Looking to get into SEO? Or just want to know what tools experts and professionals in SEO are using? Search Engine Optimisation (also known as SEO) can sometimes be a daunting job. There is a lot that goes into search engine optimisation of a website and webpages. Luckily, ever since the inception of SEO and it’s work-related field; tools and assistant programs have been made to make our SEO lives easier.
And this list will actually include tools that experts ACTUALLY use. Not just any random tools out there on the internet (and trust me, there is a lot). So, join me in this top tools for SEO article and see what tools are available out there, which ones do what and see which tools are the ones for you and your team.
Let’s start with the fundamentals; the Google tools.
Google Search Console
Not only is it the best free tool out there, it’s perhaps the most essential for anyone who has a website (or are working on clients websites). Google Search Console is a tool that I open up every single day. To check up on things, see the data and understand what’s happening.
It does precisely what the name suggests and this comes straight from their page:
“Search Console tools and reports help you measure your site’s Search traffic and performance, fix issues, and make your site shine in Google Search results”.
The best thing about it for me is that it helps to alert me to any potential problems that a website might be experiencing for SEO.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is not exactly a SEO tool, but it goes hand in hand with the Google Search Console. What Google Analytics does is it shows you user specific and user oriented data relating to who’s visited your website, how long for, where did they come from, etc etc.
As the name suggests, it shows you the deep analytical data of the numbers of a certain website/webpage, and this is why it is both handy and essential to pair it up with your Google Search Console. Where one tool gives you the overall insight for SEO and SERP, the analytics tool lets you delve deeper into the data and assists you in making those fine tunes needed to get the best out of your site. Another tool that I open up just about every single day for SEO.
Google Trends Search
Another important and fantastic Google tool geared towards SEO and helping you to get the best position in your Search Engine Results Pages (also known as SERP).
As we all know, the internet is influenced by certain trends. Trends can help push, make or break certain topics and products. It assists you in finding certain demographics, related trends to the current trend that you’re searching and also help you see and understand the rise and decline of trends. Google Trends Search tool, when paired with other tools can make your SEO work a whole lot easier; such as keyword finder tools. In fact, I often use the Google Trends search whenever I am looking for new keywords for a site.
MOZ Pro
So, this one does require a subscription once the initial 30-day free trial finishes. But it’s definitely worth it and let me tell you why. Moz advertises themselves as a “all in one” tool set. And they go on to say that they can provide you with every SEO solution that you will need. And it’s actually kind of true. Moz Pro is indeed a complete toolset that most professionals consider to not really lack any important feature that the experts might need.
Just so you have an idea, here’s a summary of what Moz Pro includes;
- Site crawls
- Site audits
- Rank tracking audits
- Backlink analysis
- Keyword research
- MozBar(SEO toolbar for Chrome)
- Ability to track keywords on multiple search engines
- SEO insights
- One-on-one walkthrough and 24-hour online support.
Their pricing is a little…pricey, specially if you are new to the SEO industry. But once you figure what kind of tools you need for your work, you might just find that MozPro ticks all the right boxes for you.
Ahrefs
Continuing the trend of the “all-in-one toolsets”, let’s talk about Ahrefs. Like Mozpro, they advertise themselves as an all-in-one toolset, where they emphasize on analyzing more data.
It can pretty much do all of what MozPro can do, but you will see that they put more effort into the analyzing part of their tool. Here is a quick lowdown on what I mean:
- Analyze content
- Track ranking progress
- Analyze and explore industry content for comparison
- Study and analyze your competitors
- Research and analyze what the top performing content for your industry is
Screenshot of Ahrefs demo video
I personally prefer Ahrefs over MozPro. Though Ahrefs subscription plan is a little pricier and the free trial does not last as long as MozPro’s free trial. Last I checked, the Ahrefs free trial is just 7 days. However, they do have a free version of their Backlink checker here, in case you need it. But nonetheless, it’s still definitely worth checking out.
SEMRush
Ah, SEMRush. You’ve probably heard of this one. A great browser extension and website tool. Just about everyone I know in the SEO industry will have SEMRush installed. Whilst not as extensive as the “all-in-one” toolsets such as Ahrefs and MozPro, I believe SEMRush is a must have.
It’s super easy to use, allowing you to do domain vs domain analysis on the fly. Want to compare your website to your competition? Just a couple of clicks and you can get all the data you need. It has a On-Page SEO Checker tool also, allowing you to quickly check and analyze your SEO on yours and your clients websites. The User Interface gives it a nice clean look and makes it extremely easy to use.
At the moment, SEMRush only offers a 7-day free trial, but it’s probably my most used tool and browser extension. If you want a “lighter” but FREE alternative to SEMRush, take a look at SEOQuake. But you might find yourself wanting the extra features and tools that comes with the SEMRush subscription plan.
My thoughts
Finding the best tools can be overwhelming sometimes. With so many out there, you can be stuck reading reviews and trying to compare each and every one of them.
The ones listed here are the ones I personally use and I hope that this article has given you some insight on which ones you can use for your own SEO adventures. Though there are actually a lot more that I use in my SEO tools arsenal. Perhaps I will include other “free” and more specific tools in a later article. Happy SEOing out there!
Recent Comments