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While these tools make dragging in more visitors, No. 1 positions and revenue much easier, by now the range is so vast that you can't see the forest for the trees.
After years of trying many SEO software and SEO tools, I can now present you with the ultimate list. A list full of useful programs, both free and paid.
My advice beforehand? Read this blog and discover your new favorites, request some trials and experience the tools for yourself.
Let's start quickly.
All-in-one SEO software [11 tools].
We kick off this list with the tools that profile themselves as all-in-one SEO tools. In other words, software that can fully support you within every part of search engine optimization without the use of other programs.
1. SEMrush [Paid].
This list of prorgrams starts right off with my favorite: SEMrush. SEMrush started out as SEO software at the time, but now offers much more than that.
It has become a complete platform that can support you within every part of SEO (technique, content and authority). You get tips, advice, many new insights and valuable information.
What sets SEMrush apart is its comprehensiveness and how "deep" you can go with the tool if you want to.
So one program for all your SEO work. No matter how big your business is and how much attention you can devote to search engine optimization.
" Click here to try SEMrush for free
2. SEO Powersuite [Paid].
SEO Powersuite is an oddity compared to its competitors. In fact, SEO Powersuite is not a software that you can use online on a website, but one that you need to download.
For some this is very nice, for others not very convenient.
It is not a complete tool in which you work, but it consists of several programs:
These four programs together are as powerful as SEO Powersuite's competitors and can support you in every area of search engine optimization.
" Click here to try SEO Powersuite for free
3. MOZ [Paid]
MOZ is similar to SEMrush and is a real powerhouse in the field of search engine optimization. MOZ's advantage over its competitors is that the software looks uncluttered and clear.
And just as you've come to expect from the other all-in-one SEO tools on this list, MOZ also allows you to optimize all facets of SEO inside and outside your website. MOZ is a true all-rounder, but personally I find the Keyword Explorer and the On-Page Grader the most powerful.
" Click here to try MOZ for free
4. Searchmetrics [Paid].
If I could reduce the price of one software, it would be Searchmetrics. Should I start using Searchmetrics, it would cost me €10,000 to €15,000 a year.
And that is immense. Having said that, Searchmetrics is fantastic. With the software, you can go so deep and you can get so much information ... that's not normal. The system works easily, is very clear and does not contain too much fuss.
Searchmetrics is definitely at the top of my list of SEO software, only should it become of interest to me it needs to be a bit more affordable.
" Click here to try Searchmetrics for free
5. Spyfu [Paid]
Spyfu is unique in this list. It does not present itself as all-in-one software, but rather focuses on competition and doing analysis.
With Spyfu, you really can find out everything about your competitors. Google Ads ads, best scoring content, the most important keywords and much more. Ideal for during your keyword analysis.
" Click here to try Spyfy for free
6. Serpstat [Paid]
Serpstat was my most favorite SEO software of 2018. Affordable, convenient to use and few problems. I was so satisfied with it that I even devoted a blog to it. Namely, "Serpstat review: My unvarnished opinion after 3 months of use".
Meanwhile, over a year later, I am not very enamored with Serpstat anymore. The price has been increased, I have had some problems with the tool, and the interface has not improved in my opinion.
That said, I still think Serpstat is a handy tool for startups and novice online marketers. For a few tens per month, you can use an all-in-one program that allows you to quietly learn the SEO game.
And that's worth something, too!
" Click here to try Serpstat for free
7. Raven Tools [Paid]
Raven Tools again has a completely different proposition from its competitors. Raven Tools does not focus on entrepreneurs, but focuses on the target group that can use their software white label. Think agencies, freelancers or in-house marketers.
Basically, Raven Tools is well put together. It conveniently displays all the information you need. In my opinion, however, Raven Tools cannot compete with competitors like Ahrefs or SEMrush, but that is not Raven Tools' goal either. After all, the software focuses on a different target audience.
" Click here to try Raven Tools for free
8. ContentKing [Paid]
ContentKing again has a completely different proposition and is also Dutch-made. The software presents itself as "Real-time SEO Auditing and Content Tracking. In other words, a tool that allows you to track exactly what has changed, what the influences are (have been) and how you can respond to this.
When it comes to technology and content, ContentKing is strong and it's convenient that you can see real-time issues back. Perfect for during an SEO migration, for example.
