11+ Best SEO Tools For Small Businesses (2024 Edition)

As a small business owner, you understand the importance of marketing. In today’s digital age, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a vital role in ensuring your business gets noticed online. 

By implementing effective SEO strategies, you can improve your website’s visibility in search engine results and drive organic traffic to your site. 

However, SEO can be complex and time-consuming, and if your budget doesn’t stretch to hire a decent agency, SEO tools are essential. 

In this blog post, I’ll take you through the best 11+ best SEO tools for small businesses, used by the pros specifically designed to optimise their marketing efforts and achieve better results.

Let’s dive in! 

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. And with the right approach, SEO can help your Businesses make a lasting impression on potential customers and drive more traffic to your website. 

Several key elements go into effective SEO

• Content Optimisation
  • Content optimisation involves creating high-quality, relevant content that is optimised for search engines. This includes using targeted keywords in titles, headings and throughout the body of the content to ensure that your website ranks higher in search engine results.

• Keyword Research
  • Keyword research is also a key part of SEO. Identifying popular, relevant keywords related to your Business can help you optimise existing content and create effective campaigns. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you find the right keywords for your website so that you can create content that is specifically tailored to rank higher in search engine results.

• Link Building
  • Link building is a valuable part of SEO as well. This involves creating links from other websites to yours, which helps boost your visibility and ranking in search engine results. Establishing relationships with other websites and creating content that is valuable to both you and your partner sites can help create high-quality links.

• Technical Optimisation
  • Technical optimisation is also important for SEO success. This includes optimising your website’s code, structure, page speed, design elements, and more to ensure that it meets the latest best practices in search engine optimisation.

• Local Search Optimisation
  • Local search optimisation is essential for businesses targeting a local audience. This involves optimising your website and online content to ensure that it appears in geographic-specific searches, such as “restaurants near me”. This helps increase the visibility and reach of your Business to potential customers searching for the services you provide.

By taking the time to understand and implement effective SEO strategies, you can improve your website rankings and drive more traffic to your Business. With the right approach, SEO can be a powerful tool for increasing visibility and improving your bottom line.

11+ Best SEO Tools For Small Businesses

SE Ranking

Best For Keyword Research

Overview

SE Ranking is a powerful SEO tool designed to help users track their website’s performance and identify areas for improvement. 

It offers comprehensive keyword research, rank tracking and analytics functions that allow users to see how their site ranks against competitors in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

With SE Ranking, users can measure the effectiveness of their SEO strategies, understand user trends and analyse the competition. 

Key Features

• Link cloaking and redirection
• Automatic keyword linking
• Smart uncloaking for Amazon links
• Advanced statistics and reporting

User Experience

The user experience of SE Ranking is straightforward and user-friendly. 

Its intuitive dashboard makes finding, analysing and tracking SEO data easy. You can also connect SE Ranking with your Google Analytics account to get detailed data, analysis and reporting.

Pricing

SE Ranking offers 3 pricing plans:

1. Essential: $49/month
2. Pro Plan: $109/month 
3. Enterprise: $239/month 

What I Like and Dislike About Thirsty Affiliates

Like:

• Comprehensive Keyword Research
• Detailed Website Audits
• Powerful Backlink Analysis
• Intuitive Dashboard
• Free 14-Day Trial

Dislike:

• SE Ranking is relatively expensive compared to other SEO tools in the market.

Product Updates

SE Ranking has recently released several new product updates, including improved keyword research tools, backlink tracking and analysis capabilities, and website audit capabilities. 

These updates have made SE Ranking one of the most comprehensive SEO tools available today.

Jasper

Best AI Copywriting Software For Bloggers

Overview

Whether you’re looking to increase website traffic, optimise your campaigns, or improve your customer engagement, Jasper AI is regarded as one of the best AI content generators for a good reason. 

Jasper AI is one of the best affiliate marketing tools to help you connect with your audience. To create better content much faster, you need to try Jasper. 

