SEO tools in comparison, the big overview. Find the SEO software that suits you best from our top SEO tools.
The best SEO tools on the market
To rank at the top of Google with your own website for relevant keywords, you need not only certain know-how but also the right SEO tool. Without SEO software, keyword research, website analysis, or backlink building is unthinkable.
With the help of a suitable SEO program, you can take on these tasks with ease and also create high-quality content that advances and supports the search engine optimization of your site. The following table shows you the most important SEO tools on the market. Why not give it a try and finally decide on the tool that meets your needs 100% and takes your online marketing to the next level. Good luck!
Top SEO software: All functions in a transparent comparison
Which SEO tool is the right one for you also depends on what tasks you want it to perform. Do you want to perform a keyword analysis or is onpage optimization on your agenda? Do you want to analyze your competitors’ backlinks or is tracking your Google rankings enough for you? Whatever you want to do: Many SEO tools offer all these functions, while others have a focus on specific areas. Depending on the range of functions, the costs also differ – from a few euros a month to several hundred. The table below gives you the best possible overview of all the features of the SEO software we have selected. Decide on one or two programs and test them extensively. Because most tool providers provide their users with a free trial period.
What a good SEO tool must be able to do?
Whether it’s an online store or a content portal: If you want to be successful with your website in the long term, the use of an SEO tool is almost indispensable. The competition for the best rankings in the Google search results is now too great.
However, given the multitude of SEO tools available on the market, it is not easy to decide on the right SEO software. That’s why anyone planning to make a purchase should take a detailed look at the requirements they have for the software. Because in addition to the so-called all-rounders among the SEO tools, some tool programs are particularly suitable for special areas, such as backlink analysis, onpage optimization, or social media monitoring.
Which functionalities are really needed? Who are my customers and which SEO measures should be supported? And what should the whole thing cost? These are the questions you should definitely ask yourself in advance. To compare the available functionalities with one’s own needs, the creation of a checklist is suitable. Once a preselection has been made, a preliminary test of the SEO software is recommended. Most large providers offer a free test phase, usually lasting two weeks. During this time, you can extensively check whether the software really meets your requirements.
An overview of what the best SEO tools can do, we have already compiled in the previous table. What the functionalities mean in detail and whether you need them for your search engine optimization, you can find out here.
Keyword research: What your customers are looking for
What are my customers actually looking for? This is the central question that every website operator must ask himself, regardless of whether it’s an online store, news site, or content portal.
The most important tool for answering the initial question is keyword research. This is because it can be used to identify keywords that one’s own target group is searching for, i.e. with which one can address them efficiently. At the same time, keyword research can also be used to find out whether the keywords found have sufficient traffic potential to lead a sufficient number of potential customers to your website.
Keyword research tool is therefore one of the most important components of search engine marketing. And it is an ongoing process. Existing keywords must be continuously monitored and optimized as part of a targeted monitoring process. At the same time, however, it is also important to constantly find new keywords to increase the reach of your own site.
To carry out your own keyword research successfully and efficiently while keeping an eye on the competition, an SEO tool is indispensable. Our big SEO tool comparison gives you an overview of which tools you can use to improve your rankings.
Number of keywords
How many keyword searches need to be done regularly depends on the type of business. For an SEO company that works for several clients, for example, the number of necessary searches can be significantly higher than for a single site operator, who does the searches only for himself and therefore not so often.
Since the number of keyword searches available varies from tool to tool, care must be taken when comparing SEO tools to ensure that the keyword searches provided by the software providers are sufficient.
Keyword suggestions and synonyms
Not all keyword ideas come up on their own. Therefore, it is very helpful to get suggestions for new keywords or synonyms for existing keyword ideas based on existing keywords. If these keyword suggestions already rank very well on competitor sites or have the potential for top rankings, landing pages or content can be created for these keywords.
Many SEO tools already offer this functionality in the basic version, sometimes with restrictions on the maximum number of suggestions.
Available languages
If the website is offered in different languages, keyword searches, for example, must also be carried out in the respective national language. Therefore, the tool should contain a multilingual keyword database.
Most SEO tools are already offered in multiple languages. When selecting a tool, make sure that the languages that are important for you are offered in the keyword research.
