In this article we will briefly discuss the new features recently added in WebPosition 3.5. If you have spent time looking at version 3.5 you might have noticed improvements to the user interface as well as new functionality. There are new buttons in the mission area for adding, opening, deleting and running missions. There is also a new button the view reports directly instead of having to open a mission first to view the reports. You are now given a choice to suppress standard application notification messages, instead of having to view them each time an action is performed.

For those of you who still have not installed the latest free update, the new features include:

• WebPosition SmartReports? (Professional Edition Only)
• Reporter Quick Start Wizard
• Google Web API support

The following is a brief summary highlight some of the benefits that WebPosition 3.5 delivers:

WebPosition SmartReports

WebPosition SmartReports is the first WebPosition feature that leverages technology developed and used in WebTrends Analytics solutions. For those of you who use WebTrends SmartReports, the look and feel will be very familiar. For the rest of you that may not familiar with SmartReports, I?ll give a brief description of how to set it up and become proficient. SmartReports is available in the Professional edition of WebPosition and at no charge to existing WebPosition 3 Professional Edition users.

SmartReports gives you complete control of your data by making your information available in Microsoft? Excel?. Unlike the more common Excel CSV export, SmartReports relies on a relational .mdb database file that is completely formatted and designed to be viewed within the Excel environment. An easy-to-use wizard automates the transmission of WebPosition reports. Trending and graphing is made simple through built-in Excel wizards. SmartReports requires Microsoft Access & Excel.

One of the most compelling features of SmartReports is the ability to graph keyword positions over time using Excel?s intuitive and rich graphing capabilities. SmartReports allows for a simple step-by-step export from WebPosition and import into SmartReports environment. The following graph is a simple example of the value trend graphing Excel can provide.

Keyword Position Over Time
WebPosition SmartReports now provides keyword rank
trending and the ability to centralize your SEO related
information in a relational database

When looking at this example pivot chart, it is more than just a static snapshot in time for a particular keywords and search engine, but instead an active dashboard that allows you to select search engines, keywords for a particular date range.

Another aspect of SmartReports that advanced users will find useful is that all of the data is available in a relational (RDMS) format. This means that it may be easily joined with any other data and re-presented in any format you choose. Additionally, you can use your company logo for internal and/or client reports.

Reporter Quick Start Wizard

The Reporter Quick Start Wizard is another feature that we?re confident will used by both new and experienced users. This feature enables new WebPosition users to get up and running quickly, as well as allow the advanced user the fastest means ever to setup a reporter mission without all of the bells and whistles. Of course, these missions can later be customized using WebPosition?s extensive advanced configuration settings.

To get up and running with the Quick Start Wizard, just create a new reporter mission and select the Quick Start Wizard option from the dialog box that is presented.

Google Web API

We now provide the option to use your Google Web API account to query Google. You will need a Google Web API key to use this new feature. A key may be obtained from the URL http://www.google.com/apis/. After you submit the required information, you should receive your Key within a couple of hours.

For additional search engine best practices, use WebPosition?s many query configuration options, mission scheduling as your missions/queries may be configured in such a way to allow the most flexibility to follow best practices when querying Google and other search engines.

To get up and running with the Google Web API, just select Application Settings, then select the Google Settings tab, enter your license key, and check the ?Always use the Google Web API? checkbox. That?s all there is to it!

Conclusion

We hope you find the new features in WebPosition 3.5 useful and productive. This release is just the beginning of the many new useful features we have in the works. Please don?t hesitate to give us your feedback.

If you would like to try SmartReports for WebPosition and don?t yet have the Professional edition, you either download a free 30-day trial or can get upgrade at a special price.

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