SECOCKPIT – A CRITICAL REVIEW

[Vita_Vee]

SECOCKPIT – A CRITICAL REVIEW

Shane Melaugh and Sam Haenni, of Swiss Made Marketing, are responsible for creating SECockpit.

This software program is primarily a central location for performing research of many types in addition to managing campaigns and individual online businesses. There are three words that aptly describe this web-based application: Convenience, Comprehensive and Accuracy.

We all know what it’s like to have a handful of windows and apps open while we do our research and perform various tasks. Shane and Sam have provided a means to accomplish a wide variety of research tasks some of which will provide data not available to most online marketers. More on that last point very soon.

I do not feel this is an ordinary research tool for several reasons, though. Yes, just like any other product or software, it is not a perfect solution as that does not exist anywhere, in my opinion. Please note that I will greatly expand on all points and offer my critical opinions and thoughts toward the end of this review. Do I have criticisms of this product? Yes, of course I do, but I will save them for later.

So here is a short list of points that are important to know, immediately.

1. Very fast as it uses cloud computing technology. Also, SECockpit is designed so you can quickly perform batch research rather than one keyword phrase at a time from a list which seems to be typical of other software apps.

2. Ability to perform keyword research using Google’s KW Tool, and the ability to import keywords will be added very soon according to the programmer of SECockpit.

3. Ability to very quickly execute a wide range of additional research functions such as deep digging, niche research, SEO research for page one listings, competition assessment plus many other types of research. Lots of features in this area that are simultaneously performed along with the regular keyword research function. Is this tool different than the other major and well-known keyword/niche research tools? Yes it is and primarily due to items 1 and 4.

4. Take advantage of SEOMoz data that is known for being more current and accurate in some respects than Google’s own data in certain areas. SECockpit seamlessly integrates with SEOMoz to provide this information. This point is what I meant when I said you will have access to data unavailable to many if not most online marketers simply due to the cost of membership with Seomoz.

5. You will discover how to find new long-tail niche opportunities very quickly. This is included in one of the tutorials.

SECockpit Features Explained

I. SECockpit Dashboard setup

After logging in, you will immediately see the Dashboard which looks like this:



There are three basic columns with the left column referred to as the ‘navigation panel.’ The middle column is where you will find a Quick Start video. Then if you scroll down the middle column you can access all the training videos, the Quick Start PDF guide and the Help Desk. The right column displays various different data only.



1. SECockpit Quick start video

An 8 min video that shows you how to get around the site. Shane performs one keyword search so you can see how to get started right away. Then you will see how quickly you can manipulate the data pulled from Google’s keyword tool. The results were fast. I think he just wanted to show you a keyword search so you can begin using SECockpit very quickly.

2. SECockpit Quick start PDF

This is an 18 page document that introduces you to the major features and functions of the tool. It seems to be detailed, and I feel it can be useful to augment the videos if you want a quick reference for using the various features. However, I think most people will get the best training from the different video tutorials.

3. SECockpit Tutorial videos

There are four videos associated with the primary functions of SECockpit which are keyword research, SEO competition analysis and various manipulative features for keywords.

An additional four video tutorials are available for project management tasks: Creating projects, Tasks, Journal and backlinks and Transactions.

Then there is additional training unrelated to the primary functions of SECockpit. Shane includes six training videos from the WordPress Bootcamp Videos on topics such as: keyword types, live keyword search, product based search, website building from scratch, optimizing basic WP settings and choosing the most optimal WP themes for your business.



Performing keyword research in SECockpit:

Note: The search results are for exact phrase keyword terms.

You will find that keyword research is just like you would do in Google’s Keyword Tool (GKT). You will type in a seed keyword or a URL, and choose your language and location. If you want, you can specify a source of your keywords or include filters located on the right hand side. Or, you can leave them blank and just pull up keywords from GKT. When you are ready to perform the search, click on “Save and close” in the upper left corner.



After you initiate the search, then you merely wait a very short time and the results will be displayed. You will notice a number of columns which will be explained shortly. Not only will you receive your keyword research results, but SECockpit also performs an impressive amount of competition analysis for each and every keyword in your list. This feature is one thing that distinguishes this tool from the rest of the apps on the market.



