Mastering SEO optimization can be challenging, particularly for beginners. However, discovering the finest SEO tools is effortless as we have consolidated them all in this list. Our team contacted over 30 SEO experts to ascertain the top-notch SEO software and the impressive keyword tracking tools according to these experts. It is unnecessary to test all of these tools; you simply need to determine the most suitable one for your business.
Best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tools
- Ahrefs: SEO Keyword Tool
Ahrefs, an SEO tool highly recommended online, ranks second only to Google as the largest website crawler. A standout feature of Ahrefs is its Site Audit tool, widely regarded as the best SEO analysis tool. By utilizing this tool, SEO experts identify areas on their websites that require improvement to enhance search engine rankings. From a competitor analysis perspective, Ahrefs is commonly used to explore competitors’ backlinks, serving as a foundation for one’s own brand. Additionally, this SEO tool helps users discover the most linked content in their niche, address broken links, and obtain an overview of their top-performing pages, which provides insights into the content attracting visitors.
Syed Irfan Ajmal, a Growth Marketing Manager at Ridester, is a big fan of the SEO keyword tool Ahrefs. He considers Ahrefs to be their top tool for various aspects of SEO such as keyword research, rank tracking, competitor research, SEO audit, viral content research, and more. They upload their own website as well as their competitors’ websites to Ahrefs. Then, the tool displays the websites that have backlinked to their competitors but not to them. This feature assists them in finding valuable opportunities for backlinks. Without Ahrefs having the largest database of backlinks, this process wouldn’t be as convenient. Ahrefs has played a crucial role in helping their website rank for multiple important keywords and driving 350,000 visitors per month.
- Google Search Console: Top SEO Tool
Google Search Console is available to everyone with a website and allows you to monitor and report on your website’s presence in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). To use it, you simply need to verify your website by adding a code or going through Google Analytics and then you can submit your sitemap for indexing. Having a Search Console account is not required to appear in Google’s search results, but it does give you control over what gets indexed and how your website is represented. Search Console serves as an SEO checker tool that helps you understand how Google and its users perceive your website, allowing you to optimize it for better performance in Google’s search results. This tool is particularly beneficial for new websites as it allows site owners to submit web pages for search indexing.
- SEMRush: Marketing SEO Tools
Marketing SEO tools like SEMRush are highly regarded in the SEO community because they provide the ability to assess rankings, track changes, and identify new ranking opportunities. One standout feature of this tool is the Domain vs. domain analysis, enabling easy comparison between your website and competitors. If you need analytics reports to gain insights into your website’s search data, traffic, and competitor analysis, you can compare keywords and domains. The On-Page SEO Checker tool provides monitoring of rankings and offers recommendations for improving website performance.
Liraz Postan, Senior SEO & Content Manager at Outbrain, suggests using SEMRush as one of the top SEO tools. According to her, SEMrush is her favorite SEO tool due to its “organic traffic insights” feature. This feature allows her to view all her top articles in one dashboard, along with related keywords, social shares, and word count. It provides a quick overview of what is effective and identifies areas for improvement. Liraz regularly utilizes SEMrush in her daily work and finds its site audit feature beneficial for optimizing website health. Since implementing SEMrush, they have increased their site health by 100% and seen a 15% boost in conversions from their content pages.
- KWFinder: SEO Keyword Tool
By thinking sequentially, you can rephrase the text while keeping the same meaning. Do not add any additional information and do not remove any information. KWFinder, an SEO keyword tool, assists in the discovery of long-tail keywords with a reduced level of competition. Utilized by professionals, this SEO tool aids in the identification of optimal keywords and the generation of analysis reports on backlinks and SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Additionally, their Rank Tracker tool enables easy determination of rankings while monitoring improvement based on a single key metric. Furthermore, you will receive an abundance of fresh keyword suggestions to elevate the ranking of your website.
George Perry, an SEM Specialist at Bandwidth, expresses his enthusiasm for KWFinder. He appreciates that the tool not only provides information on the keyword he is searching for but also generates useful suggestions for related terms. It also compares these terms in terms of volume, CPC, difficulty, and other factors to the original keyword. Using KWFinder, George has been able to assist his clients in targeting not just popular vanity terms but also terms further down the sales funnel that are more likely to generate conversions. This allows him to create focused content that addresses the questions his clients’ audience is actually asking.
- Moz Pro: SEO Software
One of the top SEO tools used by experts is Moz Pro. It is highly regarded for staying up to date with Google’s algorithm changes and for providing insightful responses to questions through its chat portal. In addition to offering keyword recommendations and site crawl capabilities, Moz is a comprehensive tool for monitoring website performance and identifying areas for improvement. Users can also download the free MozBar toolbar to view their website’s metrics while browsing any page. For those interested in expanding their SEO knowledge, Moz’s annual conference, MozCon, is worth considering.
