Anybody who knows me, or reads my writings long enough knows that I'm a huge fan of checklists. I'll build a checklist for just about anything. In fact, I pretty much need a checklist for just about everything I do. It's the only way I can remember to do what needs to be done.

Now, I can remember to shower and brush my teeth most mornings (I sometimes forget on rainy weekends when I plan to stay indoors.) But when it comes to things that I don't do on an absolute daily basis, well, a checklist helps me to stay organized.

I won't give you another checklist in this post, I've already provided a pretty comprehensive series of website marketing checklists. But I was reminded the other day of the value of making lists.

Recently my team and I (mostly my team) have been doing a lot of cool research with some of the free online tools that are available. Every tool we find provides a different value and benefit. But we find we often use a tool on whatever site we are working on and then somehow forget about it as we move onto other tools and other sites. Eventually we remember and start working with it again but there is no consistency.

So what's the solution? Another list.

Not a checklist, mind you, but a list of tools, their functions, and the kind of information we can get from them. Sure we could bookmark all these tools, and we do, but sometimes you need more than that. I've got so many tools bookmarked but I don't visit even a fraction of them. This is where the list comes in handy. Not only does it allow us to make our own notes, but we can also prioritize the tools based on various factors.

But most importantly, the list helps us remember. When analyzing a site and trying to figure out what to do next, referring to a handy list of options is never a bad thing.

That's the value in keeping lists. You don't ever have to rely on memory, you simply look at the next item or available option and run with it. When optimizing your website, there is a lot of free information out there. Don't just read about what to do, start building a document of the ideas and processes you generate. Build a list of strategies and note whether they work or not, the overall value and success of each. Come time, you'll have your own valuable checklist you can post for the world to admire!

Note: I figured there would be more than a few of you asking me to publish my list of tools. Honestly, it's incomplete and not ready for prime time. But perhaps this SEO Tool Library will suffice. Now go make your own lists!