Top 15 SEO Tools You Will Ever Need In 2024 (A Comparative Analysis)

You cannot leave SEO to chance or guesses. You must beat the ever-evolving search engine algorithm. Therefore, you need to rely on data and create a system to track the rankings, keyword performance, conversions, and anything in between to help drive that sweet organic traffic. That’s where SEO tools come in.  

What Are SEO Tools?

An SEO tool provides data and alerts on your SEO campaign’s success and health. It helps identify weaknesses, uncover areas of opportunity, and all the issues that stand between you and your quest to gain more search engine visibility. 

What Are The Best SEO Tools in 2024?

Here are the top 15 SEO tools in no particular order:

• Ahrefs
• SEMRush
• Moz Pro
• Google Search Console
• Yoast SEO
• Screaming Frog
• Ubersuggest
• KWFinder
• AnswerThePublic
• Serpstat
• Majestic SEO
• BrightEdge
• Spyfu
• Ryte
• Surfer SEO

Every SEO tool has a specific role, even though these roles intertwine significantly. With that said, here are some of the things an SEO tool can help you out with:

• Auditing: By auditing, the tool will crawl your website and identify all the areas that negatively impact your ranking. 
• Backlinking: Backlinks represent a vote of confidence. It’s like having an authority figure endorse your content or website. The problem comes when the endorsement is from a shady character, or the sites that link to your website need better search engine authority.
• Backlinking tools help you analyse both the volume and quality of these links. With this information, you can troubleshoot the linking issues affecting your ranking and even run a competitive analysis. 
• Competitive Research: These tools help you research your competition. Find out who your competitors are. How are they ranking? What gives them an edge? What are some of the gaps you can fill?
• Keyword Discovery: While there are so many platforms to provide you with an accurate ranking of some of your keywords, only a few will help you discover which keywords have potential.
• Keyword Research: You must begin by researching keywords related to your products or services. It may require thorough keyword research. Use a keyword research tool to identify co-occurrence keywords, long-tail keywords, related keywords, etc. You can also use them to check out keyword competitiveness. That should save you from wasting your time on keywords that are impossible to rank.
• Keyword Monitoring: Keyword monitoring platforms allow you to enter a list of keywords to monitor and determine how they rank. They’re a great way to determine whether your effort to improve keyword ranking is paying off or if adjustments are needed.
• Local Keyword Monitoring: How are your keywords performing locally? The location of the searcher plays a critical role in their purchase decision. For all we know, your website may be driving massive traffic from the wrong region. So, how about you start tracking your keywords based on your geographical location? The good thing is that there are tools to help you out with this.
• Scraping and Internal Analysis: The tools in this category analyse your website’s hierarchy, page speed, page construction, and other related issues. They might even offer suggestions on how to fix them.  Some of your website’s SEO-related issues might be less obvious than you think. So, it helps to have a scraping or internal analysis tool to look under the hood and sniff them out.
• Social Influence:  There’s a strong correlation between the attention you’re getting on social media and the authority you’ve built with search engines. The good thing is that some SEO platforms specialise in providing in-depth insights into this correlation.
• YouTube Research: One of the biggest mistakes SEOs make is ignoring YouTube. Next to Google, YouTube is the second-biggest search engine in the world. 

Consumers flock to the platform daily with research topics, looking for product profiles, how-to guides, and video explanations.

Other things an SEO tool can help you out with include:

• On-page SEO
• Site Speed
• WordPress SEO
• Rank checking
• Mobile SEO

An SEO tool will only be helpful if you understand how to use it. 

Some SEO toolsets stretch far beyond the utilities we’ve mentioned, with some giving you an all-at-once glance into your SEO performance.  

Why Are SEO Tools Important?

Without these tools:

• You wouldn’t know how many people visit your website
• You can’t say if your website has HTML errors
• You wouldn’t understand why your website traffic suddenly dropped
• You wouldn’t know which sites link to your website
• It would help to find out what keywords attract the most visits, etc.

At A Glance: SEO Tools in Comparison

Now that you know how important it is to have these tools in your arsenal, you need to learn which SEO tool would perfectly fit your needs. Below is a table comparing each tool according to its key features. Afterwards, there is an in-depth discussion about each tool so you can learn more about its strengths and limitations. 

