SEO Tools

Over the past few decades, SEO has gradually become a well-known term to more than just the marketing department. A website is a central feature of most businesses, and maximising traffic to the site can be a crucial business focus. In order to gain essential insights into the workings of search engines, SEO tools are incredibly useful. For those smaller enterprises looking to cut costs, making the most of the wide range of free tools can be the best possible option.

With more businesses that have a greater dependence on tech, in-house IT departments can be stretched at the best of times. Finding an IT support provider that can provide reliable assistance at those critical moments is an absolute necessity.

Google: Search Console, Analytics, Keyword Planner

When it comes to SEO tools, Google is an excellent place to start, and all is provided free of charge. By far the world’s largest search engine, and even more so in Western countries, most SEO is directed at Google. Google Search Console is a handy tool for gaining insights into the performance of keywords and URLs, mobile usability and indexing issues. Google Analytics provides useful information on traffic sources, site visits and location demographics. Keyword planner can assist in the finding and researching of keywords. Another useful tool to be found in the Google Developers Console is Pagespeed Insights.

Answer the Public

A tool that can be especially helpful in content marketing, Answer the Public has divided all of Google’s autocomplete queries into different lists. This is very useful, as it provides the questions people enter into search engines related to keywords and phrases. When a keyword is input, the tool finds the popular queries using different question words, and it also generates a graphic that makes the questions easier to visualise. Answer the Public also works with keyword suggestions, such as the prepositions ‘like’ or ‘with’.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a keyword research tool that uses Google Suggest and its own database to give information of each keyword, such as competition levels, search volume and Cost per Click (CPC). It also provides searches over the last 12 months to see if there are any seasonal variations, and how many links are in the average website at the same level. More recently, Ubersuggest has added URL searches to the tool, so domain metrics can be delivered.

Seobility

An all-in-one SEO tool, Seobility offers a Google rank tracker, site auditor, backlink checker, link building tools and white label reporting, among other features. It also has a content report, which provides a comprehensive breakdown of content-related SEO issues. This report includes missing meta titles, duplicate content, thin content, keyword stuffing and frequent keywords.

Mozbar

An SEO toolbar that is an extension to the Chrome browser, Mozbar offers advanced metrics for web pages and search engine results pages (SERPs). It also offers the domain and page authority information for every page or website on the internet. With the page analysis features, users can zoom in on individual page elements to analyse markup, link metrics or general attributes. It is also possible to find keywords on particular pages, highlight links and make comparisons in SERPs of link metrics.

CanIRank

This tool aims to answer the question: ‘can I rank?’ on search engines for a specific keyword. This tool gives probabilities of ranking for a certain search term, rather than just keyword ratings for competitiveness. It also uses artificial intelligence to suggest actions for targeting keywords. In addition to this, it also provides useful competitive analysis data and suggested strategies for helping your site rank higher with improved SEO.

Mobile-Friendly Test

Since Google announced its mobile-first indexing in 2018, the game has changed for marketers, with a greater focus on mobile optimisation. In 2019, 52 percent of all global traffic came from mobile devices, so this shift is not surprising. Google’s search index put a much greater focus on each site’s mobile capabilities. The search giant also developed a tool that helps marketers and developers to test their sites for mobile friendliness. The URL simply needs to be entered and a report will be returned on how mobile friendly the site is. It also provides suggestions on improvements that could be made.

Woorank SEO Analysis & Website Review

This is a free Chrome extension that provides instant analysis and reviews of SEO, as well as mobile use and social media. The extension analyses the site that is currently open in the browser and provides a report that makes clear issues that affect how easily it can be accessed, read and used. The tool gives an overall SEO score, and provides solutions in how to improve SEO practices, both on-site and off-site.

Panguin

This free SEO tool can be especially useful when a site’s rankings have suddenly fallen. Panguin analyses a website’s traffic in relation to Google updates. This can help to determine whether a particular update was the cause of the negative impact, and then work out the best strategy for overcoming the challenge.

Browseo

Browseo is a great way of finding out how a website appears to a search engine, so that the most basic elements can be viewed without styling. This means if there are any issues in accessing the most important content, they may be more clearly seen. Titles and meta descriptions can be organised and optimised. The tool also includes an SEO preview that shows the site as it will appear in search results.

Though there is a wide range of SEO tools available by subscription, the free tools on offer should not be overlooked. By combining and using these tools adeptly, users can find themselves able to achieve many of their objectives.