Through its advanced machine learning capabilities, Jasper analyses a wide range of data and user behaviour to provide personalised content recommendations and insights. 

Key Features

• Create original content that ranks for SEO 
• Boost ad conversions with better copy 
• Finish your first draft 10X faster
• End writer’s block with ideas from a robot
• Breakthrough the language barrier
• Scale up your content marketing fast

User Experience

Flexible and easy to use, Jasper’s Boss mode (an option I’d recommend) is a competent AI writing assistant providing some key modules to enable you to write AI content for different purposes.

From a user point of view (and especially for you technophobes out there), it’s an easy-to-use system that allows you to explore the options rather than forcing you to use specific modules to start writing. 

Play around with the different modules, and within 30 minutes, you’ll get the hang of how Jasper is competent in producing high-quality content. 

Pricing

Jasper offers three pricing plans:

• Starter: $49+/month.
• Boss Mode: $59+/month.
• Business: Custom Plans available.

What I Like/Dislike About Jasper

Like:

• The templates available help you create everything from an opening title to an entire book.
• It’s an intuitive interface and easy to use.

Dislike:

• Jasper sometimes requires stringent proofreading to check the content’s grammar, spelling and flow.
• The user interface could be better laid out. 

Product Updates

Jasper is always integrating with more and more tools, making it more user-friendly and adaptable as a multi-integrated tool. 

Rank Math 

Best Domain And Website Buying Tool

Overview

Rank Math is an SEO plugin for WordPress that makes optimising a website for search engine visibility easier. 

With an intuitive and user-friendly interface, Rank Math helps users take control of their website’s optimisation with robust yet simple features. It’s the perfect tool for both beginners and experienced SEO professionals alike.

Key Features

• Robust SEO Analysis
  • Analyse your website’s content for keyword density, meta tags, breadcrumbs, and more.
• Schema Markup Builder
  • Create rich snippets with custom data such as ratings, videos, images, and author information.
• Social Media Optimisation
  • Automatically optimise your website’s content for sharing on social media platforms.
• On-Page SEO Optimisation
  • Automatically generate meta titles and descriptions, titles and tags, and more.
• Keyword Research Tool
  • Find the best keywords to target based on search volume and relevant competition.

User Experience

The user experience of Rank Math is simple yet powerful. With an easy-to-use interface, users can quickly analyse their website’s content for SEO optimisation, create rich snippets, and optimise their website’s content for social media sharing.

Additionally, Rank Math provides a keyword research tool that helps users quickly target the right keywords for their website’s SEO efforts.

Pricing

Rank Math offers three pricing plans:

• Pro Plan – $59 per year
• Business – $199 per year
• Agency – $499

What I Like And Dislike About Rank Math

Like:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Powerful SEO analysis tool
• Schema markup builder
• Social media optimisation & keyword research tools

Dislike

• More expensive than some other plugins
• Lack of 24/7 customer support

Product Updates

Rank Math constantly updates its product with new features, such as the recently added core web vitals module. This module helps users analyse and optimise their website’s loading speed, which is vital for SEO.

Overview

Surfer SEO is a powerful tool for marketers looking to drive more website traffic and improve their search rankings. By optimising a site’s on-page content, keywords, backlinks, and other factors, Surfer SEO can help boost a site’s visibility in search results.

When users land on an SEO Surfer-optimised site, users are more likely to stay on your site and engage with your content, helping you build a loyal following and strengthen relationships with potential customers, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates.

Whatever size business you are, from one-man bands to global corporations, if you’re looking to drive more traffic to your website, Surfer SEO is one of the best AI marketing tools that helps you with your overall marketing strategy. 

Key Features & Benefits

• Content Editor
• SEO Audit
• SERP Analyzer tool
• Keyword Research

Pricing

Surfer SEO has four plans available:

• Basic: $59
• Pro: $119
• Businesses: $239
• Custom

Product Updates

Surfer SEO is dedicated to providing our users with the most optimal experience by frequently updating design, speed and user-friendliness.

