15 SEO Tools To Optimize Your Website

Search engine optimization has become a MUST for anyone who owns a website. We live in an era where the website's interactivity or outlook is no longer the only critical aspect since a website would have no value if it does not have adequate user reach.
However, SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) is not a one-time thing. This is because the search engines regularly update their algorithm to rank web pages based on the data they are fed by web crawlers( Bots). Thus, it is an on-going process that involves retaining your ranking while continuously improving. But you are not alone. There are numerous advanced tools that can help you with your optimization, and the following are a few of them.

1. Google Searh Console

Google Seach Console is a collection of services that can help you understand how the Google search engine works. It is available for free and is used in many ways in the process of SEO. Its services can be considered essential if you are concerned about your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking. However, it does focus more on Google. But if you can do well on Google’s search engine, you will most probably do well on others too.
Most importantly, Google Search Console is easy to understand and use. It is also easy to connect to your website and start optimizing.

Key features of Google Search Console include :

• Observes what Google thinks of your page
• Analyzes the keywords used to access your page
• Tracks your backlinks
• Updates the robot.txt file that tells the crawlers which pages of your site should be accessed
• Be vigilant of any crawls, meta tags, and sitemap errors
• Pinpoint areas in your page affected by malware

2. SEMrush

SEMrush is a tool that can help you analyze keywords. It can track the number of users looking for specific terms and also report back on similar keywords, products, and advertisements. Thus, if you are someone who benefits a lot from researches based on keywords, SEMrush is a tool you must have.
Surprisingly, the tool can also tell you about your competitors. It can track competitor strategies, tell you what keywords they use, their backlinks, user reach, and it can even analyze the percentage of that reach coming from paid advertisements. You can even take an in-depth look at how your competitors’ text and media advertisements are performing. This will actually save a lot of cost for you since you will have prior knowledge as to what sort of advertisements are most effective.

Key features of SEMrush include :

• Identifies the ranking keywords your competitors use and the reach generated through them
• Analyzes the performance of competitor ads
• Analyzes the value of specific queries
• Investigates backlinks of other sites

However, understanding SEMrush is not going to be as easy given the range of services it offers. Moreover, the tool lets you retrieve only ten results per day for free, and you should register as a premium account holder for anything more.

3. BuzzStream

BuzzStream is quite a handy all-in-one tool that offers a wide array of services. It is most commonly used for domain research, project management, and email marketing. BuzzStream plans start at a price of US$24 per month. The tool can collect and analyze data, and it can retrieves data for the keywords you search. It has the ability to report to you on important details of the website, such as their overall rankings, authority, linked social media accounts, domain age, and so much more. Such services can be beneficial for SEO audits since you will be able to research your competitors and their content and know their authors to keep track of what they are up to.

Key features of BuzzStream include :

• Identify and research your competition based on keywords
• Find out your competitors’ Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking
• Retrieve domain age and data regarding social media profiles linked to pages
• Identify page authors and track what they are up to

4. Moz Pro

Moz Pro is a collection of optimization tools that are based on a data-driven approach. It is quite similar to SEMrush as it can conduct in-depth research on keywords. Moz Pro has a trial period of one month. Its regular plan starts at US$99 per month. This tool lets you easily analyze your keywords, even the long-tail ones, to know whether they will rank well. This will be displayed to you in the form of a difficulty score for each term. The tool also facilitates keyword comparisons and will tell you how many people are researching that term. Basically, Moz Pro can analyze how effective your keywords are and what keywords you need to use for better performance.
Moreover, similar to Google Search Console, Moz Pro is also capable of identifying areas with crawling errors and suggesting tips to optimize your page. One of the most prominent reasons why Moz Pro is popular in the community is because of its interface. They have a straightforward and user-friendly outlook that is actually pretty amazing. In addition to that, they also have a Google Chrome extension that you can use on web pages you visit.

