Another year, more search engine optimization! In 2019, there are more free SEO tools and software suites available than ever before, which is a testament to the importance of optimizing your content and ranking within the SERPs. Whether you just started a website or having been trying to rise within the rankings for years, there is an SEO tool out there for you. To help you make a more informed choice, here are the 10 best SEO tools for 2019 to add to your toolbox:
1. Google Search Console
Ranking high again is the famous Google Search Console, a suite of essential SEO tools that help webmasters find duplicated metadata, indexed pages, security issues, and any other things that may cause trouble with the user experience and ranking. Other things you can do with Google Search Console include:
- Submitting XML sitemaps
- Seeing the impressions and clicks regarding your websites
- Seeing a limited list of keywords that your website is ranked by
- Backlinks
- Indexing
- Security
Google Search Console is also free, making it a must for every website, regardless of your niche.
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2. Ubersuggest
There are a number of keyword finding SEO tools available, but Ubersuggest wins. You get more than just suggestions, you get a full profile that shows volume, seasonality, cost-per-click data, and even insight on how to use keywords more intuitively. The unique keyword suggestion feature allows Ubersuggest to offer up hundreds of long-tail keyword phrases, including how competitive each keyword is. This free tool is exceptional for those who want insights on what their competitors are up to, as well as “negative keywords,” which help you filter out the words that could penalize your business. Plus, you can see how keywords are ranking, how difficult it would be a keyword to rank, who is spending money on the keyword, as well as if it is worthwhile for you to use a phrase. What’s not to love?
3. SEMRush
The beloved SEMRush has been around for many years—meaning the developers are doing something right. SEMRush delivers a ton of useful features, like:
- Discovering new competition
- Seeing the keywords a competitor is using
- Observing ranking changes
- Backlink analysis
- Determining the correct keywords for SEO and PPC campaigns
- Gathering phrases and related keywords to implement marketing campaigns
- Retrieving long-tail keywords and other useful search phrases
- Estimation of keyword difficulty
- Finding keywords with less competition
As you can see, SEMRush is a full house of tools.
4. Yoast SEO
Calling all WordPress users! If you have a WP website, then you should have the Yoast SEO plugin installed and running. The reason why is simple: Yoast SEO is the best rated SEO plugin for the WP CMS. With this plugin, you can effortlessly optimize meta tags, alt-text, content, and create sitemaps for your entire website with just a few clicks. Yoast SEO is also free to all users with WordPress.org.
5. MOZ: SEO Software
Not only is Moz considered an SEO authority, the SEO software created by the company is top notch. For those who consider themselves advanced users, the Moz SEO suite does everything that comes standard with other tools but then dives a little deeper. For example, you can check out recommended keywords, get your website crawled and indexed, gain performance insights, and more. However, the one thing that everyone should be using Moz for is the reports about Google algorithm changes. You can download the MozBar tool for free, which gives you metrics while browsing.
6. Screaming Frog
Funny name, serious results. Screaming Frog is highly recommended by a number of SEO experts and will continue to be one of the most widely used SEO tools in 2019. Experts like Screaming Frog because it works fast. The acclaimed SEO Spider tool by Screaming Frog can be used to crawl through your website, as well as your competitor’s, giving you insights and leverage to make your website work better. You can also see which sites are getting 404 redirects, a list of H1 and title tags, and other analytical data.
7. SpyFu
Here’s another wonderful set of free SEO tools that help with optimizing your website. SpyFu allows users to retrieve a number of keywords that are searched monthly. Additionally, each keyword comes with the level of competition and the difficulty to rank. You can also get a ranking analysis. In spite of being free, SpyFu provides an in-depth report of keyword clicks, paid and organic competitors, created ads with Google Adwords, and so on. It is super detailed and a must for those doing marketing research.
8. Ahrefs: SEO Keyword Tool
One of the most recommended SEO tools available, Ahrefs is cherished and revered by many webmasters. Ahrefs is the second largest web crawler in the world, and the Site Audit is arguably the best analysis tool offered to date. The straightforward usage of Ahrefs, which is more or less a plug and chug platform, allows you to see where your website is performing well or what is potentially bogging you down. Thanks to that, you can easily figure out what needs to be done to improve your site ranking. Ahrefs is also ideal for marketers who want to create quality backlinks by allowing you to discover the most linked content in a particular niche. The best thing? The Ahrefs SEO tools are completely free to use.
9. Fat Rank
Ever wonder how your website ranks for a single keyword? That’s where Fat Rank Google Chrome extension deserves attention. You see, Fat Rank helps you understand the rank of the keywords found within your content. All you do is add the keywords you are trying to rank for, and Fat Rank will search for those keywords within the first 100 results in the SERPs. If you don’t make a rank, this tool will tell you that too. Small businesses benefit from Fat Rank, because you learn how to optimize your content without requiring a bulky SEO suit.
10. KWFinder
If you are already using Google Keyword Planner, KWFinder is an excellent addition to the SEO tool arsenal. The reason is because, while Google Keyword Planner is ideal for finding keywords, it is limited. You can’t find out how many monthly searches are being made, nor can you find out how competitive the keyword is. That’s where KWFinder comes in. With this tool, all you need is a starting keyword. KW Finder will then generate a list of keywords, the number of monthly searches associated with each keyword, and how competitive said keyword is on a scale of 0-100. Other users call KW Finder intuitive, easy to use, and accurate.
SEO is here to stay, meaning you need to pay some attention to the top-ranking SEO tools available in 2019. Some of these tools have been used from the beginning of SEO and are thus one of the greatest ways to gain insight. Use these tools to help convert your leads, gain more organic traffic, and figure out where you are ranking. With these tools, you will be able to steer your online presence to greater ranks.