Organic search is the best source of consistent traffic to your website. If you’re looking for exponential growth and long-term results, that’s just how it should be.
Marketers and website owners have realized that. This is why 4.4 million blogs are published every day, and over half a million new websites are made live.
But getting out there and producing content is only half the story. The first five organic results get 67.6% of all the clicks from a search. And a mind-boggling 75% of people never scroll past the first page!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should be at the forefront of a website’s focus. Those that don’t prioritize it simply go out of business into the ether of search engine results that no one will ever see.
We recommend the following tools for SEO, varying from the most apparent SEO plugins to content and marketing tools. These tools are the best out there, and they are behind the success of the most popular websites that dominate search engine results today.
Why Use SEO Tools?
SEO tools automate the process of optimizing a website for search engines. You can use them to research keywords, create and optimize content, track rankings, etc.
- Automate search engine optimization
- Save you a lot of time and effort that you would otherwise spend manually optimizing your site
- Improve your chances of achieving high rankings in SERPs
- Track your progress and analyze your competitors better
- Find new opportunities for keywords and link building
Best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Plugins
WordPress allows you to implement various features without writing a single line of code, thanks to plugins. While you focus on creating content, the following SEO plugins cover keyword placement, meta and description tags, and the essential fundamentals of getting a webpage SEO-optimized.
1. Rank Math (Free and Premium)
RankMath is a WordPress plugin that optimizes your site for better search engine visibility. It has 1+ million active installations and a 4.9 out of 5 stars rating from 4,621 reviews on WordPress.
RankMath provides features like keyword suggestions and automatic tagging, making it easy to get the most out of your SEO. As a result, RankMath can help you achieve higher rankings in search results, leading to more traffic and more customers.
While Rank Math is newer than its competitor Yoast, it is extremely powerful and has taken a large market share in a short time span.
2. Yoast SEO (Free and Premium)
Yoast SEO is also a WordPress plugin. It has 5+ million active installations and a 4.8 out of 5 stars rating from 27,476 reviews on WordPress.
It analyzes your website’s content and gives you suggestions on how to improve it. Yoast SEO allows you to set up your website’s metadata, which is information that the search engines use when indexing your website. In addition, Yoast SEO provides social media integration, so you can share your content on social media platforms and get more traffic to your website.
Best Speed Optimization Plugins
Search engines consider website speed because users prioritize it. 37% of visitors leave your website if the page takes five seconds to load.
The field of website speed optimization is vast and complex, even for a developer. These plugins do the technical work to ensure your website loads at just the right time for your end-users.
1. WP Rocket (Premium)
WP Rocket is a powerful caching plugin for WordPress. It speeds up your website by caching static files and eliminating the need to send requests to the server for each page load. In addition, WP Rocket comes with several other performance-enhancing features, including lazy loading, minification, and browser caching. As a result, WP Rocket can help your website load faster and improve your overall traffic levels.
2. Perfmatters (Premium)
Perfmatters is a WordPress performance plugin that optimizes your website for speed. The plugin has several features that reduce loading times, including asset optimization, database cleanup, and server-side caching. Perfmatters also includes an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to configure the plugin for your specific needs.
Best AI- Content Writing Tools
AI tools have revolutionized the way marketers produce content. AI content writing tools help in content structuring with little human input. While human ingenuity is needed to make the most out of these tools, experienced content writers also use it for content structuring, reformatting and rephrasing.
1. Jasper (Premium)
Jasper is a lifesaver for content creators. It speeds up the writing process while cutting content production costs. More specifically, Jasper is an AI writing tool that promises to make the writing process faster and easier. Using natural language processing, Jasper can also understand the context of a text and offer suggestions for grammar, spelling, and style.
2. Surfer SEO (Premium)
Surfer SEO is a content optimization tool that analyzes the top-ranking content for a given keyword and provides actionable recommendations to help you improve your own content. It’s an AI-powered platform that considers factors like page title, metadata, headings, and the length of your content to identify on-page optimization opportunities. Surfer SEO also provides in-depth competitor analysis to see how your content stacks up against the competition and find areas where you can improve.
3. Frase.io (Premium)
Frase.io is an SEO Content Optimization Tool and AI Writer that helps you to create, optimize, and track your content. With Frase.io, you can research and plan your content, optimize your headlines and calls-to-action, and track your results. Frase.io also provides insights into what content resonates with your audience and how you can improve your results over time.
Best Keyword Research Tools
Search Engine Optimization experts have long known that keywords are the primary SEO metric for a website. These keyword research tools let you analyze and discover your “money” keywords, accurately dissect your competitor’s keyword performance, and design a content plan conducive to better search engine ranking.
1. Semrush (Free and Premium)
Semrush is a leading digital marketing tool that provides insights and data to help website owners improve their online visibility. It offers a suite of tools that allow users to track their website’s ranking in search engines and research keywords. Semrush provides a range of features that help users to create and optimize their content, including an SEO Writing Assistant and a Site Audit tool.
Semrush also provides tools for managing one’s own online presence, including position tracking and backlink analysis. Additionally, Semrush offers a suite of tools for social media management and PPC campaign optimization.
In addition, Semrush offers a number of resources to help users stay up-to-date with the latest digital marketing news and trends. As a result, Semrush is an essential tool for businesses that are looking to improve their online presence.
2. Google Keyword Planner (Free)
Google Keyword Planner is Google’s free tool that allows you to research keywords for your website or blog. Simply enter a keyword or phrase, and the Planner will provide a list of related terms and their monthly search volume. This information can help you choose the right keywords for your content, optimize your website for better search engine ranking, and understand the needs and interests of your target audience.
3. Google Trends (Free)
Not only is Google a search engine, but it also provides email, maps, and a host of other valuable services. It’s no wonder, then, that Google’s massive amount of traffic gives it a unique insight into the thoughts and interests of people all over the world. This information is compiled into what is known as Google Trends. As a website owner, you can use Google Trends to track the popularity of topics over time, measure the interest in specific keywords, and even compare different geographical regions.
4. Keyword Everywhere (Premium)
Keywords Everywhere is an extension that shows you monthly search volume, cost per click, and competition data for any keyword in your web browser. This data is pulled from multiple sources, including Google AdWords and Bing Ads, so you can be confident that it’s accurate. The extension also works on popular sites like Amazon, YouTube, and eBay.
Best Content Optimization Tools
Creating content is at the heart of marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). In the SEO world, content is king. Luckily, there are tools that assist you in producing better content, starting from basic grammar to checking the content’s tone, formality, plagiarism, and even doing content research.
1. Grammarly (Free and Premium)
Grammarly is a powerful grammar checking tool that improves the writing on your website by a lot. It can be used to check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors and find potential issues with sentence structure and word choice. Grammarly can also help you ensure that your writing is clear and concise.
2. BuzzSumo (Free and Premium)
With BuzzSumo, you can see which topics are discussed the most, identify influencers in your niche, and measure your social media reach.
3. Copyscape (Free and Premium)
It’s important to be aware of the risks involved with plagiarism and how it can negatively impact your SEO efforts. Copyscape is an online service that helps users detect plagiarism. Simply enter a URL or text into the Copyscape search box, and the service will check for any instances of copied content.
Best Technical SEO Tools
Technical SEO incorporates all methods of website optimizations that help search engine spiders crawl and index your website more effectively. Your website has a chance of getting ranked well only if these spiders, or crawlers, can “see” the content that you produce. The recommended tools take care of creating a sitemap, enabling AMP, and adding a structured data markup on your website, among numerous other technical SEO tactics.
1. Screaming Frog (Free and Premium)
Screaming Frog is a powerful tool that can help you quickly find and fix broken links on your website. Screaming Frog can also help you find redirects, duplicate content, and other problems that can harm your SEO efforts.
2. Structured Data Testing Tool (Free)
The structured data testing tool is essential for any webmaster or SEO professional. It allows you to test your HTML code for errors that could lead to your website being penalized by Google. In addition, it can also help you identify problems with your website’s structure that could be preventing it from ranking higher in search results.
3. Google Mobile-Friendly Test (Free)
Mobile-friendliness is a fundamental SEO metric, given that the majority of website traffic now comes from mobile devices. The Google Mobile-Friendly Test allows you to test whether a website is mobile-friendly. Simply enter a URL into the test tool, and Google will analyze the page and provide a report on its mobile-friendliness.
Best Tools provided by Google
The largest search engine, Google, provides its own set of tools with SEO in focus. Google wants website owners to understand their content’s performance better and gradually improve it. These tools are a must-have for a website owner attempting to improve their website’s visibility.
1. Google Search Console (Free)
Google Search Console is a free web service that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results. You can use it to submit your sitemap to Google, request re-indexing new or updated content, view your website’s search performance, etc.
2. Google Analytics (Free)
Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google Analytics is free to use and provides a wealth of data about website visitors, including how they found the site, what pages they viewed, and how long they spent.
3. Google Business Profile (Free)
Google Business Profile is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses, brands, and organizations to manage their online presence across Google. By claiming and verifying your business listing, you can control the information that appears when customers search for your business on Google Search and Maps. You can also use your business profile to post updates and special offers, write reviews, and add photos and videos. In addition, customers can use your business profile to contact you or get directions to your location. Claiming and verifying your business listing is quick and easy, and it gives you the ability to control your online presence on Google.
