If you need or already create a website and blog and make money with an online business, website traffic is key. In order to obtain natural search traffic, you need to improve your keyword rankings on search engines such as Google and Baidu. This requires some SEO tools, not only to research keywords, but also to diagnose the website, analyze competitors, etc.
We know that there are many SEO companies that claim to quickly improve website rankings, but the quotes are often very high and cannot be afforded by individuals and small businesses. And often they can only improve their rankings in the short term, but their rankings will quickly fall after a while. Therefore it is not reliable. So SEO still has to be done by yourself.
You can find a lot of SEO knowledge online, how to attract traffic, and a lot of SEO videos. But it is best to use SEO tools. I prefer to use tools. Using these professional tools can greatly improve work efficiency and help us reach a higher level. To some extent, by using these tools and firm execution, you will find the key to success in the online world.
There are many professional SEO tools on the market that can give you great results at a fraction of the cost. There are many SEO tools on the market, especially tools for optimizing rankings on Google, so choosing the right SEO tool is particularly critical.
In this article, I will introduce 20 useful SEO tools. I hope you can find the SEO tools that suit you and help you quickly improve your rankings.
1. SEMRUSH (the SEO tool I am currently using, with powerful functions, highly recommended)
SEMrush is the world’s leading keyword and competitor analysis tool, which can help users evaluate the content of competitor websites, see which web pages bring traffic to competitors, and which keywords are clicked on.
SEMrush has successfully helped many websites and e-commerce businesses understand their competitors’ SEO strategies. Making it one of the most effective SEO tools for many webmasters and small and medium-sized businesses.
It can conduct a comprehensive analysis of competitors’ SEO, PPC, campaigns, backlinks, keywords, SERP (search results page), etc., so that it can imitate its SEO strategy and determine its own SEO direction.
main feature
- Competitive Research – See your competitors and which popular keywords they use.
- Link Building – Review your competitors’ link strategies, imitate them and outperform them.
- Advertising Research – Analyze competitors’ advertising budgets and keyword placements to better carry out advertising campaigns.
- Traffic Analytics – Accurately analyze your website’s performance and traffic. It also helps you understand the behavior of your potential customers.
- Site Audit – Analyzes problems on your website, such as loading speed, search engine crawl errors, etc., to optimize your website.
price
SEMrush offers three packages. The Pro plan is $119.95/month, the Guru plan is $229.95/month, and the Business plan is $449.95. 16% discount on annual payment. SEMrush supports a 7-day free trial , so you can try it before deciding whether to buy it.
advantage:
- Analyze your competitors’ SEO strategies
- Track past and current website rankings
- Conduct a technical SEO website audit and evaluate user experience
- Find advertising opportunities by analyzing competitor advertising words
- Conduct strong keyword research to improve rankings
shortcoming:
- Novices may find it a bit complicated to use it at first (because it has too many functions and needs to be discovered and digested slowly)
You can check out our detailed review of Semrush for a full understanding.
2. LongTailPro (lower price, mainly targeting long-tail keywords, suitable for beginners)
Long Tail Pro is a professional keyword research tool that can discover less competitive keywords. These keywords can make it easier to gain online traffic and increase conversion rates. This SEO tool is great for beginners and entrepreneurs.
main feature:
Create Multiple Projects (track multiple websites at the same time) – can track keywords and provide keyword suggestions for multiple websites at the same time.
Import and Export (keyword import and export function) – you can quickly export the best keywords to Excel.
price
Long Tail Pro is available in three different prices and comes with a 10-day money-back guarantee. The Starter plan costs $25, the Pro plan costs $45, and the Agency plan costs $98 per month.
advantage:
- Can be used to find competitive keywords that can bring conversions
- Long tail keywords can be generated
- Page Rank Tracking
- Simple and easy to operate
shortcoming:
- Related keyword lists take a long time to load
3.AHREFS _
Ahrefs is another well-known SEO tool. It is also the second fastest web crawler after Google and has a simple and easy-to-use interface.
You can mainly use it for backlink audit, competitive analysis, URL ranking, keyword research, etc. Like SEMrush, Ahrefs also offers organic search reports to analyze traffic to competitor websites.
In addition, its SEO tools can capture large amounts of web data, which users can extract for building external links, keyword research, SEO strategies, ranking tracking, and content marketing. These great features have made Ahrefs an SEO tool used by numerous SEO professionals and entrepreneurs around the world.
main feature:
- Generates Numerous Keywords – Ahrefs can generate millions of relevant keywords for a search term.
