You want to outrank the competition, but the problem is your competition also wants to outrank you. So, what can you do to make sure you’ll beat them to the punch? The answer is staring you in the face, and it’s SEO tools. However, everyone is continually trying to up their SEO games using whatever they can find in any way possible.
With a whole slew of new SEO tools popping out of every corner, finding one that’ll improve your site’s standing can be a bit tricky. So, we did some digging and compiled a small list of the best SEO tools used and recommended by professionals that are sure to help you outrank the competition.
1. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most widely recommended SEO tools out there, and the reasons are plenty. If you’re not an SEO expert yourself, Ahrefs can help you do just as good a job. It’s also a bit of an all-rounder offering multiple benefits and features you can use t your advantage. Using the right keywords is the foundation of good SEO, and Ahref’s keyword explorer is a true standout in the field.
It offers site auditing to optimize the website, competitors analysis so you can see what you’re up against, and a keyword explorer that’ll help you rank higher in no time at all. In addition, this tool doesn’t only help get your foot in the door but offers continuous progress as time goes on and the opportunity to learn. Using Content Explorer, you can learn how to format content by observing the best-performing articles in your niche – pretty nifty if you ask me.
Ahrefs has a few pricing plans and a free trial to prove its effectiveness before you decide to spend money on it. However, if you do intend to purchase this tool, we’d suggest giving an annual subscription a look because it comes with a significant discount.
2. SEMRush
If you’re on the lookout for a marketing SEO tool, look no further than this fan favorite. SEMRush is unparalleled when it comes to creating content that ranks. It helps you find the correct popular topics but still fall under your niche, offers tips to create SEO-friendly content, and improves content based on real-time metrics. To see your progress, there’s also a feature that tracks brand mentions and content reach.
Another truly standout feature is the domain vs. domain comparison. By utilizing this feature, you can compare our site to anyone else’s to gain valuable insight into what works and needs tweaking. When it comes to PPC campaigns, SEMRush once more takes the cake. It aids in finding the correct keywords, optimizes advertising spend on a local level and monitors the competitors landing pages. In essence, for marketing purposes – there’s no better choice.
As one could probably expect, being the best tool in the game, the price matches the number of features SEMRush offers. The cheapest plan, featuring only some of them, comes to $119/month. This is a considerable amount of money to spend for small in-house teams, but if you can manage it, it’s well worth it.
3. Moz Pro
Moz Pro is hailed as one of the best SEO tools you can use overall. Despite Google’s constant algorithm updates, this tool seems to work no matter what changes. And that’s not a thing many tools can say for themselves. Much like SEMRush, Moz Pro is an all-rounder and has tons of features and targets pretty much every SEO concern you might have.
Moz Pro has a great keyword research tool that’s been operational since 2004 – tried and tested right there. All keywords can be managed, stored, categorized, and prioritized to make adding them into your content seamless, with rank tracking your impact and keeping one eye out for the competition. Stay one step ahead to always be on top of the game.
Besides these tools, Moz Pro also offers on-page SEO optimization, link research, and custom reports. Pricing starts at $99/month, but it can get a bit cheaper if you opt for an annual plan.
4. SpyFu
This tool didn’t come up as often as the previous three suggestions during our research, but it has some fantastic features that could help push your site up in those rankings. SpyFu has stellar customer reviews, and more than a few SEO experts put in a good word. The sheer number of options and SEO tools alone is staggering. Everything SpyFu offers is divided into four categories, SEO research, PPC research, Keyword research, and extra features.
All of these include most of the features previously mentioned in connection with other tools on this list; only SpyFu has pretty much all of them. With the help of this tool, you can easily research, track, monitor, and increase organic traffic in no time at all. But its standout features lie in the PPC category with ad history and Google Ads competitors.
In addition, even their professional plans tend to cost a bit less than the other tools we’ve mentioned, starting as low as $48/month. So, if you’re looking for an SEO tool with as many features as you can count but can’t afford something like Ahrefs or SEMRush, SpyFu is a great choice.
Other Great Tools
Aside from the ones we mentioned, there are other tools you could find helpful, so we’ll give you a few more valuable recommendations you can check out. All of them are single goal-oriented.
Keyword Tools
- Ubbersuggest
- KWFinder
- Soolve
Link Building tools
- HARO
- Streak
Local SEO Tools
- Google Analytics
- BrightLocal
- GrowthBar
Final Thoughts
After producing quality content, SEO should be a top priority. But no one man can do this alone. We gave you a list accompanied by a short description of the best you can get.
So, do a bit more digging and decide on the perfect tool for your business. There isn’t much you can do without SEO these days, so it’s time to get on it.