Search volume
One of the most important criteria when conducting keyword research is the search volume. It indicates how high the number of monthly search queries for a particular keyword or keyword combination is. The determined search volume is usually an estimate based on Google data, which can change over time.
The monthly search volume, therefore, provides valuable information on whether the SEO effort is worthwhile or which keywords should be given higher relevance for a fixed budget.
Google Ads CPC
The Google Ads CPC (Cost per Click) reveals how high the average click price is for a specific keyword. Google Ads is Google’s advertising system in which advertisers themselves can determine that their ad appears in the Google results search when a specific keyword is searched for on Google. By a click on the advertisement, Google receives a corresponding click remuneration. Advertisers have to bid for the ad spaces in an auction.
As a rule, the higher the Google Ads CPC, the greater the purchase intention behind a search query for a keyword, and the more revenue can be generated on average with such a website visitor.
Google Ads Competition
If the Google Ads CPC for a keyword is high, this usually signals a high purchase motivation of users searching for this keyword.
The higher the value for Google Ads competition, the greater the number of competitors in paid ad placement via Google Ads for a particular keyword. So, this value can also provide indications of how difficult it can become to achieve top rankings in organic search results for selected keywords.
SEO difficulty level
The SEO difficulty level, which is calculated among other things from the backlink strength of the ranking URLs, indicates how great the competition is for the top rankings in Google search for a keyword or keyword combination. It is therefore also a good yardstick for estimating the effort required for top placements in the Google ranking.
Basically, the higher the SEO difficulty level, the greater the competition you are competing with for top rankings in Google search. The SEO difficulty level helps you to focus on keywords with which you can achieve above-average results with the available budget.
Auto-complete
When entering search terms directly into the Google search box, the user is already provided with suggestions for possibly matching keywords or keyword combinations after the first few letters, which according to Google are contextually relevant and frequently searched for.
The autocomplete function accesses this Google functionality, which is also known as autocomplete or autosuggest. In this way, the user receives references to Google-relevant keywords or keyword combinations concerning the original search query. This is very helpful for keyword research and content creation.
Ranking analysis: Know where you stand
The main task of search engine optimization is to achieve top rankings for important search terms in the search engines, to monitor the rankings continuously, and optimize them. This is because a lot of time and money is usually invested in the top rankings, which is why they should be defended. Since the Google ranking parameters and the algorithm are complex and change regularly, it is hardly possible for the normal website operator to recognize and react to changes quickly without the appropriate software support.
Therefore, the use of an SEO tool is recommended, with which professional keyword tracking can be carried out regularly. On the one hand, one can recognize where SEO optimizations are necessary and check their success directly. On the other hand, such SEO tools also show where you stand in comparison to the competition and what your competitors may be doing better.
Number of monitored keywords
Particularly important keywords should be prioritized within the SEO strategy and monitored particularly intensively. In this way, ranking changes for these keywords can be quickly recognized and specifically optimized.
The larger the project, the more keywords usually need to be monitored. Therefore, already during the SEO tool comparison, care must be taken to ensure that sufficient keywords can be included in the monitoring during the ranking analysis.
Ranking updates
How often the rankings for the keywords monitored in the keyword monitoring are updated by the providers of the SEO tools can be an important purchase criterion. While some providers update their ranking data daily, for other providers this happens at much longer intervals.
The more frequent the updates are, the more accurate the ranking analysis results will be. So, when choosing the right SEO program, you need to decide how accurate you want the results of your keyword monitoring to be and then choose the appropriate interval.
Historical ranking data
The more detailed the ranking analysis should become, the more important is the quality of the keyword data. As a rule, current ranking data is sufficient. But especially for newly defined keywords, it can be quite necessary to fall back on historical rankings. This allows you to precisely evaluate the ranking development of these keywords in the past and thus gain important insights for future SEO measures.
Not every SEO software provides historical ranking data for analysis. Already when comparing SEO tools, you should therefore carefully consider whether you need them for your ranking analysis.
Size of the keyword database
The larger the keyword database, the larger the pool of existing keywords that the SEO tool provides you with. Especially in ranking analysis, the larger the keyword database provided by the software provider, the more accurate the domain visibility results will be.
