Search engine optimization (SEO) has become a big business these days, and there are a number of excellent paid and free SEO tools available that help companies monitor their rankings, optimize their content, manage link building campaigns, and more. With an average of over 3.5 billion searches performed on Google alone each day, there’s a strong motivation for businesses and content providers to improve their search visibility and ranking.
Thanks to the proliferation of affordable and free SEO tools, brands and publishers of all sizes can compete with major players for the top search ranking positions for sought-after keywords. We’ve rounded up 50 of the best free SEO tools today, from free content optimization tools to free link building tools, free mobile SEO tools, and more to help you find leading tools to manage every aspect of your SEO strategy – for free! Note: the following tools are organized alphabetically in the following categories, but otherwise are not ranked in any way:
- Content Optimization Tools
- Keyword Research Tools
- Link Building Tools
- Local SEO Tools
- Mobile SEO Tools
- Multi-purpose SEO Tools
- On-page SEO Tools
- Web Analytics Tools
Content Optimization Tools
1. Ahrefs SEO WordPress Plugin
The Ahrefs SEO plugin for WordPress gives you an integrated set of tools for performing content audits and monitoring backlinks. By running a content audit, you can quickly identify your highest and lowest performing pages and review actions for improvement. This tool does a nice job of integrating data from Ahrefs and Google Analytics so that you have a complete picture of your content performance.
Key Features:
- View traffic and backlink data
- Data from Ahrefs and Google Analytics
- Quick installation and set up
2. Browseo
Browseo is an easy-to-use web app that lets you examine which parts of a page are relevant for SEO. You can simply enter any URL, and a report will be generated that reviews the page structure in HTML terms. From there, you can review meta information and links that you can then download as a spreadsheet to capture your session.
Key Features:
- Review metadata including title tags and robots tags
- Highlight internal and external links
- Download your session data as a spreadsheet file
3. Cloudflare
Cloudflare is a web performance and security platform with a suite of tools for analyzing any website. Their free plan can be used for personal sites and blogs or those who just want to review the basic functions of the software before deciding to purchase a paid plan. They also offer a WordPress plugin that can help you identify ways to optimize your content, load speeds, and security settings.
Key Features:
- Global content delivery network (CDN)
- Unmetered mitigation of DDoS
- Email support included with the free plan
The Internet Marketing Ninja’s Header Checker Tool can be used to review the response codes from various pages on a server. You can enter a list of up to 1,000 URLs and run a report with a single click. The data will be exported as a spreadsheet that will include an HTTP response code and information about the status of each page.
Key Features:
- Analyze redirect chains for each URL
- View HTTP response codes
- Quickly identify dead or missing pages
The Keyword Density Checker from Small SEO Tools helps you better understand how a web crawler will interpret your page text. You can either paste text directly into the tool or enter a URL to analyze the contents of that page. The results are reported as a list of keywords from the page along with a percentage frequency compared to the overall number of words.
Key Features:
- Optimize keyword density for any page
- View the total number of keywords on a page
- Analyze keyword frequency counts and indicators
Screaming Frog is a website crawler program that runs on Windows, Mac, or Ubuntu. The free version includes many useful features for optimizing content, including the ability to analyze pages, discover duplicate pages, and find broken links and redirects. You can also access site visualizations for a complete overview of your page hierarchy.
Key Features:
- Analyze page titles and metadata
- Review meta robots and directives
- Generate XML sitemaps
Keyword Research Tools
7. AlsoAsked
AlsoAsked is a research tool that will help you understand what types of questions people are asking when they perform web searches. This database pulls from the “People Also Asked” information displayed during search engine results. It’s an excellent resource for finding new keywords and discovering long-tail keywords that can be used on your website.
Key Features:
- Support for over 30 languages
- Filter results by a particular region
- Visually see how questions are related to each other
Google’s Keyword Planner tool is an excellent tool for performing basic keyword research. If you have a Google Ads account, you can access this tool for free and use it to find new keywords based any search term you provide. Both words and phrases can be used, and you can easily add keywords to your list and collect a set of relevant data.