The bar graphs for the Niche column and the search engine positions indicate the strength of the competition and the value of the niche. There is a formula for the Niche column:

Niche value = traffic volume divided by competition strength.

You will notice the results are divided into three groups of positions; 1-3, 4-7, 8-10. The reason for that has to do with making allowances for anomalies in SEOMoz data as they seek to emulate Google’s algorithm. Shane explains that breaking up the first page rankings actually makes SEOCockpit’s data more accurate.

A few quick points about what you can do here. First, if you wanted to find possible keyword phrases to pursue for fast and relatively easy rankings, then make use of the filters. Set the minimum daily volume to an acceptable criteria you like. Then you simply sort the competition strength accordingly to quickly see the niche value and keyword phrases you could go for.

Once you have your basic keyword list produced from the root keyword, then you have the option to dig deeper. That function is performed by using the Expand button at the top. Another search window opens and you execute the search. What is nice about this is the new keywords are added to the original list and are tagged as being new.

SECockpit Keyword filters:

Using the different filters are fairly intuitive as the labels imply. When you view the video tutorials for keyword research, which I do recommend, you will see how to do this. Although you probably really do not need instructions for this simple step. But just as a side note, you could include the name of a city, for example, if you wanted to get local search results. Depending on what city you are interested in, you may want to set the location on the left side, as well.

For the Minimum Monthly Volume filter, be aware this represents exact match search volume.



Google Suggest – As you see, there are three append syntax choices for space, digits 0-9 and lower case alphabet letters, a-z.



Here is what the space append will do for you, just like in a regular Google search.



The following two images illustrate, knitting a, and, knitting 1, examples as set in the Google Synonym fields.





Google Wonder Wheel Synonyms – Very cool. The slider tool sets how many levels deep you want to dig on the Wonder Wheel. You can select tags which are colors assigned to a keyword. For example, you can expand a search, use a different source such as Google Suggest and tag it with a color. Then all those terms will have the color tag off to the left of the keyword in the original keyword list. This is just a nice way of keeping track of what you are doing.



II. SECockpit KW competition analysis

I have indicated the level of competition will be shown by the orange bars for positions 1-3, 4-7 and 8-10 off to the right. The columns show potential daily visitors (PDV) plus the strength of competition. The PDV is exact match information and also estimations for daily number of visitors.

You will hear Shane mention in one of the videos that the PDV numbers are the most accurate numbers he has seen in any keyword research tool. He goes on to state they are accurate when he looks at his own sites and compares his traffic to what SECockpit returns. So I made a test with one of my sites and I can confirm that these values are indeed pretty accurate.

Competition strength bar graph – The more orange you see, the greater the competition. Once again…



Shane also explains that sometimes you will see instances in which it appears the competition is higher for lower first page rankings than higher rankings. His simple explanation is their algorithm is not perfect which is an honest statement, I feel.

The second reason given for that has to do with the way Google treats/ranks videos and news pages, and the effect is to introduce a form of distortion of the competition value. This is one of the reasons why they split up the first page rankings as I explained earlier. It is an effort to compensate for this and provide more accurate results.

Performing in depth competition analysis is super easy. Just double-click on any keyword phrase in your list and it opens a new window with top 10 competition data plus search trends information. The image below is the window and data presented to you.



MOSrank – This value represents SEOMoz’s simulation of Google PR. If you are familiar with SEOMoz, they perform updates more often than Google PR and are considered more accurate in some respects. MOSrank is also a representation of backlinks. This can be considered the total amount of link juice because it looks at total backlinks and the quality of the backlinks to a page.

Page authority – This metric is also from SEOMoz and is another accurate simulation. This metric represents as much as is known about what Google uses in their algorithm. It is expressed as a number from 0 to 100. You can think about page authority in terms of the strength of link juice pointed at a given page.

Domain authority – This number is the well-known concept of what most people would think about with an established old site with content, domain age, etc. This is much like an established authority site that most people wish they had. The higher the number, the more domain authority the site has.

Juice links – Those links which will pass page rank, so they are dofollow links.

Total links – This number is a bit different from what you are probably used to since this is the total backlinks to the URL that are found in SEOMoz’s index. Their index is significant in scope, and their bot closely emulates Google’s bots and how they behave when they are crawling around on the net.