For most software providers, the size of the keyword database is in the tens of millions. When comparing SEO tools, make sure that the volume is sufficiently large to obtain reliable information about your own website.
Available countries
If the ranking analysis is to be performed for other countries as well, the SEO tool must support these countries. Therefore, before buying, check whether the target countries relevant to you are actually included.
Most tool providers cover the most important European countries. Some even offer ranking analyses for several hundred countries. If you are not sure whether the countries that are important to you are actually included, ask the provider directly.
Visibility curve
The success or failure of search engine optimization measures can be seen at a glance from the visibility curve. The visibility curve (or visibility index) is a key figure that indicates the development of a domain’s visibility in Google’s search results pages based on various individual factors. The most important factors are the ranking of the own page as well as the monthly search volume per keyword.
Ideally, the visibility curve of your domain runs continuously upwards, i.e. increases steadily. However, the development of the visibility curve also shows where there may have been drops in visibility (e.g. due to Google updates). Also, it is a good tool for competitive analysis, as it shows at a glance the development of competitor sites and allows conclusions to be drawn about possible SEO measures.
Ranking distribution
The ranking distribution breaks down the distribution of individual keyword rankings of a website in the Google search results pages. This tells you how many keywords land you on which search results page in Google search. This gives you, for example, important information about the keywords that you can improve with appropriate SEO measures from page two to page one.
Therefore, make sure in our SEO tool comparison that the selected software displays the ranking distribution. With almost all tool providers, this function is now standard.
Competitor analysis
Important in the ranking analysis is not only the optimization and monitoring of your own keywords but also the continuous monitoring of competitor rankings. This will tell you which keywords competitors are ranking with and how good their general visibility is in Google search results.
You can use this knowledge specifically to improve your own position in Google search and increase domain visibility in the long term. For example, by also focusing on keywords for which competitors rank successfully.
Local rankings
If the SEO measures are mainly local, e.g. for restaurants or craft businesses, the SEO tool should allow you to check local rankings. This allows you to analyze how they rank with selected keywords in local Google searches, i.e. in your preferred cities or location-based user searches.
As local search is becoming increasingly important, most providers have already integrated the evaluation of local rankings.
Mobile and desktop ranking
Not only since the introduction of Google’s mobile-first index, with which mobile websites were primarily used for indexing for the first time, but website operators also have to keep a permanent eye on the rankings of mobile and desktop versions.
Until a few years ago, some SEO tools still queried their Google rankings exclusively via desktop search. In the meantime, however, most ranking programs have also implemented the query of the mobile rankings to be able to gain a differentiated view of the Google rankings depending on the end device.
However, this function is not included by default in all tool providers, but must sometimes be booked besides – depending on the scope of the package.
Real-time ranking query
In standard keyword monitoring, results are usually presented with a certain time delay (often a day or even a week), as providers update their keyword databases in this cycle. For most keyword queries and analyses, this is usually sufficient.
However, if the ranking in Google search is needed in real-time for certain keywords, for example, to react ad hoc to an event, you need the real-time ranking query function. Since not all tool providers offer this function, you should already pay attention to it when comparing SEO tools, if necessary.
Onpage analysis: Everything about the optimization of the website
The goal of onpage optimization is an improved ranking in the Google search results pages. This concerns the implementation of the right technical measures as well as partly also content-related aspects to increase the quality of the website. It is therefore the basis for a good Google ranking and usually precedes content creation. This includes, among other things, measures for implementing a clean URL structure, optimizing loading times, avoiding programming errors and duplicate content, or creating a perfect text structure so that content can be quickly and easily grasped by both Google and the reader.
With the onpage analysis features in your SEO tool, you should be able to regularly analyze, monitor, optimize, and correct errors in the implementation of all onpage optimization measures. Therefore, when choosing a tool, make sure that the software includes all important onpage functions and that the maximum query volume (crawling volume of URLs that can be analyzed) fits your projects.
Number of onpage analyses
The number of possible onpage analysis varies significantly between the different providers and ranges from a limitation to a few domains to an unlimited number of crawls. Which SEO software you choose therefore also depends on how many websites you operate yourself or manage and analyze for clients.