Tool	Keyword Research	Site Audits	Rank Tracking	Backlink Analysis	Competitor Analysis	Content Optimisation	Technical SEO	Pricing
Ahrefs	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	High
SEMRush	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	High
Moz Pro	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Med
Google Search Console	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	Free
Yoast SEO	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	Low
Screaming Frog	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	✅	Low
Ubersuggest	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Low
KWFinder	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	Low
Answer ThePublic	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	Low
Serpstat	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Med
Majestic SEO	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	Med
BrightEdge	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	High
SpyFu	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	Med
Ryte	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	Med
Surfer SEO	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	Med

In-Depth: SEO Tools in a Comparative Analysis

Below is an in-depth discussion about each SEO tool. Here, you will learn more about the purpose of the top SEO tools, target groups, pricing, and essential features.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a premier tool that SEO experts often prefer. Its robust backlink analysis, keyword research, and extensive site audit features make it a go-to among SEO strategists. 

It’s ranked top as the most detailed SEO analysis tool around. It can crawl your website and identify all the areas that could use improvement. You can even use it to analyse your competitors’ backlinks to gather insights on how to proceed with your own.

SEO experts use it to find the most linked-to content within their niche, find broken links on their websites, and learn more about the best-performing web pages. 

• Purpose: Comprehensive SEO analysis and strategy development
• Target group: SEO professionals, digital marketing agencies, large businesses
• Key features:
  • Extensive backlink database
  • Accurate keyword difficulty scores
  • Detailed site audit reports
  • Competitor research tools
  • Content explorer for identifying top-performing content
• Pricing: There are four pricing plans, namely, Lite, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise.
  • Lite costs USD 129 a month
  • Standard costs USD 249 a month
  • Advanced costs USD 449 a month
  • Enterprise costs USD 14,990 a year. 

SEMRush

SEMrush provides comprehensive digital marketing tools, including SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media management. It does a great job of helping SEO experts access their rankings and identify all the possible ways they can develop new SEO opportunities.

It’s a simple tool that centralises all of your analytics data, thus making the life of an SEO expert much more effortless. You can use it to compare keywords and see how well your website performs against your competitors.

• Purpose: An all-in-one digital marketing tool
• Target group: Digital marketing agencies, businesses of all scales, content marketers
• Key features:
  • Comprehensive keyword research tool
  • Competitor analysis and benchmarking
  • Site health audits
  • Social media management
  • Content optimisation recommendations
• Pricing: There are three pricing plans, namely Pro, Guru, and Business.
  • Pro plan costs $139.95 per month.
  • The guru plan costs $249.95 per month.
  • Business plan costs $499.95 per month.

Moz Pro

Many SEO experts appreciate Moz because of its user-friendly interface and reliable tools. Despite the algorithmic changes in the regular search engine, it’s always up to date.

Moz is a powerful, all-inclusive SEO platform. Whether you’re looking for a tool to help you crawl your website or some insights on improving it, Moz has you covered. It also has a free toolbar called MozBar that you can download to see any website’s metrics as you browse the pages.  

• Purpose: Simplified SEO management
• Target Group: Small to medium-sized enterprises and in-house marketing teams
• Key Features:
  • User-friendly interface
  • Keyword explorer for finding the best keywords
  • Site crawl for identifying and fixing issues
  • Rank tracking across search engines
  • Moz’s domain authority metric
• Pricing: There are four pricing plans, namely: Starter, Standard, Medium, and Large
  • The starter costs USD 49 a month.
  • Standard costs USD 99 a month
  • Medium costs USD 179 a month
  • Large costs USD 299 a month

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a vital tool for all websites and business owners. It provides valuable insights about a site’s performance in search results and helps identify indexing or usability issues that are occurring or may arise. 

Moreover, it is a great starting point for reviewing and understanding the current state of your site SEO. With this tool, you should see and analyse the traffic your site is getting from Google. You’ll see what keywords or phrases your website ranks for and in what position.

• Purpose: Monitor and maintain a website’s presence and performance on the Google search results page
• Target group: All website and business owners and SEO experts
• Key features:
  • Performance reports
  • Index coverage
  • Mobile usability reports
  • Alerts of site issues
  • Data on backlinks and internal links
• Pricing: Free

Yoast SEO

Yoast is a widely used WordPress plugin that optimises live content analysis and SEO. Because it is easy to use, it is a go-to for the on-page SEO needs of bloggers and small business owners. 

• Purpose: On-page SEO optimisation for WordPress websites
• Target Group: Bloggers, small business owners, WordPress site owners
• Key Features:
  • Real-time page analysis
  • Meta description and title management
  • Automatic XML sitemap generation
  • Integration with Google Search Console
  • Social media previews
• Pricing: Yoast SEO has a free version. If you opt for the premium version, you will only pay USD 99 a year. 

Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog is a robust website crawler and on-page SEO analyser. It crawls your web pages to provide detailed information on broken links, metadata, page titles, robots, duplicate content and redirects. You can even copy this data into a Google spreadsheet or process it into a more helpful report you can present to a client.

• Purpose: Technical SEO auditing
• Target Group: SEO experts, web developers, large business
• Key Features:
  • Detailed website crawling
  • Identification of broken links and redirects
  • Analysis of page titles and meta-descriptions
  • Visualisation of site architecture
  • Integration with Google Analytics
• Pricing: There are two pricing plans, namely, Free and Paid.
  • The free version has limited capabilities.
  • The paid version costs USD 259 a year.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is relatively new compared to the other SEO tools on the list, but it already provides accessible and budget-friendly SEO tools. It is perfect for small business owners and individual marketers who want to delve into search engine optimisation. 

Moreover, it constantly adds new features. The tool has all the data you need to make smart SEO decisions and see results. The best part is that it’s cheaper than most tools on the list. Ubersuggest is committed to providing a detailed report on your SEO positioning.

You can use it to determine the current state of your website’s SEO. You can also learn how your website compares to your competitors and what you should do to grow your traffic. 

• Purpose: Affordable keyword research and SEO analysis
• Target Group:  Small businesses, bloggers, and individual marketers
• Key Features:
  • Keyword search and suggestions
  • Site health audits
  • Backlink analysis
  • Rank tracking
  • Content ideas and optimisation tips
• Pricing: There are three pricing plans: Individual, Business, and Enterprise.
  • Individual costs USD 29 a month
  • Business costs USD 49 a month.
  • Enterprise costs USD 99 a month.

KWFinder

KWFinder is an excellent tool for finding long-tail keywords with less competition. SEO professionals use it to find high-potential keywords and run analysis reports on SERPs and backlinks. 

Using their Rank Tracker, you can quickly determine your ranking and track your keyword performance to see if there’s any improvement. Not only that, but you’ll also have many new keyword ideas for ranking your website. 

• Purpose: Long-tail keyword research
• Target Group: Bloggers, small business owners, content creators
• Key Features:
  • Finding long-tail keywords
  • SEO difficulty scores
  • Local keyword suggestions
  • Search volume and trend data
  • SERP analysis for keyword competition
• Pricing: There are three pricing plans, namely Basic, Premium, and Agency.
  • Basic costs are USD 49 a month.
  • Premium costs USD 69 a month.
  • The Agency costs USD 129 a month.

AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic is a famous tool designed to assist content creators, and marketers in discovering specific queries related to particular keywords. AnswerThePublic provides insight and a starting point for inspiration in creating content that responds to these questions. 

• Purpose: Content creation and idea generation
• Target Group: Content creators, content marketers, bloggers, SEO professionals
• Key Features:
  • Visualisation of keyword queries
  • Discover content ideas based on user questions.
  • Insight into long-tail keywords
  • Data export
  • User-friendly interface
• Pricing: There are three pricing plans, namely: Individual, Pro, Expert
  • Individual costs USD 11 a month
  • Pro costs USD 99 a month
  • Expert costs USD 199 a month

Serpstat

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO tool that specialises in competitor research. It also offers various tools for keyword research, site analytics, and other business needs. Moreover, it provides comprehensive data analysis and report generation. 

• Purpose: An all-in-one SEO platform
• Target Group: SEO experts, digital marketers and agencies, and businesses of all scales
• Key Features:
  • Comprehensive keyword research tool
  • Detailed site audits and health checks
  • Rack tracking
  • Backlink analysis and monitoring
  • Competitor research and gap analysis
• Pricing: There are three pricing plans, namely, Individual, Team, and Agency.
  • Individual costs USD 59 a month
  • The Team costs USD 119 a month.
  • The Agency costs USD 479 a month.

Majestic SEO

Majestic has received many raving reviews from SEOs, which should tell you about its capabilities. The tool comes with a vast backlink database, robust analysis tool, and “Majestic Million,” which gives you a microscopic view of the top 1 million ranked sites on Google.