Key features of Moz Pro include :

• Analyzing keywords, their competitiveness and search volume
• Receive tips on keywords
• Research competitors and the keywords they use
• Keyword comparison with customized lists
• Utilize the chrome extension and analyze pages without going through the Moz site
• On-page optimization tips
• Get notified of crawling errors

5. Linkody

As the name itself suggests, Linkody is a tool used to research and analyze backlinks. It has a 30 day trial period after which its regular plans start at US$14.90 per month. Linkody is comparatively a lot cheaper and is less complicated unlike many other tools. Linkody can unearth links connected to your page while also revealing the keywords used by these particular links. More importantly, it also allows you to disclaim any links that you think are not suitable for your page. This will come in useful if you identify spam links or other improper links that can blacklist you from search engines. In addition to the above, Linkody lets you connect to Google Analytics and also allows you to generate reports that can be useful in monitoring your page. Furthermore, you can generate reports that will be useful for your clients as well.

Key features of Linkody include :

• Reveal and analyze your page’s backlinks
• Disclaim any unnecessary backlinks
• Monitor and control your social shares
• Connect to Google Analytics
• Generates reports that can be sent to your clients

6. Ontolo

Ontolo is a tool that helps you identify SEO and marketing opportunities. It is built on the concept of taking SEO beyond the use of keywords. The tool is available for a price of US$97 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Backlink building is critical, but finding the most effective opportunities can be exhausting. Thus, Ontolo helps you find out backlink and guest posting opportunities that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. The probability of finding amazing options is pretty high irrespective of the keywords you look for since the tool can generate possibilities based on data collected from over 80 sources.

Key features of Ontolo include :

• Identify backlink and guest posting opportunities
• Generate the best options using data retrieved from over 80 sources
• Export prospects to share with other parties
• Research using simple and easy-to-understand reports

7. HubSpot’s Website Grader

HubSpot’s Website Grader is a very easy to use completely free tool. The tool is capable of generating a report for any domain you enter, and this report consists of separate scores for the domain’s performance, security, SEO, and mobile-friendliness. At the end of the day, this report will give you a comprehensive analysis of your web page with tips and suggestions for improvement.

Critical features of HubSpot’s Website Grader :

• Analyze your page’s performance, security, SEO and mobile-friendliness
• Grade's different aspects of your website
• Provides tips and suggestions for improvement

8. Google AdWords Keyword Planner

Google AdWords Keyword Planner is a popular all-inclusive tool when it comes to keyword research and it is absolutely free! The tool can research keywords and estimate the traffic generated by each term while also analyzing their competitiveness based on each term’s AdWord price. To avoid getting unnecessary information, the tool lets you choose the avenues for which you require estimates. Moreover, it also enables you to filter terms based on their Cost-Per-Click (CPC) and search volume. Despite being similar to other keyword research tools, Google AdWords Keyword Planner is more famous after as it is a part of the Google family. Thus, it is capable of generating detailed reports with a lot of valuable insights.

Key features of the tool include :

• Analyze the search volume of keywords
• Analyze the competitiveness of a keyword with respect to its CPC
• Generate detailed reports for keywords

9. WooRank

WooRank is a tool quite similar to HubSpot’s Website Grader. WooRank can generate reports inclusive of a single comprehensive mark for any domain name you feed. It also provides suggestions for improving the SEO and mobile-friendliness of the particular site. The tool is available for free but also offers premium options starting at US$59.99 per month. Moreover, WooRank provides you an analysis with regard to your backlinks and their performance. But the most respected service it renders is its solid tips for improvement. They have proven to be very effective when improving the sites’ usability and performance. All-embracing, WooRank can literally pinpoint the areas of strengths and weaknesses of your website.

Key features of WooRank include :

• Analyze the overall performance of your page inclusive of SEO and user-friendliness
• Analyze your site’s backlinks
• Analyze your site’s authority
• Provide tips and suggestions for improvement

10. Varvy SEO Tool

Varvy SEO is another tool similar to WooRank and HubSpot’s Website Grader when it comes to how it works. The tool is available for free and is capable of generating reports for any domain name that it is fed. However, Varvy SEO’s reports focus on whether or not your site is following Google’s SEO guidelines. Varvy SEO Tool would be very beneficial to those who new to SEO as it provides a comprehensive and detailed report of your web page while also emphasizing why they are important. It checks for your speed, user-friendliness, on-site SEO, and so much more. It is also very fast and provides a lot of additional reading for you to expand your knowledge.

