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12 SEO Tools to Drive Results
Finding the right tools for the job makes things go a lot faster and easier. Just try installing a new fence without a power miter saw and you will experience exactly what I mean. While knowing the right steps to take to complete a job are the starting point, it’s essential to have the right tools at your disposal to tackle the nuances which are sure to appear.
Working smarter and faster on any project is the name of the game. This is definitely true with SEO!
The trick is having a toolbox filled with the specialty tools to help you encounter any situation. The good news is rather than forcing you to go to Home Depot or Lowe’s to get stocked up, you can check out our list of tools below. Note that the many of the tools outlined below are completely free while others require you to sign up to use them. In any case, if you want to give your SEO a boost check out these tools.
Free SEO Tools
The site will test the page load time of your website. The reason this tool is listed first is because it also provides important waterfall information and offers actionable optimization steps to improve page load time. Very helpful for a non-technical professional who can forward the results to their web developer to discuss the findings.
This free Google tool will test the page load speed of any site on the web. The difference is that Google uses a scoring system to indicate how well the site is performing. The drawback is there is no waterfall report, but the good news is Google does offer a lot of technical insights and a series of mini-audits. Use the two tools in combination to dig deep into opportunities.
Setting up an account is free and can be completed with the help of your webmaster. Besides providing dozens of pieces of information about site performance, traffic (including social media channels) and keywords, it also offers insights on page load time. As a bonus, if you use Google Search Console or Google Ads, the accounts can be linked.
Awesome tool from Google that shows how often a subject or search term has been queried in the search engine. There are also some other cool features such as the Year in Search feature which shows the most searched terms and topics for a given year (It’s fun to look at in case of restlessness!). You can see what was trending in almost every country on the globe.
As local SEO has become more important, so has the need for positive local reviews. Make it easy on your organization to capture Google reviews by using their review link generator tool. Follow the step by step directions outlined here, and creating a link to share with customers is easy.
Another free Google tool that many are unaware of because while it’s designed to focus on the technical aspects of website administration, there are a few hidden gems that can help with SEO. The Search Analytics section will share super valuable information about the site’s performance for various keyword terms. What makes this unique is that Google will tell you how many times your site appeared (impressions) and the click-through rate (CTR). So, you can identify the terms where your site is appearing but not winning clicks. This will allow you to identify areas of opportunity in your SEO approach.
Added bonus – if there is a security issue with your website, this is where Google will email you to let you know!
Okay I am not sure if this is a pure SEO tool, but it is a very useful service offered by Google. The service allows you to receive an alert from Google anytime information on a specific topic is added to Google. This tool has been used to monitor company reputation, and to get information on RFP issuance (relevant in certain industries). This is a must have for everyone’s toolbox.
This free tool will allow you to check the backlinks coming to a website. This is especially useful when engaging in link building and identifying what sites link to you (and even better your competitors).
Funny name but the value this tool brings is no laughing matter. This tool offers the ability to implement website tracking through heatmaps. Visitor sessions can be recorded to understand how site visitors interact with the visual elements and other content on your site. Very helpful if you are looking to understand how CTA’s and other visual elements are performing.
For several years Google has emphasized the need for mobile-friendly sites. To make it easy for business owners and others to understand the friendliness of their site, they developed a free tool that not only identifies if a page is mobile friendly but also gives access to additional resources on mobile sites. What makes this tool super cool is you can cut and paste the code from any site and analyze it as well. Different but fun!.
This is a really cool tool that let’s anyone check how effective a website is at “responding” to various devices. Responsive websites are central to the mobile experience and assessed as part of the various user experience (UX) variables by Google and other search engines. It’s a fun way to check on your current site, and a good tool to test your web developer if in the middle of a web redesign.
Good tool for keyword research, and since it’s from Google you know there is very interesting data awaiting you. In order to access the planner, you will need to have an Ad (formerly AdWords) account, but don’t worry, there is no need to actually purchase an ad. The insights offered here are a good compliment to what many of the premium keyword research tools such as Moz, SEMRush and more can offer.
There are literally dozens of new features, and while some are definitely PPC related, there are others that are not.
Conclusion
If you want to bring your SEO to the next level, then it’s essential to have the right tools at your disposal. While most of the tools outlined in this post are free to use, the reality is that it’s more than likely you will need to use a premium tool at some point, if you are going to make serious progress in your efforts. There are dozens of premium keyword research and link building tools available if you are interested in going that route.
In the meantime, what are some of the SEO tools you have found valuable? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.\
