Top 5 SEO Tools in 2024
Search engine optimization (SEO) of websites has been one of the most effective methods of internet marketing for decades. Every year, new services appear in this area, designed to simplify and speed up the process, as well as increase its efficiency. In this article, we will tell you what SEO tools are and which of them are most in demand in 2024.
Types and Features of Modern SEO Tools
SEO tools are a category of services for search engine optimization of websites and content published there. They are a must-have in the arsenal of every progressive Internet marketer. Among them, there are both multifunctional and highly specialized platforms with one or several functions. Proper use of SEO tools improves a website’s performance in search engine results. With their help, specialists can develop a promotion strategy and launch the necessary campaigns for it, as well as collect and analyze a large amount of data about the site.
There are several categories of search engine optimization platforms on the market today:
- Tools for SEO audit. They allow you to conduct a search audit of the site, showing its condition and potential for optimization. Such systems analyze the structure of a web resource, find broken links, missing texts and meta descriptions, measure page loading speed, and so on.
- Keyword (KW) analysis tools. They comprehensively analyze keywords, evaluate their ranking indicators, and help select the most relevant ones. Some measure the ranking performance of domains or individual web pages.
- Rating trackers. These SEO tools determine a site's ranking in search results and track how well certain domains/pages rank based on individual KWs.
- Analytical services. They perform a detailed analysis of the site according to a number of criteria. With their help, you can understand how well your resource works and how to improve it. They also collect data about how users interact with web pages, where they are coming from, what pages they are leaving from, and who is linking to your site.
- Platforms for link analysis. The quality of backlinks is extremely important to a website's domain authority (DA). Tools of this type make it possible to comprehensively analyze your links and the links of your competitors.
- Services for content analysis. This category of SEO platforms allows you to audit the quality of content. With them, you can find non-unique or duplicate texts and identify areas of the site that need improvement.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most popular representatives of the automated SEO tools group. The platform was launched in 2011. Today, it is used by millions of companies around the world, including Shopify, eBay, LinkedIn, Uber, Adobe, Zoom, Facebook, and other famous brands. Among its main functions are in-depth keyword analysis, technical SEO, content and competitor analysis, backlink audit, and others.
Key features:
- Site Explorer allows you to collect detailed information about the search traffic and backlinks of any web resource on the Internet. Data about the keywords used, links, and rankings of competitors will help optimizers and webmasters develop an SEO promotion strategy and gain significant advantages.
- The built-in keyword research panel makes it possible to search for the necessary KW, evaluate the complexity of the search, and measure traffic volumes. It also allows you to view potential traffic information and generate related keywords.
- Site Audit automatically analyzes any resource for SEO errors (including technical ones) and provides a detailed report on its condition.
Unfortunately, Ahrefs is not one of the free SEO tools. For frees, it only gives webmasters limited access to Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Site Explorer and Site Audit). To use them, you need to confirm ownership of your web resource.
The platform offers 4 paid tariff plans:
- Lite – $83 per month.
- Standard – $166 per month.
- Advanced – $333 per month.
- Enterprise – the cost is calculated individually and is available upon request.
The indicated prices are valid subject to payment for the year immediately. If you pay monthly, the cost will be higher.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics (GA) is one of the best SEO tools. The current 4th version of the service provides optimizers and webmasters with a comprehensive view of website traffic and visitor actions. It addresses several important issues, such as identifying audience demographics, auditing site performance, and monitoring conversion rates. GA generates detailed reports with valuable insights based on the collected data. The inclusion of advanced functions developed using artificial intelligence (predicted metrics and predicted audiences) makes this platform one of the best AI tools for SEO.
Key features:
- Real-time analytics reports provide access to various characteristics of the website being studied.
- Audience segmentation helps distribute your website visitors into target groups. You can then use a separate marketing strategy for each of them.
- A funnel audit tracks and visualizes the path of visitors through the pages of a website. The map displays both peaks of engagement and points of decline in attention.
- Google Analytics has quite decent functionality, but the interface of this service is somewhat confusing for beginners. The onboarding procedure is not very simple. At the same time, once you understand the intricacies of GA, you will get the maximum benefits from it.
- Advanced analytics provided to subscribers of the premium version opens up maximum opportunities for a comprehensive analysis of a company's presence on the Internet. Therefore, when Google Analytics is called one of the best among SEO tools for agencies, there is no doubt about this.
The GA platform offers two plans:
- Free – for individual users, small and medium businesses. Contains a set of standard tools.
- Google Analytics 360 is a premium version with increased data limits and additional features for large businesses and organizations with extensive analytics needs. You can purchase it from an authorized reseller. The cost is calculated individually and is available upon request.
