An SEO tool is a software or platform that helps marketers optimize a website to appear higher on the search engine results pages. SEO tools can focus on keyword research, auditing, rank tracking, and more. Here are the top five tools our SEO experts use every day.

When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), the success of your marketing efforts hinges on the tools you use.

But with so many platforms at your disposal, how do you know which ones to use?

We tapped HawkSEM SEO manager Mackenzie Doyle for her expert insights on the top SEO tools she recommends so you can rise to the top of the search engine results page (SERP).

What is an SEO tool?

SEO tools are online platforms that help businesses and marketers optimize websites to improve their ranking on the search results page.

While there are different types of SEO tools, they all offer insightful data to support more strategic SEO decisions.

Types of SEO tools

While there are many all-in-one platforms, SEO tools can be split into these categories:

  • Keyword research tools
  • Rank tracking tools
  • Site audit tools
  • On-page SEO tools
  • Backlink analysis tools
  • Competitor analysis tools
  • Local SEO tools
  • Analytics and reporting tools

What to look for in an SEO tool

Every business and marketer is unique. When looking for the right SEO tool for you, consider the following:

  • Features: Do you need to cover all your SEO bases with one comprehensive platform? Or are you looking for more specialized tools?
  • Intuitive interface: The tool should be simple and easy to navigate.
  • Integration options: Compatibility with Google Analytics, Search Console, and other marketing tools improves efficiency.
  • Reporting: Customizable reports, data visualization, and actionable insights are crucial for decision-making.
  • Pricing: Make sure your tool is within your budget
  • Customer support and training: Reliable customer support and helpful resources maximize the tool’s value.

Top 6 SEO tools

  1. Semrush
  2. Google Search Console
  3. Screaming Frog
  4. SEO Minion
  5. Clearscope
  6. ConversionIQ

1. Semrush

Semrush is a powerhouse platform in the digital marketing space, offering tools for SEO, content marketing, market research, advertising, and social media.

“This tool is one that I find myself using most every day,” says Doyle. “It offers a ton of helpful tools from technical auditing to keyword research, keyword position tracking, and competitor auditing.”

With their Keyword Magic Tool for discovering high-ranking keywords, Site Audit feature for identifying technical SEO issues, and Position Tracking to monitor keyword performance over time, Semrush is a comprehensive platform for optimizing search performance and staying ahead of competitors.

“I use it most heavily for keyword and topic research,” says Doyle.

But Semrush offers a suite of SEO tools, including:

  • Backlink analytics
  • Backlink audit tool
  • Backlink gap
  • Bulk analysis
  • Domain overview
  • Google Looker Studio connectors
  • Keyword gap
  • Keyword magic tool
  • Keyword overview
  • Keyword strategy builder
  • Link building tool
  • Listing management
  • Log file analyzer
  • Reports
  • On-page SEO checker
  • Organic research
  • Organic traffic insights
  • Position tracking
  • Ranks
  • Sensor
  • Site audit

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  • Overview: A versatile all-in-one SEO software
  • Why Mackenzie loves it:
    • Most frequently used tool for keyword research and topic discovery
    • Offers technical auditing, keyword position tracking, and competitor auditing
  • Key features:
    • Rank tracker
    • Technical audits for site health
    • Keyword research tools
    • Competitor analysis
    • Backlink tracking and analysis
  • Best for:
    • Comprehensive keyword and topic research
    • Research, analyzing site performance, and improving technical SEO
  • Pricing: Starting at $139.95/month

2. Google Search Console

A free SEO tool, Google Search Console helps businesses monitor and improve their site’s performance on Google Search.

Providing real-time insights into keyword rankings, search traffic, and indexing status, GSC allows users to pinpoint and fix technical issues that may affect visibility.

“I use this platform a ton for reporting — generally for reporting on the period over period performance of a specific page or query,” says Doyle.

GSC offers reports that help improve the website experience, including:

  • Mobile usability
  • Core Web Vitals
  • Structured data errors

“It’s also very helpful for investigating traffic swings,” says Doyle. “I find the interface simple, straightforward and easy to use.”

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  • Overview: A free diagnostic tool by Google for monitoring site performance
  • Why Mackenzie loves it:
    • Excellent for tracking period-over-period performance of specific pages or queries
    • Simplified interface makes it accessible for all skill levels
    • Great for investigating traffic swings and potential issues
  • Key features:
    • Performance tracking
    • Easy-to-understand reporting
    • Investigation tools for identifying fluctuations in traffic
  • Best for:
    • Reporting and analyzing traffic changes
    • Gaining insights into how Google views your site
  • Pricing: Free

3. Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider is a crawler tool that identifies technical issues on your website, such as broken links, duplicate content, missing meta tags, and improper redirects.

With detailed SEO reports for website structure, page speed, and internal links, Screaming Frog integrates with Google’s platforms like Search Console and Google Analytics.

If you’re looking to optimize website performance, this auditing tool offers insights to help enhance visibility in the search engine results and improve user experience.

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  • Overview: A tool designed for deep-dive technical SEO audits
  • Why Mackenzie loves it:
    • Perfect for conducting in-depth technical crawls
  • Key features:
    • Comprehensive site crawl reports
    • Advanced filtering and customization options
    • Integration with Google Analytics and Search Console
  • Best for:
    • Detailed technical audits for large websites
    • Diagnosing and fixing on-page SEO issues
  • Pricing: Free or $259/year

4. SEO Minion

SEO minion is a free browser extension for Chrome that analyzes on-page SEO elements, checks for broken links, highlights internal and external links, and offers a SERP preview.

