20 SEO Tools to Boost Your Rankings

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20 Powerful SEO Tools to Improve Your Search Engine Optimization

SEO is an ever-evolving field, and having the right tools is essential to staying ahead of the competition. From keyword research to backlink analysis, technical audits to content optimisation, these 20 SEO tools will help you improve your website’s search engine visibility and performance. Choose the tools that best suit your needs and start optimising your website for long-term success.

1) Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is one of the most effective tools for monitoring your website’s performance in Google search results. Provided by Google, this tool allows you to track indexing status, detect errors, and analyze critical metrics.

Key features:

  • Search performance reports (clicks, impressions, and rankings)
  • Index coverage analysis
  • Mobile usability reports
  • On-page SEO and keyword performance analysis

Alternative: Bing Webmaster Tools (free)


Google Search Console is essential for tracking the health of your website in Google search results. Use it to identify any issues with your site’s indexing and improve visibility by fixing errors in the Coverage report.

2) SEMrush

Key Features:

  • Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis: Discover valuable keywords and analyze how competitors are performing in search rankings.
  • Website Audit for Technical SEO: Run audits on your website to identify technical issues and improve overall SEO performance.
  • Backlink Analysis & Monitoring: Track and analyze backlinks to ensure you’re gaining valuable links and maintaining a strong link profile.
  • Daily Rank Tracking: Monitor your website’s rankings on search engines and track performance over time.

Free Features:
SEMrush offers a free plan with limited daily reports and keyword queries. While the free plan is useful for basic SEO activities, it has certain restrictions. To access detailed data, advanced tools, and deeper insights, users will need to upgrade to a paid plan.

Alternative: Ahrefs (paid)

Note: SEMrush is a valuable tool for anyone looking to enhance their SEO strategy. It provides in-depth insights into every part of SEO, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced professionals. However, due to its advanced features, it is most beneficial for those ready to invest in a paid plan for full access.

3) Ahrefs

Ahrefs is one of the best backlink analysis tools available. It provides detailed insights into backlink data, referring domains, and competitors’ strategies.

Key features:

  • Backlink analysis and competitive intelligence
  • Comprehensive domain information with Site Explorer
  • Content Explorer for discovering popular topics
  • Keyword research and rank tracking

Free features: Ahrefs offers a free “Ahrefs Webmaster Tools” plan that allows you to analyse your website and access limited backlink data. Full features are available with a paid plan.


Ahrefs is an essential tool for anyone looking to improve their backlink strategy and understand competitors’ tactics. Use it to uncover valuable insights and improve your website’s authority and rankings.

4) Moz Pro

Moz Pro is a great tool for both beginners and advanced SEO professionals. It offers easy-to-use features for everything from keyword research to link building.

Key features:

  • Keyword Explorer for keyword difficulty and search volume metrics
  • Link Explorer for backlink analysis
  • Page optimisation recommendations
  • Rank tracking

Free features: Moz offers a free Chrome extension, MozBar, for instant SEO analysis of web pages. Full functionality is available through Moz Pro paid plans.

Alternative: SpyFu (paid)

5)Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is an essential tool for WordPress users, focusing on optimising content for both search engines and readers.

Key features:

  • On-page SEO analysis (content readability, keyword usage)
  • Snippet preview (meta titles and descriptions)
  • XML Sitemap creation
  • Social media integration

Free features: The free version of Yoast SEO provides basic SEO features for WordPress users. For advanced features, we recommend upgrading to Yoast SEO Premium.

Alternatives: Rank Math (Free & Paid)

6) Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is an excellent keyword research tool that also offers competitive data and SEO auditing features, ideal for small businesses and beginners.

Key features:

  • Keyword research and traffic analysis
  • Backlink analysis
  • Site audit for SEO errors
  • Competitor analysis and rank tracking

Free features: Ubersuggest offers limited keyword queries and reports in its free version. Upgrading to a paid plan gives access to more comprehensive data.