While an unlimited number of onpage analysis is almost mandatory for agencies, it is sufficient for the normal operator of a content portal to limit the onpage analysis to one domain.
Number of analyzable URLs
The number of analyzable URLs indicates how many URLs of your page can be examined during the onpage analysis. Some providers limit the total number per month, others per analyzed domain. Therefore, when choosing the right SEO tool, you should make sure that the maximum number of analyzable URLs fits your project and covers the entire URL structure of your domain now and in the future.
Error reporting
To successively work through the error messages from the onpage analysis, most tool providers provide error reporting. Usually in the form of a checklist prioritized according to subject areas (SEO, technology, etc.) and the importance of the errors, these can be eliminated in a structured manner – this makes Onpage SEO almost real fun!
Internal link structure and anchor texts
Links are among the most important ranking factors in the Google algorithm, which is why the internal link structure is also very important in search engine optimization. A good onpage analysis provides an overview of the internal link structure and the anchor or link texts used. Furthermore, it evaluates how often pages are linked internally and what the source and target pages are.
The anchor text should summarize the content of the linked page in a few words and include the keyword for optimization. Less helpful, therefore, are anchor texts that consist of groups of words such as “read here” or “more information is available here”.
External links
Not only inbound links are important in the context of the link strategy, but Google also attaches certain importance to outbound links in the ranking. The number of outbound links plays a role as well as the link target. This means that the number of links set should be moderate and the content of the target page should be thematically appropriate to your own content. It should also always be ensured that linked pages are also accessible.
The SEO tool should be able to continuously monitor all outbound links of the domain as well as the accessibility of the target pages.
Load time
Page load time, also known as page speed, is a relevant factor in Google’s algorithm and therefore also an important component in search engine optimization. Too large image files, a lack of compression, or simply a server that is too slow lead to long loading times, which can harm Google rankings.
Therefore, a good SEO tool should be able to measure and analyze page load times and identify optimization potentials. This can be, for example, CSS/JavaScript optimization and compression of files, the elimination of faulty scripts, or effective caching.
Therefore, when comparing SEO tools, make sure that the onpage analysis also allows for an evaluation of the loading time.
Duplicate content
Duplicate content in general is content that appears several times in almost identical form on different pages on the Internet. Google assumes that these texts are less relevant, which leads to poorer rankings in Google search.
In the context of an onpage analysis, this is content that is used multiple times on different websites of the same domain or the canonical tag has been set incorrectly. The SEO tool you choose should detect these errors during the onpage analysis and provide advice on how to fix them.
Metadata
Meta description and website title have great importance in onpage optimization. While the website title describes the title of a page, which is output as a heading in the search results pages, the meta description provides a brief description of the content of the page below the page title and the URL. Well-formulated website titles and meta descriptions lead to higher click-through rates in search results and thus to more visitors.
If the meta title and meta description are missing, this can hurt Google’s ranking. Therefore, it should be checked at regular intervals with the help of an SEO tool whether both details are present for all important websites and whether the number of characters is optimized.
Indexing
If a URL is not indexed, it will not appear in Google search results. This can be the case, for example, if the page is redirected, is on Noindex or canonicals prevent indexing by the Google crawler.
An SEO tool should query the status for all URLs of the domain, detect and display erroneous, i.e. not indexed pages. This way you know which pages of your domain return an incorrect status code such as 403, 404, or 503 and can fix the errors.
Headings
A clear structure in the headings on your pages increases clarity for visitors to your pages and also improves readability for Google. Headings are identified by heading tags. Each page should have exactly one main heading, which is in the H1 tag and contains the main keyword of the page.
Subheadings below the main heading further structure the document logically and are identified with the H2 to H6 tags.
Images
The use of images on websites is becoming increasingly important. On the one hand, they visually enhance the content, on the other hand, they can provide additional traffic through Google image search. However, the number of images per page should be balanced. While no images at all can be negative for the content, too many images may cause greatly increased loading times.
Images should be provided with an ALT text, the ALT stands for “alternative”. The ALT text is displayed if the image cannot be loaded or the browser does not allow the loading of image files. Google uses the ALT text to get additional information about the image. Therefore, the ALT text should match the image and describe it briefly and concisely.
