Search Engine Optimisation is everywhere, but it’s something that few of us think about. But SEO is vital for any business that wants to rank in the search engines. In this post, we’re going to discuss the best SEO tools for small and medium enterprises.
Is SEO That Important?
Yes, yes and yes! The fact is without SEO, ranking on search engines is a game of luck. Every time someone asks a question to Google, they use a set of words. Google’s crawlers scan content that contains these words and ranks the website according to their algorithm.
If you don’t optimise your content to include these keywords, then it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever reach that coveted first-page rank status. As you can see from these statistics from The Search Engine Journal, you should never underestimate how powerful SEO can be.
Here are some of the biggest reasons SEO is vital for your business:
User Experience: Google ranks websites based on the experience they offer users. When a site focuses on SEO, people visiting the site often find the information they need through backlinks and internal linking strategies too.
More Buyers: Everyone (and we mean everyone) does their research before buying a product or service. They look at reviews and ask questions to find out if they’re investing their money wisely. SEO provides answers to questions, so combining it with your products can result in more sales.
Save Money: Using Facebook and Google to create adverts costs money. The best thing about SEO is it saves you money on other marketing methods and enables you to invest that money in other areas of your business.
It’s for the Long-Term: SEO is a long-term strategy. Yes, you’ll spend a lot of time optimising your website and content at first, but it’s worth the effort. Once you appear on the first page of Google, you’ll have an endless stream of free traffic.
So, now you know why SEO is essential for businesses of all sizes, let’s take a look at the best SEO tools around. Whether you’ve got hundreds to spend on optimisation or are looking for a free application that doesn’t skimp on its tools, then read on.
Premium SEO Tools
The following tools are the ones used by big businesses. Yes, they can be expensive, but their features are well worth the money. Investing in your SEO can turn your business around, so let’s take a look at the best SEO software for premium users.
Ahrefs: Starts at $99 per month.
If you’ve heard of SEO, then the chances are you know about Ahrefs. It’s one of the most effective SEO tools on the internet, and many companies credit Ahrefs with helping them build and scale their business.
The SEO platform has all of the tools you’d expect, including keyword research, website audits and competitor analysis. One of the things we like most about Ahrefs is the site audit feature. While most tools give a basic overview, Ahref’s site audit tells you exactly where the issues lie on your website and how to correct them.
Overall, Ahrefs is a fantastic tool – but it does come at a price. If you can afford to invest in the software, then you should give it a go and see how it can turn your business around.
SEMRush: Starts at $99.95 per month.
SEMRush is a definite favourite among marketers and SEO professionals. The easy-to-use platform packs a range of features, including highlighting your opportunities to rank. If you’re looking for a way to analyse your competition, the domain to domain feature can show you how you build your backlinks.
If you’re looking for a host of features, then SEMRush won’t disappoint. At Zapp, we particularly love the SEO writing aid because it makes it simple to optimise each piece of content and measures the keyword density on each web page.
Moz SEO Software: Starts at $99 per month.
Moz is another fan favourite because of its ease-of-use. While many SEO tools take time to learn, you’ll pick up Moz without a problem. The platform comes with all of the features you’d expect to see, but there’s also a lot more to offer.
SEO specialists choose Moz because of the toolbar application. There’s also a page optimiser with step by step instructions on how to improve your SEO score. Google changes its algorithm regularly, but Moz somehow manages to hold its own and continues to offer one of the best SEO tools available today.
Cora: Starts at £250 per month.
Cora comes with an incredibly expensive price tag, but it’s also one of the most advanced SEO tools around. The expert software analyses your website for 2040 ranking factors, giving you the best chance of getting onto that coveted first page of Google.
You can also run monthly reports on a static site and gain valuable feedback about the algorithm. Overall, Cora is an incredible tool, but it’s more suited to the pros. At $250 a month, you’ll want to make sure you can understand the complex software before you commit.
Budget SEO Tools
It’s hard when you have a small business because your budget can limit what you can do to market your company. Spend too little, and you won’t get anywhere, but spend too much, and it could place you in debt and perhaps even ruin your business.
Luckily there are two fantastic budget options for SEO apps. Here they are.
Mangools – Starts at $29 per month
Mangools packs a host of features, and it comes with a very reasonable price tag. The platform contains four useful apps for small businesses that need to up their game. Mangools keyword planner features an auto-complete, relevant words and questions sections, with detailed information of keyword difficulty.
There is also a SERP feature so you can track your companies rankings and monitor other businesses for their keywords and backlinks. Overall Mangools is a welcoming budget option as it has a vast selection of features. The lowest-cost plan is applicable when you pay annually.
Majestic – Starts at $49.99 per month
Majestic is one of the top SEO tools around today, and it has some unique features. For example, The Majestic Million lists the top websites in the world and their rank, which can help you see what it takes to get to the top.
You can also use the keyword tool to find high ranking optimisation opportunities. Majestic is renowned as an expert backlink checker, and it allows you to add your website along with your competitors.
Overall, specialists love Majestic, but if you’re looking for a tool that’s easy to use, you might find the platform too complicated.
Free SEO Tools
Just because an SEO platform is free, doesn’t mean it’s useless. Many of the apps on our list have a free option with limited features. Let’s take a look at our top three SEO tools that won’t cost you a penny.
Google is a powerhouse platform, and it has so many useful apps for your website. The best thing is, they’re completely free! We particularly love three applications from the internet giants:
Keyword Planner: Users can view a range of keyword suggestions, look at how popular they are and choose ones that fit your SEO strategy.
Trends: Google Trends is the go-to place for content marketers because it enables them to look at which topics are trending and how the trends change over time.
Search Console: Analytics measures a range of factors, but Google Search Console tracks your organic visitors. It focuses on your search engine marketing strategy, making it an invaluable tool when you need to improve your organic rankings.
Answer the Public
If you’re struggling to find topics to write about, then Answer the Public is the tool you’ve been searching for. It focuses on showing you what others are asking. For example, if you typed in Small Business into the search, you’d find a range of popular small business topics and questions.
It’s also a great way to find keywords, through looking at the results that Answer the Public offers. Overall, this is a wonderful tool, and it’s also ideal if you want a complete list of topics you can write about in under five minutes.
SpyFu
SpyFu does have a premium version, but it’s free features go above and beyond most other top SEO tools. If you’re just starting with SEO, you can use the free version and upgrade when you’re ready.
The free features of SpyFu include keyword research, competitor analysis, and our favourite is the ability to check out your competitors’ adverts. SpyFu is a fantastic app that gives you in-depth insights that should come at a premium price but remains completely free.
The Wrap Up
While some things go out of style, SEO will be around for the foreseeable future. Remember, building an effective SEO strategy takes time, but once you have content that ranks on the search engines, it’s free traffic.
If you’d like some help using your choice of the best SEO tools, then don’t hesitate to contact us today. Zapp is an expert website management platform that saves you time, money and a lot of headaches! Contact us today, or check out our blog for other helpful tips and guides.