What is Keytooles?
Keytooles is a hand-curated collection of online marketing tools, articles about tools and digital marketing conferences for SEO/SEM’s. It is owned and managed by me, Debra Mastaler.
As a long-time link builder and webmaster with multiple properties, I am constantly on the lookout for new marketing ideas, cool tools and creative ways to promote my sites. Over the years I’ve amassed a huge database of tools and created this directory to share what I’ve curated plus new and interesting tools I find. It’s a work in progress and one I add to almost daily.
Tools can be expensive and come with a learning curve. If I can shorten that curve, share tool insights or expose you to different options, great! It’s a big tool world out there, I’ve made this directory comprehensive and continually add tools as I find them.
In addition to the tool directory, the Keytooles blog curates and publishes articles others write about tools, how to use them and tactical how-to’s. If there’s something worthwhile being written about marketing tools, I’ll share it here. ~Debra
1. Is there a fee to be included in the Directory?
Nope. No charge to be listed or reviewed since Keytooles does not take submissions.
Why not?
It’s easier to control the size and scope of the directory, we are more interested in quality over quantity. If you have a good tool and make some noise about it, I’ll find it. I set alerts and comb RSS feeds daily, I am actively looking all the time.
2. What does “make some noise” mean?
Contribute to the discussions on the Keytooles blog, Twitter and LinkedIn. I notice when people participate in a constructive manner, I can’t always respond or get to your tool right away but I’ll make a note and double back eventually to take a look. Also, if you see me at a conference or know someone who knows me, get an introduction. I am big on doing things for people I know.
3. Do you review all the tools before listing them?
Not always. While I don’t review every tool listed, I do go through the tool’s website thoroughly and familiarize myself with the major points so I can accurately write the short descriptions found after each tool.
4. If this isn’t a pay-to-play directory, how do you make money?
I didn’t start the directory to be a profit center, pretty sure no one creates a directory thinking it’s going to make money, just ask Yahoo!
I created Keytooles as a resource for the search community. Sometimes I take advantage of the affiliate programs some of the tools offer and sometimes I don’t.
If you click a link hosting an affiliate code and make a purchase, this site should receive a small commission from your actions. You incur no additional cost. I use commissions paid to fund our charity program and offset the operational costs of running this site.
5. Which charities does Keytooles support?
There are two, the first is Homeward Trails Animal Rescue.
Both of my dogs are rescues and we worked with Homeward Trails to make Annie (right) a part of our family in 2018. They do amazing work and place thousands of animals into forever homes each year so they are one of our two charities. Love these nuggets!
We are working on a second, industry-related charity, stay tuned.
6. How do you review the tools listed in the directory?
I have been actively building links and publicly practicing SEO since 2001, prior to that I had 20 years of marketing experience working for two major brands. I couldn’t do my job if I didn’t have certain tools so I’ve used many over the years.
I still have clients through my link building coaching service plus a number of business/hobby/affiliate sites so I continue to use tools daily. I also solicit input from people in the industry and keep an ear to the ground when tool conversations take place.
The tool companies do not influence what’s in the directory, I may use some of their verbiage or accept a tool trial but what I write is 100% from my perspective and I return all trials when testing is over.
7. What do you offer in the way of advertising?
There are spots in the Keytooles blog and on each category listing page in the tool directory for ads. All of our advertising spots are highlighted as “Sponsors”. If you’d like a rate sheet, make a note on our contact form.
8. Do you accept guest contributors for the Keytooles blog?
Maybe. Use the Contact page and send a short note telling me what you want to do, along with at least three links to material you’ve published plus a link to your company About page or LinkedIn profile.
Also, provide a one or two sentence outline of the article you want to contribute here. Keep in mind any content we host has to talk about how to use a marketing tool or tactic and not be all about your tool (if you have one). It’s important to provide all the information requested here so we can make decisions quickly.
9. Can I offer my opinion on a tool you’ve reviewed?
Yes and no, we have comment options on the Keytooles blog but not the directory. Down the road, we may implement a rating option but for now, feel free to leave a constructive, professionally worded comment after a blog post.
10. You’ve listed my tool and I’d like it removed.
Sorry about that. After verifying the request, it will be taken down pronto. Use the contact form to tell us the name of the tool and where it sits in the directory.
11. How long does a listing remain on Keytooles?
Indefinitely unless you go out of business, tick off someone here or I find you listed on a wanted poster.
12. What type of tools do you list in the Keytooles directory?
Any tool listed needs to stand alone as a tool and not be part of a service. The tool needs to be the business, not something a business offers as part of their service.
For example, if you own an SEO firm and offer a free backlink checking tool, we probably won’t list it because the primary focus of the business is selling SEO, not offering/selling tools.
On the other hand, I might list the tool if I know the SEO/company. My site, my choice.
Also, we won’t list a tool if it doesn’t fit in one of our category’s and if the tool doesn’t have an About page that lists the names of the owners and more than one way to contact the site. The about page thing is a deal breaker.
Thanks for stopping by!