Creating a website is only the start of establishing yourself. To engage with your target audience, you need to be actively promoting your online platform. This is where search engine optimization tools come into play.
Most people use search engines to begin their online journeys. If your website isn’t optimized for Google and other search engines, you’re cutting yourself off from a significant amount of organic traffic.
Thankfully, bolstering your SEO strategies is relatively simple. Below are some of the best tools on the web that you can start using today.
1. Moz Pro
If you’re looking for a user-friendly SEO tool that has it all, Moz Pro is worth considering. Unlike other SEO tools out there, Moz Pro has consistently proved it can keep up with Google’s ever-increasing algorithm changes.
Even though its premium version is tailored toward professionals, Moz Pro is also well-suited to the SEO novice. Moz Pro’s superior chat function makes it easy for users to get instant feedback on urgent queries.
You can also use Moz Pro to tackle keyword research and find recommendations. The advanced site crawl feature also allows you to quickly identify any technical problems that might be holding you back.
Other innovative features include the free-to-use MozBar toolbar. Once downloaded, this toolbar provides you with invaluable insights into page metrics that can allow you to complete optimization projects with ease.
Key Benefits of Moz Pro
- Allows you to easily identify second-rate content that needs reworking.
- Helps to swiftly find suitable keywords you have a higher chance of ranking for.
- Easy to keep track of vital keyword performance.
- A user-friendly auditing tool lets you tackle technical issues quickly.
2. Google Trends
Google Trends was first unveiled in 2006, making it one of the oldest SEO tools out there. Although it’s well established, most users fail to effectively leverage the data provided by this useful analytics tool.
If you’re looking to delve deep into keyword research, make sure you’re regularly deploying Google Trends. It’s also incredibly useful for content ideation.
To begin,simply search for keywords and select the region you’re looking to target. You will then be granted a treasure trove of information, such as top-ranked queries and interest in that keyword over a given period.
Key Benefits of Google Trends
- Provides insights into keyword popularity and topics over time.
- Gives you information regarding relevant topics and associated queries.
- Allows you to fine-tune your research by geographic area.
- Let’starget trends that are specific to your industry.
3. Ahrefs
Ask any professional what SEO tools they use regularly and they’re likely to answer Ahrefs.
After Google, Ahrefs is one of the most established sites crawler tools on the web. There are plenty of first-rate SEO tools to make use of here.
The Site Audit feature is arguably one of the best, allowing you to identify problem areas that need improvement for your site and content to rank better.
Ahrefs also delivers the goods when it comes to competitor analysis. You can use this premium SEO tool to identify competitor backlinks, using them to fine-tune your brand content.
You can also use this tool to quickly determine which of your pages is performing best, making it easy to build on your strengths.
Key Benefits of Ahrefs
- Great tools or those looking to see who’s linking to your site.
- Makes it easy to find competitive keywords you have a good chance of ranking with.
- Superb tool for competitor analysis.
- Effective at measuring the performance metrics of your existing content.
4. KWFinder
If you want to focus on keyword research for creating killer website content, KWFinder is an excellent tool to use.
Many content creators overlook the importance of long-tail keywords with low levels of competition. However, putting in the effort with long-tail keywords does pay off. KWFinder makes it easy to find less competitive keywords for long-tail SEO endeavors.
KWFinder also boasts a Rank Tracker tool that provides a snapshot of how well you are ranking. More importantly, it highlights areas for improvement.
Key Benefits of KWFinder
- The user-friendly interface makes this ideal for beginners.
- Provides an instant snapshot of how well your keywords are performing.
- Makes quick work of finding alternate keywords to target.
- Allows you to perform SERPs and backlink analysis.
5. SEMrush
SEMrush is a firm favorite in SEO circles. This advanced SEO tool provides a detailed insight into your rankings and spotlights new opportunities for improvement.
SEMrush also excels when it comes to seeing how well you’re doing against the competition. With the Domain vs. Domain tool, you can compare your website to competitors in moments.
Detailed analytics reporting is also readily available here. You can probe for insights into traffic, search data, domains, and more. All of this is vital in ensuring you are creating competitive content.
