Thanks to search engine optimization tools in digital marketing, small businesses can level the playing field with big brands. However, the problem lies in which tools to use, as there are hundreds, if not thousands, to choose from. To help you narrow your choices, here is a list of the top 10 SEO tools for effective digital marketing.
1. SEMRush
If we're going for popularity, SEMRush would win, hands down. However, its fame is due to its effectiveness, as it offers a wide array of features that can help you market your brand digitally. It can research keywords, do SEO audits, analyze your competitors, do backlink analysis, and many others. It also lets you track your website's ranking, helps with content marketing, and gives insights into your competition's ad campaigns.
SEMRush offers three paid plans with prices that start at $139.95 per month. Huge savings await you if you pay annually.
2. Ahrefs
With features like backlink analysis, keyword research, and site audits, you'd think that Ahrefs is the same as SEMRush. These two work differently, and if you plan on focusing on backlink analysis, Ahrefs is the right choice. It is known for its vast and accurate backlink database and is considered the best in the industry.
Ahref's content marketing and gap analysis are also features that you won't find in SEMRush. It is the top choice for marketers and business owners who seek to optimize their websites through backlinks and content marketing. Pricing starts at $129 per month.
3. Screaming Frog
A highly specialized tool, Screaming Frog is the search engine optimization tool in digital marketing you didn't know you needed. It crawls your website and does technical audits to help identify issues that can affect its search engine rankings and performance. It finds broken links (404 errors), analyzes metadata and page titles, and checks for duplicate content, among many others.
Screaming Frog also detects redirect chains and loops, generates an XML sitemap, and audits H1 and H2 tags. Its log file analyzer allows you to understand how search engines such as Google crawl your site. It has a free version that lets you crawl up to 500 URLs and a paid version with pricing that starts at $259 per year.
4. Animalz Revive
If you're looking to boost website traffic to your existing content, Animalz Revive is the exact SEO tool for this task. It identifies declining content and recommends ways to revive it. It also tracks all your content's performance to keep it evergreen. It boosts organic traffic, improves user experience, adapts to algorithm changes, and has many other valuable features.
Animalz Revive works by reviewing your business' Google Analytics to find blog articles with a decaying traffic trend. The best part is that this is a free SEO tool. You only need to give it access to your Google Analytics and your email address, where it will send you its report.
5. Answer The Public
A content research and keyword tool, Answer The Public, helps marketers and business owners understand what people are searching for. It will give you insights into questions and phrases that they enter into search engines. This lets you create content that answers their queries.
Answer The Public can generate content ideas, do visual keyword research, understand user intent, and find long-tail keywords, among many other things. It has a free version, three premium plans, and a lifetime plan that's 90% cheaper than other search engine optimization tools for digital marketing.
6. Woorank's SEO & Website Analysis Tool
A comprehensive SEO solution, Woorank's SEO & Website Analysis Tool analyzes and improves your website's SEO performance. It features detailed audits, keyword and backlink analysis, competitor insights, and suggestions for optimizing on-page and technical SEO factors. It also checks your website's mobile-friendliness and page speed and assesses its social media presence, to name a few.
Woorank performs technical SEO checks to ensure search engines crawl and index your site. It also evaluates your content's quality in terms of readability, originality, and keyword optimization. Pricing starts at $89.99 per month.
7. Google Lighthouse
A powerful tool for analyzing and improving your website's page quality, Google Lighthouse provides detailed audits on your site's performance, accessibility, best practices, and other SEO-specific factors. This ensures that your website meets modern web standards to deliver better user experiences. Its key features include evaluation of performance metrics, progressive web app audits, custom audits, and many others.
Google Lighthouse is an open-source tool available through several methods, such as Chrome DevTools, Chrome Extension, and Lighthouse CLI. This makes it a valuable resource for all SEO endeavors.
8. HubSpot
Although HubSpot primarily works as an inbound marketing, sales, and customer service platform, it also offers SEO tools for digital marketing. Its tools provide SEO recommendations, help with content strategy, research relevant keywords, analyze your website's individual pages, and offer many other features.
Additionally, HubSpot has analytics and reporting tools that will give you detailed reports on SEO performance. This includes traffic sources, conversion rates, and user behaviors. Pricing starts at $800 per month.
9. Moz Pro
Another valuable search engine optimization tool for digital marketing is Moz Pro. It scans your website to uncover technical SEO issues such as broken links, missing meta tags, duplicate content, and others that can affect your SEO performance. It has keyword research features, rank-tracking capabilities, and a backlink analysis tool.
Moz Pro can also help you optimize individual web pages, analyze your competitors' SEO strategies, and provide SEO insights and recommendations. It offers a free 30-day trial and three premium plans with monthly subscription fees starting at $49.
10. BuzzSumo
A versatile content research and social media analytics tool, BuzzSumo can analyze and optimize your content strategies. It can help you discover popular and trending content in your niche, analyze your competitors' SEO strategies, monitor your brand's social media engagement, and identify influencers that can help promote your business.
BuzzSumo can also generate content ideas, provide detailed performance metrics, and give insights into the backlinks that point to your content. It has different pricing plans depending on the tool and features you subscribe to.