25 SEO Tools You Should Be Using To Dominate The Web in 2024

Are you feeling lost in the vast ocean of search results? Perhaps you’re struggling to get your website seen by the right audience. You’re not alone in this challenge. Ranking high on search engines can feel like an uphill battle that can leave even the most determined marketer feeling defeated. However, what if we told you there’s another way to tackle this issue? Yes, we are talking about the free SEO Tools – one of the most overlooked weapons in your marketing arsenal.

These free SEO Tools are powerful allies that can not only help you conquer the search engines but also assist you in reaching the right audience—without breaking the bank!

So, whether you’re an SEO pro or just starting out, this blog will guide you to:

• Discover the right keywords to attract the right audience.
• Create content that Google loves and ranks higher than your competitors.
• Fix technical bugs that drag down your website’s performance.
• Build valuable backlinks that boost your authority and trust.
• Track your progress and celebrate your wins as you climb the search engine ladder.

So, get ready as we explore the ultimate list of the 25 most useful free SEO tools. Equipped with the right tools and insights, you’ll be surprised at how easily you can outrank your rivals and finally get your website the attention it deserves.

Moreover, remember that the path to SEO success is paved with knowledge, efforts, and the right tools. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the power of these free SEO Tools and turn your website into a search engine magnet!

The Categorization of SEO Tools

At times, dealing with all the different aspects of SEO can feel a tad bit intense, especially when faced with infinite algorithm updates, tools, and confusing jargon.

In that case, having the right tools can be crucial for a successful SEO strategy.

That’s why, to help you out, we’ve divided the 25 free SEO tools to help you find the perfect solution for your specific needs.

1. Keyword Research:

The free SEO Tools that come under this category can help you identify high-quality keywords that will drive better organic traffic to your site and fuel your content strategy.

With the help of these SEO tools, you will be able to,

find what your audience is searching for,
analyze search volume and competition, and
identify keywords with low-competition and high-volume

Best SEO Tools for Keyword Research

1. Google Keyword Planner

Key Features:

• Find unique, long-tail keywords your competitors might miss.
• Track search volume & competition trends to stay ahead of the curve.
• Get search volume, keyword difficulty, and competition data for making better-informed decisions.
• Filter keywords by location, device, and network to reach the right people.

Target Audience:

Suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

Benefits:

• Access to Google’s vast search data
• Strategic keyword planning for both SEO and paid advertising campaigns.

Limitations:

Limited to Google Search engine as it primarily focuses on keywords within Google search results.

2. Ahrefs Keyword Tool

Key Features:

• Generate hundreds of relevant keyword ideas
• Find keywords by related terms, questions, autocomplete suggestions, and top-ranking competitor pages.
• Get estimates of how many people search for each keyword, worldwide or in specific countries.
• Get search volume, keyword difficulty, and parent topic data for every keyword.

Target Audience:

Bloggers, content creators, website owners, and SEO beginners.

Benefits:

• Uncover low-competition keywords with high potential.
• Find relevant keywords in seconds, saving you research time.
• Discover keywords from various search engines and platforms.

Limitations:

The free version offers fewer metrics and reports compared to paid plans. Additionally, the free plan doesn’t allow exporting keyword lists.

3. Keyword Tool.io

Key Features:

• Get profitable long-tail keyword suggestions from Google Autocomplete
• Research keywords for various platforms like Google, YouTube, Amazon, Instagram, and more
• Explore user questions related to your topic for a better understanding of user intent.
• Refine your keyword search by location, language, and search engine.

Target Audience:

Bloggers, content creators, marketers, and SEO beginners.

Benefits:

• Expands keyword research beyond traditional methods
• Ideal for budget-conscious users
• Simple interface makes it easy to navigate even for SEO newbies

Limitations:

The free plan offers limited data and filtering options and doesn’t offer in-depth insights into trend forecasting.