- Ranking History – You can view the ranking history of any keyword on any page of your website.
- Content Explorer – You can perform content searches in Ahrefs’ database of over 1 billion web pages.
- Monitor Outbound Links – Ahrefs provides link reports that help track your outbound links.
price
You can choose a 7-day trial (priced at $7) to test the product. After that, you can upgrade to plans of $99 or higher.
advantage:
- Provide website improvement suggestions to improve rankings
- Provide clear backlink analysis reports
- Know the URL level
- Get historical backlink data analysis
- Establish a content creation strategy
shortcoming:
- Loading slowly
- higher price
- Unable to understand technical SEO metrics like website speed
4. SERPSTAT
Serpstat provides comprehensive solutions for SEO and digital marketing. From SEO to running ads and doing content marketing, it covers just about everything.
Serpstat tool performs keyword research, competitor research, PPC analysis, and more. Its interface is clear to navigate and easy to use. Additionally, it helps webmasters track competitor backlinks.
main feature:
- Website Analysis – allows you to analyze websites and URLs. These analyzes include in-depth research on both SEO and PPC.
- Keyword Research – Keyword research includes keyword cluster research, search suggestions, search volume, content marketing, and SERP analysis.
- Backlink Analysis – Collect complete backlink data from the past two years while tracking your competitors’ backlink strategies.
- Site Audit – Helps clean up your website’s redundant HTML and improve page loading speed.
price
Serpstat is available at four different prices, including monthly and annual subscription plans. The Lite plan costs $69 per month, the Standard plan costs $149 per month, the Advanced plan costs $299 per month, and the Enterprise plan costs $499 per month. They offer a 30-day free trial.
advantage:
- Search keyword variations and collect data
- Check the relevance of different web pages
- Track universal search results
- Find your competitors’ advertising strategies and budgets
shortcoming:
- Very slow for large websites and site review
5. AUTHORITY LABS
Authority Labs is another very useful SEO tool with a simple and friendly interface. You can easily set up multiple sites and improve your SEO strategy. It can also track specific rankings to pinpoint your target audience.
It’s also possible to track your competitors’ SEO activities and strategies.
main feature:
- Global Tracking – Local and global tracking for different countries and cities is possible.
- Keyword Targeting – Use keyword research tools to find suitable keywords.
- Free Trail – Offers a 30-day free trial.
- Daily Reporting – Receive in-depth site reports with daily ranking checks to help you analyze where your site currently stands.
price
Authority Labs offers four different package prices. The Plus plan is priced at $49/month and the Pro plan is $99/month. Other more advanced plans include the Pro Plus for $225 and the Enterprise plan for $450. On top of that, you can get a 30-day free trial without credit card verification.
advantage:
- Discover competitor websites
- Track product rankings across websites
- Compare mobile vs. desktop search results
- Provide in-depth website analysis reports
shortcoming:
- Sort keywords alphabetically, no reordering option
6. SEOBILITY
SEObility is a powerful and versatile SEO software. Can help entrepreneurs improve search engine rankings easily.
It comes with a website diagnostic function that can effectively crawl all pages of the website and find problems such as duplicate content and dead links.
main feature:
- Rank Tracking – Track daily keyword rankings based on different audiences and search engines.
- Keyword Monitoring and On-page Analysis – provides appropriate improvement suggestions through page crawling and tracking keywords.
- Local Search Results – Users can also evaluate and track local search results to improve local rankings.
- Competitors Comparison – Quickly browse and compare content from competitor websites.
- PDF Export and E-Mail Reporting – Generate general ranking reports and generate PDF or send to email.
price
The basic package is free and suitable for beginners. The Premium package has a 30-day free trial and is suitable for professional webmasters. After the trial period, it will cost $50 per month. Agency price is $200/month, suitable for large websites and agencies.
advantage:
- Website scraping and website diagnostics
- Google ranking updated daily
- Build external links and check backlinks
- Monitor page response time
- Export in-depth SEO reports in CSV and PDF formats
7. SEOQUAKE
SEOquake is a powerful SEO tool and browser plug-in. If you do content marketing, this tool is especially for you.
It provides necessary SEO indexes, including: number of external links, Alexa ranking, Google ranking, domain age, SEMrush ranking, etc.
main feature:
SEO Bar – Using its SEO Bar browser plug-in, it will provide you with SEO data quickly.
SERP Overlay – View a complete analysis of SERPs, results can be exported in CSV format.
Keyword Analysis – provides keyword detailed reports with proper keyword analysis.
Print and Export – SEO analysis results can be printed or exported in CSV format.
price
- completely free
advantage:
- Perform on-page SEO diagnosis
- Check internal and external links
- Compare URLs and SEO data of different websites in real time
- Export data to CSV file format
shortcoming:
- Advanced parameters are difficult for new users to master
8. SEOPTIMER
SEOptimer is an easy-to-use SEO audit tool that helps you improve your page rankings. It can perform excellent page optimization and external link building.
main feature:
SEO Audit – Run multiple website SEO audits.
Embeddable Audit – Generate more leads and conversions to your website.
SEO Crawler – Helps detect technical SEO issues by scanning every page of your website.
SEO Audit API – for trend analysis, tracking issues and bulk reporting.
price
The DIY SEO package costs $19 per month. The “White Label” package and the “White Label and Embedding” package for digital marketers cost $29 per month and $59 per month respectively. New users can enjoy a 14-day free trial.
advantage:
- Do content marketing
- Perform on-page optimization, including improving various elements of the website
- Off-page optimization, including building quality links
- Brings fast traffic through its campaign management
- Increase social media exposure
shortcoming:
- No mobile app
9. LINKMINER
LinkMiner is an effective backlink checker tool that helps you identify dead links. Most importantly, it provides you with website authority lookup, Ahrefs, Moz’s backlinks, and more.
main feature:
Powerful Backlinks – Quickly search for backlinks with advanced filters.
Link Strength (Link Strength Query) – Query the strength of backlinks.
Advanced Backlink Analysis – Provides link-building opportunities by finding new backlinks.
price
New users have a 10-day free trial. After that, paid plans start at $29.90 per month and go up to $79.90 per month.
advantage:
- Mining backlinks to competitor websites
- Find specific types of backlinks
- Evaluate link strength
shortcoming:
- Backlink strength assessment is sometimes inaccurate
10.PITCHBOX _
Pitchbox provides integrated content marketing process solutions. Can help you connect with other websites and bloggers, providing tons of link building opportunities.
main feature:
Campaigns (Link Building) – Pitchbox helps webmasters stay connected with other article authors, bloggers, and industry influencers.
Product Review – The Product Review feature helps you quickly find websites that offer product reviews.
Email Templates – Provide preset email templates to attract potential customers.
Opportunity Detail Screen – displays information about each potential customer.
price:
The base price is $195, the small business package is $295, the SEO agency package is $395, and the enterprise package is $1,500.
advantage:
- Can help find industry influencers, bloggers and article publishers
- Automatically find outreach emails with automated tracking
- Use data to help make decisions
shortcoming:
- Slow to load, navigation a bit complicated
11. GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE
If you want to improve your website’s Google search rankings, using Google’s SEO tools is a must.
Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) helps you understand what Google thinks of your site, measure your site’s search volume, and troubleshoot issues related to your sitemap and search engine indexing. In addition to Google Keyword Planner running through Google AdWords, every webmaster and blogger should use Google Search Console.
main feature:
Communication Channel – acts as a communication channel with the Google search engine and is used to find errors in the website.
Control Center – allows users to monitor XML sitemaps to help re-evaluate and fix website errors.
Data Source – allows users to pull data into Google Analytics or other analytics tools.
price
- free tools
advantage:
- Conduct search engine optimization and data analysis
- Target website audiences and track organic search results
- Raw data testing and website security monitoring
shortcoming:
- Sometimes warnings and advice are wrong
- Does not provide any information about competitors
- Missing some important SEO features
12.MOZ _
Moz is one of the best SEO tools on the market. From website audits to ranking tracking to backlink analysis and keyword research, there’s a lot you can do with Moz. Can provide you with industry standard indicators and various on-page optimization suggestions.
You can also install MozPro for advanced features and the MozBar browser extension, which allows SEO analysis in the browser, displaying Moz Score and Google SERP information.
main feature:
- Rank Tracking – Track organic rankings for thousands of traffic-driving keywords.
- Keyword Analysis – helps you find new keywords through competitor research and SERP analysis.
- Backlink Analysis – Provides metrics such as Domain Authority to help you build backlinks.
- Site Audits – Crawl all web pages to find website issues or errors.
price
Moz offers a 30-day free trial. Paid plans start at $99 per month and go up to $599 per month.
advantage:
- Improve website traffic and ranking
- Keyword research and on-page optimization
- Link data analysis
shortcoming:
- Database is only available in the United States
13. UBERSUGGEST
Ubersuggest This SEO tool was created by marketing expert Neil Patel and is well-known in the industry. Basically, this is a free keyword research SEO tool that helps you find many long-tail keywords to create content.
main feature:
- Content Optimization – helps you optimize your blog or website content by providing niche keywords.
- Competition Analysis – helps you analyze what your website competitors are doing and which keywords are helping your competitors rank.
- Keyword Analysis & Suggestion – Discover the keywords your target audience is using.
price
free
advantage:
- Identify keywords to improve search engine rankings
- Provide information on competitive analysis
14.SPYFU _
SpyFu can help find the most profitable keywords used by your competitors. It also shows each campaign run by competitors and their organic searches.
main feature:
- PPC Ad Rank Tracking PPC (Ad Rank Tracking) – helps you track your ads correctly and suggests expansion keywords.
- Monitor PPC Competitors – Track new competitors and their PPC strategies.
- Keyword Grouping – Display your competitors’ AdWords keyword groups and incorporate them into your SEO strategy.
- AdWord Advisor – Suggests keywords by analyzing campaigns run by competitors.
- Keyword Spy Tool – Search for the keywords your competitors are using and the number of clicks they are getting from them.
price
SpyFu offers three different prices, all offering unlimited access to search results. Prices start at $33 per month and go up to $199 per month if billed annually.
advantage:
- Monitor your competitors’ keyword strategies
- Keyword group analysis
- Track rankings for SEO keywords
shortcoming:
- Sometimes the data is not very accurate
15.WOORANK _
WooRank is a website review tool and SEO strategy tracker. Helps you increase website traffic, discover potential customers and increase sales.
This SEO tool is suitable for everyone, whether it’s a digital marketer, a webmaster or an agency.
main feature:
Keyword Tool – Track keyword and ranking changes and explore competitor keywords.
Site Crawl – Fix website errors, track security issues, quickly find indexing errors and eliminate duplicate content.
SEO Monitoring – Monitor landing page traffic to quickly understand keywords, website uptime and overall functionality.
Sales Tools – Create high-converting sales pitches, white label reports, custom PDF report templates, and more.
WooRank Extension – Free tool for detailed analysis of websites.
price
WooRank offers three different plans with a 14-day free trial. The Pro plan costs $59.99 per month, the Premium plan costs $179.99 per month, and the Enterprise plan costs $249.99 per month.
advantage:
- Provide social media data
- Provide SERP ranking and backlinks
- Analyze competitor websites
- Provides marketing query lists and website crawl analysis
shortcoming:
- The price is a bit expensive
16. FAT RANK
Fat Rank is a Google Chrome SEO extension that allows you to view the ranking of web pages on Google. Additionally, it allows users to quickly download CSV reports from the Fat Rank mobile app and Chrome extension.
main feature:
- Unlimited Keywords and Domains (providing unlimited keyword and domain name queries) – Fat Rank helps users unlimitedly check competitors’ websites and keywords.
- Graph Feature – Demonstrates page ranking changes.
- CSV and PDF Reports – It provides in-depth and powerful analytical reports by emailing users in CSV and PDF formats.
Price
- free
advantage:
- Research your competitors’ keyword research
- Provide quick ranking reports
- Provides multiple keyword checks
shortcoming:
- Only one keyword can be searched at a time
- Do not allow saving of previous keyword data
17. SITELINER
Unlike other SEO tools, it doesn’t have as many features that can help you find issues with your website, such as broken links, duplicate content, etc. Thereby improving the quality of the website and improving search engine rankings.
main feature:
Duplicate Content – Evaluate duplicate content on your website. Can scan 500 pages at a time.
Page Power – Analyze page power based on the number of backlinks.
Broken Links – Make sure every link on your website works by thoroughly scanning it for broken links.
Reports – Displays detailed reports for each page using a standard XML sitemap.