Key Features:
- Advertising bid estimates for each keyword
- A competition rating from low to high
- Easily save keywords to a Google ad campaign
Some keyword strategies rely on seasonal changes or seek to take advantage of increased popularity for keywords during news cycles or in response to market trends. Google Trends is the perfect tool to get a high-level overview of the popularity and search volume for any keyword. It can also be used to browse and find related or trending keywords with a rising number of search requests.
Key Features:
- Search by term or topic
- Data visualization for historical keyword data
- Quickly identify trending keywords
10. KeywordsIn
The website Keywords.in gives you an easy way to generate keyword combinations from any selection of starting words. It’s super easy to use; simply enter your words into the first box. Additional boxes are available for more words, and you can also set some of them as optional or use a broad modifier to expand the number of results it generates.
Key Features:
- Any easy way to generate keyword combinations
- Combine required or optional keywords
- 3 different keyword match options
11. Keyword Tool
Keyword Tool is a great alternative to the Google Keyword Planner and also utilizes autocomplete data to find additional keywords. The free version lets you find up to 750 long-tail keywords for each search term that you enter into the website. No account is needed to use the tool, and it’s a quick and easy way to generate a ton of relevant keywords.
Key Features:
- Support for 83 Google language interfaces
- Collect keywords from 8 different sources
- Uses Google Autocomplete data
12. QuestionDB
QuestionDB is an easy to use source for blog topic ideas that has over 31 million questions in its database. You can enter up to three words to describe your topic, and the site generates a list of topic-related questions people have asked. It’s meant to help you find specific terms that are related to a broad topic. The free version lets you read the top 10 results and download them as a CSV file.
Key Features:
- Quickly generate new content ideas
- Link provided to a source for each question
- Download results as a CSV file
13. Reddit Keyword Research Tool
Keyworddit is a keyword research tool that can be used to explore conversations on the Reddit website. You simply enter any topic into the search field and select a particular subreddit from the provided list. The results are displayed as a keyword list sorted by monthly search volume, and you can download the data for later viewing.
Key Features:
- Download search results with one click
- Keyword volumes provided from Grepwords
- A “context” link provided for each keyword
14. Soovle
Soovle is a keyword search aggregator that pulls data from popular websites such as Amazon, Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Wikipedia. It streamlines keyword research by allowing you to access multiple sites with a single search. As a free and easy to use site, Soolve is a helpful tool for getting a lot of keyword ideas quickly. The list can be downloaded for offline use, as well.
Key Features:
- Keyword data compiled from 7 sources
- Download keywords for later viewing
- Simple and very easy to use
15. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest, from Neil Patel’s website, is a very flexible research tool that lets you search by domain or keyword. When a domain is entered, the site will show you traffic, keyword, and advertising data in an easy-to-read graph. You can also view the top SEO pages for each domain and review relevant keyword suggestions based on recent trends and search volume.
Key Features:
- Search trend data for each keyword
- SEO and advertising difficulty scores
- Backlink data with ranking probability scores
16. Wordstream Free Keyword Tool
WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool is designed to help you optimize Google and Bing advertising campaigns. To begin, simply enter a keyword or website URL into the search field and click the button. Users can also select an industry or specific location for more precise search results, and the list of keyword suggestions will include long-tail variations.
Key Features:
- Filter keyword results by industry
- Download the keyword list as a CSV file
- Location-based keyword data
Link Building Tools
17. Check My Links
Check My Links is a free extension for the Google Chrome browser that was created for web designers and content editors. The software will quickly review all the links on a chosen web page and check each one to see if the link is valid or broken. You can set the plugin to review multiple pages at one time and then copy all broken links to your clipboard with a single click.
Key Features:
- Check multiple pages at once
- Receive page error information for broken links
- Easy to install on the Chrome browser
18. Disavow.it
Disavow.it is a simple tool that can be used to create a disavow file or apply one to a series of URLs. To build a disavow file, you can upload a text file or paste URLs into the provided form and then select a domain threshold value. Those wishing to perform some testing can use the other tab to compare a disavow file to a list of URLs, and you’ll see which links would be disavowed according to the file.
Key Features:
- Quickly create a disavow file
- Compare any disavow file to a list of URLs
- Created files can be uploaded in Google Search Console
19. Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a platform that connects journalists with expert sources for news articles and other content. Their database includes over 75,000 journalists and bloggers and over one million sources. It’s a great resource to tap into when you are looking to establish high-quality links in authoritative publications.