Utilising their latest infrastructure advancements, Surfer SEO now delivers the reports you need even quicker than before! Optimised loading and streamlined processes let you get insights at top speed. Surfer SEO now comes with powerful, advanced tools that let users pinpoint optimisation opportunities in an instant.

What I Like/Dislike About Surfer SEO

Like:

• It’s great at providing valuable insights into a website’s performance, allowing webmasters to identify areas of improvement and take corrective measures quickly.
• Surfer SEO also provides an easy way for webmasters to keep track of their rankings and monitor the progress of their optimisation efforts. This is particularly useful if you’re trying to keep up with the competition.
• Such a great tool for creating content that’s more search engine friendly – genuinely. There’s a reason it’s one of the fastest-growing content SEO tools on the market.

Dislike:

• Although good, it may not be suitable for every type of website out there, as certain configurations may challenge it a little too much.
• Surfing SEO is not a magic wand that will automatically bring success and propel you to page one on Google. So it takes time and dedication to achieve the most out of it. So this may not be suitable if you’re short on time and resources.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Best Free Google SEO Tracker

Overview

Google Analytics is the ultimate marketing compass and when used with Google Search Console, provides invaluable insights into your website’s performance and audience behaviour. 

With GA4, you can get detailed insights into how visitors interact with your website or mobile app — from their initial entry point to their eventual conversion — all in one place. It also offers a range of powerful features for marketers and data analysts, making it easier to identify key user trends and act on them.

Key Features

• Advanced Segmentation
  • Easily slice and dice your customer data with custom segments. This lets you better understand which users are more likely to convert or purchase.
• Real-time Insights
  • See how users engage with your website or app in real time — from when they enter to when they convert.
• Cross-platform Insights
  • Track user behaviour across multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile web and apps. This allows you to understand better how customers interact with your brand across various devices.
• Automation & AI
  • Create automated marketing campaigns based on user behaviour, and let the AI engine do the rest. This helps maximise ROI and reduce manual efforts.

User Experience

From a user experience perspective, Google Analytics 4 is intuitive and easy to use. The platform includes an array of visualisations that make it easier for marketers to understand customer behaviour at a glance. And its mobile app makes it even easier to access insights while you’re on the go.

Pricing

Free

What I Like and Dislike About Adsterra CPA

Like:

• Intuitive interface
• Automated marketing campaigns
• Advanced segmentation capabilities
• Cross-platform insights

Dislike:

• GA4 does not include traffic it suspects is not human, so you’ll have different stats than other tracking tools.
  • Measuring your whole traffic with a 3rd part tool like Matomo is easier.

Product Updates

GA4 is constantly being updated and improved, with new features regularly added to the platform.

For example, Google recently announced “Insights Explorer” — a powerful machine learning tool for uncovering hidden trends in your customer data — and “User Journey Reporting” — allowing marketers to track user interaction across multiple platforms for a more comprehensive view of user behaviour.

Google Keyword Planner

Best Free Google SEO Tool

Overview

Google Keyword Planner (GKP) is an essential tool for any digital marketer or business owner looking to make the most out of their SEO efforts. It’s simple, straightforward, and powerful enough to give you the edge in boosting your SEO rankings.

Key Features

• Suggested Keywords
  • GKP provides a list of relevant, high-traffic keywords related to your product or service.
• Search Volume Data
  • Get detailed insights into how many people are searching for each keyword and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
• Filter Options
  • Narrow down the search results to match your specific needs.

User Experience

Using GKP is quite intuitive and easy. As soon as you enter your seed keyword, it quickly shows a comprehensive list of related words associated with that query. And if you’re looking for more advanced data such as search volume or competition analysis, the tool also offers great insights into trends and performance.