" Click here to try ContenKing for free
9. Rank Ranger [Paid]
Rank Ranger again really fits the bill between MOZ and SEMrush. Unfortunately, my experience with Rank Ranger is very sparse and I haven't touched the tool in years. So my opinion may be a bit outdated.
When you see Rank Ranger's capabilities, tools and price, it does make me happy. In fact, the price is about the same as its competitors and it all looks promising. On my "to try out SEO software" list, Rank Ranger is in the top 5, so you may well hear more about it from me in the next six months.
" Click here to try Rank Ranger for free
10. Mangools [Paid]
If you read my blogs, then you know that I mention KWFinder often. But are you already familiar with Mangools?
Mangools is the umbrella name of the software package that makes up KWFinder. When you purchase Mangools (which starts at €26), you get access to:
- KWFinder
- SERPChecker
- SERPWatcher
- LinkMiner
- SiteProfiler
Personally, I think KWFinder is already worth €26, but for that you also get the other tools. Can Mangools compete with the other all-in-one SEO tools? No, it doesn't. But Mangools for me is really the software to start with as an entrepreneur or novice online marketer/SEO specialist.
" Click here to try Mangools for free
Keyword analysis software [7 tools]
Now that we've covered the complete SEO tools, let's move on to the specialists on the list. Keyword analysis software makes determining and figuring out keywords a lot easier. It provides more inspiration, but also more certainty since you can see the volumes and competition yourself in advance.
11. KWFinder [Free & Paid].
This is currently one of my most used tools. KWFinder is the tool for me in terms of keyword finding and is my base while doing a keyword research.
The tool is full of useful data such as:
KWFinder is additionally free to use a few times a day, but should you want to take full advantage of the tool, I recommend you get a paid account for €26 per month (you will have this out of your pocket within a few days).
" Click here to try KWFinder for free
12. Ubersuggest [Free].
If people want to get started with SEO (and thus doing keyword analysis), Ubersuggest is the tool I recommend. It is completely free to use, is available in Dutch and is very clear.
Ubersuggest has just a little less features than KWFinder, but Neil Patel (the owner), with continually adding new features, is coming along nicely with his SEO tool.
In addition to doing a keyword analysis, Ubersuggest can also help you do a great job of coming up with topics for your blogs or finding out keywords from your competitors.
" Click here to try Ubersuggest for free
13. AnswerThePublic [Free & Paid].
This was the most popular content-related tool of 2018. AnswerThePublic is familiar to almost every SEO specialist or content marketer and gives you hundreds (if not, thousands) of related search terms with every search.
When I tried AnswerThePublic for the first time, my heart was racing. How it saves me time and how it makes my job easier. So you really should add this one to your arsenal!
" Click here to try AnswerThePublic for free
14. Mergewords [Free]
Say local SEO, you say Mergewords. With Mergewords, you can very easily find new keywords by combining keywords known to you.
For example, consider the word plumber combined with different place names (Plumber Arnhem, Plumber Ede, etc.). Mergewords combines these words for you, so you don't have to type them all and you only have to check them more for volume and competition.
So incredibly convenient!
" Click here to try Mergewords for free
15. Keywordtool.io [Free & paid].
Not my personal favorite, but in a list of all kinds of SEO software, this one should not be missed. Keywordtool.io is similar to KWFinder, but more expensive and with other options.
And yes, I deliberately say other options because Keywordtool.io can do things that KWFinder cannot ... and vice versa.
The big advantage of Keywordtool.io is that you can also find out search volumes within, for example, Bing, Amazon, Play Store, Instagram, eBay, Twitter and you can also exclude certain terms from your results.
" Click here to try Keywordtool.io for free
16. Keyword Sheeter [Free].
Keyword Sheeter (formerly Keywordshitter) is not a complete keyword analysis software, but it can serve you well as a support tool for finding long-tail search terms. With Keyword Sheeter you can find hundreds of potentially interesting keywords within seconds.
At the touch of a button.
Then you can analyze these keywords for volume and competition with your favorite tool, then write texts for them.
A child can do the laundry!
" Click here to try Keyword Sheeter for free
17. Portent's Content Idea Generator [Free].
Portent's Content Idea Generator is perfect for coming up with a title for your blog. By simply entering a keyword, it comes up with a catchy and thought-provoking title for you.