Key Features:
- Free access to media opportunities by email
- Over 75,000 journalists in the database
- An extensive listing covering all industries
This free link building tool from SEO Review Tools helps you find new keywords based on Google search results data. To use the tool, enter any keyword into the web form and select a country and relevant category. One of the best things about this tool is that the results will be automatically categorized by strategy, such as website submission, guest posting, and social media.
Key Features:
- Generates multiple query suggestions
- Results grouped by topic and strategy
- Links include nofollow vs nofollow descriptions
Moz Link Explorer is an easy-to-use tool that analyzes the backlink profile of any website or page. After signing up and confirming your email address, you’ll receive a complete report for your research, including ratings for page authority and domain authority. Their live link index includes over 40 trillion links and is regularly updated with new data.
Key Features:
- Research competitor backlinks
- Quickly identify broken links
- Improve the quality of your backlinks
22. SEOQuake
SEO Quake is a free plugin for Google Chrome through which you can perform complete on-page SEO audits and examine links. It’s easy to install, and you can configure it to report the most relevant data for your needs. The link examiner displays information such as the URL and anchor type for every internal and external link on the pages that you visit.
Key Features:
- A SEObar for viewing an instant summary
- Configure parameters and SEO data sources
- Easily print or export your data
Local SEO Tools
Free Review Monitoring is a great way to see the status of your site or business reviews all in one place. After setting up the service, you can select up to three locations to monitor to receive automatic email alerts whenever a new review is posted. The alerts can help you stay informed about all reviews and take any action necessary to solve any customer issues.
Key Features:
- Monitor up to 3 locations
- Receive email alerts on all new reviews
- Easy setup with no credit card required
Google My Business is an excellent free service that gives you complete control of your Google business listing. It helps you more easily connect with customers through Google Search and Maps, and you can also fully customize your photos and public profile information. Another benefit of using Google My Business is the data reporting, which will show you how customers have interacted with your listing.
Key Features:
- Monitor calls, bookings, and calls
- Customize your Google business profile
- Easily manage business contact information
25. Google Structured Data Testing Tool
Google’s Structured Data Testing tool is an easy way to validate the code from a website page or code snippet. Enter the URL or code snippet into the pop-up, then simply click the “run test” button. For such a simple tool, you can still get a lot of useful insights into your structured data, such as organization name and type along with other information.
Key Features:
- Run testing on a URL or code snippet
- A simple website development tool
- Check multiple fields of structured data
Local SEO Checklist includes 30 different guides for optimizing your local SEO results. Some of the highlights include how to claim your Google My Business listing, how to create listings on other business directories, and tips for monitoring and responding to reviews. This is a great resource for those who are just starting out and would like a comprehensive overview of local SEO best practices.
Key Features:
- A simple 30-step process for boosting local SEO
- Guides for creating business listings
- How to check listings on all major directories
The Moz Local tool lets you quickly check the status of your business listings across a wide number of platforms with a single search. Listing directories supported include Foursquare, Bing, Google, and Facebook. The results are presented with a score for each listing to help you understand how your business is represented on each of the platforms.
Key Features:
- Quickly verify local listings on 9 platforms
- View data-driven summaries of your listing accuracy
- Get results with only a few clicks
28. Siteliner
Siteliner is a great tool for finding any duplicate content or plagiarized text that might be present on a website. It’s easy to use; simply enter a URL into the search field to get started. A detailed report will be generated that shows you information about your site pages, links, and content. The charts make it easy to digest the data, and you can also download the report as a PDF file.
Key Features:
- Easily check for duplicate content
- Comparisons with other sites provided
- Download the report as a PDF
Mobile SEO Tools
The SERPerator tool, from Mobile Moxie, can be used free up to three times per month and helps you verify mobile ranking on Google. You can also verify Google keyword rankings and test local SEO with this software. Since Google search results may differ across devices, you can select from 35 different mobile device emulators to explore the differences.
Key Features:
- Easily test SERP variations from any location
- Emulate search results for 35 different devices
- Check mobile rankings by city
Google has created Mobile-Friendly Test as a quick way to check if a web page is optimized for viewing on a mobile device. After entering a full URL, the test will take less than a minute to run, producing a summary of any issues along with an example screenshot of the mobile view. Some of the common usability problems highlighted are small font sizes and the use of Flash.
Key Features:
- View an example mobile screenshot
- Quickly identify mobile usability problems
- Receive a list of specific usability errors
31. Zeo Mobile First Index Checker
The Zeo Agency’s Mobile First Index Checker is a helpful tool for reviewing the mobile-readiness of any website. This tool works by comparing elements of a website to recommendations based on Google’s mobile-first indexing process. The report provides a yes or no notification based on an assessment of elements such as links, structured data, page speed, and content.
Key Features:
- Review 8 major mobile-first indexing elements
- Click on any element for additional details
- An easy-to-follow report
Multi-Purpose SEO Tools
32. Chrome DevTools
Google Chrome DevTools is a complete set of web development tools that are available from within the Chrome browser. These tools make it easy to test pages and diagnose issues without having to switch between multiple programs. Some of the most popular features include JavaScript debugging, CSS prototyping, analyzing load performance, and optimizing website speed.
Key Features:
- A comprehensive user interface
- Simulate mobile devices from the browser
- An elements panel for making changes to DOM or CSS
33. Google
Simply using Google, the world’s most popular search engine, can be a great way to understand more about SEO strategies and page ranking. One essential tip is to use Google from an incognito mode window so that your search results aren’t biased by previous searches or preferences. Reviewing the autocomplete results or related search terms can be especially helpful when doing keyword research.
Key Features:
- View ranking results directly from the source
- Quickly check for related keywords
- Verify the ranking for business or competitor pages
The Search Console is another helpful tool from Google that can shed light on a number of different areas that may be affecting SEO performance. You can enter a domain or URL and then must verify the domain using DNS or other methods before continuing. The reported data includes indexation issues, mobile usability, and sitemap status.
Key Features:
- Trusted data from Google
- Keyword and URL performance
- Verify mobile usability
35. Marketing Miner
Marketing Miner is a powerful data mining tool that can be used to run complex analyses on keywords, product pricing, and other web development data. With the free version of the software, you get 1,000 credits per month that you can use to run up to 10 queries for a single project. The platform also has an intuitive summary dashboard where you can track changes and performance data for your site.
Key Features:
- Analyze large data sets with one click
- Easily monitor competitor sites
- Perform URL indexation checks
36. Moz Toolbar
Moz has created this free all-in-on SEO toolbar, called MozBar, that runs on the Chrome internet browser. This extension is incredibly useful because it gives you quick access to trusted metrics including Domain Authority (DA), Page Authority (PA), and a spam score. There are also some helpful tools that can be used directly on a web page, such as an on-page highlighter and a page overlay for reviewing elements and attributes.
Key Features:
- Page Authority and Domain Authority scores
- Export SERP analysis data as a CSV file
- Compare link metrics across pages
Neil Patel offers this free SEO Analyzer that lets you generate an instant SEO report for any website. The data will include an SEO analysis highlighting the status of your links, critical errors, and additional warnings and recommendations. The rest of the SEO audit includes a detailed SEO checker with a complete summary of each particular issue and how to resolve it.
Key Features:
- A complete SEO audit report
- Site speed data for desktop and mobile
- A comprehensive backlink checker
38. SEO Minion
SEO Minion is another free SEO tool that can be used to monitor important data and perform routine tasks. The software is available as a plugin for the Chrome or Firefox browsers and includes features such as on-page SEO analysis, broken link detection, and multi-location SERP simulation. There is also a SERP preview tool that you can use to visualize how your page will look when ranking.
Key Features:
- On-page SEO analysis
- A Hreflang checker
- Simulate multi-location SERP
This free SEO analysis tool from SEO Workers will analyze your website with a method that replicates the same technology as search engine spiders. In addition to checking meta and title tags, the report also covers other topics like internal and external URLs, anchor tags, and image alt attributes. Having quick access to such a comprehensive report can help during just about any SEO task.
Key Features:
- Analyze HTTP headers
- Check keywords found in Anchor tags
- Verify internal and external links (URLs)
Sheets for Marketers is a collection of tools that can be used with Google Sheets. These include automation templates and other tools that can streamline SEO tasks and make work easier during web development and marketing. It’s an excellent resource for anyone who is already using spreadsheets to manage some of their SEO workload and is looking for new ideas and improvements.
