The best SEO tools in 2024 for professionals
Do you want a simple answer? The best SEO tool (or search engine optimization software) is undoubtedly SEMrush. I explain it to you in this guide.
You may be like me: when I started using SEO tools and tried to find the one that suited me best, I was quite confused..
There are a lot of tools that we get lost in our choices. We have to try them one by one, and then sort them out.
You probably want to know why I chose SEMrush as the best SEO tool when Icreate my first website Why do I trust him? Are there any other tools?
I would first like to point out that indeed, there are three other SEO tools on the marketSEMrush, Ahrefs, and MozYou have undoubtedly heard of them several times, many SEOs and other professionals use them.
To tell the truth, all three of these can fall into the category of the best SEO tools.
But wait, is having an SEO tool mandatory? In fact, any serious SEO program needs one. Tracking positioning in search engine results, keyword research, and link analysis are too difficult or time-consuming to do without specialized SEO software. At first, I wanted to use free SEO tools, but I quickly realized it was a mistake. By investing in a paid tool, I could have gained much more traffic all this time.
Once you have chosen your main SEO tool, it is only then that you should resort to other free tools: Google Analytics and Google Search Console, among others. They are essential, regardless of the paid SEO tool you use in addition.
More specifically, what do you need to do then?
Choose SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz as your main SEO tool.
Install an SEO plugin if you are on WordPress.
Add an advanced SEO exploration tool if your site is massive.
Add an awareness tool if you are doing link building.
Set up the free SEO tools: Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Best SEO tool: SEMrush
7 days free trial
Analysis of links and keyword research
Ranking tracking reports
Competitor analysis
If you are new to the field of SEO, I highly recommend choosing SEMrush.
Compared to other SEO tools, it is by far the easiest to use (at least, compared to Ahrefs and Moz).
The ranking tracking reports from SEMrush are also the best of all the other SEO tools I have seen. With SEMrush, I actually check the reports of my site every day. In just a few minutes, I feel like I have total control over what is happening on the site. All the other tools I have known are not intuitive, all the data is scattered everywhere. In other cases, the reports are not detailed enough. You don't have these problems with SEMrush. The latter is easy to use and provides a comprehensive report on the SEO of your site (link analysis, keyword research, and competitive analysis).
Best SEO tool for experts: Ahrefs
If you have been doing SEO for several years, I recommend expanding your skills with this other SEO tool: Ahrefs.
Recently, he has been elected as the "new" SEO specialist. I must admit that he really deserves it! This tool offers even more in-depth analyses. Every time I log into their platform, I keep discovering new facets of this SEO tool.
In a way, it is also a kind of weakness. But how is it a disadvantage? I don't know if new features have been implemented (when there are any). Ahrefs does not keep you informed.
I have known beginners who wanted to try Ahrefs, but they struggled to figure it out. Most of them give up very quickly.
For those of you who know exactly what they want, Ahrefs is perfect! Just be determined to achieve your goals, and the rest will follow automatically.
When I used Ahrefs, I was able to see that it stands out with its "link analysis" feature. So, if you are familiar with SEO and want to focus on link analysis, you know where to turn.
Best SEO plugin for WordPress: Yoast
There are probably thousands of SEO plugins for WordPress, but the most effective one is Yoast.
Moreover, I think that EVERY WORDPRESS SITE should install this plugin. It automates a ton of tasks in SEO (meta titles, article descriptions, SEO titles...)
Just use the free version of Yoast; it is already very complete.
I have written another article on the WordPress plugins necessary for your website.
Best SEO tool: Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Have you ever heard of crawling?
It mainly concerns large websites, those containing thousands of URLs. Unfortunately, SEO tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz are quite basic, and do not offer the Crawling option.
You need a dedicated crawling tool. With these types of software, you will be able to manage thousands of pages at once on your dashboard. All broken links will be displayed, as well as missing meta descriptions, incorrect redirects, duplicate content..
So, which SEO software is able to provide all of this? I immediately thought of Screaming Frog SEO Spider. It is the oldest and obviously the most powerful.
I didn't tell you, but since website audits are typically a "one-and-done" project, you can sign up for Frog SEO Spider, pay for a few months (the time you need to improve the site), and then cancel it once you're done.
The only people I know who have long-term subscriptions are SEO consultants who do multiple audits every month for their clients.
Best Outreach Tool: Pitchbox
I remember the time when we could get by without doing any link building in SEO. Today, that is far from enough. SEO has become too competitive.
I think that if we don't have time to take care of link building, we should not venture into this field (SEO). It would be better to find another strategy to develop our business.
That being said, link building strategies are the most effective. You need an SEO tool to improve your link building strategies like Pitchbox.
Some important tasks in link building are automated thanks to Pitchbox. Now, link building has become a breeze. Before, I must admit that I hated it. Now, it doesn't bother me anymore!
With Pitchbox for example, you can find contacts, automate email follow-ups, and keep track of all your outreach contacts.
Use Google's free SEO tools
Google Analytics is one of my favorite SEO tools for analyzing websites! Google Search Console is just as effective as Google Analytics. Even though they are free, they offer everything you need.
Simply register on Google, and then register your site in your Google Analytics and Search Console space. You will see results immediately after their installation (no need to wait for days for everything to work)..
All you have to do is prove that you are the real owner of the site (Google actually guides you on how to do it).
Google Search Console helps you particularly to have data on keywords. It also records all the errors that Google detects on your site, tells you what has been indexed on your site. Even better, it provides you with the number of impressions and clicks you have had on the selected keywords. All I can say is that you absolutely must use it!