Alternative: Keyword Tool (free & paid)

7) Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog is a tool designed to analyse SEO issues and crawl your website. It helps to identify broken links, duplicate content and other on-page SEO factors.

Key features:

  • Crawls websites to find broken links
  • Identifies duplicate content
  • Checks meta descriptions, title tags and headers
  • Analyses page speed

Free features: The free version of Screaming Frog allows you to crawl up to 500 pages. For larger sites and advanced features, the paid plan is required.

Alternative: Sitebulb (paid)

Screaming Frog is highly effective for SEO audits, enabling you to identify issues like broken links and duplicate content that can impact your rankings. Use it to ensure your website’s technical SEO is up to par.

8) Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO focuses on on-page optimisation, analysing how your content performs based on various ranking factors.

Key features:

  • Content editor for optimisation recommendations
  • SERP analyser for competitive insights
  • Keyword research and clustering analysis
  • On-page optimisation tools

Free features: Surfer SEO’s free plan offers limited functionality suitable for basic SEO tasks. Full features require a paid plan.

Alternative: Frase (paid)

9) SpyFu

SpyFu specialises in competitor analysis, showing what keywords your competitors are ranking for and their advertising strategies. It’s a great tool for building your own strategy.

Key features:

  • Competitor keyword research (organic and paid)
  • Domain comparison for backlink analysis
  • Rank tracking and historical data
  • PPC campaign insights

Free features: SpyFu offers limited keyword and competitor reports for free. Access to more detailed data requires a paid plan.

10. Google Analytics

 Google Analytics is a powerful tool for tracking website traffic, user behaviour, and conversion data. It is an essential tool for understanding how users interact with your website, which pages are performing well, and where improvements are needed. By using its features, you can make data-driven decisions that improve the user experience and increase conversion rates. With its robust reporting capabilities, Google Analytics gives you a comprehensive view of your website’s performance across multiple metrics, allowing you to track the success of your SEO, marketing, and content strategies.

Key features include:

  • Track website traffic and user behaviour in real-time
  • Monitor conversions and sales goals with custom tracking setups
  • Audience segmentation and in-depth reporting to understand demographics and behaviour
  • Integration with Google Ads, Search Console, and other marketing platforms for comprehensive insights
  • Customisable dashboards for easy tracking of key metrics
  • Advanced eCommerce tracking for online stores

Important note:

Google Analytics is a cornerstone tool for any website, providing in-depth insights into traffic patterns, user engagement, and conversion optimisation. By using Google Analytics, you can not only track the volume of traffic to your website, but also gain valuable information about your visitors’ behaviour—such as which pages they spend the most time on, where they leave your site, and how they interact with your content.

Understanding these factors is critical to optimising your site’s performance, increasing user engagement, and ultimately improving conversion rates. Whether you’re tracking organic search traffic, paid advertising, or social media performance, Google Analytics helps you make data-driven decisions that lead to greater success.

11.Google Keyword Planner

A free tool from Google Ads, Keyword Planner helps you find the most relevant keywords for your SEO and PPC campaigns.

Key features:

  • Keyword discovery with search volume data
  • Cost per click (CPC) insights for paid campaigns
  • Seasonal trends and performance predictions
  • Ad group ideas

Free features: Completely free, but requires a Google Ads account for access.

Important Note: Keyword Planner is a vital tool for both SEO and PPC campaigns. By helping you discover the most relevant keywords, it allows you to target the right audience, improve your search rankings, and optimize your paid search ads. Additionally, Keyword Planner provides valuable insights into search trends, making it easier to plan campaigns based on what is currently popular or seasonal.

Why use it? The tool’s keyword discovery feature shows not only the volume of searches but also provides cost-per-click (CPC) data, allowing you to tailor your paid search campaigns more effectively. If you are looking to enhance your SEO efforts, Keyword Planner helps you target keywords with high traffic potential, leading to greater visibility and engagement with your audience.

Alternative: WordStream (free & paid)

12. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo helps you identify trending content and popular topics in your niche, allowing you to create shareable and engaging articles.