You can try this out endlessly until you get your hands on the ideal title. Very useful if you have a topic but can't find the inspiration to come up with a sharp title as well.
Small side note: Portent's Content Idea Generator is only available in English, so you will have to translate the title if you write in Dutch.
" Click here to try Portent's Content Idea Generator for free
Link building tools [3 tools]
Now that we've covered keyword analysis tools, let's move on to the next category: link-building software tools.
Of course, the bulk of the all-in-one SEO tools can also all appear in this list because they also have a link building section, but the tools that appear in this list, those really excel in the area of link building.
So really specialized programs.
18. Majestic SEO [Paid]
When you say link building, many SEO specialists say Majestic. Unfortunately, Majestic has never really been able to win my heart and my preference goes to the other "big one" in the list: Ahrefs.
Majestic is best known for its link-building power, but it also includes other features that mean you could almost call Majestic an all-in-one SEO tool as well. Majestic is further cheaper than Ahrefs, offers a lot of valuable information with its blogs and is currently one of the best link building software on the market.
" Click here to try Majestic for free
19. Ahrefs [Paid]
Ahrefs, as I pointed out earlier in the Ahrefs review I wrote, is the best SEO software when it comes to content and link building. Against its power, capabilities, database size and operation, no competitor can compete.
Almost all of my time spent in Ahrefs is spent in the Site Explorer. Here you can really find out everything about a website you've entered (think about their link profile, the top ranking pages, all the keywords, competing domains and much more).
Like Majestic, meanwhile, you can also think of Ahrefs as an all-in-one SEO tool, but since its specialization is really in link building, I put it under this heading.
" Click here to try Ahrefs for free
20. Ranktank Unlinked Mention Finder [Free].
With Ranktank's Unlinked Mention Finder, you can find out in a matter of minutes where you are being mentioned online, but where you are not being linked to. In other words, the tool allows you to look for the easiest link-building opportunities.
When someone has mentioned your company or product, chances are they'll want to add a backlink as well. It only remains for you to ask in a nice and friendly way if they want to add the link.
" Click here to try Unlinked Mention Finder for free
Technical SEO software [5 tools]
When people think of SEO, they mainly think of copywriting and being findable on keywords. This is absolutely right, but the technical side of your website is just as important. Because, if your website has a loading time of 7 seconds, you are never going to rank well in Google and visitors are going to leave your website.
No matter how good your writing may be.
And with this software, you're going to gain more insight into the technical state of your website.
Small disclaimer: Again, most all-in-one SEO tools could have done just fine here thanks to their technical analysis.
21. Screaming Frog [Free & Paid].
While doing SEO, have any of the following questions occurred to you: "Gee, I'm kind of curious about the length of all my meta descriptions?" or "Do all my pages have an H1?"? Then Screaming Frog is the software you need.
Screaming Frog is a crawler that crawls through your website, so to speak, to do a technical scan of your website. This is also known as an SEO audit.
The examples I mentioned in the introduction are child's play for Screaming Frog. In fact, you can do much more with it and you can extract much more interesting information. Screaming Frog is actually always in the top 5 or top 10 best SEO software among SEO specialists.
And that is more than logical.
" Click here to try Screaming Frog for free
22. GT Metrix [Free]
GT Metrix is in my opinion the best tool to test the speed of your website. GT Metrix is comprehensive, looks at an awful lot of elements, gives concrete advice like "optimize your images," is completely free to use and shows exactly how your website loads.
You can also find out very easily how fast your website loads per browser and per location. Very handy if you operate internationally, for example.
When you use GT Metrix for the first time, you are probably shocked by all the numbers, designations and bars. You have to get through this! For each improvement point, it tells you what it is and then you can just google how to pick it up.
" Click here to try GT Metrix for free
23. Google Page Speed [Free]
Google Page Speed is surely the most well-known tool for analyzing the speed of your website. Since the speed of your website is an important ranking factor, Google has greatly improved the Page Speed tool in recent years and even recently added a speed analysis tool to Search Console.
After pasting the URL of your website into Page Speed and clicking 'Analyze', you will get a list of recommendations and areas for improvement for both desktop and mobile. With this you can get started yourself or, for example, direct your web developer.