If you use many images, the SEO tool should also be able to analyze existing images.
Structured data
Structured data is additional information that helps search engines better understand the content of a page. They are located in the source code of the page, so they are not visible to the user. In addition to being increasingly important for ranking, they can be used to customize and optimize your search snippets in search results, which can lead to increased click-through rates (CTR).
If you use structured data frequently, the SEO tool should recognize it, analyze it and display errors.
Multilingualism
If the website is offered in multiple languages, the different language versions should be identified by a hreflang attribute. This ensures that the respective language version references the correct URL. The search engine thus receives the information on which language version it must deliver to the user in the search result.
When using the Hreflang attribute, it is important to have correct target URLs that are referenced, as well as the correct country and language information.
Page architecture
The page architecture of a domain should follow a clear structure so that both users and Google find exactly what they are looking for. For the website visitor, this leads to better user behavior, and for Google to a higher relevance in the search results.
A regular review of the page architecture, as well as the URL structure, is mandatory for every page operator – an SEO tool can support the evaluation.
Single page analysis
With the single-page analysis, you can individually check and optimize each URL of your domain for all SEO-relevant issues. Among other things, the single page analysis provides information about:
- indexability of the page,
- focus keyword as well as other relevant keywords,
- information about the metadata,
- page content,
- internal and external linking,
- technical aspects,
- page performance
- and much more.
Make sure that your SEO tool has this functionality so that you can use it as an SEO tool for page optimization.
JavaScript rendering
More and more JavaScript frameworks are being used in website creation, e.g. to implement interactive elements, for data validation, or to integrate pop-ups. So that these pages can also be captured by search engines, they must be crawlable by them.
Although this is now almost universally possible, some SEO tools do not yet support JavaScript rendering as part of onpage analysis. So if you use a JavaScript framework on your website, your SEO tool should also be able to run JavaScript during onpage analysis so that you can also draw usable data from the analysis.
Content and text optimization
High-quality content remains probably the most important factor in search engine optimization. Especially since Google is constantly adapting its algorithm and quality is becoming more and more important. Therefore, content and text optimization is a central component in the SEO strategy to achieve top positions in the Google ranking. But not only Google assigns a higher relevance to good texts, but also the visitor of the website is, of course, offered an added value, which optimally results in an increased conversion rate and thus higher sales.
A high-quality SEO tool should already support you in the selection of suitable keywords, the structuring of the text, the increase of relevance, and the optimization of the keyword density. Already created texts should be able to be checked via a content and landing page analysis so that you always have your keywords, content, and associated rankings in view.
TF*IDF text analysis
To increase the relevance of a keyword within a text, the text should contain other words that are related to the keyword. The TF*IDF analysis shows what these are and how they should relate to the keyword.
Specifically, the TF*IDF analysis examines the best-ranking competitor pages for a selected keyword measures the frequency of the words that appear in the text, and categorizes and weights them. Suggestions for semantic optimization of the content are derived, i.e. the user receives terms that he should include in his text (so-called term optimization).
Especially for website operators who rely on high-quality content for traffic generation to achieve ranking success quickly, the TF*IDF function in the SEO tool is almost indispensable for professional content analysis.
Keyword density
The keyword density, i.e. the percentage of the keyword in the entire text, has become much less important in the Google algorithm. Meanwhile, readability, text quality, and relevance play a much more important role for Google. Nevertheless, when creating text, care should still be taken to achieve a keyword density of between 1% and 2.5%. If it is significantly higher, the page may be perceived as spam by Google.
For content and text optimization, some SEO tools still offer the option of displaying the keyword density for specific keywords and pages, which is a useful enhancement, especially for content-heavy websites.
Readability analysis
As already indicated, the readability of texts, i.e. their quality and topic relevance, plays an increasingly important role in the Google algorithm. Through a readability analysis, the readability of a text is formally determined, i.e. calculated through a mathematical procedure (Flesch-Reading-Ease formula).
A numerical value is calculated that reflects the readability of the text. The higher the value, the easier the text is to understand. If the SEO tool has a readability analysis, you can use the calculated value for your texts to determine whether they are written in a readable way. A plus for your readers as well as for the Google ranking.
