SEO Tools, Courses & Software
If you’re going to be ramping up your search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts, then you’re going to need a set of SEO tools and software to get started.
The world of SEO is an ever-changing landscape with regular algorithm changes, keyword performance updates and new search engine technology.
There’s no magic recipe for SEO. However, creating a comprehensive SEO strategy, following SEO best practices and using a sufficient suite of tools is the best approach to increasing your organic search visibility.
What are the different types of SEO?
SEO encompasses three key areas:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
There is a vast range of tools available on the market to help you in all areas of SEO.
What are SEO tools?
SEO tools and software are designed to identify, analyse and provide insights on areas you can improve for your website's SEO.
They can help you identify areas that need to be improved or technical issues that may be affecting your search rankings.
What can SEO tools do?
Here is a list of what SEO tools can help you with:
- Keyword research
- Analytics
- Backlinks
- Local SEO
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
- Mobile SEO
- Site speed
- Rank tracking
- Competitor analysis
… and more!
SEO tools are getting smarter, and it’s really important to know how to use them to take full advantage of how they can help you optimise your site.
Do I need SEO tools?
The short answer is: absolutely. If you really want to improve your SEO and increase your site’s visibility, you can’t do it without SEO tools.
There’s no point in having a website if your audience can’t find you.
There’s so much data and metrics you need to be able to track. There are bugs you need to identify and fix. There are common search queries you have the potential to rank high for.
You can do all of this and more with the right tools.
Why are SEO tools important?
The truth is, SEO tools allow you to do so many things that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Here’s why you should be using SEO tools:
- Save money (and heaps of painstaking time) on audits
- Analyse your competitors to unravel why their SEO is working
- Track your progress and continually evolve
- Get a fountain of inspiration for new content marketing ideas
How do I choose the best SEO tools?
A quick Google search for “seo tools” and you’ll be presented with a whole array of options. The SEO tool market is saturated, so how do you choose the best tools for your business?
Here are some questions to help you decide:
- What features do I actually need?
- How much am I able or willing to invest?
- Do I need an all-in-one solution or tools for specific tasks?
- Do I need integration?
- Do I have the resources to delve into the data?
What are the best SEO keyword research tools?
Keyword tools are vital for determining search volume, keyword difficulty and organic competition. They are also really useful for keyword suggestions, content ideas and reporting keyword search trends.
Some of the best keyword research tools are:
- Ahfrefs’ SEO Keyword Research Tool
- SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool
- Keyword Planner
- Google Search Console
- Moz Keyword Explorer
- KeywordTool.io
- Keywords Everywhere
- Small SEO Tools’ Keyword Planner tool
What are the best SEO auditing tools?
SEO auditing tools are usually the first tools you use when you start optimising your site. SEO auditing tools analyse your web pages to identify technical issues and problem areas.
They also help you understand how SEO-friendly your website is overall (for users on different devices).
The top SEO auditing tools include:
- Raventools
- SEMrush
- Woorank
- Moz
- Screaming Frog
- Google Webmaster
- Google Search Console SEO Audit
What are the best SEO deep crawl tools?
Crawling helps you identify where the biggest room for improvement on your website lies by assessing how the search engines are accessing your site.
Here are some of the best crawling sites:
- Screaming Frog
- SEMrush
- Botify
- DeepCrawl
- Moz
What are the best link building tools?
Link building tools help you generate and acquire more links to your website. Some of the best link building tools are:
- Ahrefs’ backlink checker
- Scraper
- Hunter.io
What are the best broken link tools?
You know when you get that annoying “404 error” message? That’s what’s called a broken link - and it’s bad for SEO and the overall impression it leaves on your users.
Luckily, there are some great tools to check, find and fix broken links including:
- Ahrefs’ broken link checker
- Google Webmaster
- Screaming Frog
- SEMrush
- Small SEO Tools’ broken link checker
What are the best SEO readability tools?
Your SEO content needs to tick all of the boxes: correct formatting and use of headings, keyword distribution, reading level, word count, sentence structure and more.
The top SEO readability tools include:
- SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant
- WebFX readability tool
- Grammarly
- Yoast SEO for WordPress
What are the best SEO content writing tools?
SEO content writing and copywriting tools generate long tail keyword ideas to help you generate content topics. The top tools include:
- Answer the Public
- SEMrush Content Writing Template & Writing Assistant
- Google Trends
- Yoast’s Real-Time Content Analysis
- Keyword Planner (for keyword/content ideas)
What are the best free SEO tools?
There are some really great SEO tools out there that are absolutely free - perfect for SMEs on a budget.
Here’s a snapshot of the best free tools on the market:
- Google Analytics
- Google Webmaster Tools
- Google Search Console
- Keyword Planner
- Google Trends
- Screaming Frog - freemium version with 500 URLs per website crawl
- Google My Business
What are the best all-in-one SEO tools?
You’ll notice that many of the above tools appear more than one. That’s because many tools offer an all-in-one solution to keep all of your SEO under one roof
Here are some of the top all-in-one SEO solutions:
- SEMrush
- Moz
- Ahrefs
- Raventools
- CognitiveSEO
What are the best SEO toolbars to use?
SEO toolbars are extensions you can add to your browser as a shortcut to save time. SEO toolbars hello you keep tabs of important information such as domain authority, backlink profile analysis and on-page SEO analysis.
Some recommended SEO toolbars are:
- MozBar
- Majestic Backlink Analyzer
- BuzzSumo
- Mangools SEO Extension
- Ahrefs SEO Toolbar
What are the best SEO courses?
There are loads of SEO training courses on the market to get to grips with all things SEO - many of which are completely free.
- SEMrush Academy: Free
The SEMrush Academy offers 20 courses covering all aspects of SEO including keyword research, competitive analysis and SEO fundamentals.
- Yoast Academy: Free - $349
Yoast offers a wide range of courses for beginners up to a technical level. Popular courses include SEO copywriting, keyword research, site structure and SEO content.
- HubSpot Free SEO Crash Course: Free
HubSpot offers a free course in all things SEO including topic clusters, creating search authority and link building.
Have any more questions about which SEO tools you should use?
Reach out to our community or get expert advice from an experienced SEO agency or expert.