The image below is what you will see beneath the competition metrics, above. You may be interested to know what the search trend history is for any keyword phrases that interest you.



Notes about the columns in the displayed results:

Take note of the tops of the columns, and you will see a small arrow that you can click on. Once you do that, then you will see a new menu appear from which you can make various selections. These are mainly organizational, but you can expand further items such as the column as you can see an arrow next to it in the menu.



The far left column is where you will see any tags you have chosen to use. Plus in some keywords there will be a diamond in that far left column. Keep your eyes peeled for diamonds because they designate keyword phrases with a terrific (high) niche value. The best situation is to find diamond keywords with acceptable, or low, competition and the search volumes are good.

But keep in mind that keywords with very high traffic plus solid/high competition will also be designated with a diamond. So remember that a diamond does not automatically mean the keyword will be easy to rank for, and you have to look closer at the situation.

If you expand the Column menu item, you will see a fairly long list of columns to display or remove from display. Be sure to check these out and play with them. For example, there are “Top 10″ columns that can be selected, and they will indicate any keywords that are ranked in the top 10 for that type of site, or the particular site. There will be a symbol in the corresponding column. I think this is a very nice feature.

Here are some kinds of the Top 10 sites you can see for any keyword returned in your search:

- Sniper type site
- Amazon
- Blogspot/Blogger
- eBay
- Ezinearticles
- HubPages
- Squidoo
- WordPress

SECockpit – Navigation tabs in the left column:

This is where you will see three tabs – Keywords, Projects and Tasks as seen below.



Perhaps the quickest way to see how it works is to simply play with the signs you can see. The tabs can be opened and minimized depending on what you are doing. In the picture above, the Keyword tab is “open” and ready for use. Just click on the “New Keyword Search” text, and you will see the appropriate window open in the middle column for starting a new keyword search.

The second symbol next to the “+” signs is for refreshing the tab contents. Sometimes you will make a change but the tab may not update, so then simply refresh the tab.

More about the three navigation tabs…

SECockpit Keywords Tab

This is where you will see any research jobs you have performed plus new folders you have added for organizational purposes. You can see the little icons/buttons at the top for the Keywords Tab. You can hover your mouse over them to see a little text pop-up. But generally, you can initiate a new keyword research project, rename a search you have already performed or make a new folder as desired. You can also make necessary edits to folders and add new lists by dragging and dropping.

SECockpit Project Tab

Your projects are all your various SEO projects and not necessarily your specific keyword searches. The way SECockpit is organized and meant to be used is one single project will be for an SEO campaign on a single website or blog.

Looking at the icons/buttons in this tab, you can create a new folder for a new project; make edits to a folder name; delete a project folder – hopefully that will not happen; expand the tree structure for folders and close them.



If you are wondering why this section is valuable, it can help you to gain clarity and provide a road map that makes your tasks easy to follow. This is extremely helpful for managing your various online businesses for which you use search marketing, or SEO. If you have multiple sites all trying to rank, or ranking, in the engines, then the Projects Tab can be highly valuable.

Each project will provide you with an overview of that particular project/campaign. You will also see the necessary tasks involved for promoting that site, and if you want to leave your self notes in a journal you can do that. A backlinks log is provided so you can record all your backlinking activities and any reports you have received from outsourced help, etc. In the interest of keeping you informed and in business, a tool is provided so you can record expenses from the perspective of operating within budget.

There is a tremendous amount of thought that has been put into SECockpit, and you will see that in just about all the features and functions. The navigation tabs are no different, and probably the easiest way to get a solid idea is to view all the video tutorials.

SECockpit Tasks Tab:

Taking advantage of all the features in the Tasks Tab can really add tremendous efficiency to your business. Yes, just like with all other things in IM, there is a certain amount of front-end work involved. But in my opinion that will pay off very nicely later on. You will have to expend time and effort to get things initially set-up. Plus, we all generally know that the first time you do anything always tends to take much longer. However, once you have been through this at least one time, then you will have a very good handle on it. Realize that Sam Haenni, the programmer for SECockpit, has taken great pains to make things intuitive and generally pretty easy to use.