Content or landing page analysis
If the existing content is to be optimized for a specific keyword, this can be done with the content or landing page analysis. This can improve the Google ranking in the medium term, as the user is offered greater added value through appropriate optimization measures.
A landing page should contain exactly the information that the user also expects based on his search query. Important elements that are checked by the SEO program as part of the content or landing page analysis are, therefore, for example, keyword density, the relevance of the text to the keyword, or checking the readability of the entire content.
Text editor with live analysis
To avoid having to check the functionalities described in the above points later and individually, various providers offer a modern text editor with integrated live analysis. This allows you to check the factors of content and text optimization (e.g. readability, content relevance, or keyword density) that are important for a top search engine ranking directly when entering the text. This will save you valuable time and help you avoid mistakes right from the start.
Especially for website owners who rely on high-quality SEO texts, this is a very helpful tool to optimize their own content.
Backlink analysis: quality before quantity
Backlinks are still an important factor in Google’s algorithm, so they still play a big role in a good ranking in Google search. What has changed, however, is the value that Google places on the quality of backlinks. Gone are the days when SEOs were busy submitting their own URLs to as many directories or link farms as possible. Nowadays, quality clearly comes before quantity and that should be the most important factor when creating your backlink strategy.
Since it is far more costly to get high-quality backlinks, professional backlink analysis is very important. This is because often building good backlinks requires a lot of time and budget. Maintaining them and at the same time recognizing and eliminating bad backlinks, are the tasks that the SEO tool should support you with as part of the backlinks check.
Number of analyzable websites
The number of websites that can be analyzed differs greatly between tool providers. While with some SEO tools, backlink analysis can be performed for an unlimited number of domains, other tools limit the domains that can be analyzed, the daily query frequency, or the number of available backlink series.
When choosing SEO software, you should carefully consider how extensive your backlink analyses will be. While agencies working for multiple clients are probably more likely to rely on an unlimited number of domains, fewer projects or queries are often enough for operators of a single website.
Backlink updates
All tool providers perform regular updates of their backlink database. However, there are significant differences in the update cycles of the individual providers. While some perform a daily update, some only update the database weekly.
The rule of thumb here is The more up-to-date the data, the more accurate the backlink analysis results. When deciding on a tool, you should find out about the update interval in advance. Some software vendors also offer different service packages, where the frequency of updates varies in price.
Domain or URL evaluation
The SEO strength that a page possesses and that it can pass on via link juice is a central variable in the question of whether a backlink from the page makes sense and what effort one should invest in gaining the backlink. An example of such a value for determining the SEO strength is, for example, the Mozrank. It measures how many backlinks point to a page and how strong the link popularity of these individual links is.
Some software manufacturers offer a domain or URL rating calculated similarly to the Mozrank in their SEO tool, while others also make direct use of this key figure.
Link growth
The link growth shows how successful the own backlink strategy and the associated measures are. If the number of backlinks or referring domains increases continuously, this usually also results in an increasing relevance of the website in the Google rankings.
The graphical representation of link growth provided by many providers is a good tool for evaluating measures and drawing appropriate conclusions.
Link origin
Link origin analysis is important to monitor the quality of backlinks. Because just as high-quality links have a positive influence on the Google ranking, poor-quality links can worsen one’s own ranking. For example, many links from countries where you are not active indicate possible spam links.
Therefore, you should regularly check from which top-level domains you receive your backlinks and of what quality they are. Many providers of SEO software have integrated a function into their SEO tool that enables quick analysis of the link origin.
Anchor texts
Anchor text (or link text) is the clickable text section on a website that is provided with a target URL. Anchor texts play a major role in search engine optimization.
If Google crawls the page with the backlink, the anchor text is also examined and flows into the ranking evaluation. Therefore, the information in the anchor text is very important, should be relevant to the topic, and may contain the main keyword in an appropriate number. However, if keywords are mentioned too often in the anchor text (keyword spam), this can quickly hurt the ranking.
Many SEO tools offer the possibility to analyze the anchor texts of one’s own backlinks. Affected website owners can contact the website operator in case of poor quality link texts and ask for a correction.