Moz Pro
Moz Pro is one of the best SEO tools for small business, containing a set of powerful functions for website search engine optimization and complex analytics. The platform provides webmasters with a complete picture of how their site and brand rank for keywords.
Key features:
- Keyword Explorer makes SEO analysis much faster and easier, helping you pinpoint keywords that are relevant to your target audience. With its help, users can collect information about keywords' metrics such as volume, complexity, organic CTR, mentions, priority rating, and a number of others.
- The Rank Tracking tool evaluates a site's keyword ranking and search visibility over a given period of time. With it, you can track the positions and dynamics of competitors’ movements in search results.
- The SEO Crawling feature identifies errors in website search engine optimization: broken links, missing tags, and so on. The system quickly scans any resource and provides an explanation for each problem found. Monitoring is carried out once a week automatically.
- The Link Explorer tool allows you to develop an effective backlink profile and analyze them in detail based on individual criteria. You can then track your results over time and compare them with your competitors.
Moz Pro's place in the top SEO tools provides not only powerful functionality, but also the availability of tariffs for different volumes of tasks. Its users have access to 4 tariff plans:
- Standard – $79 per month.
- Medium – $143 per month.
- Large – $239 per month.
- Premium – $479 per month.
The indicated prices are valid subject to payment for the year immediately. If you pay monthly, the cost will be higher. All plans come with a 30-day free trial period.
Semrush
Semrush is a universal digital marketing platform with over 50 different features, including artificial intelligence. Today, it is deservedly considered one of the best AI SEO tools. With its help, companies can easily and quickly find the most relevant keywords, intelligently optimize pages, conduct competitor analysis, and otherwise improve their brand’s online presence. The intuitive interface and ease of working with this service also make it one of the best SEO tools for beginners.
Key features:
- Keyword Research helps you identify popular keywords and discover ranking opportunities. With its help, you can manage target keywords, evaluate their ranking, and collect information about organic traffic.
- The Competitive Research feature provides a detailed snapshot of competitor website data. For example, it provides information about traffic from selected countries, the share of organic and paid traffic, main keywords, the number of backlinks, and more. Additionally, it allows you to compare the performance of your site with competitors' web resources.
- Link Building searches for and analyzes link building opportunities, partially automating the process.
- ImpactHero's AI tool categorizes content across stages of the customer journey and identifies the most effective copy. It also suggests how you can strengthen other materials.
- On-page and technical SEO tools allow you to effectively optimize your web pages for search rankings. One of them, responsible for SEO audit, scans the pages of your site and provides information about its health, performance, errors, and vital signs. They also help you create SEO content based on templates, manage listings, and analyze log files.
Semrush offers 3 pricing plans:
- Pro – $108.33 per month.
- Guru – $208.33 per month.
- Business – $416.66 per month.
The indicated prices are valid subject to payment for the year in advance. If you pay monthly, the cost will be higher. Each plan has a 7-day trial period.
AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic is one of the best tools for SEO. This service conducts detailed keyword searches in any niche and provides ideas for original, relevant content. It analyzes user queries on different platforms (Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon), and visualizes the collected data.
Key features:
- You can make an unlimited number of requests and add an unlimited number of users to your account.
- Automatic saving of reports allows you to access them at any time.
- Compare data and generate new ideas using keywords.
- Export data in CSV format.
- Exclusive access to search results based on language and geolocation.
- Ability to hide keyword suggestions and visualizations, as well as results that are not relevant to your query.
- The service notifies you of any updates related to keywords. You will be able to track trends and analyze search behavior at different times.
- AnswerThePublic provides valuable insights into what people are currently searching for in real time.
- The service will help you quickly create a content plan based on the collected ideas from a meaningful keyword search.
The AnswerThePublic platform offers 3 tariff plans:
- Individual – $9 per month if paid monthly or $99 as a one-time payment to purchase a lifetime right to use.
- Pro – $99 per month billed monthly or $990 one-time payment for lifetime membership.
- Expert – $199 per month if paid monthly or $1990 as a one-time payment to purchase a lifetime right to use.
Each tariff plan has a free trial period, which lasts 7 days.
Conclusion
In this article, we have looked at the 5 best tools for SEO. Some of them offer functionality exclusively for search engine optimization of websites, while others are universal resources for internet marketing. Among all the platforms in our review, only Google Analytics offers a full-fledged free plan. The Semrush service allows you to use its tools for free, but with significant restrictions. The rest have only paid tariffs. However, almost all provide a free trial period ranging from 7 to 30 days. As for prices, the most budget-friendly options are AnswerThePublic (starting from $9 per month) and Moz Pro (starting from $79 per month).
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