Keri Lindenmuth, the Marketing Manager at Kyle David Group, relies on Moz Pro as her go-to SEO tool. She particularly appreciates its “page optimization feature,” which provides specific guidance on how to enhance the SEO of each page on a website. This feature provides recommendations such as including relevant keywords in page titles or adding images with keyword alt tags. By offering increased transparency, this tool has had a significant positive impact on their clients’ business. It allows them to compare their website’s traffic and optimization with that of their competitors, enabling them to identify areas where competitors excel and adjust their practices accordingly to compete effectively. Without a tool like Moz, SEO becomes a game of guesswork, leaving businesses unsure about their areas of success and areas needing improvement.
- Ubersuggest: Keyword Tracking Tool
Developed by Neil Patel, Ubersuggest is an invaluable tool for finding keywords and understanding their search intent. It displays the top ranking search engine results pages (SERPs) and offers a wide range of suggestions for short and long-tail phrases. This comprehensive keyword tool provides metrics such as keyword volume, competition, CPC, and seasonal trends in its reports. It is perfect for optimizing both organic SEO and paid PPC efforts, allowing you to assess the value and competitiveness of a keyword.
- Answer The Public: Free SEO Tools
You can utilize Answer The Public and similar free SEO tools to locate suitable topics for your blog. For example, if you are focused on the ‘fitness’ sector, this tool enables you to generate content centered around keywords such as fitness, yoga, running, CrossFit, and exercise, covering a wide range of subjects. Moreover, it is highly effective in identifying opportunities for featured snippets. In case you decide to employ a freelancer to handle content creation, you can easily share this list with them after downloading it. The entire process can be completed in just five minutes, making it an extremely efficient approach for generating SEO topics for new websites.
Matt Jackson, the Head of Content at Wild Shark, has a strong preference for free SEO tools such as AnswerThePublic. According to him, AnswerThePublic.com is one tool he particularly enjoys using when creating SEO content for a website. The tool’s standout feature is its ability to display a list of questions that internet users are asking about a specific keyword. Whenever he’s in need of fresh and genuinely helpful content ideas, or when he’s in the process of compiling an FAQ page, AnswerThePublic.com becomes an invaluable resource as it provides valuable guidance on what exactly people are searching for. Its usefulness extends beyond just SEO content; it allows clients to address user queries on their website, reducing the number of customer service calls they receive and boosting the authority of both the page and the overall business. Additionally, to avoid straining the neck, Matt suggests clicking the Data button instead of attempting to read the question wheel.
- SpyFu: Free SEO Tools
While SpyFu offers an impressive premium version, our experts highly praised its free features. If you are a beginner, you can gradually transition to the paid features once you start achieving success. You can conveniently access the monthly search volume of a keyword and easily determine its level of difficulty. Furthermore, you can conduct competitor research to identify the keywords they utilize. Additionally, it is possible to search your competitor’s or your own website to effortlessly observe the number of organic keywords, monthly clicks, paid and organic competitors, ongoing Google Ads campaigns, and more. This tool stands out as one of the most comprehensive SEO analysis tools available.
Adele Stewart, Senior Project Manager at Sparq Designs, is a big fan of the SEO software SpyFu. She explains that although she has used SEMrush and Agency Analytics before, SpyFu surpasses them when it comes to assessing her client’s competitors. She particularly likes the SEO Research feature, which allows her to input a competitor’s domain and gain insights into their SEO strategy. This includes information on the keywords they pay for versus their organic rankings, their core keywords, and their keyword groups. Adele believes that using SpyFu has been crucial to her client’s success in SEO. The software provides a more comprehensive tracking and reporting system, reducing the amount of research she needs to do compared to other SEO software. SpyFu gathers the necessary information and presents reports that are both presentable and easily understood by her clients. Adele has already witnessed improvements in indexing and keyword rankings that were unexpected.
- AlsoAsked
You can utilize AlsoAsked to access and structure data according to your search query using People Also Ask information. The site allows you to conduct research on its platform or export the results to a CSV file or a graph.
At present, AlsoAsked is currently in the Beta phase, which means users can use the “Bulk” account for free, allowing 1,000 searches per month. Once the Beta phase concludes, the free version will only provide 10 searches per month.
Reasons why we find this tool beneficial include its usefulness for keyword research in general, as well as its ability to assist in organizing an outline for individual content pieces by displaying related topics to the user’s search query.
- QuestionDB
When you provide a general keyword, QuestionDB will generate not only related topics but also specific questions asked by users.
We find QuestionDB to be another useful topic generator because it provides related topics mentioned in questions. This allows us to discover related keywords or popular topics that we may have overlooked otherwise, and is a feature we particularly like.
