In the ever-evolving digital landscape, small businesses are constantly seeking ways to enhance their online presence, increase traffic, and drive more leads and sales. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the world of SEO software tailored specifically for small businesses. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of the best SEO tools available, helping you make informed decisions to propel your business towards online success.
What to Look For in Small Business SEO Software
Before we dive into the list of the top SEO tools for small businesses, let’s discuss the key factors you should consider when choosing the right software for your business:
1. Keyword Research and Tracking
Effective keyword research is the cornerstone of any SEO strategy. Look for software that offers robust keyword research capabilities, allowing you to identify valuable keywords and track their performance.
2. Competitor Analysis
Understanding your competition is crucial. Choose SEO software that provides insights into your competitors’ rankings, backlinks, and strategies to gain a competitive edge.
3. Local SEO
For small businesses targeting local markets, local SEO tools are essential. Ensure your chosen software helps you manage and update business listings, track online reputation, and monitor local citations.
4. Website Analytics
Analyze your website’s traffic and performance with ease. Look for software that offers comprehensive website traffic analysis, enabling you to make data-driven decisions.
5. Reporting Capabilities
Reporting is essential for tracking your SEO progress. Opt for software that allows you to create custom-branded SEO reports to monitor your performance and share insights with stakeholders.
Now that we’ve covered the essential factors let’s move on to the 20 best SEO tools for small businesses in 2023.
In the digital landscape of today, where online presence can make or break a business, harnessing the power of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is essential.
Small businesses, in particular, can greatly benefit from employing the right SEO tools and strategies to improve their visibility and reach their target audience effectively.
In this comprehensive guide, we, at JorianW, will unveil the 20 best SEO tools tailored to empower small businesses in their quest for online success.
When it comes to optimizing your online presence, SE Ranking emerges as a formidable all-in-one SEO platform.
As a popular Semrush alternative, SE Ranking stands out by offering an array of similar SEO tools at an exceptionally affordable price point, all while consistently enhancing its toolset based on user feedback.
SE Ranking Features
- In-Depth Keyword Research: Unleash the potential of your keywords with tools for comprehensive competitor analysis, backlink sources, and traffic estimates for individual keywords and pages.
- Site Audit Excellence: Dive deep into the health of your website with a detailed site audit tool that provides hundreds of actionable recommendations, on-page audits, and an AI-driven content editor that suggests terms to enhance your rankings.
- Page Changes Monitoring: Stay ahead of the curve with SE Ranking’s unique page changes monitoring tool, which allows you to set up alerts for any modifications to your website or even competitor sites.
- Custom-Branded SEO Reports: Impress clients and stakeholders with data-rich SEO reports that you can easily customize and schedule for automatic delivery.
- Social Media Mastery: Simplify your social media management by planning, scheduling, and posting updates to Facebook or Twitter from a single dashboard, complete with insights into optimal engagement times and top-performing content.
SE Ranking offers budget-friendly plans, starting with options that cater to up to 10 projects, 5 competitors per project, and tracking for 250 keywords with daily position updates. It’s no wonder SE Ranking ranks high among the best SEO software for small businesses, offering a treasure trove of SEO tools, data-driven content recommendations, robust Google keyword and competitor insights, report generation capabilities, and much more, all at an affordable price point.
Pricing
SE Ranking offers three flexible plans, available on both monthly and annual subscription options. Opting for the annual subscription not only saves you 20% but also includes free data migration from your previous SEO platform.
Monthly Pricing:
- Essential: $49.00/mo – Perfect for freelancers and small projects (excludes historical data).
- Pro: $109.00/mo – Ideal for small businesses, agencies, and teams.
- Business: $239.00/mo – Tailored for mid-sized agencies and businesses.
- Custom Plans: These plans offer increased feature limits for larger-scale needs.
Pro Tip: SE Ranking offers a generous 14-day free trial for you, to explore its capabilities.
2. Google Analytics: Unveil the Power of Data
In the world of website analysis, Google Analytics (GA) reigns supreme as an invaluable tool for understanding site traffic and usage. Every small business owner should ensure that their website is equipped with a GA tag, as it provides a treasure trove of data to enhance decision-making and fine-tune online strategies.