The analysis tool helps you with SEO tasks such as:

  • On-page SEO analysis
  • Highlighting all links (internal and external) for any webpage
  • Checking for broken links
  • Hreflang checker
  • SERP preview
  • Google search location simulator
  • SERP utilities
  • HTML vs. DOM
  • Structured data analysis

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A “small but mighty” tool, according to Doyle, “I use this plugin for a quick analysis of on-page SEO.”

  • Overview: A lightweight, browser-based plugin for quick SEO analysis
  • Why Mackenzie loves it:
    • Ideal for fast, on-page SEO analysis
    • Small but mighty for everyday checks
  • Key features:
    • On-page SEO analysis and audit
    • Check for missing tags, header issues, and broken links
    • Quick review of keyword density and page structure
  • Best for:
    • Quick checks of individual pages
    • Simple audits for small-to-medium websites
  • Pricing: Free

5. Clearscope

An AI-powered content optimization tool, Clearscope offers recommendations for content creation based on targeted keywords and top performing content.

Clearscope helps with planning new content by suggesting relevant terms to include (organized by importance and headings), content structure, and providing a readability score to better optimize content.

Clearscope integrates with Google Docs and WordPress, which makes it simple to refine content during the writing process. This tool helps produce top-performing SEO content that Google’s algorithm will like.

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  • Overview: A tool focused on content creation and topic research
  • Why Mackenzie loves it:
    • Excellent for content outline generation and improving relevance
    • Helps identify important topics and keywords
  • Key features:
    • Content research to identify related terms
    • Outlines based on top-ranking pages
    • Optimize content for search visibility
  • Best for:
    • Developing content outlines
    • Competitor content research
    • Ensuring content is comprehensive and optimized for search
  • Pricing:
    • Starting at $189/month

Further reading: Content Marketing and SEO: How They Work Together

6. ConversionIQ

ConversionIQ is HawkSEM’s proprietary technology that connects all your marketing data in one place to drive actionable insights and full-funnel attribution.

A hybrid software that is part reporting tool, part marketing tool, ConversionIQ offers an in-depth view into your SEO performance. Keep track of the changes in website traffic, interesting user patterns, and progress of your combined marketing efforts.

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  • Overview: A proprietary tool focused on streamlining your marketing data for better visibility
  • Why Mackenzie loves it:
    • Makes SEO optimizations easily identifiable
    • Provides the big picture of your campaigns
  • Key features:
    • Predictive analytics
    • Robust reporting dashboard
  • Best for:
    • Creating a holistic marketing approach
    • More effective optimizations
  • Pricing:
    • Free for HawkSEM clients

Honorable mentions

While the tools we mentioned above are our top picks, there are a few others worth mentioning as well:

Moz

Up there with Semrush, Moz is a comprehensive SEO platform that provides essential data and tools to enhance your SEO strategy, including:

  • Keyword research
  • Site audits
  • Backlink analysis
  • Rank tracking

With free features like their Domain Authority (DA) checker and Keyword Explorer, Moz offers plenty of value for small businesses that perhaps can’t afford a Moz Pro membership commitment.

(And for beginners, Moz Academy offers excellent SEO tutorials and courses.)

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Ahrefs

Another all-in-one SEO tool, Ahrefs is particularly known for its extensive backlink analysis, keyword research, and competitive insights. Use Ahrefs to:

  • Uncover key SEO metrics by analyzing organic search traffic and backlink profiles
  • Discover keywords based on search volume, difficulty scores, and click potential
  • Leverage a site audit tool that provides actionable data for optimizations

Ahrefs is a top choice for SEO professionals looking to improve rankings and outpace competitors.

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Google Keyword Planner

When it comes to SEO essentials, Google Keyword Planner can’t be forgotten.

A tool for discovering keywords and researching search query statistics, the Keyword Planner was created for Google Ads but offers valuable insights for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and SEO alike.

SE Ranking

Local SEO comes with its own set of rules and best practices, so it’s no surprise that it deserves a more specialized tool.

While SE Ranking is another all-in-one option that provides features like keyword tracking, site audits, and backlink analysis, it also offers helpful tools for local SEO specifically, including:

  • Location-based tracking
  • Google Maps rankings
  • Local keyword insights

All of these features are available with an intuitive interface that makes it easy for smaller businesses and beginners to use.

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Further reading: Local SEO Guide: Cost, Case Studies + Expert Tips

SEO resources for beginners

Are you at the beginning of your SEO journey? While finding the right SEO tool is a good starting point, here are some resources to help you along the way:

The takeaway

With the right SEO platforms tools, you can significantly increase your website’s visibility and search rankings.

Whether you’re focusing on technical SEO, keyword research, or content optimization, these tools provide the essential features to refine your strategy and improve search performance.

But if you need a little extra help, we’ve got you covered. HawkSEM’s team of SEO experts is familiar with big results.

Reach out to learn more.

Patience Hurlburt-Lawton

Patience Hurlburt-Lawton

Patience is a writer, editor, and educator. As a content marketing manager at HawkSEM, Patience leans into the power of empathy and understanding to create content that connects the dots. When she’s not a writer, she’s a singer/songwriter, trail romper, and adventure seeker with her wolfie dog, Jackson.