10 Best Free and Paid SEO Tools for Search Engine Optimization
Ranking top in the Google search result page (SERP) is the dream of every business. As we discussed in one of our previous blogs, to rank among the top results of SERP, the content of a webpage needs to be in compliance with what Google likes. Also, we promised you in the previous blog, that we discuss some top tools to improve the Search Engine Optimization of your webpage or blog in detail. So, in this blog, we are revealing the 10 best free and paid SEO tools that can make your business rank the highest in the Google SERPs in 2022.
In this blog, we are going to list 7 free and 3 paid Search Engine Optimization tools that can optimize your webpage in an astonishing manner. Also, we will reveal such ‘tools’ to you that you use daily but you are unaware of. So, if you want your business to appear in the top search results, then let’s start-
Best Free Search Engine Optimization Tools
1. Google Suggestions
Google is artificial intelligence. But, it is smart enough to be independent. Whenever you get to search for something on Google, you must notice that it gives you an auto-suggestion. These suggestions are not merely guessed works by Google, but they are the most searched ‘keywords’ globally. So whenever you begin to write a blog, always pay keen attention to what the Google search bar is suggesting to you. Always make a list of them and then try to infuse these keywords in your article or blog post. This will astonishingly improve the optimisation of your blog.
2. Google Business Profile
Suppose, today you are going out with your friends to dine in a restaurant or maybe you are looking for a boutique nearby. Your first move will usually be to search the relevant business with the ‘near me’ option. Does Google collect this information on its own? In a word, no! Google offers a Google Business Profile feature where you may list your business. Just search ‘Google Business Profile’ on Google. Then, if you have a business then list it on Google. Always provide as much information as possible. This way, whenever someone will search for a business or service similar to yours, your business will also list on the SERP page.
Although, always remember that you provide complete information and use keywords like ‘best (your business type boutique/coaching/restaurant etc.)’, ‘top (your business) in (your location)’ and so on. Also, if possible, then ask a few of your clients to rate your business on Google. Google likes top-rated businesses a lot. So if you have maximum stars from your clients, the possibilities of your ranking higher will multiply further.
3. Google Analytics
Now Google Analytics is a tool that many of us may not be aware of. Google Analytics if free of cost service that Google offers. It provides insights into the website traffic and the visitors’ behaviours. Google Analytics is usually the favourite of the E-commerce platforms as it provides real-time customer data. For example, the number of visitors in a month, most-visited products and so on. The collection of real-time consumer data will facilitate you to plan your deals if you are running an online store or online business. Also, Google Analytics is a simple process and by searching ‘Google Analytics’ in the search bar, you can go directly to the signup page.
4. Grammarly and Hemmingway
Grammarly and Hemmingway are other tools that many of us might be using currently. Most of us use Grammarly if English is not our first language. Grammarly corrects the grammatical errors in our content. As said earlier, Google is smart enough to understand whatever we post on it. As a matter of fact, if the grammar of our content is full of errors, it will worsen the readability of the content. Eventually, the content will lack proper meaning and thus Google is not going to list it at all. So, always use Grammarly to write error-free. You can search ‘add Grammarly to chrome’ and can install it to your browser free-of-cost.
Additionally, Google is also a company that aims at profit maximization. It wants to reach and target a global audience. Not everyone in this world is an English speaker and we as Indians know this fact really well. Therefore, if you are a literary pro and follow Shakespeare religiously while writing the content, then, unfortunately, Google will never like you. In fact, Google lists only that content on the top searches that has simple, short and easy to understand sentences. Remember, your English textbook in Class I? Well, you must as it gives you a model writing. Hemmingway is a free tool where you may paste your content and check how much of it is easy or difficult to understand.
5. Google Page Speed Insights
Also remember, that experts will always suggest you write for the audience and not for the Google bot. So, merely mastering the readability and SEO will not work for you. Always remember that your audience will visit your page again and again, only when you are able to provide engaging content to them. Additionally, your website must also be engaging enough for them. Also, if your webpage is taking too much loading time, the audience will begin to repel you from your site. As a result, the bounce rate on your site will increase.
Therefore, always ensure that your webpage is quicker to load. You may try the Google page speed insights tool free of cost. Just copy-paste the URL in this tool and it will give a quick insight on how much time your webpage is taking to load. Additionally, it will rate the speed on a scale of 0-100 along with providing you with useful suggestions for improvement.
6. Answer the Public
In one of our previous blogs, we told you about the long tail and short tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are growing popular day by day. It is because people are now specific in their searches. Usually, they try to find simple and straightforward answers to their questions. Answer the Public is a platform that can suggest you good long-tail keywords to target a specific audience, for a short tail keyword. Now you must be thinking, what’s the benefit of it? Well, in the present-day context, there is a trend of searching a whole question on Google. Nobody these days searches keywords like ‘dog’, ‘cat’ or ‘dog care’ as it usually lists the relevant businesses near to you.
