGator Domains page and searching for and selecting a domain there.
Step 2. Lay Out Your Website Foundation
You’ll have an easier time building your website if you take time to think through the structure and pages you want it to have in advance. Do some research to see what other websites similar to the one you have in mind look like. Pay attention to the design elements they use and pages they typically have. Take note of what you like and don’t like.
And think through your typical goals. Different types of websites will want to accomplish different things. A website for your business needs to help you attract and convert customers. A portfolio website should help you prove your skills and impress anyone likely to hire you. And a personal website can be primarily focused on sharing your thoughts with loved ones, or helping you find a community of people with similar interests.
By knowing the type of site you’re building, you’ll be able to create a website that matches your goals.
Now, it’s time to plan out the structure of your website. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be too complicated. Many sites have the same main set of pages:
- Home page
- About page
- Contact page
- Products/services pages
- Blog
Whether you’re using a website builder or WordPress, all of these pages will be easy to create.
Step 3. How to Design Your Website
As a beginner designing your site, the best approach is to rely upon the professionally created designs of others. With WordPress you can peruse available themes as a starting place for creating your website. These get the main design elements into place, and you can customize from there.
With HostGator’s smart website builder, you need only answer a few main questions and the website builder will automatically build a starter website that matches your needs. Then you can easily fill in unique information and tweak a few design elements to make it entirely yours.
Option 1: How to Create a Website with WordPress
With WordPress, the theme you choose will supply much of the design you’ll end up with. Once you’ve installed WordPress on your host, navigate to the backend of your website, it should be a link that looks like the following: https://mysite.com/wp-admin.
Once you’re in your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance>Themes and select Add New.
Here you can browse themes, search for a specific theme, or even search by keywords. Once you’ve found a theme you like, hover over it and click ‘Install’, then ‘Activate’.
Depending on the theme you’ve chosen, you’ll have different customization options. You’ll either be given a settings page within your theme, or you’ll use the built-in customizer which you can access by navigating to Appearance>Customize.
No matter which method you choose you’ll find a ton of different options that’ll allow you to change things like your background, sitewide colors, header options, menu display, site layout, and more.
Creating Website Pages with WordPress
Adding pages to your site is a pretty simple task. All you have to do is navigate to Pages>Add New.
Then, type in the name of your page and add your body text, images, and more.
Adding Website Features via WordPress Plugins
You’ll probably want to customize your site further. Plugins are how WordPress handles adding more features to your site.
These may run in the background, like SEO or security plugins. Or they can be used to help customize your front-end functionality, like social media sharing. Within WordPress, you can add plugins by navigating to the Plugins menu, selecting Add New, and either browsing to see what plugins are available, or performing a search to find a specific one.
This is just a brief rundown to provide you with enough information to build a solid site foundation. You’ll want to spend more time experimenting, customizing, and tweaking your site to perfection.
Option 2: How to Create a Website with a Website Builder
If you’re using a website builder to create a website, the instructions will depend on which website builder you choose. Most are designed to walk you through the process once you get started.
For the sake of this tutorial, we’re going to be using the HostGator website builder. Gator is a smart website builder that automates much of the website creation process for you.
To start, it will ask you to provide the category of website you’re creating, as well as your website’s name.
The website builder will generate a basic website design based on the information you provide. Then it will walk you through, step by step, how to choose the main design elements for your site, such as your color scheme and background image.
Once you’ve completed the initial walk through, your website’s design will be mostly in place! From there, you can get to work on the details.
You can add unique copy by clicking on the words already on the page, and typing in what you want it to say.
The website builder will automatically supply relevant images for your site, but you can change them out and add your own by clicking on the image, choosing Select Image, and either selecting from the image library that shows up or clicking on My Images to add your own.
And you can move the blocks the website builder supplied for each page by clicking on the blue arrows that show up when you scroll over it. If you want to get rid of a block altogether, click on the trash icon that shows up next to the arrows.
Once you’ve got your main pages looking the way you want, you can start adding any new ones you need. When you click on Pages in the menu on the left side of the screen, you’ll be able to provide the page name you want, and choose whether it should go under an existing parent page on the menu, or become a part of the main menu itself.
This will help you create the structure for your website that you worked out back in step two.
The HostGator website builder is designed to take most of the work of creating a website out of your hands, while also making it easy to customize the parts you need to make it unique. Spending a little time playing around in it should familiarize you with the different options you have for making any changes you want.
Over to You: It’s Time to Create Your Website
As you can see, creating your own website is surprisingly easy, no matter your skill level. With the power of WordPress or a website builder behind you, creating your own website without the help of a web design professional is simple.
If you’ve completed all of the steps above, then you now have a website that’s ready for the web. Congratulations!
Remember, most websites are truly never finished. As you learn more about your audience, experiment with content, and test your results, your site will grow and evolve. The beauty of using the website building tools highlighted in this post is you can quickly make these changes yourself, learning more about how your website works in the process.
Conclusion
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