Mac OS X has never been the best platform for SEO software, and although Bootcamp, Parallels and VMware Fusion have provided a way to use Windows based SEO software on a Mac, I still personally prefer to work in Mac OS X where possible.

Here are some Mac SEO applications I have discovered -

Advanced Web Ranking allows you to check your websites ranking in a wide range of search engines for specified keyword phrases and compare how it’s performing to your competitors. Reports can be saved which is useful to monitor changes over time. Advanced Web Ranking comes in three versions - Standard, Professional and Enterprise, and a fully featured trial can be downloaded for free.

Rank Tracker also allows you to check your websites ranking but in a more limited number of search engines, and it only shows your sites ranking - not your competitors. One notable feature though is the integration of keyword suggestion tools. Rank Tracker can be used for free though if you need to save projects you will need to upgrade to a Professional license.

Google Sitemap Automator - as the name suggests this application automates the process of creating Google site maps, which can then be used to help Google crawl your website more effectively.

iSEO - enter a web address into this handy little widget and it quickly returns various useful information about a site including page rank, alexa ranking, and number of backward links.

I am always on the lookout for more Mac SEO software, please feel free to share links.

I recently had the opportunity to beta test an early version of CMS from scratch - a new simple and easy to use content management system developed by Ben Hunt - web designer and creator of Web Design from Scratch.

One of the most frustrating aspects of content management systems that I have tried in the past is the actual integration of the systems into an existing website, it’s rarely straightforward and tends to involve a certain amount of programming knowledge combined with lots of trial and error. This is where CMS from scratch impresses - it really is simple to implement it into existing HTML pages. Sections of a page can be converted to ‘includes’ and these can be edited without having to mess with the page structure. These ‘includes’ can be anything from the meta description in the head section of a page to a paragraph of formatted text.

As a designer you have complete control over which sections of a site are client editable, this ensures a client can’t mess with the structure of their site and also cuts out all the unnecessary clutter - they only see the bits relevant to them, which in turn provides a much cleaner and easier to use interface.

CMS from scratch isn’t open source, it costs £100 for a single license, when you consider what you get for your money I personally think it’s worth the investment -

• Quick to implement and easy to use
• Unbranded, you can brand it for your clients
• Support and help direct from the developers

CMS from scratch can be tried free of charge for 14 days, to see the system in action take a look at this demonstration video.