Key Features:
- Hundreds of templates for Google Sheets
- A comprehensive directory of marketing APIs
- Additional SEO resources and tutorials
41. Small SEO Tools
The Small SEO Tools website maintains this extensive collection of completely free resources. You will find over 150 tools here, including text content tools, keyword tools, and website management tools. Nearly every aspect of SEO is covered, so you’re likely to find something that will be useful.
Key Features:
- Website tracking tools
- Proxy and domain management tools
- Unit and binary converter tools
On-Page SEO Tools
42. Google Natural Language API
The Natural Language API, from Google, uses machine learning to analyze text and reveal insights into the content. You can quickly extract links, analyze sentiment, and classify content by various types. The free demo on the main page can be used to analyze simple text or a free demo will give you access to all features.
Key Features:
- Easily apply natural language understanding (NLU)
- Sentiment and entity analysis
- Automated content classification
This on-page optimization tool is provided by Internet Marketing Ninjas and analyzes your pages in the same way that web spider would. You will receive information about your internal links, content, and meta data so that you can find ways to improve your on-page SEO. To use it, simply enter any URL and up to five target phrases you would like to check.
Key Features:
- A keyword density tool
- Displays the number and types of links used
- Review header and source code data
Google’s Rich Results Test lets you easily check if a web page supports rich results, which refers to the ability of any page to display content on Google search results other than the standard blue link and snippet. Enter any URL to view whether or not the page can display carousels, images, or other non-text media.
Key Features:
- A structured data gallery for reference
- Information for optimizing structured data
- Quickly view a summary of rich results compatibility
This tool is aimed for web developers and those that are familiar with HTML coding. View Rendered Source is a Chrome plugin that will quickly show you how a browser has rendered any web page. This is a great tool for optimizing on-page SEO since you can see how search engines view your website pages.
Key Features:
- A dedicated view for seeing raw versus rendered code
- A mobile user-agent checkbox
- Understand how JavaScript has modified a page
Web Analytics Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools provides a suite of diagnostic and reporting tools for understanding your search rankings and optimizing traffic. The platform also shares guidelines for improved site indexing, and you can access advanced research tools and analytics. A notifications console can be customized for receiving alerts about your site status and any changes.
Key Features:
- Detailed reporting tools
- A customizable dashboard
- Diagnostic and research tools
47. Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress By ShareThis
Google Analytics Dashboard is a WordPress plugin from our team here at ShareThis. It’s completely free to use and can be customized to show the most important information based on your website needs. The plugin displays useful data such as visitor trends, traffic sources, and a summary of your 10 most viewed pages right within your WordPress dashboard.
Key Features:
- Review data such as page views and user counts
- A mobile-optimized WordPress plugin
- Monitor your 10 most viewed pages
Google Data Studio uses data visualization to turn your website analytics into easy-to-follow graphics. This helps you make more informed decisions, and the Data Studio software removes some of the complexity from trying to compile this data on your own. There are a number of report templates provided, or you can create your own and focus on only the most critical website data.
Key Features:
- A gallery of report templates
- Easily share and edit reports
- Manage permissions for data sources
Google Webmaster Tools is an excellent resource for monitoring your website analytics. Users access the system through the Google Search Console, where you can access a number of resources for improving your Google search performance. One of the most powerful features is Search Analytics, which will identify which particular queries visitors used to access your site.
Key Features:
- Submit sitemaps and URLs for crawling
- Set up email alerts for urgent issues
- A complete URL inspection tool
50. TagExplorer
The team at Tag Inspector created this free Tag Explorer extension for the Chrome browser. When a web page is loaded with the plugin running, you’ll be able to quickly see marketing tags and beacons on the page and how they’re defined. It’s an easy way to verify if your analytics tags are working properly as part of a site audit or privacy review.
Key Features:
- View marketing tags and beacons for any page
- Audit for third party trackers
- Pinpoint the page location where a tag is firing
Optimizing your website is a must to improve your search engine visibility, but when you’re using a multitude of tools, switching back and forth between browser windows and dashboards can be time-consuming. Install the Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress to get valuable search analytics right within your WordPress dashboard. It’s easy to install and intuitive to use, and best of all, it’s completely free to use!