• Purpose: Specialised backlink analysis
• Target Group: SEO professionals, link-building experts, digital marketers and agencies
• Key Features:
  • Extensive backlink database
  • Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics
  • Competitor backlink comparison
  • Detailed link-building insights
  • Site explorer for deep analysis
• Pricing: There are three pricing plans, namely Lite, Pro, and API.
  • Lite costs USD 49.99 a month
  • Pro costs USD 99.99 a month
  • API costs USD 399.99 a month

BrightEdge

This tool is a sophisticated SEO platform. With its advanced features, BrightEdge is perfect for enterprises, large businesses, and agencies seeking extensive SEO insights and strategies to optimise their digital presence effectively. 

• Purpose: Enterprise-level SEO and content performance tracking
• Target Group: Large businesses and digital marketing agencies
• Key Features:
  • Advanced data analytics and reporting
  • Content performance tracking
  • Competitive benchmarking
  • SEO recommendations and insights
  • Integration with other data sources
• Pricing: They did not indicate specific prices. You need to contact them for a quotation.

Spyfu

Spyfu is an SEO tool that specialises in competitor analysis. You can research your competitors to determine what keywords they’re ranking for or targeting. Moreover, you’ll get to view the number of times a particular keyword gets searched online per month. You also get to see the ranking difficulty of that specific keyword.

• Purpose: Competitor analysis and PPC research
• Target Group: Digital marketing agencies, businesses which prioritise competitive analysis
• Key Features:
  • In-depth competitor keyword research
  • PPC campaign insights and ad history
  • Backlink analysis
  • SEO performance tracking
  • Domain comparison tools
• Pricing: There are two pricing plans, namely Basic and Professional
  • Basic costs USD 39 a month
  • Professional costs USD 79 a month

Ryte

This SEO tool specialises in website quality and technical SEO. It provides a thorough audit and expert recommendations to improve site performance. This tool is perfect for enterprises, large businesses, and agencies. 

• Purpose: Website quality management and technical SEO
• Target Group: SEO experts, web developers, large businesses
• Key Features:
  • Comprehensive audits
  • Technical SEO recommendations
  • Content quality and optimisation checks
  • Performance monitoring
  • User experience analysis
• Pricing: There are two pricing plans, Enterprise and Partner. However, their website does not indicate specific rates. You need to request a quotation. 

Surfer SEO

This tool focuses on on-page optimisation. It provides data-driven recommendations and tools to enhance content creation, relevance, and structure. Surfer SEO is perfect for content marketers and SEO experts who want to improve their sites’ performance.

• Purpose: On-page optimisation
• Target Group: Content marketers, SEO experts, small to medium-sized businesses
• Key Features:
  • On-page optimisation recommendations
  • Content structure analysis
  • SERP analysis for keyword insights
  • Keyword research tool
  • Content editor for real-time SEO improvements 
• Pricing: There are four pricing plans, namely Essential, Scale, Scale AI, and Enterprise.
  • Essential costs USD 89 a month
  • Scale costs USD 129 a month.
  • Scale AI costs USD 219 a month.
  • Enterprise pricing is custom. 

Finally, you already have a good idea about each top SEO tool. Now, which one is perfect for you and your needs? Below is a list that can help you choose the best tool. 

How to Select the Right SEO Tools

The above tools will help improve your website’s performance by pinpointing everything you should enhance to rank better and connect with the target audience. However, due to the many options available, selecting the right one can take time. 

Here are five tips on selecting the right SEO tool to help you make the right decision.

Compare the Number of Keyword Suggestions

Apart from the free SEO tools discussed above, most premium tools are priced based on the number of keywords you intend to track. Thus, take time to know the keyword volume you are interested in and then check if the tool can meet that requirement. 

Ideally, the volume of keywords depends on the number of pages on your website. Targeting one keyword per page is a bad SEO tactic that will yield only a few results. Strive to rank well for ten keywords per page.

Determine the Tool’s Accuracy

Today, search results are highly localised and personalised. Your selected SEO tool should provide keyword suggestions and recommendations with high accuracy and precision. If the reports are inaccurate, you will end up making wrong decisions.

Choose a Tool That Also Tracks Mobile Ranking

With most people using smartphones and other mobile devices to search for information on Google, it makes sense to use an SEO tool that tracks your site’s ranking on desktop and mobile SERPs.

Goes Beyond Google

Sure, Google is the largest search engine, but it’s not the only engine the audience uses to find your website and information related to your industry. Therefore, you are better off using a tool that analyses your website across multiple search engines than one that focuses only on Google.

Check if the Tool Offers Geo-Based Rank Tracking

Local SEO is more crucial than ever for businesses operating in specific locations. Using a tool that offers geo-based rank tracking, you can create custom content optimised for search engines and customers in different places.