4. AnswerThePublic

Key Features:

• Visual representation of user queries
• Content ideas based on user-generated questions
• Identify content gaps in your niche

Target Audience:

Content creators and marketers looking for unique content ideas.

Benefits:

Innovative content discovery
Addresses user queries effectively

Limitations:

Limited to query-based content discovery.

2. On-Page Optimization:

The free SEO Tools under this category can help you create content that speaks directly to Google’s heart (and your audience’s needs). Thereby, resonating with both the search engines and humans.

Moreover, with the help of these SEO tools, you can analyze and optimize your titles, meta descriptions, headings, and content structure to ensure your website ticks all the right SEO boxes.

Lastly, these On-Page Optimization tools will also help you ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and user-experience-focused for optimal search engine ranking.

Best SEO Tools for On-Page Optimization

1. Yoast SEO

Key Features:

• Content readability and keyword optimization
• Title and meta description customization for better click-through rate.
• Automatic XML sitemap creation to ensure search engines easily discover your content

Target Audience:

WordPress users of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned bloggers and business owners.

Benefits:

• Easy integration with WordPress
• Provides actionable insights for on-page optimization

Limitations:

Advanced features are part of the premium version.

2. SE Ranking

Key Features:

• On-page analysis tools to analyze website pages & uncover areas for improvement
• Keyword ranking tracking to monitor your keyword positions and track progress over time
• Competitor analysis to gain valuable insights for your content planning.

Target Audience:

Intermediate to advanced users seeking in-depth on-page insights.

Benefits:

• Multiple SEO tools in one platform
• The free plan includes website audits, on-page checks, and basic competitor analysis.

Limitations:

Limited daily checks in the free version.

3. Surfer SEO

Key Features:

• AI-powered real-time content optimization guidance
• Readability analysis for clear communication
• Competitor-based content planning blueprint and insights

Target Audience:

Intermediate to advanced users focused on creating high-performing, SEO-optimized content.

Benefits:

• AI insights for smarter content creation
• Improve content relevance and engagement

Limitations:

Limited features in the free version.

3. Technical SEO:

Is your website lagging behind due to unseen technical glitches? Fret not. The free SEO tools within this category can help ensure your website runs smoothly and efficiently, avoiding all the technical roadblocks that can affect your search visibility.

For example,

These free SEO tools can help identify and fix technical glitches that are hindering your website’s performance
and also offer helpful insights on issues related to website speed, mobile-friendliness, indexing, and other technical hiccups.

Best SEO Tools for Technical SEO

1. Google Search Console

Key Features:

• Diagnose crawl errors, sitemap issues, mobile usability problems, and core web vitals performance.
• Performance reports and mobile usability insights
• Sitemap submission

Target Audience:

Suitable for beginners to advanced users managing website performance.

Benefits:

• Valuable insights into website performance and technical issues directly from Google.
• Essential for website health monitoring
• Helps identify and fix a wide range of technical issues.

Limitations:

Limited to Google’s search engine.

2. Screaming Frog

Key Features:

• Website crawling for technical issues and insights
• Identifying broken links, missing meta tags, duplicate content, redirect chains, and more.
• Log file analysis

Target Audience:

Users comfortable with desktop software and basic SEO concepts.

Benefits:

• In-depth analysis of technical issues
• Comprehensive website crawling
• Actionable insights with clear explanations

Limitations:

Desktop Limited to a certain number of URLs in the free version.

3. Bing Webmaster Tools

Key Features:

• Identify crawl errors, broken links, mobile usability problems, and more specific to Bing’s search engine.
• Ensure optimal indexing by submitting your sitemap and robots.txt file to Bing.
• Keyword performance insights on Bing
• Data on clicks, impressions, and average position

Target Audience:

Useful for webmasters focusing on Bing search.

Benefits:

• Improve your website’s visibility in Bing search results
• Comprehensive tools for website optimization
• Complements Google Search Console

Limitations:

Primarily focused on Bing search.

4. Content Optimization:

The free SEO tools under this category are known for their wide and varied roles such as grammar checkers, plagiarism detectors, readability analyzers, and so on.

These SEO tools help you maintain clear, concise, and grammatically correct writing and also help you polish your content, making it a joy for both readers and search engines.

Moreover, these free SEO tools also ensure that your content is original and plagiarism-free.

In a nutshell, the content optimization tools help enhance your content quality which ultimately results in better ranking and organic traffic.

Best SEO Tools for Content Optimization

1. Grammarly

Key Features:

• Real-time grammar and spelling checks
• Writing style and tone suggestions
• Enhance overall content readability and professionalism

Target Audience:

Suitable for users at all skill levels aiming for polished writing.

Benefits:

• Improves writing style and quality
• Enhances content professionalism

Limitations:

Advanced features are part of the premium version.

2. Hemingway Editor

Key Features:

• Readability analysis and suggestions
• Sentence structure improvements
• Highlights complex sentences
• Identifies complex sentences and improves readability

Target Audience:

Suitable for users aiming for improved content readability.

Benefits:

• Enhances overall content clarity
• Simplifies complex sentence structures

Limitations:

Advanced features are limited.

3. Copyscape

Key Features:

• Plagiarism detection
• Identify duplicate content across the web
• Protect content originality

Target Audience:

Suitable for users concerned about content theft and originality.

Benefits:

• Ensures content uniqueness
• Identifies potential plagiarism issues

Limitations:

Limited checks in the free version.

4. Animalz Revive

Key Features:

• Find old content that’s losing traffic and requires optimization and updating
• Analyze and optimize content for targeted keywords.
• Monitor traffic changes after revisions.
• Works seamlessly with Google Analytics.

Target Audience:

Bloggers, content creators, website owners, or SEO beginners want to optimize existing content for better search engine ranking.

Benefits:

• Refresh old content and boost traffic.
• Hassle-free identification of content in need of optimization
• Actionable insights based on real traffic data.

Limitations:

Limited options in the free plan. Doesn’t generate new content ideas from scratch.

5. Backlink Analysis:

Backlinks are like votes of confidence in the online world. The free SEO tools under this can help you develop link-building strategies to build quality backlinks that will boost your website’s authority.

With the help of these free SEO tools, you can

understand and analyze your website’s backlink profile
identify broken links,
track backlink growth,
and even get valuable details about your competitors’ backlink strategies

Best SEO Tools for Backlink Analysis

1. Ahrefs Backlink Checker

Key Features:

• Backlink analysis with anchor text distribution
• Identify new and lost backlinks
• Evaluate domain authority of linking sites
• Identify broken links for repair.

Target Audience:

Suitable for users looking for a quick overview of their backlink profile.

Benefits:

• Quick insights into backlink health
• Identify linking domain authority

Limitations:

Limited features compared to the premium version.

2. Majestic Free Backlink Checker

Key Features:

• Backlink analysis with historical data
• Competitor backlink insights
• Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics

Target Audience:

Users seeking detailed backlink insights with historical data.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive backlink analysis
• Evaluate the trustworthiness of backlink sources

Limitations:

Limited options compared to the paid version.

3. Moz Domain Authority

Key Features:

• Domain Authority analysis
• Page Authority metrics
• Backlink insights

Target Audience:

Suitable for users seeking a quick overview of their website’s SEO strength.

Benefits:

• Quick assessment of overall domain strength
• Insights into linking domain authority

Limitations:

Limited options compared to the premium version.

6. Rank Tracking:

Stay on top of your SEO progress, gain valuable insights, and optimize your SEO strategies based on the results from these rank-tracking tools.

With the help of these free SEO tools, you can,

monitor the ranking of your chosen keywords over time,
identify areas for improvement,
and measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

Best SEO Tools for Rank Tracking

1. SERPstat

Key Features:

• Track and monitor keyword rankings
• Analyze trends and analyze SERP features
• Identify trends over time
• Monitor competitor rankings for the same keywords

Target Audience:

Suitable for users who need to track the search rankings.