Page Speed can also be overwhelming the first time, but you have to get over that just like GT Metrix!
" Click here to try Google Page Speed for free
24. Pingdom [Free & Paid]
Pingdom is largely similar to GT Metrix. You can find out per site how fast your website or page is, what the areas for improvement are, why your website loads so fast or so slow and more.
The difference is that GT Metrix, to my mind, is a bit more comprehensive and gives you a bit more information on how to pick up something. Why this difference is so big actually makes a lot of sense. Pingdom has a paid variant that allows you to monitor your websites for things like speed, up-time and more. The free variant, in my opinion, is just a kind of lead generator / stepping stone to the paid variant.
" Click here to try Pingdom for free
25. SEO Site Checkup [Free & Paid].
SEO Site Checkup is always the first technical SEO tool I deploy during an SEO journey. You get to see through a grade exactly how well or poorly a website is put together. You can see exactly where the areas of concern are and where things are going wrong within the entire website.
Then, using a more advanced software like Screaming Frog, I go deeper into those areas of interest to pick them up.
SEO Site Checkup is ideal for beginning marketers, SEO specialists and entrepreneurs who want to know the technical state of their website. I also always use SEO Site Checkup during sales calls because the report is so well designed and clear.
" Click here to try SEO Site Checkup for free
Rank Tracking software [7 tools]
There are several ways to find out how high you rank in Google. For example, you can Google the search term yourself. But did you know that's going to give you a very distorted picture?
In fact, your search history and location are incredibly important and determine which search results you see. So if you really want to know what position you are in, you should have rank tracking software.
And 7 of those rank trackers I've listed for you.
26. SERanking [Paid].
Basically, all these tools are the same: they show the positions per device, per country and per language for the keyword you entered. But each provider has its own unique features and proposition. So does SERanking.
The big advantage of SERanking is that you can control exactly what you get. In fact, you can decide whether your keywords will be checked every day, every three days or every week.
Then you can also decide whether to pay per month, per quarter, per six months, per nine months or per year. And lastly, there are different packages.
The less often the keywords need to be checked and the longer your subscription runs, the cheaper it becomes.
Thus, in the cheapest case, you can purchase SERanking for as little as €13.80 per month. And for rank tracking software with so much functionality, that's a pittance.
" Click here to try SERanking for free
27. Wincher [Paid]
'The world's simplest rank tracker'. That's Wincher's slogan, and it's completely justified. Wincher is by far the least comprehensive rank tracker on the list.
Perfect for startup entrepreneurs! You can use Wincher for as little as €6 per month. For that €6 you can track 100 keywords from one website. Is that not enough? Then you pay €3 extra per month per 100 keywords.
For this amount, your rankings are tracked, but you can't expect a lot of extra functionality or features. But neither should you for this price.
" Click here to try Wincher for free
28. Pro Rank Tracker [Paid]
Pro Rank Tracker is similar to SERanking. It is a specialized rank tracking tool with all the features you expect from a rank tracker. What makes Pro Rank Tracker unique is that it can also track your positions in YouTube and Amazon.
You don't always see that among competitors.
With Pro Rank Tracker, the price is largely based on the number of search terms you want to measure and you can only determine whether you pay per month or per year.
Pro tip: like many other SEO software tools from this list, Pro Rank Tracker also has an active blog with lots of valuable information. Take advantage of that!
" Click here to try Pro Rank Tracker for free
29. Accuranker [Paid]
Like Serpstat, I Accuranker purchased during an Appsumo deal. I paid $39 dollars for Accuranker, which allows me to track 100 keywords.
That's not much, but I've had a good time testing Accuranker with that over the past few months. My conclusion? It is one of the fastest rank trackers on the market, the positions are always true and the data is clearly visualized.
Should you still be looking for new rank tracking software, you should definitely consider Accuranker in your choice.
" Click here to try Accuranker for free
30. Advanced Web Ranking [Paid].
Advanced Web Ranking is perhaps one of the most well-known rank trackers and focuses not only on the end user, but also on online marketing agencies and SEO specialists by offering its services white label.
The price of Advanced Web Ranking is around the price of its competitors. Again and counting: try them all out and see which one suits you best.