Eventually, people rather like to search queries such as ‘how to take care of the dog?’, ‘what kind of food is best for a Labrador dog?’, ‘how to take care of a cat at home?’ and so on. All these questions are indeed ‘long-tail keywords’ that can bring you more traffic. Thus, you must focus more on answering these queries in your content and ‘Answer the Public’ can suggest you such long keywords.
7. SERPSim
Meta Title and Meta Description are crucial to your content. While Meta title is the title of your content that appears in blue colour on the SERP. A Meta description is a description we find under the Meta title on the SERP. Always make sure, the Meta title and description both contain the keyword. Be specific about the character limits we discussed in one of the previous blogs. Additionally, you may try SERPSim-a free of cost tool that lets you know in advance how your content will appear on the search page. It will definitely help you make your SERP result appear more Google and reader-friendly. Apart from this, SERPSim will also let you have some feedback and suggestions to optimize your Meta title and description.
Best Paid SEO Tools
Now, it’s time to discuss a few premium or paid SEO tools. The only difference between the free and paid SEO tools is that the paid tools bring you an ‘all at one place’ experience. It is because SEO is an art and a science. Great coordination between all the parts of SEO is important to rank high in the SERP. However, using different tools for different parts can be time-taking and tiring. But, using a paid tool can save time and effort. So, the best 3 paid SEO tools that we would like to suggest along with their pros and cons are-
1. Semrush
Semrush is one of the best-paid SEO tools. It is a combo of keyword research, backlink creator, content optimization and rank tracking SEO tools. However, this tool is extremely costly, but it is one of the most comprehensive tools which can save you a great deal of time. Semrush Pro can cost up to $549.95 per month with all the important business features. However, the features you get here will save you a lot of time and effort.
Pros of Semrus
All at one place experience
Saves time and efforts
Cons of Semrush
Extremely costly
Does not provide readability information.
2. ContentKing
ContentKing is another paid SEO tool that facilitates its user to acquire real-time crawling data on websites. By continuously monitoring your webpage and providing you suggestions to improve your on-page SEO, ContentKing helps you improve your webpage performance. However, merely monitoring the site is not sufficient to improve SEO, yet many SEO experts use the paid version of ContentKing for its real-time SEO auditing and management features. Additionally, we can list the advantages and disadvantages of ContentKing as below-
Pros
- Continuously monitors the webpage.
- Check for crawling.
- Provides real-time data.
- Generates feedbacks.
Cons
- Does not provide a one place experience.
- Therefore, less value for money.
3. Yoast SEO for WordPress
Finally, we would list Yoast SEO for WordPress as the best-paid SEO tool in 2022. On one hand, it is not only the least costly in comparison to its competitors, on the other, but it also provides you with an ‘everything at one place’ experience. Yoast SEO does not only provide you readability score but also the SEO efficiency report while writing the content. So with the help of this tool, you may rectify your errors even before publishing the content. Yoast SEO for WordPress will not only provide you with readability suggestions but will also let you write the accurate Meta title and description.
The tool will also enable you to check the accuracy of keyword distribution in your content. So, we would highly recommend every content writer Yoast SEO, especially to beginners. In fact, after using this tool for a couple of months, you will not even need an SEO tool. It is because you will get trained in writing the most accurate content.
Pros
- All in one place experience (backlink, outbound link, readability, feedbacks, Meta title and description, key phrase distribution suggestions, image SEO and more).
- Easy to use.
- Also, makes you trained in content writing just within a couple of months.
Cons
- A little costly, although less than the competitors.
- Works slow sometimes.
Final Thoughts: What to Choose Paid or Unpaid SEO Tools?
Well, in conclusion, we would say that content writing is an art and science both. The writer must be conscious while writing and must never be writing altogether for the Google bot or even for the audience. But there must be coordination between the two. Using free or paid tools-both are fine. However, personally, we recommend Yoast. However, even if you follow a few tips from our site for SEO, you will definitely master the art of content writing. So just remember a few do’s and don’ts while writing content for publishing online-
- Always frame short sentences.
- Use more and more transition words like ‘however’, ‘although’, ‘because’ and so on.
- Make use of Grammarly always.
- Also, use your keywords at least 1% times of your content. (For example, if you write a 100 words content then use the keyword at least once or twice).
- Make your content short, crisp, engaging but also informative.
And now you are all set to conquer the world of SEO and rank higher in the SERPs results.
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