- Search Response
The Search Response tool utilizes People Also Ask data to present commonly asked questions that are being searched online. When you enter a keyword or phrase, it provides popular PAA questions and also categorizes topics similar to the Keyword Magic Tool.
The reason we appreciate it is because Search Response provides a tool known as “People Also Search For,” in addition to the People Also Ask tool. This tool displays what individuals search for after leaving a page from their initial search.
- SEO Keywords Spelling Checker
This keyword research tool utilizes the Google Suggest feature to determine if the keyword you have inputted is formulated in the same manner that people use when searching for it. In the event that it does not match, you have the option to modify your keyword to align with the more commonly used wording.
The reason we appreciate it is because these suggestions originate from Google, which means they effectively portray the current popular trends. This provides a convenient method to ensure that you are considering the topics that are currently popular.
- SEOquake
SEOquake is a browser extension that users can utilize to perform on-page SEO audits, analyze both internal and external links, verify broken links, and perform other tasks, all without having to navigate away from their browsers.
The reason why we appreciate it is that the SERP overview tool displays various data for every result. Additionally, by clicking on any of the numbers, you are able to access a detailed report.
- Rank Math
Rank Math, a widely-used WordPress SEO plugin, has been installed by over 300,000 users as of now.
And there is a good reason for this — it offers Google Search Console and Google Analytics data directly on your WordPress dashboard, includes a Rank Tracker tool, monitors 404 errors, generates Schema Markup, and provides many other features.
Reasons why we appreciate it: On its own, the free version offers ample excellent choices, but if you determine that you require an upgrade, the annual rates are reasonable, starting at $59.
Switching between different tools and websites can feel overwhelming, making it a major advantage to have Rank Math directly accessible from the WordPress dashboard.
- Yoast (Free Version)
Yoast, a useful WordPress plugin, offers both free and paid options. It is commonly used by SEOs to handle most technical SEO problems.
Reasons we like it: Whether you have knowledge in technical SEO or not, Yoast can be utilized to ensure technical SEO standards are met for your website. It’s also beneficial for experienced users as it can save a substantial amount of time. Additionally, it provides guidance for optimizing content readability.
- Meta SEO Inspector Chrome Extension
This convenient Chrome extension enables you to conveniently access a page’s on-page SEO signals, such as meta, headers, Schema Markup, external links, and other elements, all within a dropdown menu.
We like this on-page SEO tool because it is useful for reviewing your own pages and also for viewing your competitors’. Additionally, it is convenient to have all of this information on one screen with just a click.
- SplitSignal
SEO A/B testing allows you to eliminate the need to guess and easily test changes in SEO. This testing provides data to demonstrate the impact of the modifications you have made.
The reason we appreciate it: Demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) of SEO to your clients can be challenging, which makes the information obtained from SplitSignal extremely valuable. You can conduct these tests on any website platform, without having to handle intricate coding or seek assistance from developers.
Currently, SplitSignal is exclusively accessible through the Pilot Program.
- Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools serves as Bing’s equivalent to Google Search Console, albeit with less advanced features. Nonetheless, it comes in handy for individuals seeking to enhance their website’s performance on Bing.
We like it because Bing has made significant enhancements to their Webmaster Tools interface in response to customer feedback in recent years.
In addition, it provides a reliable tool for conducting keyword research. You have the option to narrow down your results by choosing “related keywords”, “question keywords”, and “newly discovered keywords”, allowing you to further hone your findings.
- Sloth
With their extensive global data centers, Sloth assists you in utilizing Cloudflare Workers to perform tasks such as setting 301 and 302 redirects, implementing hreflang, conducting A/B testing, modifying your robots.txt file, and even gathering log files.
The reason why we appreciate it is that Sloth proves to be highly beneficial for SEO professionals dealing with enterprise websites. It allows for the implementation of solutions such as redirects and hreflang tags with significantly less effort required.
Sloth enables the utilization of Cloudflare Workers for executing JavaScript alongside the main infrastructure, ensuring no interference with the underlying system. This enables overcoming any hindrances and accomplishing tasks effectively.
- Hreflang Tag Testing Tool
One way to simplify the process of checking for errors when implementing hreflang is by using Merkle’s Hreflang Tags Testing Tool, according to Google’s John Mueller who has stated that hreflang implementation is one of the most intricate aspects of SEO.
We are fond of this tool due to its ability to quickly identify issues in hreflang implementation and its understanding of the alternate URLs and the intended region.
When you are able to see the annotations presented in a clear format, spotting that one incorrect tag couldn’t be simpler, despite the time-consuming and frustrating nature of diagnosing such issues.
- PlePer Local SEO Tools Chrome Extension
PlePer provides local SEOs with tools and shortcuts. Detailed statistics about a business’s Google listing in Maps, Local Finder, and Knowledge Panel can be obtained.