" Click here to try Advanced Web Ranking for free
31. RankWatch [Paid].
RankWatch's revenue model is similar to SERanking's. You can choose whether your keywords are updated daily or weekly. However, the price does not change because of this, only the number of keywords you can measure does.
I find RankWatch's website less clear than those of its competitors. I do not get the feeling that I am getting great value for money at RankWatch and the features are not adequately highlighted.
It is cheaper to get into RankWatch than the major competitors, though. That's an advantage then!
" Click here to try RankWatch for free
32. Agency Analytics [Paid].
AgencyAnalytics presents itself not as rank tracker software, but as a reporting platform for agencies. So actually I may not call AgencyAnalytics a rank tracker, but that is an important part of the tool.
AgencyAnalytics interfaces with almost all major tools in SEO, PPC, social media and email. It can combine all the information into one clear report.
When I start looking at the price, the tool is a little more expensive than other rank trackers, but then again, you can't really compare it completely with that either.
" Click here to try AgencyAnalytics for free
33. Serpbook [Paid for]
With me, the eye always wants something too, and Serpbook's website looks slick. In addition, when you look at Serpbook's website, you often see the reviews of SEO guru Neil Patel popping up. They are proud of that at Serpbook.
Serpbook's entry price is a bit higher than its competitors, and Serpbook even offers the ability to update rankings hourly. This makes the software unique compared to its competitors.
" Click here to try Serpbook for free
Google tools [4 tools]
In a previous blog, I wrote about 18 indispensable Google Tools for you as a marketer & entrepreneur. In it, I reviewed 18 tools from Google.
Many of these 18 tools have to do with SEO, but to mention them all again here I think is going too far. Therefore, I have listed the four most important ones for you.
34. Google Analytics [Free]
Search engine optimization is all about results. And by results, we mean more customers, more leads or more sales.
More visitors, a lower bounce rate or a longer session duration are means and should not really be seen as goals. You can measure all these means and the results with Google Analytics.
With Google Analytics, you can learn all about your target audience, where your visitors come from, how visitors behave within the website and what conversions you have brought in.
Perfect for improving your website, finding bottlenecks and increasing your conversion rate. My opinion is that every website should have Google Analytics. Because without these insights, you won't know if your adjustments actually lead to the desired effect.
" Click here to try Google Analytics for free
35. Google Tag Manager [Free]
If you want to use Google Analytics or Hotjar, for example, you need to add a script to your website's code.
Each script makes your website load time longer. And the longer the load time is, the worse it is for your SEO.
With Google Tag Manager, you can load all these different scripts into one container script. That's going to save you a lot of loading time. In addition, you can also use Google Tag Manager for measuring certain conversions.
For example, think about people clicking on a phone number or making it measurable when people click on your affiliate links.
" Click here to try Google Tag Manager for free
36. Google Search Console [Free].
Google Search Console, formerly Google Webmaster Tools, is a program that allows you to track and view your website's presence in Google. You can think of it as the tool Google created to give you some power over the indexing of your website yourself.
With Search Console, for example, you can make your blog findable directly in Google, see if you have received a penalty, submit your sitemap, find coverage errors and much more.
Search Console is one of the SEO tools that absolutely cannot be avoided and that I always start with during an SEO process.
" Click here to try Google Search Console for free
37. Google My Business [Free]
Google My Business is a tool from Google that allows you to highlight your business within search results and within Google Maps. You can put all kinds of important information here such as opening hours, phone number, address, your logo, and more.
Over the past year, Google has been expanding its My Company feature considerably, adding, for example, a chat feature and now you can share your blogs through Google Posts.
I expect Google to put much more focus on the My Business feature in the coming months and years, so my advice is to always complete your business' My Business profile.
" Click here to try Google My Business for free
SEO plugins [4 tools]
We've gone through most of the list by now, but now it's time that for another angle: SEO Plugins. I've written a blog about those before, but I've picked out the four best ones for you.
38. SEOPress [Free & Paid]
SEOPress is an SEO plugin that claims to be cheaper and better by Yoast (see below). Because of that claim, I was tickled and then thought it was time to try out the plugin.
My conclusion is really quite simple: don't want to pay for an SEO plugin and don't need more features than Yoast? Stick with Yoast. For example, have you paid for Yoast Premium, need more features or manage multiple websites? Then go for SEOPress Pro.
