As a digital marketing consultancy with over 20 years of experience under our belt, we’ve collectively tried and tested A LOT of SEO tools. So here’s our roundup of the best SEO tools marketers can’t live without.
Remember, an SEO tool is only as good as the person using it. Downloading all the free SEO tools on this list will only get you so far- you need to know how to use it and when, as well as what to do with the information gathered from it.
Not only have we detailed the best SEO tools, but our SEO experts have also categorised the best tools to use at each stage of your SEO plan.
From keyword research, audits, benchmarking, technical checks and link building, find out which SEO tools to use when.
Keyword Research
Keyword Surfer
Keyword research is the foundation stage of your SEO plan. The keywords you want to be ranking for will underpin your whole strategy. Therefore, it’s essential to get this first stage right.
Keyword Surfer is a multi-purpose Chrome extension that allows you to:
- Quickly get search volume data on keywords within Google
- See CPC data
- View similar keyword ideas
- Analyse correlation charts on the number of words, traffic, and keywords on top-ranking pages
On-Page SEO Audit
SEO Minion
Making your site SEO friendly often starts with On-page SEO. Optimising page titles, meta descriptions and website copy can provide quick wins and should be a top priority when beginning an SEO strategy.
Meet your new best friend, SEO Minion
View broken links easily on a webpage, check on-page SEO details such as page titles and meta descriptions, plus a SERP preview tool.
SEO Minion can be especially helpful with your internal linking strategy across your site because you can easily highlight all links on the page and also check for broken links.
Technical SEO Audit
Lighthouse
The technical functionality of your website plays a big part in search engine rankings. Google has an abundance of ranking factors, many of which aren’t publicly released.
We do know for certain that the usability of web pages, namely page speed, is an integral ranking factor and will have a massive influence on your keyword rankings.
Lighthouse, a handy Chrome extension, is an essential tool for any marketer.
It allows you to easily measure and benchmark key metrics affecting a website’s page load speed. The tool will provide you with suggestions on how to improve low performing pages.
Lighthouse is an alternative to Google PageSpeed Insights.
Lighthouse also runs tests on your site for Google’s new Core Web Vitals to measure page experience, which is now considered a ranking factor.
Competitive Link Building Research
MozBar
Without a clear strategy, link building can be a long and laborious process. Carrying out competitive link building research can be a great step in your link building strategy to assess where your competitors or similar businesses are getting external links from. This will allow you to identify any link building opportunities.
MozBar allows you to quickly view a website’s domain authority (DA) and external link metrics whilst on the website.
With Moz Pro, MozBar can also be used to view link metrics in the SERPs. This is especially helpful to compare different sites quickly and identify patterns in the link metrics for top-ranking pages.
Content Planning and Optimisation
Search Console Insights
A continued content strategy is an essential piece of any SEO puzzle.
Google’s new search console insights tool enables you to evaluate your best performing content, analyse traffic trends for particular pages and quickly view ranking keywords plus traffic and position data.
Benchmarking and SEO Checks
SEMRush
Your SEO journey should never be over. Regular checks and benchmarks is an essential element of long-term SEO.
SEMRush gives businesses the opportunity to set up site audits and position tracking reports and even provides you with SEO recommendations based on your site.
SEMRush offers a free version, but it does have its limitations.
SEO Planning and Strategy
These tools can help you execute your SEO plan, but they won’t magically make your SEO dreams come true.
A clear plan, strategy and goals are all crucial for success. Plus, it’s important to remember that downloading an abundance of tools will not automatically translate to results- you need to know how to best utilise the data they provide.
Want to discuss how you can achieve your SEO dreams? Reach out to our team or connect with me on LinkedIn.