Backlink monitoring
Continuous monitoring of backlinks from referring domains is also important as part of a holistic backlink strategy. This is because sharp declines in backlinks can lead to this harming traffic.
If the SEO tool has backlink monitoring, you can deposit your own backlinks and monitor whether the link is still present, points to the correct target, or has the correct anchor text. The tool is especially important if you have purchased links specifically as part of your own backlink strategy and have to monitor whether the partners are keeping to the agreements made.
Competitor analysis
Just as important as monitoring your own backlinks is a regular look at the competition. Where do your competitors get their backlinks from, what content do they need and what strategy do they use?
Use the Competitor Analysis function of your SEO tool to:
- identify important competitors,
- recognize which backlinks the competition relies on,
- recognize and build good links and
- gather insights for your own marketing strategy.
Disavow analysis
While high-quality backlinks improve the domain trust and thus the ranking of a website, links from harmful sites worsen it. These “gifted links” or “spam links” can be identified with a disavow analysis. Based on various indicators, the SEO tool evaluates the existing backlinks and gives the user an estimate of the value of the existing links.
This functionality, which is only offered by a few SEO tools, is recommended, for example, for website operators who have received a penalty from Google in the past and want to avoid future Google penalties by improving their backlink structure.
Social media monitoring: Keeping an eye on followers
Anyone who is professionally involved with SEO strategies cannot avoid targeted and planned social media monitoring. Because also from an SEO perspective, it is important what moves followers or subscribers and which (and how much) likes and tweets you receive. Therefore, it is your task to systematically analyze what happens on the various social media channels and moves followers or subscribers. This allows you to draw short-term conclusions about what is thematically relevant in general and what is being talked about in your own company or product in particular.
And social media also plays a role in content creation, for example when integrating videos into content pages. According to some SEO experts, thematically appropriate YouTube videos can increase the relevance of a page and also be shown in the video search results pages.
An SEO tool should therefore be able to provide video content for the most important social media services such as
- Facebook,
- YouTube,
- Twitter,
In addition to identifying and measuring your own fans (followers, subscribers), also measure their impact (tweets, likes, hashtags) and provide data on the competition.
Marketplace SEO
Online retailers, in particular, need to be visible with their offers not only on Google but especially on the major marketplaces such as
- Amazon
- eBay
Just as your own store page is optimized for a good ranking on Google, measures are also necessary on Amazon and eBay to rank in the top positions there.
However, ranking factors or search algorithms at the marketplaces differ from those at Google, i.e. there are other adjusting screws you have to turn as an SEO to advance to the top rankings.
If you are an online retailer planning to purchase an SEO tool and also sell your products on Amazon or eBay, you should make sure that the SEO software offers functionalities that support you in increasing your sales results through appropriate marketplace SEO. Alternatively, of course, a suitable eBay or Amazon agency can help with your SEO optimization.
Reporting functions
Anyone planning to use an SEO tool for the regular monitoring and analysis of their SEO measures should already make sure when selecting the tool that the necessary data can be provided at the right time and in the right form.
In addition to regular reports that are generated automatically and allow rather standardized monitoring, reports should also be customizable and thus be able to be adapted to one’s own needs. Those who frequently work for customers must ensure that the reports can be delivered under their own corporate design, e.g. by integrating their own logo.
Automatic e-mail reports
With automatic e-mail reports, you can have up-to-date information about the ranking positions of your keywords, the development of your backlinks, a complete onpage analysis, or the visibility of your domain sent directly to your e-mail regularly.
You can configure how often you receive the reports in your email inbox according to your needs. While the keyword and backlink development should be checked more frequently, e.g. weekly, a monthly or quarterly evaluation is usually sufficient for a complete onpage analysis.
Customizable reports
Many reports are already offered standardized by SEO tools. But these reports do not always cover the individual need for information. For many users, it is therefore important that the reports can be individualized, e.g. by extending already existing reports and adding certain functions. This is especially important if you work for customers and need to provide them with a wealth of extended reports.
White-label reports
Especially for companies that work on behalf of third parties, white-label reports are a must. This gives the user the possibility to create reports completely in his corporate design and to completely hide the tool provider’s trademarks on the report.