So with that said, SECockpit creates your unique tasks involved with promoting each project which is campaign for one site. This is accomplished based on the various services and tools that you use for your link building efforts. What that does for you is allow you to see where you have been, what you have done and what you need to do to achieve your SEO objectives.

If this helps… you will use the Project Tab to see the individual tasks for each site you are promoting. Then you will have a panoramic, bird’s eye, view of what is going on for all of your tasks in the Task Tab. Those two tabs are all about management, keeping everything very clear and centralized so you will become more efficient.

Once again, I would honestly tell anyone to “at least” watch the videos that walk you through how to use the navigation tabs. You will have a much better idea of how powerful these tools can be. But of course that is at your discretion.

Your journal entries are where you will find the facilities for recording all your backlinking campaigns, URLs, etc. That is the primary function of the journal.

The transactions tab is designed for financial record keeping. This is not on the scale of a full-blown money management tool. However, it is a basic tool for keeping track of all the “goes ins” and “goes outs” for each site you are promoting. I think the majority of people involved with IM probably do this in their if they do it at all. But if you are serious about your approach in business, then you will adopt more serious activities that would generally be associated with a real business.

What I liked about SECockpit

1. I do like the convenience aspect of it since you can do so many things in one place. The tool is versatile, you can quickly retrieve additional metrics such as double-clicking on any keyword to see the competition analysis. That leads me to the second point.

2. I really like that all the research is performed, in background, for each keyword in the list that is presented to you. As I mentioned earlier, this is due to use of cloud technology which is also why this is a server or web-based application. Do not forget that other keyword apps, though they have their strong points, do not provide this level of processing power.

3. If you are like me, then you are involved with many projects and many websites. So all the various management related features are attractive to me. But I do realize that not everyone will be in the same position I’m in, and so those features may not necessarily be as attractive.

4. I really love the various filters even though other keyword apps have their own suite of filters, as well. Take note that you can use the Adwords filter to perform keyword research for local search.

5. The integration of Google’s Wonder Wheel is very nice and, once again, a solid convenience item. Same applies to viewing Google’s trending data which is something I do occasionally use.

6. There is a high level of integration not only with Google services but also with SEOMoz data. I’m attracted to their service because it is updated more regularly and possibly “may” have some edge with accuracy only because of that fact.

7. The ability to dig deeper with keyword research is a big plus for me in some instances. I do not always have a need to do it, but when I do this can be performed very quickly.

8. They seem to be very big on adding little things here and there that serve to keep things organized. For example, the use of keyword “tags” which in this case refers to color-coding certain keywords. Things like this are small and may not seem important. But it really just depends on how you will use SECockpit. If you use it extensively with large research projects, then things like tags will be helpful.

9. Since this app works fast and you can get batch results so quickly for various research metrics, the ability to quickly isolate potential long tail opportunities is a huge positive for those who use that particular approach. I do not always have a need for it, but I like to have flexibility, and it is good to know that feature is there. One of the videos gives a good example of this using filters and certain selections of data display columns.

10. I do not ever use PPC advertising or Adwords, of course. But sometimes I do like to take a look at data for Adwords CPC (Cost Per Click). As you know, this is a standard feature of SECockpit, so this will be very useful for those who are involved with PPC.

11. The drag and drop functionality is great for me since I like to be highly organized. This makes manipulating lists and folders very fast and easy. Although I do understand this feature may not be attractive to others.

12. I read that SECockpit will be offering the ability to import keywords. I think that is an excellent idea and hope it is available in this next update.

What I did not especially like about SECockpit and improvement suggestions:

1. One major point that stood out for me is that the current version of this app does not seem to reflect much about the latest Google updates, Farmer/Panda. For example, there is extensive use of what I would consider pre-Farmer/Panda ranking considerations. The top 10 sites tab which shows the incidence of certain sites in the top 10 results or first page of the Google SERPS, is loaded with sites that were hit hard by Google such as Ezinearticles.

Also, on a related note, it seems the thinking is a little behind the times regarding other sites such as Squidoo and Hubpages. I say this because several months ago Squidoo made an announcement on their updates page that they are not supportive of affiliate marketing related lenses. Hubpages recently made a similar announcement that has affected outgoing links and pages that seem to be populated with affiliate ads, etc. There is an obvious negative opinion and trend that “seems” to be against affiliate marketers in some popular sectors of the business net.