Google Analytics Features
- Source Tracking: Gain insights into the channels from which visitors arrive, including organic traffic from major search engines, social media platforms, and external websites.
- Geographic Insights: Understand your audience’s physical locations, allowing you to gauge the quality and relevance of traffic, particularly for local or service-area businesses.
- User Behavior Analysis: Dive deep into user interactions with your site, tracking which web pages are viewed, the sequence of page visits, and the duration of user sessions.
- Seamless Integration with Google Search Console: Enhance your data by connecting Google Search Console (GSC) to Google Analytics. This integration allows you to conveniently access insights for pages and keywords from GSC directly within GA.
- Goal Tracking: Set up goals within Google Analytics to monitor desired conversion actions, such as website form submissions, link clicks, or phone calls (requires call tracking software).
Pricing
Google Analytics operates under a freemium model, offering a free GA account that meets the needs of most businesses. However, for large enterprises requiring advanced features like unlimited data and reporting, Google also offers a premium version called Analytics 360.
3. Google Search Console: Your Window to Search Visibility
Google Search Console, formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools, stands as one of the best free SEO tools for small businesses. It serves as an essential resource for monitoring and troubleshooting your website’s performance in Google Search.
Google Search Console Features
- Effortless Indexing: Submit your website’s XML sitemap file (often auto-generated by your website platform or plugins like RankMath or Yoast for WordPress) and newly updated pages for rapid indexing by Google.
- Insights into Indexing: Utilize Search Console to identify the pages that are indexed and visible in Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Discover which search queries are generating impressions for your site pages and driving clicks to your website.
- Issue Identification: Identify potential issues that could hinder Google’s indexing, including blocked pages and penalties arising from issues like link spam or low-quality, keyword-stuffed content.
- Mobile-Friendly Validation: Ensure that your site pages are mobile-friendly, an essential factor in today’s mobile-first web landscape.
- Link Analysis: Analyze external links (backlinks) detected by Google that point to your site, as well as internal links connecting your pages.
Pricing
Google Search Console is offered as a free service.
4. Google Business Profile
For local businesses with physical locations or service-area businesses, creating a Google Business Profile is a strategic move to enhance visibility on Google Search and Maps for the regions you serve. This profile, formerly known as Google My Business (GMB), plays a pivotal role in ensuring that more people discover your business when conducting Google searches, whether it’s for your company name or local products and services.
Google Business Profile Features
- Review Magnet: Encourage customer reviews on Google, a powerful way to bolster your local search presence, establish trust and credibility, and attract new leads and sales.
- Information Showcase: Effectively display essential business information, including a business description, operating hours, captivating photos, website links, and other pertinent details tailored to your business type.
- Actionable Insights: Gain access to insightful data, such as the frequency of your business listing’s appearance in local searches and Google Maps results, associated search queries, and user actions like requests for directions, phone calls, photo views, and more.
Pricing
Creating a Business Profile on Google is completely free, making it an indispensableasset for small businesses aiming to amplify their local presence.
5. Google PageSpeed Insights
In the fast-paced digital realm, speed is of the essence. Enter Google PageSpeed Insights, a tool that swiftly evaluates the page load speed of individual site pages while pinpointing performance bottlenecks.
Given that page speed directly influences user experience and holds a prominent place in Google’s ranking algorithms for both Search and Ads, it’s paramount to ensure your site meets the need for speed.
Google PageSpeed Insights Features
- Performance Enhancements: Receive actionable suggestions to accelerate your site’s loading times. These recommendations may include resizing or compressing images, optimizing page caching, and refining CSS or JavaScript code.
- Third-Party Analysis: Identify third-party code elements that impact your page’s load time, such as WordPress plugins, which can occasionally slow down site performance.
Pricing
Google PageSpeed Insights is readily accessible to users for free, facilitating rapid assessments of page speed and performance optimization.