Integrating your own logo
As important as it is to be able to hide all the tool provider’s data in a white-label report, it is just as relevant for an agency to integrate its own logo into the report. This conveys a high degree of professionalism to the customer and makes the reports appear even more valuable.
E-mail alerts
If important indicators in the Google ranking change, then it is very important to be informed about this quickly. Only in this way can you react promptly to possible changes and take appropriate countermeasures.
This possibility is offered by e-mail alerts. You will be informed immediately by e-mail if a defined indicator, e.g. Google visibility, exceeds or falls below a certain value or falls outside a defined range.
Interfaces & Export Functions
If data is to be exchanged and processed between different programs or data is to be downloaded for evaluation purposes, a data interface or export function is required for this purpose. This can be a manual interface, i.e. a point where data can be imported or exported, or a machine interface, a so-called application programming interface (API).
If you regularly export data from your SEO tool or want to access the data directly with other programs or connect data providers (e.g. Google Analytics) to the SEO tool, corresponding interfaces or export functions must be available in the software.
Data exports
For regular evaluations, to carry out control activities or to create presentations, data on current rankings results from onpage analysis or other important KPIs are often required. Therefore, an export function, with which individual data, entire reports, graphics, or diagrams can be exported, should be part of the standard of an SEO tool.
It is important that the data export can be performed in common formats, e.g. as Excel files, as PDF, or in XML format.
API interfaces
For professional data analysis or program access, most tools have an API interface. This allows direct data access to the SEO tool without the need for intermediate steps such as downloads and uploads of information. In this way, for example, data can be loaded directly into other programs and integrated into business processes.
Search Analytics
Search Analytics allows you to link your SEO tool to your account at Google Analytics or Google Search Console and then import the data from there. This provides you with even more detailed information on visitor flows or search volume for individual keywords.
You can connect the imported data in the SEO tool with the ranking data available there and automatically match it. This gives you even better results for your online marketing.
Support & Documentation
Documentation
Even though many SEO tools are intuitive to use and already provide a lot of help in executing the functions, there are always situations where the user gets stuck. In this case, it is important to have detailed user documentation that describes all the important functionalities understandably and answers frequently asked questions, e.g. in the form of FAQs.
Many software providers also provide users with short explanatory videos that, for example, give an introduction to the software or visually explain particularly frequently asked questions.
Support
If even the best documentation does not help to solve the problem, the software provider should always have a personal support employee available at the end of the day who can help quickly and without complications.
Advice is usually given by phone, but increasingly also via live chat. Some manufacturers also offer that the support employee carries out the troubleshooting himself via remote access.
Not all software manufacturers have their headquarters in Germany, which is why not every provider offers German-language support. If you attach great importance to this, you should definitely take it into account when selecting your software.
You can find out how extensive the personal support is directly from the manufacturer before you buy.
Training
More and more tool manufacturers are also offering their users training courses so that they can quickly familiarize themselves with the software. These range from webinars, where seminars are offered online, to in-house training at the customer’s premises, to on-site training at the software vendor’s premises.
While webinars are in most cases offered free of charge to customers, in-house training or training at the software provider’s premises is usually subject to a fee.
SEO Tools: FAQ
How much SEO tools cost?
SEO tools usually have monthly costs – however, most SEO tool providers also offer free trial periods or permanent freemium packages.
For private websites or smaller commercial web projects, such free SEO tools are often sufficient. However, if you want to build up a professional internet business and do comprehensive SEO analysis, you should spend about 30 to 100 Euros/Dollars per month on SEO tools.
Are free SEO tools worth it?
Free SEO tools can also be worthwhile! Ubersuggest, Rankalyst, or Screaming Frog all offer exciting functions that support you in optimizing your website. Especially if your website has only a few subpages, free SEO tools help and often cover your entire website during the analysis.
What are the best SEO tools?
There are countless SEO tools on the market, but some of them stand out from the crowd with their features. We can recommend the following all-rounder tools:
- Ahrefs
- DeepCrawl
What are the types of SEO tools?
The most popular tools are usually so-called all-around tools, which cover all important SEO areas with their functionalities. Besides content and text optimization, SEA analysis, and social media monitoring, the four biggest SEO tool areas are: