Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

• Keyword demand
• Competition from other sites for your keywords
• Info about your competitors
• Niche directories that you can get links from
• Domain name availability
• Domain name brainstorming
• Sources for content for your site

And these are just the ones that come most readily to mind. I've counted over 100 useful research tools you can use from this one, simple webpage.

Well, maybe I shouldn't use the word "simple" so freely with SearchIt! Having so many tools packed into one interface, you definitely need to read the instructions to get the feel of how to use it. And you need to click on the link under steps one and two to understand what to enter in step three and what kind of information you'll get from it.

It has a version that comes with the paid SiteBuildIt! package that gives you the option of skipping the tutorials that appear with each search and explain how to interpret the results you get, but otherwise the free, public version packs just as much punch as the version that comes with the full, paid SiteBuildIt! package.

Try it out. I think you'll find that you'll soon use it for much of your research needs.

aWeber autoresponder system

aWeber is perhaps the biggest name in autoresponders, and it gives you a great autoresponder system that provides unlimited autoresponders and an excellent opt-in system to use with your customers. And aWeber is a big enough name that they can work closely with the ISPs to make sure that your emails don't wind up in spam filters.

Your free trial lasts 30 days, so you have a good opportunity to put it through its paces and see how much it can do for you.

James Martell's Affiliate Buzz

James Martell is one of the biggest names in affiliate marketing. And he's made such a big name for himself by sharing what he's learned about the field. His Affiliate Buzz audio newsletter, twice a month, shares his latest tips about successfully running an affiliate marketing website.

The newsletter costs, but he lets you listen to his ten most popular shows from 2004 for free so you can get an idea of whether you'll find his tips worthwhile. Listen to them and get ideas from them. And if they help you, sign up for the audio newsletter and get the most up-to-date info twice a month.

ClickTracks

I debated whether to include ClickTracks in the free trials. It has a free trial version. I've been using ClickTracks for years, though, so I don't remember exactly how long the trial version runs. The reason I hesitated to include it here is that while the trial version gives you a great feel for the kind of information ClickTracks can give you, it's set up so you really can't sit down and do a complete analysis of your website with the trial version. It randomly blacks out data to keep you from using trial copies to get the results you need without ever paying.

But, as I say, it gives you a great feel for the tool and gives you highly valuable information on how people are navigating your site for at least selected parts of your pages. Definitely worth checking into if you're at the point where you realize the importance of understanding what your visitors like on your site and what leads them to leave.

Jeff