SEO software is essential for small businesses to enhance online visibility, improve local reach, and compete with larger entities by optimizing websites using tools for keyword research, rank tracking, and more. The best SEO software for a small business incorporates a balanced approach between free and paid SEO tools by leveraging free tools for basic SEO needs while investing in paid tools for more advanced features and detailed analyses.
SEO tools for small businesses range from keyword research to content optimization, each piece playing a crucial role in carving out a niche in the local marketing landscape.
Having trouble getting Local SEO results at scale? SERPs.com offers a comprehensive suite of Local SEO tools and expertise for WordPress Agencies worldwide. Book a call today to learn how SERPs.com can help you deliver better Local SEO campaigns at scale.
We will cover the best SEO tools for small businesses that help you understand how your website ranks, assist you in keyword research and content optimization, and even assist you in ranking in multiple cities with the help of Geo-Targeted Landing pages as well as our top pick and best ways to use tools to stay lean.
Different Factors Affecting SEO Rankings
The technical details that impact website functionality are just as critical as the subtle artistry involved in fine-tuning content. They all have a part to play in engine propelling search engine standings forward.
SEO rankings are influenced by a combination of on-page, technical, off-page, and user experience factors. By focusing on high-quality content, optimizing technical aspects, building quality backlinks, and ensuring a positive user experience, businesses can improve their search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to their websites. Regularly updating and refining your SEO strategy in response to changes in search engine algorithms and user behavior is essential for long-term success.
By leveraging robust resources such as Google Search Console for backlink analysis, these components can be manipulated to benefit your position. But remember that while instruments serve as helpful aids, mastering SEO techniques and strategically deploying these implements stands at the heart of a successful campaign.
What is SEO Software and How It Impacts Local Rankings
For small businesses, having an effective SEO strategy is crucial to compete in the digital marketplace. The right SEO features can help improve online visibility, drive traffic, and ultimately boost sales and revenue. For the entrepreneur managing a small enterprise, it’s necessary to use SEO tools that are both powerful and cost-effective.
Improved visibility means more traffic and more opportunities to convert visitors into customers. SEO tools help you connect all the missing pieces of your online brand presence and can help shine a light in areas like:
- Keyword research
- Content optimization
- Backlink analysis
- Rank tracking
- Competitor analysis
With the best SEO software, you can boost your website’s visibility and skyrocket profits by targeting consumers in your neighborhood. Below, we will explore more about the tools necessary for each area of SEO.
Evaluating Paid vs. Free SEO Tools
Small businesses have access to a wide array of SEO tools ranging from entirely free utilities to high-end paid instruments. Essential services such as Google Trends, Google Console, and GTmetrix are free SEO tools available at no cost and serve as robust foundations for initiating an SEO strategy. When it’s time to advance your approach, investing in premium tools like Ahrefs, Semrush or Screaming Frog can provide more comprehensive data insights.
What Tools are Right for You
The key is finding the right balance between price and performance and having the experience and knowledge to implement your findings into a successful campaign. Below is our custom list of best SEO software for small businesses that will help you improve your SEO (in no particular order):
- BrightLocal (Best for Local SEO, GBP optimization, Citations)
- SEMruch (A good SEO tool overall)
- SERPs (Best for Local SEO, Creating Mass Location Based landing Pages)
- Ahrefs (Best choice for keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, and audits)
- Surfer SEO – AI Writer and Surfer SEO Audit (Best for on-page content and content writing)
- Backlinko (Best for backlink analysis)
Ultimately, the choice depends on your business, how much you are willing to invest and how soon you want results, and lastly, how skilled you are in implementing the SEO strategy you developed.
After working with some of the best agencies globally to increase efficiency by scaling landing page production with curated, bespoke content we have learned that the most efficient way to choose SEO software is to choose one tool that has a full suite of features (an SEO tool like Ahrefs), one tool that is specific to content writing and optimization and leveraging free google analytics tools (Google Search Console).
Regardless of your budget, having these three tools will offer you a strong foundation to start from, and you can always invest in more tools after you have tested the market.