6. Google Trends
Google Trends helps you identify search trends and seasonal demand for specific keywords in your niche. Stay ahead of the competition by discovering rising search queries and creating relevant content.
7. SEOquake
SEOquake is a free Google Chrome extension by Semrush that offers quick SEO insights for websites in search results. It’s a handy tool for basic SEO audits and competitor analysis.
8. Semrush
Semrush is an all-in-one SEO powerhouse with features like keyword research, backlink analysis, competitor research, and more. It’s an ideal choice for small businesses looking for comprehensive SEO solutions.
9. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another top-tier SEO tool that excels in competitor analysis, backlink research, keyword research, and rank tracking. It’s perfect for gaining insights into where your competitors are getting backlinks and their estimated search traffic.
10. Nightwatch
Nightwatch is an affordable keyword rank tracker with precise local tracking down to the zip code level. It also offers backlink monitoring, site audits, and integration with Google Analytics and Search Console for a comprehensive SEO analysis.
11. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a website crawler tool that quickly scans your website for on-site issues and opportunities. It’s particularly useful for identifying broken links, page redirects, and optimizing your site’s structure.
Keyword Tool simplifies keyword research by providing long-tail keyword suggestions based on Google Autocomplete. It’s an excellent starting point for expanding your keyword strategy.
13. AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic helps you discover the questions and phrases people are searching for related to your keywords. It’s a valuable tool for content creation and addressing your audience’s needs.
14. Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool by Google. While primarily designed for Google Ads, it can still be useful for SEO keyword research, offering insights into keyword volume and competition.
15. BrightLocal
BrightLocal specializes in local SEO tools, including rank tracking, citation building, reputation management, and more. It’s a go-to solution for businesses aiming to enhance their local search visibility.
16. Whitespark
Whitespark offers a comprehensive suite of local SEO tools and services tailored for businesses aiming to enhance their online presence. Their offerings include:
Whitespark Features
- Local Citation Finder: Discover and track citations, including competitor citations, to boost local search visibility.
- Data Aggregator Service: Ensure accurate and up-to-date business information across prominent U.S. local search platforms.
- Reputation Builder: Connect, gather, and share reviews through multiple channels, monitor online reviews, and receive feedback notifications.
- Google My Business (GMB) Management: Optimize and update your Google business listing for improved conversions, site visits, and local rankings.
- Local Rank Tracking: Gain insights into the top 100 positions in local SERP results, compare competitor rankings, and use custom filtering options.
Whitespark’s tools and services empower small businesses to expand their local listings, citations, and reviews for enhanced local search visibility.
Pricing
Whitespark’s pricing varies depending on the specific tool or service.
17. Moz Pro
Moz Pro stands as a reputable all-in-one toolset designed for site audits, rank tracking, and local SEO reporting.
Moz Pro Features
- Keyword Research: Access reliable keyword research, a backlink analysis tool called Link Explorer, and position tracking for keywords in your target location/s.
- Search Visibility Score: Monitor local and national searches and assess your overall ranking with Moz’s Search Visibility score.
- Site Crawling and Auditing: Identify and address site issues and errors with automatic alerts.
- Customizable Reports: Create reports and templates with ease using drag-and-drop modules.
Pricing
Moz Pro offers four fixed monthly or annual plans, with up to 20% savings through annual billing:
- Standard: $99 per month (ideal for new SEOs and digital marketers).
- Medium: $179 per month (suitable for small businesses and teams).
- Large: $299 per month (designed for growing businesses and agencies).
- Premium: $599 per month (recommended for large agencies and marketing teams).
Moz Pro also provides a 30-Day Free Trial option.
18. Rank Math
Rank Math serves as an SEO plugin for WordPress, offering a plethora of features to configure and optimize WordPress sites and page content for search engines.
Rank Math Features
- Easy Setup Wizard: Streamlined setup and configuration of your site’s SEO foundation.
- SEO Analysis: Receive real-time SEO analysis of your content based on 30 key factors, with suggestions integrated into the WordPress editor.
- Link Management: Detect broken links (404s) and manage link redirects.
- SERP Previews: Preview your page or post appearance in SERPs and on social media.