So I would recommend that SECockpit get up to speed with recent significant changes such as what I just mentioned.

2. I realize it can be maddening trying to keep up with everything Google does regarding their algorithm. However, if a tool like this is developed, then the developer simply needs to keep the app updated to reflect any algorithm changes. Let me explain…

We all know that social networking and media sites are figuring heavily into Google’s SERPS and to some unknown degree with how they rank sites, or want to rank sites. Now, as we all know, the voting system, +1, is in effect in some parts of the world but not all, it seems.

I do not know how those changes can be integrated into a tool such as SECockpit. But if this trend with Google continues, and it seems that it will, then Shane and Sam will need to figure something out about this. I do not feel this is a trivial point since these changes are in effect as I write this. I do believe this will be no easy task for Sam and other developers, but it is what it is and needs to be looked at, closely.

3. SECockpit is a solid tool and offers excellent capabilities; however, there are two points that seem to be clear concerning the market for this tool. First, there are features that will not be of interest to everybody. Secondly and related to the first concern, the entire range of functions are not needed or even available to all users. I’ll explain more…

There are people who have been banned from Adwords, so they cannot take advantage of signing in with their account in order to get more keywords. Still though, they would not be able to do that, anyway, and therefore they must create a fake account or use another application for research.

Also, there is the complete spectrum of online marketers ranging from just doing a very small amount of keyword research to those who do tremendous amounts. So the monthly subscription is really not worth it to all those who do minimal research. Going further on this point, a person will not have a need to use all the management features if they are not going to maintain a subscription.

I would suggest that Shane and Sam offer some type of credit purchase option for lite users. This would be ideal for people who only want to use the keyword research and competitive analysis features. I believe many people will only have an interest in those particular features.

4. One thing that tends to bother me about the way things are set up is related to the subscription model. First, I do understand why it is a server/web based application and basically do not have a problem with that approach. However, power users who maintain a subscription and take advantage of all that this app has to offer will almost be locked into the sub if they want to have access to all the data that has been accumulated in the management functions.

Consider someone who has 30, 50 or more projects, uses all the cool task and management features and then for some reason wants to cancel the subscription? All that important data will be lost forever if the sub is canceled. That is something I am not too sure about, and I do not have a good suggestion for what Sam could do about that.

SECockpit – Miscellaneous and concluding thoughts:

Overall, I have to give SECockpit a thumbs up even though there are concerns as I have just stated. In my mind, there is no question that this app is very solid and powerful for delivering comprehensive results with greater accuracy. Remember the three words I mentioned in the beginning?

Convenience, Comprehensive and Accuracy.

I like all of those very much. So perhaps it simply comes down to your own needs and what matters most to you. But I would like to point out that Shane and Sam definitely seem to be responsive to customers in terms of feedback. I also know that Sam, the programmer, does have an open mind and is willing to listen to suggestions.

So maybe they will figure out a way to make SECockpit comfortably accessible to online marketers of all business sizes and needs.

If you liked this review please Tweet about it, blog about it, recommend it to as many people as you can

Thank you!

Vita Vee

UPDATE - JULY 4, 2011
SECockpit Case Study

No review would be complete without a good case study.

Here is a niche that I will be entering very soon, and I have no doubts about my ability to completely dominate it. The fact that I am willing to share this information with you should tell you something about my confidence.

This is a very healthy niche with solid products and loads of competition, or so it seems. Not only that, but just think about the topic and the market. If you are having a chronically hard time falling asleep would you be somewhat desperate to find an effective solution? What about the millions of people, especially in the US, who do shift work and regularly have disturbed circadian rhythm and sleep cycles? Even if a person does not do shift work, millions of people work two jobs, are stressed, have families, etc. So that represents a healthy market in terms of numbers, demand and the desire to find something that will help them.

The purpose of this case study is to illustrate some of the keyword and research analysis features and functions available with SECockpit. As you will soon witness, there is a lot of information you can glean from this tool. But you need to know a bit about what you are doing and how to interpret it. Plus, as you know, any tool is only as good as the person using it.