Key features:

  • Content research and trend analysis
  • Identify influencers in your niche
  • Track competitor content performance
  • Real-time social media engagement data

Free features: BuzzSumo offers a limited number of free searches. A subscription is required for unlimited access.

Alternative: Content Studio (paid)

13) GTmetrix

GTmetrix specializes in optimising website performance by analysing speed and load times. Website speed is a crucial factor for both user experience and SEO. GTmetrix allows you to monitor the loading times of your web pages, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to ensure your website performs optimally. By analysing factors like page load times and resource usage, GTmetrix helps you improve the speed of your site, which can lead to higher search engine rankings and better user satisfaction.

Key features include:

  • Page load time analysis to assess the speed of your website
  • Detailed waterfall breakdown of website assets to pinpoint performance bottlenecks
  • Recommendations to improve performance, including code optimisations and caching strategies
  • Mobile performance testing to ensure your site loads quickly on all devices

Free features:

Basic testing is free, allowing you to evaluate your website’s performance and access the core features of the tool. However, for advanced functionality such as historical data, mobile analytics, and deeper performance insights, you will need to subscribe to a premium plan. GTmetrix offers valuable insights into your site’s performance, but the most comprehensive reports and features are available through the paid plans.

14) Google PageSpeed Insights

PageSpeed Insights is a free tool from Google that analyses your website’s loading speed and provides actionable recommendations for improvement. Website speed is an important factor for user experience and SEO, as slow-loading pages can lead to higher bounce rates and lower rankings in search engines. PageSpeed Insights helps you evaluate how quickly your pages load, both on mobile and desktop devices, and gives suggestions to enhance performance, focusing on aspects like image optimization, script loading, and server response time.

Key features include:

  • Site speed score for mobile and desktop, helping you evaluate performance across devices
  • Suggestions for improving core web metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
  • Lab and field data to provide both simulated and real-world performance insights

Free features:

PageSpeed Insights is completely free and provides valuable insights into your site’s performance. It generates both lab data (simulated data) and field data (real user data) to give you a comprehensive understanding of how your website performs. While the tool is free to use, the most detailed suggestions and optimizations are based on the metrics it tracks, allowing you to make informed decisions to improve load times and user experience.

15) Hotjar

Hotjar helps you understand user behaviour on your website through heatmaps, session tracking, and feedback tools. By using Hotjar, you can gain valuable insights into how users interact with your website, which pages are getting the most attention, and where potential improvements can be made. The tool allows you to track user actions such as clicks, scrolling, and navigation paths, providing a visual representation of how users engage with your site. This data is critical for optimizing user experience and improving conversion rates.

Key features include:

  • Heatmaps to track clicks and scrolling, showing where users interact the most
  • Session records for analyzing individual user behaviour on your site
  • On-site surveys and feedback forms to collect direct insights from users
  • Conversion funnel analysis to identify where users drop off in your sales process

Free features:

Hotjar offers a free plan with basic heatmap and session tracking features, which is suitable for small websites or those just starting to analyze user behaviour. Paid plans provide advanced analytics and additional features such as unlimited session recordings, more heatmaps, and deeper insights into user interactions.

16) Looker Studio

Looker Studio is a free tool that enables you to create interactive and visually appealing reports by integrating data from multiple sources. It’s designed to simplify the process of turning raw data into insightful and actionable information that can be shared with stakeholders. With Looker Studio, users can create customisable reports and dashboards that combine data from a wide range of platforms, including Google Ads, Google Analytics, and other third-party services. This makes it a great tool for marketing professionals, business analysts, and anyone who needs to track and present data in a cohesive and visually engaging format.