- XML Sitemaps and Schema Markup: Automatically generate XML sitemaps and add Schema structured data markup to your pages.
- Premium Features: Paid plans offer integration with Google Analytics, keyword tracking in the WordPress dashboard, performance reports, and more.
Rank Math stands as a valuable SEO solution for small businesses using WordPress.
Pricing
Rank Math offers both free and paid versions.
19. Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is a WordPress SEO plugin that provides an array of features for optimizing WordPress sites and content for search engines, similar to Rank Math.
Yoast SEO Features
- Setup Wizard: Configure your site’s technical SEO foundation easily.
- On-Page SEO Suggestions: Receive built-in on-page SEO recommendations within the WordPress editor.
- SERP Previews: Preview how your pages or posts will appear in search results.
- XML Sitemaps and Schema Markup: Automatically generate XML sitemaps and apply basic Schema markup.
- Premium Edition: The premium version offers enhanced features, including readability analysis, page redirects, and internal linking suggestions.
Yoast SEO is a valuable plugin for foundational WordPress site optimization and serves as an alternative to Rank Math.
Pricing
Yoast SEO provides both free and paid versions.
20. SurferSEO
Surfer SEO stands as a robust SEO software with data-driven capabilities for keyword research, content planning, content auditing, SERP analysis, and SEO-optimized content creation.
Surfer Features
- On-Page SEO Suggestions: Utilize algorithms that analyze 500+ factors and competitor pages to receive on-page SEO recommendations.
- Content Planner: Generate topic ideas and related terms based on data layers, aligning your content with search intent.
- Keyword Opportunities: Discover new keyword opportunities with estimated monthly search volumes.
- Content Editing Integration: Seamlessly edit content between the Surfer content editor, Google Docs, and WordPress.
- NLP Technology: Create hyper-relevant content using Surfer SEO’s natural language processing technology.
Surfer SEO’s data-driven suggestions and page-level audits empower you to optimize content effectively.
Pricing
Surfer SEO offers three fixed monthly or annual plans, with up to 17% savings through annual billing:
- Basic: $59 per month (includes 10 content editors and 20 content audits).
- Pro: $119 per month (provides 30 content editors, 60 audits with NLP enhancement).
- Business: $239 per month (features 70 content editors, 140 audits, NLP, white labeling, and API access).
Surfer SEO also offers a 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
Jorian is geen doorsnee SEO-specialist. Hij is iemand die resultaten levert. Met jaren ervaring in SEO heeft hij bedrijven van klein tot groot geholpen om hun online zichtbaarheid te domineren en organisch verkeer door het dak te laten gaan. Hij weet precies wat werkt – en nog belangrijker, wat niet werkt.
Jorian’s strategie is simpel: groei, groei en nog meer groei. Hij heeft gewerkt met MKB-bedrijven en grote multinationals en heeft keer op keer bewezen dat zijn aanpak werkt. Hij focust op wat er echt toe doet: meer verkeer, hogere rankings, en meer omzet.
Geen excuses, alleen resultaten.
Zijn diepgaande kennis van Google-algoritmes, gecombineerd met een no-nonsense aanpak van contentcreatie en linkbuilding, maakt hem dé autoriteit in zoekmachineoptimalisatie. Mensen komen naar hem voor advies. Bedrijven schakelen hem in als ze vastlopen. En hij levert altijd – of het nu gaat om technische SEO, contentstrategie, of gewoon brute kracht om resultaten te boeken.
Jorian gebruikt data, geen giswerk. Elke beslissing die hij maakt is gebaseerd op harde cijfers. Hij weet hoe hij tools als Ahrefs, SEMrush, en Google Analytics moet gebruiken om concurrenten te slim af te zijn. Hij levert meetbare resultaten die je niet kunt negeren.
Als je op zoek bent naar iemand die je helpt om gewoon wat posities te winnen in Google, dan is Jorian niet je man. Maar als je klaar bent om te domineren, om echt impact te maken, en om je concurrenten achter je te laten – dan is Jorian degene die je zoekt.