3 Best Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research isn’t just about finding a bunch of words to sprinkle throughout your content. It’s about understanding what your audience is searching for and how they are searching for it. This insight is crucial for creating content that meets their needs and ranks well on search engines. By understanding their interests, pain points, and search behavior, you can select keywords that are relevant and likely to attract the right visitors to your site. The best keyword research tool is one that is easy to navigate and extract data from, like:
- Google Keyword Planner
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool offered by Google Ads. It’s designed to help advertisers find keywords for their campaigns, but it’s also a powerful tool for SEO keyword research. It provides data on search volume, competition, and keyword trends, making it easier to identify valuable keywords. One of the biggest advantages of Google Keyword Planner is that it’s free to use. It’s also directly connected to Google, the largest search engine, ensuring that the data is highly accurate and relevant.
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolset that includes a powerful keyword research tool. To use Ahrefs for keyword research, enter a keyword into the Keywords Explorer tool. Ahrefs will provide data, including keyword difficulty, search volume, and related keywords. You can also see the top-ranking pages for a keyword and analyze their content and backlink profiles. Ahrefs also updates its data frequently, ensuring that you always have access to the most current information. While the cost of Ahrefs can range from $129/month up to $14,990, the best features for small businesses fall under the ‘Standard’ at $249/month.
Using SEMrush for keyword research is simple. Enter a keyword into the Keyword Overview tool, and SEMrush will display a variety of metrics, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive density. You can also explore related keywords and see which pages are ranking for your target keyword. However, SEMrush can be pricey, from $129/month to $499/month, which should be a consideration for smaller budgets. Additionally, the sheer number of features can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a learning curve to fully utilize the tool.
4 Best Tools for Optimizing Local SEO
- BrightLocal
- SEMruch
- SERPs
- Ahrefs
Optimizing for Local SEO refers to increasing your visibility locally. Local SEO turns your enterprise into a local buzz by boosting your digital visibility, transforming you from merely another listing to an actual landmark.
Using resources such as BrightLocal and SEMrush Local can spread your business information through various directories, and citations and also help refine your virtual reputation through review management. Brightlocal Search Grid can also be used to track and manage your Google Business Profile at $39/month to $49/month and make sure your local rankings are going in the right direction, and you are coming up in the 3-pack.
SERPs is an SEO tool and our hidden arsenal for connecting with a local crowd and creating geo-targeted landing pages with the help of mass page builder software. You can incorporate aspects of regional events, local maps, and location-relevant data and create 50+ pages in hours. (Ana i know this doesn’t have pricing, but Matt K doesn’t want to have pricing anywhere on the website)
Ahrefs is a great SEO tool overall as it offers a full suite of tools and features for creating and implementing an SEO strategy. However, you can use it specifically in Local SEO by searching for location-based (long tail) keywords to write content or website copy for, which improves your local presence. The best features for small businesses fall under the ‘Standard’ at $249/month.
4 Tools to Write and Audit Your Website’s Content for On-Page Mastery
- Surfer SEO (AI Writer and Surfer SEO Audit)
- SEMrush (Writing Assistant and SEMrush Content Audit Tool)
- Dashword
- ContentKing Real-Time SEO Auditing
On-page SEO is the craft of optimizing web pages in a way that appeals to both humans and search engines. By utilizing tools such as Surfer SEO, ContentKing, Dashword, SEMrush, Dashword and many others you can write new or fine-tune your content to align perfectly with what people are searching for, ensuring it not only grabs their attention but also ascends through the rankings.
However, keep in mind that most of these tools run on AI technology and we highly recommend always checking your content and using your best judgment when deciding what to post on your website. In the current Google landscape, AI or AI-like content is heavily penalized by Google, giving way to niche, helpful, human-like content.
Our Top Choice for Writing and Auditing Content
Using Surfer SEO is straightforward. Start by entering a keyword or topic into the AI Writer to generate content ideas. Once you have your content, use the SEO Audit tool to check for on-page optimization, including keyword usage, content structure, and readability.
For pre-existing pages, we recommend using a combination of an Audit tool like Surfer SEO or other Surfer Alternatives, while leveraging data extracted from the Google search console to bring life to old pages and get them on Google’s radar. This way is the most affordable and effective on the market.
The main drawback is the cost, which can be high for small businesses or individual users, starting from $49/month to $199/month.
3 Off-Page Tools that Build Authority Beyond Your Site
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
- Backlinko
Off-page SEO serves as an external amplification device for your brand’s authority, extending its reach outside the confines of your own website. It involves cultivating a constellation of backlinks that attest to your site’s reliability, utilizing platforms such as Ahrefs to gain an understanding into backlink profiles that enhance your position in SEO rankings. Imagine off-page SEO like a series of endorsements boosting the reputation of your brand within the vast digital sphere—much like gaining favor in a widespread online election.