Benefits:

• Direct insights from Google
• Track keyword performance

Limitations:

Limited to Google’s search engine.

2. SERPWatcher

Key Features:

• Track keyword rankings on various search engines
• Historical ranking data
• Competitor comparison

Target Audience:

Suitable for users wanting rank tracking across different search engines.

Benefits:

• Multi-search engine tracking
• Historical rank data for analysis

Limitations:

Limited features in the free version.

3. RankIQ

Key Features:

• Analyze keyword ranking trends
• Competitor keyword analysis
• Detailed insights into keyword performance

Target Audience:

Intermediate to advanced users seeking in-depth keyword ranking insights.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive keyword ranking analysis
• Competitor comparison for strategic planning

Limitations:

Limited options in the free version.

7. Local SEO:

If you run a local business, these free SEO tools are your golden ticket to making your mark in the local search. These tools can help you manage and optimize your local business listings which in turn will attract nearby customers and will boost your online presence.

With the help of these free SEO tools, you can,

optimize your Google My Business listing,
manage citations across directory platforms,
improve local search ranking
and gain valuable insights into your local competition.

1. Google My Business

Key Features:

• Manage business information and reviews
• Optimize for local search visibility
• Gain valuable insights into local competition

Target Audience:

Local businesses and SEO experts.

Benefits:

• Enhanced local online presence
• Valuable customer engagement insights

Limitations:

Limited to Google’s platform.

2. Moz Local

Key Features:

• Local listing management
• Citation tracking
• Performance Analytics

Target Audience:

Local businesses, SEO professionals, marketers.

Benefits:

• Simplified local listing management
• Comprehensive analytics for local SEO

Limitations:

Advanced features in the paid version.

3. Yext

Key Features:

• Optimize local listings so people easily discover your business online.
• Monitor reviews to understand what customers are saying
• Insights specific to your domain to stay ahead of competitors

Target Audience:

Local businesses seeking help to improve their local SEO.

Benefits:

Streamlined local listing optimization
Niche-specific insights for local presence

Limitations:

Some advanced features are part of the premium version.

8. Bonus Tools

1. Buzzsumo

Key Features:

• Trending content analysis
• Identify popular topics in your niche
• Competitor content analysis

Target Audience:

Content creators and marketers seeking popular content trends.

Benefits:

Trend analysis for effective content planning
Identify popular topics for engagement

Limitations:

Some advanced features are part of the premium version

2. PageSpeed Insights

Key Features:

• Check your loading speed on both desktop and mobile devices.
• Identifies specific issues slowing down your website, like large images, or code.
• Helps improve the speed of your website.

Target Audience:

Website owners and SEO professionals looking to improve user experience.

Benefits:

• Improves user experience by making your website load quickly.
• Keeps visitors engaged longer and lowers the bounce rate.
• Boosts your ranking in search results.

Limitation:

Limited data in the free version.

Conclusion

Remember the days when wanting to be on top of your SEO game felt like it required being part of a club, that was available only to those with hefty budgets?

Well, those days are over! Now, with the wealth of free SEO tools, you hold the key to getting your website and online presence to new heights, regardless of your budget.

But remember, the key to success lies not just in the tools themselves, but in testing and finding the perfect fit for your needs.

Explore different tools, learn what they can offer you, and see how they impact the performance of your website. Don’t be afraid to tinker, tweak, and adjust your approach based on your unique goals and audience.

SEO is an ongoing journey. With efforts and the right resources, you can empower yourself to influence the search results, all without breaking the bank.

Until next time.

Also read: From Keywords to Ranking: Your Most Common SEO FAQs Answered

About The Author

Avitanshi Srivastava

A delicate balance of calm and chaos, she's a curious soul with a dramatic heart! With writing as her first love, she's a Proud parent of a Birb and can be found talking to curtains or apologizing to walls!