In theory, you can manage the search engine optimization of your website on your own. Even without using any SEO tool, you can get a relatively high score if you know what to do. However, that is not the recommended course of action. If you have a website with more than ten pages, it can take you hours, days, and months to optimize them without using any tool properly.
Because of this, you should know the different SEO applications in the market. When you know how to use them, you can spend less time and effort optimizing your website. They can also help you get better results. With this article, you will find the best SEO tools – free and paid.
Top 6 Free SEO Tools
1. Google Search Console
Despite being free software, the Google Search Console is one of the most powerful tools that you can use. It is essential to access important data for your website, like its clicks, impressions, crawl errors, and Google index.
Using the Google Search Console is easy because it has a very straightforward dashboard. You will only need to choose a section you want to look for. From off-page SEO to on-page SEO, this free SEO tool will handle it.
In particular, its best features are its index coverage report and its link data. You can ensure that you only have positive backlinks when you access link data. If you want to determine which pages from your site are not being read by Google correctly, you can turn to the index coverage report.
2. Google Analytics
As its name suggests, Google Analytics is the primary SEO tool that you should use if you want to view the various statistics of your website. Google Analytics is so powerful that other free and paid tools integrate it. While it is not a tool that will tell you to optimize your website better, it will give you solid reports that you can use.
With Google Analytics, you can determine the effectiveness of your current SEO strategies. Using this tool, you would track different SEO performance metrics like page speed, time on site, page views, and bounce rates. It does not only show the statistics for your entire website, but it can show you the numbers for every page. With Google Analytics, you will also find the weakest pages on your website.
3. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
If you have participated in an SEO strategy, then there is a high chance that you already know the importance of having a mobile-friendly website. If your website is not responsive, you will find it challenging to rank in search results. While you can manually test for your website’s responsiveness, using the free Mobile-Friendly Test tool from Google can be the easier option.
When you enter the website, you only need to enter a page link. This tool will then test the page link that you have sent out. Afterward, it will send you to a test results page. It will indicate if your page is mobile-friendly or not. It will also show you the page crawl details. With this free web application, you will be able to determine whether your page passes Google’s website responsiveness standards.
4. Answer the Public
If you are having a hard time finding content keywords for your website, the free SEO tool Answer the Public can assist you. With this, you can get the relevant keywords that you should use for your page content. Aside from being completely free, using it is also very easy.
With Answer the Public, you would only need to type your target keyword. Afterward, you will be redirected to a page showing the top related keywords. You can then integrate the results for your page content to let you rank higher in search rankings.
5. Ubersuggest
When you perform SEO for your website, one of the main things you will need is a keyword. With Ubersuggest, you can find the right keyword for you if you are still choosing one. You can also use Ubersuggest to learn more information about a specific keyword.
Ubersuggest does not only provide very comprehensive results, but it is also easy to use. You will only need to type a keyword to see various statistics about it. You will learn the keyword’s monthly search volume, average CPC or cost-per-click, paid difficulty, and SEO difficulty. You can also click on your keyword to see even more information.
With Ubersuggest, you will find the top pages that appear on search engine results. It will note various statistics like each page’s estimated traffic and social media engagement. The most important statistic would be the number of backlinks each top-ranking site has. With the results you get from this free tool, you can revise your SEO strategy.
6. Screaming Frog
Aside from on-page SEO and off-site SEO, another critical search engine optimization type that you have to consider is technical SEO. This type covers various things like crawl errors, security errors, page status. If you manually check for your website’s technical SEO, you will spend a lot of time and a lot of energy.
With Screaming Frog, you can get an easy solution to monitoring the technical aspects of your website’s search engine optimization. While there is also a paid version of Screaming Frog, the free version would be enough to find the most glaring errors that you have to fix. The Screaming Frog will send a site-crawler on your website to do a technical SEO check-up from broken links to duplicate contents.
Top 4 Paid SEO Tools
1. SEMrush
If you want to receive comprehensive statistics about the different aspects of your website, SEMrush is one of the top paid SEO tools that you can use. From marketing insights to domain analytics, it monitors your website and generates a full report. With the information received from SEMrush, you will improve your SEO techniques.
With SEMrush, there are many things that you can do for your website. It can track every page’s current keyword ranking. It can also provide the data on each page’s organic traffic and backlinks. If you are the type to do competitor research, SEMrush will also allow you to view different data on your competitor.
Once you have paid for a Pro plan, you can also receive SEO site audits. Every report generated by this tool can be saved and downloaded for future use. If you want to know the most critical data with corresponding insights on them, then SEMrush is the perfect paid tool for you to use.
2. Ahrefs
If you ask any SEO expert about their tools, you will find that most of them use Ahrefs. This is because it is a heavy-duty SEO tool that does not only help with search engine optimization. It also assists you with digital marketing and content creation.
With Ahrefs, you will be able to get the backlink profile and traffic data for your website and any other website you want to keep an eye on. It can also let you monitor your Google ranking for every keyword, which you can then use to compare with your competitors’ sites. You can also receive a full audit of your site once you have paid the monthly subscription. From digital marketing to content research, Ahrefs is filled with tools to boost your website’s search ranking positions.
3. Moz Pro
Moz Pro is similar to Ahrefs in that it also provides many features. While it does not cover digital marketing and content creation as closely as Ahrefs do, it covers anything related to your website’s search engine optimization. It is also a very easy-to-use website that makes it one of the most recommended SEO applications for beginners.
With Moz Pro, you will be able to assess various information about the keywords that you use. You will also be able to track your website’s current backlinks and search engine rankings. It can also handle different on-page SEO elements.
4. Majestic
While the ones on this list provide more generalized benefits, if you want to get the best information about links and backlinks, then Majestic is the perfect SEO tool for you. While it does not cover other types of search engine optimization, it is one of the best-performing tools for off-site SEO.
With Majestic, you can get a comprehensive report on every backlink that your site has. You will be able to see which sites have linked to you and what anchor texts were used. You would also be able to see the weight of each backlink your website has received.
Access Different Paid and Free SEO Tools with an SEO Company
Whether they are paid or free, SEO tools are great at helping you manage the search engine optimization of your website. With them, you can monitor and audit your website’s SEO. They will also be able to track your website’s off-site, on-page, and technical SEO. With them, you can further improve the SEO techniques that you use for your website.
However, while SEO tools are immensely beneficial, they perform even better are the hands of a reliable SEO company. When you have the assistance of a team of experts, you will get the most out of the SEO tools you use. Aside from taking advantage of the best SEO tools – free and paid – you can get better results when you also get the service of an SEO agency.