Key Benefits of SEMrush
- Offers one of the best keyword research tools on the web.
- Superior site auditing makes it easy to identify problem areas that need improving.
- The on-page SEO toolbar makes SEMrush an accessible choice for beginners.
- Keyword Gap Analysis SEO tool makes it easier to deliver content with a competitive edge.
6. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is a handy keyword finder tool that’s completely free to use.
With Ubersuggest, you can quickly identify suitable keywords for your content. Whether you are looking to target challenging short-tail phrases or less competitive long-tail ones, Ubersuggest will provide you with a wealth of suggested alternatives.
Although fairly basic compared to other SEO tools in this list, Ubersuggest does provide valuable insights into metrics like keyword competition, search volume, and seasonal trends.
Key Benefits of Ubersuggest
- Makes it easy to kickstart keyword and hashtag research.
- Offers topic suggestions for those looking to create website content.
- Let’s you see how well competitors are ranking with target keywords.
- Allows you to quickly identify broken links to improve your search engine rankings.
7. Google PageSpeed Insights
Undoubtably, you must not overlook how important page loading speed is to your SEO strategy. If your site needs some attention in this area, Google PageSpeed Insights is an invaluable tool.
With Google PageSpeed Insights, you can quickly determine the loading speeds of your website pages. More importantly, this tool will provide you with useful suggestions on how you can improve your pages to speed up those all-important loading times.
Key Benefits of Google PageSpeed Insights
- Assesses both mobile and desktop versions of your website.
- Offers easy to understand feedback on what site elements you need to improve.
- A perfect tool for those unfamiliar with the concept of page speeds.
- Completely free and easy to use
In Summary
If you’re struggling to drive traffic to your websites, SEO tools are invaluable.
Tools like Moz Pro, SEMrush, and Ahrefs are user-friendly options for those in search of at-a-glance SEO solutions. In addition to providing you with useful keyword research tools, you’ll be able to identify broken links and other technical gremlins hampering your performance.
Struggling with slow loading times? Google PageSpeed Insights is worth investigating. Even if you have limited technical know-how, this tool can help you implement quick fixes with little effort.
KWFInder and Ubersuggest are good fits for beginners looking to identify short and long-tail keyword opportunities, while Google Trends is perfect for those struggling to come up with fresh topics to generate new content.
FAQs
1. Will duplicate content damage my rankings?
Content doesn’t simply mean the long chunks of text on your website pages. It also includes things like meta descriptions, title tags, H1 titles, and more. To minimize the impact on your rankings, avoid duplicating content in all these areas.
2. Why isn’t my website ranking highly on Google?
There are many reasons why your site has yet to rank on Google. Your site may be new and yet to establish enough authority for it to rank. It may also offer insufficient information to rank competitively against other sites.
There may also be technical issues impacting your ranking. Check to see if your website is blocking search engines from crawling it as this can result in your website not being indexed.
If you’ve only recently launched a website, make sure you’ve linked it from other destinations and submitted it to Google for indexing.
3. What ranking factors are the most crucial?
Many factors will impact how highly your site ranks. The most important include the time users are spending on your site, the number of followed backlinks, as well as the overall number of referring domains.
The length of your content is another huge decider on ranking. If your website pages are looking a little thin, focus on reworking them with rich content.
4. What best practices should I consider when creating SEO-friendly website content?
For starters, avoid stuffing your content with keywords. Before you create your content, carry out in-depth keyword research to build a clear picture of the kind of terms that your target audience is using.
You should also identify search intent and nail down a suitable format for your website content.
5. How much content should I place on my website pages?
There’s no steadfast rule here. However, your content should be long enough to provide sufficient insight into the topic you’re covering.
When creating content, you’ll need to explore what the competition is doing and how well competitor content is ranking. Use top-ranked pages as a ballpark example of how long your content should be.
Ian Carroll is the owner of Digital Funnel, a Digital Marketing agency that specialises in SEO in Cork alongside Web Design. Ian and his team have helped numerous local businesses increase their online presence.