My purpose in this two-part column is to arm you with some good tools to get you started. There are too many tools to list them all here, so I'll only cover a few.

To make things simple, I'll break them down into categories: keyword tools; SEO site grader tools; linking tools; browser toolbars; and other SEO tools. Many of these tools have a free or limited version with the option to upgrade to a premium version for a fee.