Image 1, below, is the initial results returned after doing a basic search using the root keyword, fall asleep. Notice the gold key next to that keyword phrase toward the bottom of the image. The gold key will always be positioned to the left of the root keyword in any search you perform.

I have not implemented any filters in the initial search, and I specified the US as the geographic selection.

I have selected the basic information columns for display which include the monthly and potential daily volumes. Those metrics are exact phrase results as I have mentioned in the review. As you know, the Niche value column, to the left, is a bar graph representation of the strength of the niche value. The bigger the bar, the more potential that keyword phrase has, but that has to be carefully examined. I discussed that in the review when I talked about the diamond symbol. Also, the greater the orange bar in the graphs, the higher the estimated competition as previously mentioned.

Image 1 - Initial search results




Image 2 is simply the same information as in Image 1, however I have sorted it by Niche value descending. You will notice that the highest Niche value, for this set of keywords, only goes about midway across the scale.

This is an interesting situation here because look at the top two keyword phrases. They have the same Niche value yet there is a huge difference in the monthly search volumes. This is easily accounted for due to the level of competition between the two phrases. This disparity, low and high competition, is what equalizes the calculated Niche value displayed in the bar graph. You can see the middle situation by looking at the third phrase which has about the same Niche value. Yet, the third phrase has much more traffic than the lowest competitive phrase but much less than the second phrase.

What is glaring here but not surprising is the huge differences in the amount of traffic received by lower positions on page one. That is a well-known effect and only drives home the point that simply getting on page one does not necessarily mean you have arrived. You have, sort of, but if you are at the bottom there is still a lot of work left to do.

Image 2 - Sort by Niche value descending




Image 3 illustrates working with different columns in the displayed results. I have not selected all that is available just because it will get very cumbersome. Plus I wanted to get everything into an image to make it easier for you.

So, as you can see below, I have selected Top 10 sites consisting of Amazon, eBay, Blogger blogs, Ezinearticles articles, Hubpages Squidoo lenses and Wordpress blogs. Also, I included columns that show if there are available Blogspot domains and regular domains. The codes for available domains represent the TLD that is available. If you click on the link, you will be taken to Namecheap if you want to register that domain. Very convenient, and that is what SECockpit is all about.

If there is a symbol under the column for a particular Top 10 site, then that means that particular keyword phrase has that kind of site on the first page of Google SERPS. So, interestingly, Image 3 you will see only one Blogspot blog in the Top 10, but there is only one Blogspot domain available among those listed keyword phrases. So obviously somebody knows what he or she is doing. Right? If you are interested in using Blogger blogs, then that one blog that is in the Top 10 may be worth checking out. However, take into consideration the first page competition, as well, because that obviously will factor into the results.

But, this is the kind of approach you have to take with any tool. The tool will not do it all for you because you still need to think and analyze the situation. As you know, there are many things to consider in what we do.

Image 3 - Selected Top 10 sites and Available Blogspot and domains (type)




Image 4 shows columns for any sniper sites or Youtube videos in the Top 10 Google results. I have sorted them according to Youtube videos descending. Obviously, you will not see any sniper sites in this image, and of course a lot of videos. However, I did see a sniper site listed in the Top 10 before I sorted by videos. So, it is very interesting that some sniper sites have managed to live despite Google's recent algorithm changes. Don't you think that is interesting?

Image 4 - Top 10 Sniper sites and Youtube videos sorted by YT videos descending




Image 5 shows you Google Adwords CPC (Cost per Click) and Competition data. You think this is a competitive niche judging by the CPC? Sure, there are other niches with higher CPC, but nearly $13 CPC is a bit hefty in my opinion. However, look at the estimated monthly traffic for that phrase! I think it is possible for those advertisers to get very few clicks on their ads. I have not looked at the phrase in Google, but the competition graph is hardly registering.

That is just a somewhat interesting situation for those who may be involved with Adwords PPC advertising. I only wanted to illustrate the information and column selection for you with this.

Image 5 - Selected Adwords CPC and Adwords Competition, CPC descending




Now let's take a look at the first page results SEO competitive analysis for, how to fall asleep fast. You can see that everyone has their page titles right. You can check out the URLs if you want even though I did not. I am more interested in the data in the columns.