In fact, for SEOPress Pro, you pay only $39 per year for an unlimited number of sites. Add to that the amount of features and it is the better Yoast alternative.
" Click here to try SEOPress for free
39. Yoast [Free & paid]
Does Yoast need another introduction? I don't think so! With over millions of installations and more than 25,000 five-star reviews, it is one of the best-known SEO software in the world.
As such, I am a terrible fan of the free version of Yoast. In all these years, I have never had any problems with it and it has always done what it promised.
Of the Yoast Premium variant, however, I am not a fan at all. In my opinion, the cost is way too high for what you get, especially when you look at the competitors. Another thing I always like to mention is that Yoast, like ContentKing, is a Dutch company.
" Click here to try Yoast for free
40. All-in-One-SEO [Free & paid].
Al-In-One SEO now has more than a million installations, so it has definitely proven itself in SEO land. If you look at the functionalities of the free and the paid version, you will see that the free version goes a long way. Should I use All-In-One SEO for my own website, I do need the premium and when you start looking at the price, I would rather go for SEOPress.
What I do advise, and I actually advise this for all plugins/tools, is to just use it once. Then you can decide for yourself what you think of it.
" Click here to try All-In-One SEO for free
Chrome extensions [4 tools]
Chrome extensions abound, but did you know that there are also Chrome extensions that can support you in terms of search engine optimizations? I previously wrote about10 useful Chrome extensions that make online marketing easier, and four of the best SEO extensions I've noted for you once again.
41. SEOQuake [Free]
I would almost like to say that SEOQuake is my favorite SEO extension, but actually they are all my favorite. SEOQuake allows you to find out (for free) the following information:
- The key metrics of Google cache, Bing Index, Google index, Facebook Likes, Semrush Traffic, backlinks, etc.
- All kinds of page information as meta descriptions and meta title
- A complete SEO audit
- All internal and external links
- The keyword density
And as icing on the cake, you can also compare all this information to another URL. In other words, if you're into SEO / online marketing, you can't beat SEOQuake.
" Click here to try SEOQuake for free
42. MOZBar [Free]
The MOZBar is similar to SEOQuake. Simply turning on the MOZBar will show you all kinds of important On Page SEO elements, as well as metrics such as domain authority, internal, external link ratio and more.
With the MOZBar, you can also immediately do an on page audit by entering a keyword. You will then see a Page Optimization score including all areas of improvement and suggestions.
" Click here to try the MOZBar for free
43. Extract People Also Search [Free].
The Extract People Also Search extension might as well have been in the list of keyword analysis software. When you have this extension installed, when you type a word into Google, you get to see a list of search terms related to your keyword.
These words come directly from the "searches related to keywords" heading that Google normally shows at the bottom of search results. The difference is that Extract People Also Searches shows them all and Google shows only eight at the bottom of the page.
" Click here to try Extract People Also Searches for free
44. SEO Minion [Free]
SEO Minion can be compared to MOZBar and SEOQuake and roughly consists of the following tools:
- Analyze on-page SEO
- Highlight all links
- Check broken links
- Hreflang checker
- SERP Preview
- Google Location Simulator
The first five all make sense and are not unique, but the last one does!
In fact, the Google Location Simulator allows you to customize your location so that you see the search results associated with that location. And that's incredibly useful (did someone say local SEO?).
" Click here to try SEO Minion for free
Other [1 tool]
We have arrived at the last category and the last SEO software tool of the list. In this category is Keyword Hero, a tool that doesn't really fit into any category.
But that does not mean it is not a powerful tool ... quite the contrary!
45. Keyword hero [Free and paid].
Keyword Hero is a program that combines data from Analytics and Search Console to determine which keywords people typed into Google to get to your website and to find out which keywords led to which conversions.
You might say it's a conversion optimization tool rather than an SEO tool, but knowing what keywords people are using allows you to adjust your content strategy so you can focus even more on the most lucrative keywords.
Keyword Hero is free to use, but there are many restrictions on it, and measuring conversions is not included. So you actually need a paid account.
Written by: Daniel Kuipers
Daniel is the founder of Online Marketing Agency. He constantly scours the Internet for the latest gadgets and tactics and blogs about them in understandable language. Well, sometimes.