4. Google Alerts (Free)
Google Alerts is a free service that allows you to keep track of the latest news and information about your chosen topics. You can create alerts for any keyword or phrase, and Google will send you an email notification whenever new content is published that includes your keyword.
Best Local SEO Tools
97% of users search online to find a local business. You lose a considerable chunk of your customer base if your business isn’t showing up on local search results. The following tools are customized explicitly for local SEO.
1. BrightLocal (Premium)
BrightLocal provides affordable, effective local SEO services to small businesses.
Their team of experienced SEO professionals will work with you to create a personalized SEO campaign that fits your budget and meets your needs. In addition to their affordable SEO services, BrightLocal also offers various other online marketing services such as social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, and website design and development.
2. PlePer (Premium)
PlePer specializes in helping businesses with local SEO so that when people in your area are searching for products or services like yours, they’ll find your business first. It optimizes your website for local search, ensuring your business information is accurate and up-to-date across the web. Then it’ll create or claim listings for your business on major directories like Google My Business and Yelp and make sure they’re optimized for maximum visibility.
Best Image Optimization Plugins
According to research, compressing images can reduce your website size by 1MB. Images are the most uploaded files after text content for a typical website. Images with heavy file size slow the page down, which hurts SEO.
Furthermore, webpage SEO is influenced by the alt text, file name, and description used on image files. A properly optimized image can bring traffic, as search traffic can also come from the “Images” section of search engines.
1. ShortPixel (Free and Premium)
ShortPixel is a WordPress plugin that helps you optimize your images for faster loading times. It has 300,000+ active installations and a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from 668 reviews on WordPress.
ShortPixel uses advanced compression algorithms to reduce the file size of your images without sacrificing quality. ShortPixel also offers a bulk optimization option so that you can optimize all the images on your website in one go.
2. Robin Image Optimizer (Free and Premium)
Robin Image Optimizer reduces image file size without compromising quality. It has 100,000+ active installations and a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from 106 reviews on WordPress.
The plugin uses various techniques, including lossless compression and removing unnecessary metadata. In addition, Robin Image Optimizer can also help to improve site performance by batch processing images.
Best Security Plugins
Website security is vital if your site deals with sensitive information or user data, which makes up most websites on the internet. Hackers can also inject malicious content, leading search engines to misinterpret your website as a harmful site. These security plugins add an extra layer of protection to your website and save it from getting penalized or blacklisted by Google.
1. WordFence (Free and Premium)
WordFence is a WordPress security plugin that includes a firewall to block malicious traffic, malware scanning to identify and remove malware, and a security policy manager to help you manage and enforce your security policies.
In addition, WordFence offers a premium version that includes a range of additional features such as real-time malware removal and priority support.
It has 4+ million active installations and a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating from 3,782 reviews on WordPress.
2. Sucuri (Premium)
Sucuri is a WordPress security plugin that protects your website from malware and other security threats. It monitors your website for changes and alerts you if any suspicious activity is detected. In addition, Sucuri provides a secure SSL certificate and enables two-factor authentication, making it one of the most comprehensive security plugins available.
Best Email Marketing Tools
Email marketing is the most effective way to turn your website visitors into loyal followers and happy customers. If users constantly return to your website, search engines take it as social proof of your credibility. These email marketing tools are all-in-one solutions to all things email.
1. Sendinblue (Free and Premium)
Sendinblue is a powerful marketing automation tool that enables businesses of all sizes to send professional-looking email newsletters, create targeted marketing campaigns, and track customer engagement. With Sendinblue, companies can easily create attractive email templates, import contact lists, and set up automated drip campaigns.
2. ConvertKit (Free and Premium)
ConvertKit is an email marketing service that allows you to easily create and manage your email list and automate your email marketing campaigns. For example, ConvertKit makes it easy to add sign-up forms to your website and start building your list from day one. You can also use ConvertKit to segment your list and send targeted emails to specific groups of subscribers.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization helps your website to rank higher in search results, which leads to increased traffic and conversions.
However, SEO is not a silver bullet, and it is essential to use other marketing channels in conjunction with SEO. Nonetheless, the right SEO tools can make optimization a lot easier.
While many SEO tools are available, the ones we’ve listed should be a good starting point. Have you tried these tools? What were the results? Let us know in the comments.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. We will be paid a small commission for potential purchases. However, all recommendations are impartial, and the affiliate arrangement won’t come at any added cost to you.