This is what I love about SEO, you will find all kinds of situations that may not make much sense, at first glance. This is where your knowledge of SEO and ability to look closely will help you. What I find amazing is the Youtube video. Look at that - 0 mozrank, 1 for page authority, a whopping 0 for juice links... but a killer 97 (out of 100) for domain authority. That is the power of Youtube right before your eyes.

But so what! What if you saw that in your own research; what to do? Well, nothing you can do about the domain authority situation. That video has the page title nailed, big deal. Simply out-do everything else. Can you do more than 0 juice links? You better!

An interesting comparison is the Squidoo lens just above the video. More going for it even though it has a pretty healthy domain authority. Considering Squidoo's somewhat recent crack down on affiliate related lenses, I may be interested to see that lens. Looking at the page title, it sure reminds me of a classic affiliate related lens. But you never know, maybe there are no links going to affiliate sites or no ads.

This is an interesting situation, here, because in positions 2 - 6 you have sites ranking just about solely on the strength of the domain name. No real serious backlinking going on with any of them - at all. They are authority sites with some page authority but no significant mozrank. Remember that is on a scale of 0 - 10.

The number one site has relatively low numbers across the board except for mozrank. It has the highest mozrank and not-bad everything else. 51 juicelinks? I'd be curious to see the quality of them, and I am guessing they are probably good to perhaps high quality backlinks.

Can these guys be beaten in the SERPS? You bet. Looking at this picture, I do not see any terribly serious efforts here regarding off-page SEO. With the right approach and one that is serious, in time this list can be topped, in my opinion.

I recommend you read the SECockpit PDF and watch the video tutorials because there are a few nice little pearls of wisdom about interpreting the results such as you see in Image 6.

Image 6 - Top 10 SEO competition analysis for keyword phrase: how to fall asleep fast




If you remember from the review, to perform a deep dig operation just double-click on a keyword phrase in your list. A new window opens, and you can type in the keyword phrase. I think the program should automatically fill in the keyword you double-clicked but it does not. However, if you look at Image 7, you will see what happens when you leave a space at the end of your phrase. Yes, I did illustrate this in the review; however, as I was typing in the phrase I saw this and wanted to show you again. I wanted to dig deep for, how to fall asleep fast, but you can see all the other phrases that are suggested which is tremendous.

I think this simply illustrates how versatile SECockpit can be which is only good news for us. You will see in Image 8 that I used the Wonder Wheel for this deep digging operation.

Image 7 - Digging deep and using "space" append from Suggest Synonyms




I selected the Wonder Wheel for this and used the slider that is available that specifies the number of levels deep to go on the Wheel. I believe when I just barely moved the slider that an "8" popped-up. That is pretty deep, I think, and I just barely moved the slider. Perhaps that should be re-tooled to make the selection process more precise. As you will see in the results, some of the returns are not relevant. Remember that I warned you about that in the review if you should go too deep with Wonder Wheel levels.

I also selected to tag the returns with the color red, and those few returns (in the display) have a small red tag off to the left of the phase. Also, take note of the fact that the deep dig returns are incorporated with the main list of keywords which is a very nice feature.

Unfortunately, in Image 8 the three deep dig keywords, tagged red, are not relevant to this niche. I had no idea that over 27,000 searches were performed each month for "how to french kiss." There is much that could be said about that, but perhaps I will just leave it alone. The two red-tagged phrases at the bottom are, how to fake sick and how to fall out of love - both of which are not relevant. However, Image 9 actually shows a return that is relevant.

Image 8 - Dig deep results from Wonder Wheel with new results tagged with red tag




Image 9 is from the same list but scrolled down a bit so you can see the new keyword in red, how to fall asleep when not tired. There are an amazing 2400 monthly searches for that term.

Image 9 - Same results as Image 8 but scrolled down




SECockpit Case Study - Concluding Thoughts

This has been a relatively simple case study; however I tend to believe it is simple because using SECockpit is pretty straightforward and not difficult. This keyword phrase, and niche, is a great example of one that is pretty healthy, but some people may look at it and decide against it. It looks like a lot of competition, and there is some, but it is a situation that is doable. There are also other strategies that can be pursued with a situation such as this.