Key features include:

  • Customisable dashboards and templates for creating personalised reports
  • Seamless integration with Google Ads, Google Analytics, and other data sources to consolidate information into one report
  • Real-time collaborative report creation, allowing teams to work together on shared reports
  • Advanced data visualisation tools such as charts, graphs, tables, and geo-maps to present data clearly
  • Scheduled report delivery to keep your team up-to-date with the latest data automatically

Important note:

Looker Studio is an essential tool for creating data-driven reports that are both informative and visually engaging. It is perfect for teams that need to track marketing metrics, campaign performance, and other key business data. By offering integration with major platforms like Google Ads and Google Analytics, it allows users to combine all their important data into a single dashboard. With its powerful visualisation and collaboration features, Looker Studio simplifies complex reporting tasks and helps teams make data-driven decisions.

17) Mangools

Mangools is an affordable SEO suite for keyword research, backlink analysis, and SERP tracking. This toolset is designed for marketers and SEO professionals who need an easy-to-use, yet powerful suite of tools for improving their website’s search engine performance. With features like keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink tracking, Mangools helps you monitor and improve your SEO strategies effectively.

Key features include:

  • KWFinder to find long tail keywords with low competition
  • SERPChecker for real-time rank tracking and competitive analysis
  • LinkMiner for detailed backlink analysis, helping you discover valuable link opportunities
  • SiteProfiler for comprehensive competitor research, including insights on domain authority and backlinks

Free features:

A limited trial version is available. Full functionality requires a paid plan for complete access to all tools and features.

18) Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence on Google Maps and search results. It provides an essential platform for companies to connect with potential customers by ensuring their business information is accurate and easily accessible across Google services. By creating and optimizing a business profile, companies can increase their visibility and improve local SEO performance, making it easier for customers to find relevant business information such as location, hours of operation, contact details, and customer reviews.

Key features include:

  • Business profile creation and management: Set up and update your business profile with accurate contact details, hours of operation, photos, and location on Google Maps
  • Customer reviews and Q&A monitoring: Respond to customer reviews, manage ratings, and interact with potential customers through questions and answers
  • Insight into searches and customer actions: Get detailed insights on how customers find and interact with your business, helping you to make informed decisions about your marketing strategy

Important note:

Google My Business is a must-have tool for local businesses looking to improve their visibility on Google search results and Maps. By leveraging the full potential of GMB, businesses can manage their online reputation, increase customer engagement, and attract more customers by appearing in local search results. Regular updates and interactions with customers through GMB can enhance your local SEO efforts and boost your business’s credibility.

19) AnswerThePublic

This tool generates content ideas by aggregating search queries related to your keyword. By analyzing search queries and user intent, this tool helps you identify the topics that are most relevant to your audience, which can lead to more effective and targeted content creation. It aggregates data on frequently asked questions, related search terms, and common user queries, making it easier to generate content ideas that will resonate with your target audience.

Key features include:

  • Discover user questions and search intent: Uncover what your audience is asking by analyzing search queries related to your target keyword
  • Generate content ideas: Get creative ideas for blog posts, articles, and other types of content based on popular search trends
  • Exportable visualizations: Visualize search trends and topics in an easily shareable format

Important note:

This tool is an essential resource for content marketers and SEO specialists who want to create content that addresses user intent and search behavior. By leveraging this tool, you can ensure your content is relevant and optimized for the search queries your audience is using. The tool’s ability to provide insights into user questions and search patterns can significantly improve your content creation strategy.

20) SEO Minion

SEO Minion is a free browser extension for on-page SEO analysis and quick checks. It provides a range of tools designed to help webmasters and SEO professionals optimize their websites by quickly identifying issues related to broken links, meta tags, headings, and more. Key features include:
  • Broken link checker: Easily identify broken links on your website
  • SERP preview tool: Preview how your page will appear in search engine results
  • Hreflang tag validator: Ensure your hreflang tags are correctly implemented
  • On-page analysis for headings, meta tags, and links: Check your on-page SEO elements such as headings and meta tags
Important note: SEO Minion is a completely free browser extension, making it an accessible tool for anyone looking to quickly analyze their website’s SEO performance. While it offers valuable features for on-page SEO checks, users may consider other tools like SEOquake for additional functionalities.

Additional Advice: If you want to strengthen your SEO strategy, you can also check these out: