Those three little letters have a complex world attached to them, but the good news is that there are several keyword research and SEO ranking tools you can use to optimize your website content and performance. And the even better news? Many of them are free! Here we’ll introduce you to the top ten free SEO tools you ought to be using now. After this, there really are no more excuses.
Free SEO tools to optimize your website
These tools are all about analytics and technical SEO. Once you’ve got the data on your website, you can delve deeper into specific areas of SEO to optimize your ranking, choose great keywords, and keep an eye on the competition.
- Google Analytics – we’re sure you’ve heard of Google Analytics, but if you aren’t already, you need to be using it. Google utterly dominates search engines, so if you want to rank higher, you’ll need to get on board. The wealth of data available in the Analytics dashboard will help you identify any problem areas and optimize your content strategy.
- MozBar – a free version of a more powerful paid tool, for those just starting out in SEO. This toolbar generates an SEO report on any website you’re visiting (your own or the competition’s) to help you build a clear picture of successes, failures, and possible fixes.
- Screaming Frog – a popular desktop-based website crawler that helps you to analyze and audit SEO issues such as broken links, page loading speed, or JavaScript problems. There is a paid version available, but the free tool is pretty powerful: you can use it to crawl up to 500 URLs.
Now you’ve got the lowdown on your current SEO status, it’s time to consider your SEO ranking.
Related: How to improve SEO rankings
What are the best SEO ranking tools?
- Google Search Console – formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools, this is your one-stop-shop for improving your ranking. Not only can you ensure that Google is crawling your pages, but you can evaluate content and queries to understand how internet users get to your site. Knowledge is power when it comes to SEO, and Google Search Console gives you that knowledge.
- Ahrefs SERP Checker – delivering the top ten results for keywords in more than 170 countries, this free SEO tool is indispensable if you want to boost your own ranking. Some SEO metrics like backlinks and referring domains are also provided for those in need of more detail.
- Rank Math – a popular WordPress plugin, which helps with technical and on-page SEO. Adding titles and meta descriptions can help you rank higher, as can finding and mending broken backlinks. WordPress SEO by Yoast is a similar, if not more popular, plugin for the platform, which helps you construct SEO-friendly posts around a focus keyword.
Related: WordPress SEO Services
SEO ranking tools are all well and good, but SEO would be nothing without keywords. Let’s check out some of the best free keyword research tools on the market.
Keyword research with free SEO tools
- Answer the Public – uses Google Autocomplete to find the questions people are asking around a certain keyword. You can view the results in list form or as a visual, which may provide added inspiration. This is a great way of searching for new topics to write about, especially if your website is in a niche field. Note, though, that the free tool only allows for two searches per day.
- Ubersuggest – a powerful and popular keyword research tool bought by Neil Patel. Not only does it provide keyword suggestions, but you can check trends and analyze your chosen keyword’s competitiveness.
- Ahrefs Keyword Generator – a good way of combining keyword and query research. Simply plug in a seed keyword and the top 100 suggestions will be displayed, along with estimated search volume and keyword difficulty. It’s possible to filter by country and search engine, with results available for Google, Bing, Amazon, and YouTube.
And finally…
Acquiring good links to your site can be a powerful way to boost your ranking. Ahrefs Backlink Checker provides a huge amount of information, including the top 100 backlinks to any website. Use this to source new linking opportunities, write compelling anchor texts, and generally outsmart the competition. It can’t replace your entire SEO plan, of course, but used in conjunction with the tools above it will prove a powerful addition to your SEO kit.
It may seem overwhelming at first, but most of these free SEO tools are intuitive to use. Simply plug your URL (or topic, if it’s a keyword you’re after) into a few of these addresses and explore the wealth of data and inspiration they provide. Remember, knowledge is key to SEO – and these free SEO tools can expand yours immeasurably.