Key features of Varvy SEO Tool include :

• Investigates whether your site adheres to Google’s guidelines
• Generates quick but detailed reports about your site
• Includes suggestions for improvement for identified issues

11. Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog is a seasoned crawler that can perform a wide range of optimization tasks. A limited version of the tool with fewer features can be accessed for free while the premium plans start at a price of US$191 per annum. Thus, you can actually test Screaming Frog for free before making an investment.
The tool is capable of finding and fixing broken redirects and backlinks. It can also generate sitemaps using XML and connect them to Google Analytics. Furthermore, Screaming Frog is deemed to be more beneficial for online stores as it is capable of using XPath or Regex to retrieve data about prices, stock keeping units (SKUs), and so much more.

Key features of Screaming Frog include :

• Identify and mend broken backlinks and redirects
• Analyze titles and metadata
• Identify and rectify duplicate content and pages

12. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is considered to be the number one WordPress SEO plugin since it is an all-inclusive SEO tool. A limited-edition of the tool with fewer features can be accessed for free, whereas the premium plans with advanced features such as content assistance start at a price of US$89 per year. The premium accounts also include a 24/7 support team consisting of experts who can support you with your necessities.
Yoast SEO can conduct readability checks and also set Canonical URLs if you have pages that can be visited through multiple URLs. Moreover, it also lets you preview pages on Google, Facebook, and Twitter while also engaging in keyword optimization.

Key features of Yoast SEO include :

• Keyword optimization
• Feeding metadata to search engines that will help understand the site’s content
• Avoid content duplication
• Automates critical SEO tasks such as sitemap generation and permalink optimization

13. Link-able

Link-able is an SEO tool that handles optimization in a unique way. It helps boost your SEO, generate user traffic and also improve your backlinks. Link-able acts like a freelancing site for marketers and authors. While it is entirely free to sign up, they do charge a percentage of each job transaction.
Marketers can post requests for backlinks on the Link-able website. The request will tell the author the kind of backlink that the marketer wants to create along with any other details the marketer assumes would be useful. Afterward, the authors who have access to this database can analyze requests and send proposals to marketers if they think they can do the job. The marketers will evaluate the proposals, and link-able connects the two parties if he is satisfied by a particular proposal.

Key features of Link-able include :

• Availability of expert authors who have undergone the onerous recruitment process of Link-able
• Finding and connecting relevant authors who match marketer requests
• Lets you focus on your content while allowing experts to handle backlink creation

14. Serpstat

Serpstat is a fairly new SEO tool that uses a data-driven approach for analysis. It includes an SEO Audit, a backlink analyzer, and a competitor tracker. The tool is free but has a query limit. To increase the query capacity, you can sign up for a lite plan that starts at US$69 per month. Serpstat follows a project-oriented structure whose components are neatly displayed on a dashboard. These components can be parts of your site classified as groups or individual projects.
Serpstat can be used to identify broken links, analyze reasons for slow speeds, and so much more. Furthermore, the tool’s features can be accessed through the project list available.

Key features of Serpstat include :

• An online auditing tool that reveals and fixes issues on your site
• Capable of handling and monitoring a wider range of sites for your clients
• Compatible with Mac and PC operating systems
• Acts as a market intelligence tool that can analyze your global and regional competition

15. Serpstat

Ahrefs is a data analysis and optimization tool that gives you access to Ahrefs Academy, an online learning area with a vast amount of knowledge. It is available for a 7 day trial at US$7 and also a 4 tier plan starting at US$99 per month. Ahrefs is most popular for being able to analyze your content and monitor keyword performance. The tool can tell you which of your contents performed well in organic searches and social media platforms while also finding content related to your keywords that have not been linked to you before.
The tool also has a well-organized dashboard that gives you a comprehensive view of all of your projects. Ahrefs is known to provide golden insights as it crawls more than 5 billion pages every day.

Key features of Ahrefs include :

• Analyze competitor rankings for organic searches
• Has access to a large data repository
• Able to provide valuable insights
• Has access to a Search Traffic index consisting of nearly 489 million keywords emanating from 155 countries

At the end of the day, the effort you put into your site may not reap any benefits unless it is optimized. Hence, SEO has become a critical aspect of the web arena. Therefore, use the wide range of SEO tools that are now available at your fingertips. Input an equal amount of effort to improve your page rankings while also generating more user traffic.