While there are many tools that can do backlinking analysis Ahrefs by comparison and cost is our choice.
Identifying and Fixing Broken Links
Broken links act as obstacles on the highway of your website, interrupting the user experience and discouraging visitors. By utilizing tools such as Ahrefs Broken Link Checker, you can quickly pinpoint and fix these hindrances to guarantee seamless navigation for your users and maintain an uninterrupted distribution of link equity.
2 Tools to Navigate the Backend
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- Plugins for WordPress (Yoast SEO)
Technical SEO involves enhancing critical, albeit invisible, aspects such as site functionality and how quickly pages load. Utilizing resources like Google PageSpeed Insights allows you to optimize your site’s efficiency, making certain that it is speedy, effective, and well-regarded by search engines.
Plugins for WordPress, such as Yoast SEO, serve as essential instruments in refining your on-page SEO. They provide a step-by-step process to optimize various elements (including the creation of sitemaps and improving the readability of content), guaranteeing that your website meets all the necessary SEO criteria.
Tools for Measuring Success: Analytics and Performance Tracking
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Keyword Planner
Google Analytics serves as a comprehensive scoreboard for tracking analytics and performance, giving you an overall perspective of traffic flow and patterns of user behavior on your website. It empowers you to assess how well your SEO strategies are working and make necessary adjustments to optimize their impact for the highest efficiency.
Utilizing both Google Search Console and Google Keyword Planner alongside Google Analytics offers a unified system for tracking. Such an approach grants a holistic view of your website’s effectiveness in search results alongside user interactions, guaranteeing meticulous oversight of every element related to SEO, especially search volume aspects.
Why Small Businesses Need SEO
SEO isn’t simply an optional extra for small businesses. It’s an essential strategy to stand out among the giants of the digital world and guarantee that their message is heard by the intended audience. The best SEO tools for small business owners provide a guide through the intricacies of online presence, assisting with everything from audience research to optimizing content strategies.
Since most small businesses operate on tight budgets, it is challenging to allocate sufficient funds for comprehensive SEO strategies. This can limit their ability to compete with larger companies that have more resources. Given that SEO can be complex and is constantly evolving, small business owners who may not have the necessary expertise, budget or time can struggle to implement effective strategies. In that case, having the right tools in place keeps you relevant and frugal.
By increasing website visibility with the right tools and strategies and keeping to search engine protocols, small enterprises can establish themselves within a competitive marketplace.
How To Stay Lean for Small Businesses Looking to Invest In SEO
The best way to stay lean but still invest in SEO is to leverage the help of AI. While it isn’t good to solely depend on it, it’s an amazing start. There are two crucial parts of SEO you need to keep in mind. On-page and off-page, and either can be optimized with the help of various tools, you can also read our blog and learn more about how to do Local SEO.
To start, we recommend prompting (training) using ChatGPT4 to help you come up with a good foundational strategy since every good SEO campaign starts with a Strategy. Deciding what to post, how, and how often. What to focus on can also change depending on your business, as such when training your bot, make sure you include all the most relevant information about your business and goals.
Afterward, you can use tools like Ahrefs (free trial) to find 3 to 4 keywords to start from. You can also go down the route of assessing your competitors and seeing what they write about. Lastly, you can ask ChatGPT to create a Content map for your business.
When it comes to writing content, many tools can help you create content, like Surfer SEO AI writer, ChatGPT or other AI models. After creating your content, we highly recommend you proofread and edit it yourself. In 2024, Google’s recent update heavily penalizes AI-generated content and rewards unique and valuable blogs.
Partnering with SEO Service Providers helps you Stay Lean and Efficient
While using the best SEO tools out there is important, at times, achieving success in SEO can be better managed with a guiding hand. Providers of SEO services like SERPs bring years of knowledge and proficiency to the table, developing tailored strategies that fit your company’s objectives. Collaborating with an SEO consultant empowers you to confidently tackle the intricacies involved in digital marketing while concentrating on your primary expertise – managing your enterprise.
Most SEO agencies also come equipped with the right tools and processes to make sure your campaign is a success, without any investments from your end. SERPs.com is a Local SEO software used by some of the best agencies globally to increase efficiency by scaling landing page production with curated, bespoke content. If you run a WordPress agency and are looking to save time and deliver premium results to your clients, book an intro call with our team!