These fifteen tools are just a glimpse of all the available SEO tools. But do not be overwhelmed. Take your time studying each. If time permits, try their free versions before investing entirely in the tool. Find the right SEO tool that perfectly fits your specific needs, budget, and features essential to your SEO strategy. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What features should I look for in an SEO tool?

Look for a comprehensive SEO tool as much as possible. It may include keyword research, site audits, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, rank tracking, on-page SEO, and reporting.

How do SEO tools help with content optimisation?

SEO tools can help optimise content in three ways: content analysis, on-page SEO, and content idea generation. Some tools can provide content analysis and make optimisation recommendations. In on-page SEO, plugins like Yoast SEO provide real-time improvement recommendations. 

How do I choose the right SEO tool for my needs?

SEO tools can be pricey and have many varying functionalities. Therefore, you need to select the right one. You can consider the following factors:

• Your Goals: Determine what you need the tool to accomplish, such as keyword research, technical audits, competitor analysis, or content optimisation.
• Budget: Consider your budget and look for tools that offer the best value for your investment.
• Ease of Use: Choose tools with user-friendly interfaces and good customer support.
• Reviews and Recommendations: Read reviews and ask for recommendations from other SEO professionals.

Which SEO tool is considered the best overall for 2024?

The best overall SEO tool for 2024 may vary depending on specific needs and preferences, but tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush are often highlighted for their comprehensive features and reliability. These tools offer extensive keyword research capabilities, site auditing, competitor analysis, and backlink tracking, making them ideal for both beginners and advanced users.

It’s recommended to try a few tools to determine which one best suits your requirements.

Can these SEO tools help with local SEO?

Yes, many of the top SEO tools include features specifically designed for local SEO. Tools like Moz Local and BrightLocal help businesses manage their local listings, track local search rankings, and optimize their online presence for local searches. These tools are essential for businesses looking to attract customers from specific geographic areas.

How often should I use these SEO tools?

The frequency of using SEO tools depends on your goals and the nature of your website. For ongoing optimization, it’s recommended to use these tools regularly, such as weekly or monthly, to monitor performance, track progress, and make necessary adjustments. Regular use helps you stay on top of changes in search engine algorithms and maintain your website’s competitiveness.

Do these tools provide competitor analysis features?

Yes, most top SEO tools offer robust competitor analysis features. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and SpyFu allow you to analyze your competitors’ keywords, backlinks, and overall SEO strategies. Understanding your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses can help you refine your own SEO tactics and identify opportunities to outperform them in search rankings.

Are these SEO tools compatible with other marketing tools?

Many SEO tools are compatible with other marketing tools and platforms. For example, they often integrate with Google Analytics, Google Ads, and social media management tools like Hootsuite. This compatibility allows you to streamline your marketing efforts, gather comprehensive data, and implement more effective strategies across multiple channels.

How do these SEO tools handle mobile SEO?

Top SEO tools include features to optimize for mobile SEO, which is crucial given the increasing use of mobile devices. They provide mobile-specific site audits, performance tracking, and recommendations to improve mobile user experience. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly can lead to better search engine rankings and enhanced user satisfaction.

Can these tools help with content creation?

Yes, many SEO tools offer insights and suggestions for content creation. They can help you identify trending topics, optimize your content with the right keywords, and analyze your content’s performance. Tools like Clearscope and SurferSEO are specifically designed to enhance your content strategy, ensuring it aligns with SEO best practices and resonates with your target audience.

What is the cost range for these SEO tools?

The cost of SEO tools varies widely depending on the tool and its features. Free tools and basic plans might cost nothing to a few hundred dollars annually, while premium plans for comprehensive tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can range from $100 to $400 per month or more. It’s important to assess the value each tool provides relative to its cost to make an informed decision.

Are there any new SEO tools introduced in 2024 worth considering?

While the SEO industry frequently sees new tools, 2024 has introduced some innovative options that are worth considering. Keeping an eye on industry news and reviews can help you stay updated on the latest and most effective tools. Some emerging tools might offer unique features or better pricing models, making them valuable additions to your SEO toolkit.

How can I get started with these SEO tools?

To get started with these SEO tools, begin by identifying your specific needs and goals. Research and select a few tools that align with those needs. Take advantage of free trials or versions to familiarize yourself with their features. Utilize tutorials, guides, and customer support to learn how to effectively use the tools. Regular practice and experimentation will help you master their functionalities and enhance your SEO strategy.