Price:
Siteliner offers two different pricing plans. Free Siteliner allows analysis of up to 250 pages per month. The paid version, called Siteliner Premium, costs 1 cent/page and allows you to scan up to 25,000 pages in a month.
advantage:
- Find duplicate content
- Find broken links
- Enhance the authority of web pages
shortcoming:
- Internal analysis only
18. SCREAMING FROG SEO SPIDER
Screaming Frog is one of the best SEO tools that can help you perform a quick website audit. Enter a website’s URL and he can find any broken links, missing tags, duplicate content, and more.
main feature:
- Audit Redirects – Helps identify temporary and permanent redirect links.
- Duplicate Content – Find duplicate content, duplicate URLs and other duplicate elements.
- XML Sitemaps – quickly generate XML maps.
- Analyze Metadata – Analyze meta tags and page titles appropriately to adjust the length of these tags.
Price:
Crawl up to 500 URLs for free. Beyond this range you will be charged £149/year.
advantage:
- Extract data using XPath
- Crawl JavaScript websites
- Find duplicate content
shortcoming:
- Missing API
19. SEED KEYWORDS
Seed Keyword can help you find the most valuable keywords and improve search engine rankings.
main feature:
- Create a Scenario – Create a unique scenario based on your website’s needs to help generate unique URLs
- Seed Keywords – provides users with different seed keywords for free
Price:
completely free
advantage:
- Collect data by creating a scenario
- Discover keyword ideas from real-life internet users
shortcoming:
- Keywords may sometimes be incorrect
20. MANGOOLS
If you are on a tight budget and want a versatile SEO tool, Mangools is a good choice. It comes with a suite of five different SEO tools that can help you with keyword research, SERP analysis, rank tracking, link tracking, and more.
main feature:
- KWFinder – This is a keyword research tool that finds suitable keywords based on website content.
- SERPChecker – It allows users to check the websites that rank highest for a specific keyword in different parts of the world. Users can also check the mobile ranking of keywords.
- SERPWatcher – It helps users to correctly track changes in keyword rankings.
- LinkMiner – It helps users analyze competitor backlinks and discover more backlink opportunities.
- SiteProfiler – allows users to get a good understanding of competitors’ websites, carefully analyzing their processes.
price
Mangools offers three different prices for different levels of users. It also offers a 48-hour money-back guarantee and a 10-day free trial. The Basic plan costs $29.90 per month, the Advanced plan costs $39.90 per month, and the Agency plan costs $79.90 per month.
advantage:
Track keywords and analyze competitors
Link management and localization
Track rankings based on relevant keywords
shortcoming:
No dashboard
The database is not as large as other leading SEO tools
SEO Tools FAQ
How long does it take for SEO to take effect?
It usually takes 3 to 6 months to see the results of SEO work. If you are just starting to create a website or blog, and it is a new site, it will take longer than an old site that already has authority.
With the high weight, the new web page may appear on the 2-3 pages of Google on the same day or the next day. In short, every article should be taken seriously and updated regularly to improve search rankings.
What are the best free SEO tools?
There are many free SEO tools, often requiring payment to enjoy more features. However, if you want to use free SEO tools and perform keyword research, you may consider these tools:
1. Google Keyword Planner
2. Moz Link Explorer
3. Google Trends
4. Google Analytics
5. Google Search Console
6. Keyword Hero
7. Creaming Frog
Can I do SEO myself?
Yes, if you are proficient in SEO strategies or master the basics yourself, you can do it slowly.
Here are the steps to perform your own SEO:
1. Read SEO blogs and take SEO courses to improve your skills.
2. Know your target visitors.
3. Do keyword research and find valuable keywords.
4. Keep SEO in mind when writing your pages and blog posts.
5. Use guest posts as backlinks to increase website authority.
6. Learn how to use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic.
How much should you spend on SEO?
If you want to hire a professional to help you with SEO, SEO experts can cost between $75-$150 per hour ($750-$1,500 per month). High-end digital marketing agencies may charge up to $20,000 per month for complex work on large websites. Additionally, some SEO tools are free, or you can use more professional SEO tools for around $99 per month. Of course, the premise is to find a balance between your website’s income and SEO expenses, and choose the appropriate SEO channel.
Is SEO difficult?
Yes, SEO is difficult because it requires knowledge across multiple disciplines, and search engines are always changing and updating their algorithms. To be successful in SEO you need to increase your website authority by building links. It’s also necessary to understand how to write content that ranks well and become an expert in keyword research, writing, content marketing, WordPress, and more.