The reason we find it appealing is because the Chrome extension format provides a convenient method for examining local competitors. In case you wish to explore further, PlePer also provides paid options beginning at $10 per month, along with more extensive enterprise choices.
- GMBspy Chrome Extension
In your competitor research, it is beneficial to use this extension as it allows you to see the categories that have been set for other businesses. These categories have the potential to impact the content displayed in the Knowledge Graph.
The reason we appreciate it: Although category information is available to the public, it can be difficult and sometimes time-consuming to search through HTML to locate it.
Keeping track of competitors and identifying ways to improve your own listing can be accomplished efficiently through this method.
- GMB Everywhere Chrome Extension
Similar to GMBSpy, this local SEO tool provides additional features.
In addition to being able to access information on business categories, you have the option to conduct basic audits as well as audits that are specifically focused on reviews, Google Posts, and Google Maps.
The reason why we appreciate it is because GMB Everywhere offers a substantial amount of information as a tool that is free of charge. It permits you to obtain data on competitors’ post strategy, post frequency, and post content through basic audits.
In order to ensure that you are dedicating sufficient time and effort to your listing, it is advisable to carefully analyze and compare your strategy.
- Hunter
Using Hunter, you have the ability to save numerous hours of outreach by quickly locating professional email addresses that are relevant to your business. In case you are utilizing the free version, you will be granted 25 searches and 50 verifications on a monthly basis.
One reason we appreciate it is because it saves a significant amount of time for other tasks, even with the free version, by streamlining the process of contacting for backlinks and expert quotes.
- Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
HARO, a useful (and mutually beneficial) tool, allows you to provide responses to particular requests for sources or quotes in different industries.
Follow this step-by-step thought process to rephrase the given text without altering its meaning: – Employing this thought process aids the reporter in obtaining precise information, simultaneously fostering a greater number of backlinks and increased brand exposure.
Every day, HARO sends out source request emails categorized by industry. If you think you are a suitable source for a request, you may reply. Yet, it is ultimately the reporter’s choice to decide which source or quote to utilize.
The reason why we appreciate it: HARO simplifies the process of obtaining excellent backlinks with minimal time spent on outreach. Even if your team does not have a dedicated member for content promotion, you can still achieve remarkable outcomes with little exertion.
- Streak
This Chrome extension serves as a CRM integrated within your Gmail account. It allows you to effortlessly collect information from contacts and emails, send customized emails to groups of contacts, and receive alerts when recipients view your messages.
The core CRM features are available in the free version, and paid accounts begin at a monthly fee of $15.
The reason we appreciate it is because Streak is beneficial for team collaboration. It enables the automatic sharing of emails, call logs, and other information, while also allowing access to data alongside emails in order to provide the team with context.
- Schema.org
This community, which was founded by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex, aims to encourage the use of a common vocabulary for organized data across the internet. You can find documentation for various schema types on their platform.
Reasons why we appreciate it: Whenever there is a requirement to include a specific category of structured information on your webpage, simply seek and you will discover all the necessary details for its execution.
- Inspect Canonical
With this extension, users can easily verify the canonical of a page within their Chrome browser without the need to go through the source code again.
Nick LeRoy decided to create a tool himself after recognizing a gap in the market for such a product.
We enjoy this tool because it is user-friendly and includes a color-coding system that is visible on your Chrome browser. The “C” icon will change to either red, amber, or green based on the page, and there is also a message included to provide clear information about what you are dealing with.
- Advanced Web Ranking
This tool offers daily, weekly, and on-demand rank tracking for desktop, mobile, and local searches. You have the ability to include this data in white-label reports that you can send to your clients.
Reasons why we appreciate it: Advanced Web Ranking provides the convenience of rank tracking, reporting, and competitor analysis all within a single tool. Moreover, the availability of different plans is beneficial for smaller enterprises or those with limited financial resources.
When it comes to pricing, there are four different plans for you to choose from. Opting for an annual payment allows you to enjoy a 10% discount.
- Starter (for startups): $49 per month
- Pro (for in-house teams): $99 per month
- Agency: $199 per month
- Enterprise: $499 per month
- Nightwatch
By following a step-by-step approach, discover the ranking of your pages with pinpoint accuracy, even up to a particular zip code. Other tools available include white-labeled reports, Site Auditor, and the Keyword Discovery feature.
Reasons why we appreciate it: Most rank trackers typically utilize a random Google Data Center, whereas Nightwatch offers the ability to access any existing Google Data Center. Consequently, this feature enables users to assess their performance at a local level and potentially in other markets.
Nightwatch provides various pricing packages based on your budget, just like Advanced Web Ranking does.
- Starter (freelancers and small or medium businesses): $32 per month
- Optimize (growing businesses and marketing agencies): $79 per month
- Agency (larger agencies and enterprise businesses): $295 per month