I believe this tool delivers in terms of serious convenience because it has so much centralized information. SECockpit will save your most precious commodity which is your time.

Thanks for reading!

Vita Vee

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[llyndonium]

Thanks for the review Vita, I look forward to reading more, even though I already have this!

I will agree with Vita and say this is so much faster and more accurate than any other software that I have used. In particular I like the Wonderwheel scraper as it does give some great new potential keywords / niches.

[Vita_Vee]

Thanks Lyndon for your feedback.

I have just updated and completed my review above.

[pcodigital]

Thank you for the review Vita.

The software looks solid, but a subscription model is a turn off.

[vij]

Whats the price of this thing?

[Bolo]

I gotta agree. If I'm paying monthly then this thing will really have to blow my socks off.

[Danny Howard]

Hi Vitavee

WOW great review mate... thank you

I do SEO for some close clients in big markets to, and for myself to, I found Market Samurai to do a brilliant job at researching keywords that I needed.

Although they are having minor problems with data, and updates themselves, it's getting a little bit time-consuming to do proper keyword research.

I new about Secockpit from a webinar that was on a couple of month ago, just before the senuke launched, and loved the idea of a cloud base application.

Market Samurai can be really really slow at times, and speed for me is big issue.

Although another SEO "app" has hit the market, I still might be sticking with Market Samurai due to the knowledge they have with every update they bring out for the software, which is allot of updates.

Not keen on the monthly subscription, due to only doing keyword research a couple of times a month as well.

Plus with Market Samurai being an awesome SEO tool at $97 they must have some incredible data that is worth the monthly investment that people are willing to pay for.

Great review Vita... really well explained and appreciated thanks

Danny

[thriftgirl62]

Hi and great review!

One of the best I've read in a long time. I think you hit the nail on the head but graciously not too hard. Developing software with that many features used to be difficult to keep updated but now it's not even humanly possible for one programmer to keep up. Google updates their software every 7 days like clockwork and that's on top of all daily updates for minor changes.

The vast majority of buyers won't even realize the data doesn't reflect the latest changes. The excessive features leave buyers with a distinct aroma in the air . . . perceived value. It would be nice to have a smorgas board for a change but I bet the price wouldn't change much.

Have you heard of "Krakken" or "TLKT" the last keyword tool? If you could do a review on TLKT, that would be so cool and somehow I think you would fit right in with their test-driven methodologies and custom columns. http://lastkeywordtool.themezoom.com

They use bayesian analysis to figure out the most likely keywords to be in the top 100 search results or do they all do that? Sometimes these guys use big words to describe simple things that sound impressive for that lovely aroma of perceived value again!!

[Ding0]

Oh great review Vita. But is this going to be a monthly subscription ? I dont think a keyword research tool deserves a monthly subscription. So, i wont go for this tool anyways.

[youproblog]

no need for a new keyword research tool as i believe GKT is still the best tool around. This being said, thanks for the review vita. I opted in and I actually enjoyed the video after the op-tin page. These guys clearly know what they're talking about. As I've mentioned already, i don't need a new keyword tool but I do need a new post panda seo strategy! so I'll probably end up buying it just for the strategy lol. Oh and Vita, we miss you here come baaaack

[youproblog]

for those who wanted to know, secockpit costs 77 bucks a month. Pretty expensive if you ask me for something that doesn't really have a USP

[Vita_Vee]

(07-05-2011 03:29 AM)youproblog Wrote:  Oh and Vita, we miss you here come baaaack

Thanks I'm sorry for my absence, I'm busy with legal issues for a few weeks now, spending almost all my time in preparing and validating documents... not funny at all, I would prefer to spend my time here in the forum believe me!

[RobCole]

Hi,

Is SEO Cockpit still a highly recommended tool? I am building niche sites now and need something that is going to make keyword research as painless as possible.

Thanks

[Vita_Vee]

Hi Rob

I'm not using it as much as I thought I would. I use it from times to times and it gives good results.

I think it depends on how and how much you intend to use it. The tool is very good - and fast - especially useful for those who like to build sites around an EMD - which is not my case anymore.

[ameliewakelin]

Thanks for a detailed review about SECOCKPIT. Its very useful tool tot manage the different website projects. I m gonna download it.