Drew:
To get into Webmaster Tools, you can use any regular Google account. If you don't have one (or want to use a
different one), just select (or create on your server), a new E-MAIL account for that purpose (like
google@modwerx.com), and then sign-up for a new account, like here

-
https://www.google.com/accounts/New....com/webmasters/tools/&hl=en&service=sitemaps
Once you have the new Google account, you can then access Webmaster Tools from here -
http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
In order to make it work, you first have to associate your web site with that account. There are several ways to "verify" that you are the owner of your web site, one of the easiest is the option to copy a file to your web site.
Google will let you download a special file, which you should then upload to the root (main) directory of your web site, i.e. -
www.modwerx.com/google17536eac1f923643439430.html
The contents are not really that important, what is important is the
NAME of the file, which includes a key identifying your Google webmaster account as the owner!
The verify page will even give you a link to where on your website this file should be, so you can click it and verify that the file is there!
One you have the file uploaded so it can be accessed on your web site, click the verify button in Google. Once it has verified that the file is there and that you are thus authorized to control that site, it will "open-up" all of the webmaster tools and information for you to use on your web site! :yh:
BTW, be sure to
LEAVE that file on your server, as Google periodically "checks" to make sure that it is still there!
Let me know if you have any further questions about this - I use this thing all the time!
im trying to figure out how to fix some errors b/c my search rankings suck... last time i checked(a day or 2 ago) i was showing up on page 6 of a relevant search...
What search were you trying to show-up for, and for what page?
I can take a quick look-see, and give you some free advice. I got my new laser site already showing-up for a bunch of #1's in Google (and Yahoo!), worldwide, with a PageRank of 0, so I think perhaps I may know just a
wee bit about this subject.

LOL