Pricing

Free

What I Like and Dislike About AnyTrack

Like:

• Easy to use interface
• Comprehensive data on related keywords
• Free to use

Dislike:

• Not as advanced as some of its competitors
• Limited keyword suggestions if your query is too specific

Product Updates

The latest version of GKP came out last year with an improved interface and better filter options. You can now use the tool more efficiently, quickly find relevant keywords, and save time in the process.

SEMRush

Best SEO tool for Small To Medium Sized Businesses

Overview

SEMRush is a comprehensive suite that provides the tools to develop robust content marketing, SEO, social media strategies and campaigns. Its stellar feature is its position tracker, which lets companies keep tabs on how they rank against their competitors regarding keyword usage.

By utilising SEMRush’s features, businesses can amplify their online visibility and take advantage of growth opportunities. The AI marketing tool offers a Content Marketing Toolkit that helps you uncover trending topics and create content plans tailored to trends.

Key Features

• Site Audit
  • Quickly analyse any website, providing an in-depth view of its performance and highlighting critical areas that require attention.
• Keyword Gap
  • This powerful resource helps you discover keyword chances by evaluating up to four of your rivals. This tool lets you quickly view the keywords for which your competition and yourself rank. You can also quickly identify the words that your competitors’ phrases are currently ranking for, but you are not.
• SEO Content Template
  • This tool provided keywords and link-building opportunities with a readability score and suggested text length for your content.
• Keyword Overview
  • Unlock the power of competitive analysis by utilising a single keyword. Get all the insights you need to elevate your SEO strategy successfully.
• Backlink Analytics
  • Uncover many methods to uncover new backlink prospects for your website. Just type in a competitor’s domain and review all their connected backlinks!

User Experience

From a user experience perspective, SEMRush is intuitive and easy to use. The platform includes an array of visualisations that make it easier for marketers to understand customer behaviour at a glance.

And its mobile app makes it even easier to access insights while you’re on the go.

Pricing

SEMRush offers 3 pricing plans:

1. Pro for: $99.95 p/m 
2. Guru: $199.95 p/m
3. Business: $399.95 p/m

What I Like and Dislike About SEMRush

Like:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Variety of features
• Lifetime access with annual plans
• Detailed reporting options
• Comprehensive tutorials and guides are available.

Dislike:

• The steep learning curve for new users
• Potential to get overwhelmed by the amount of data available.

Product Updates

SEMRush is constantly working to improve and update its platform with the latest updates, including a new competitive advertising research feature, automated website health checks, advanced keyword clustering technology, and more.

AHREFS

Best SEO Analytics tool

Overview

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolset that enables affiliate marketers to analyse and optimise their website’s search engine performance. With its robust features for keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor analysis, Ahrefs helps marketers increase their organic traffic and outrank the competition.

Key Features

• Site Explorer
  • Analyse any website’s performance in organic search, backlinks, referring domains, and more.
• Keyword Explorer
  • Get keyword ideas and accurate search volumes to create the perfect SEO strategy.
• Content Explorer 
  • Discover popular content from any topic or domain to see what works best for your target audience.
• Rank Tracker 
  • Monitor how well your pages and keywords are performing in search engine results.
• Backlink Checker 
  • See all the backlinks pointing to any website so you can analyse their link profile and compare it to yours.

User Experience

Ahrefs provides a user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation that makes accessing its wide range of SEO tools easy. 

From identifying profitable keywords to tracking backlinks and analysing competitors, Ahrefs offers comprehensive features that empower affiliate marketers to improve their search engine rankings.

Pricing

Ahrefs offers four pricing plans:

• Lite Plan – $79 p/m
• Standard – $159 p/m
• Advanced – $319 p/m
• Enterprise: $799 p/m

What I Like and Dislike About Ahrefs

Like:

• Extensive keyword research and analysis capabilities
• Robust backlink analysis and monitoring tools
• Site audit and optimisation features for improved SEO
• Detailed competitor analysis and insights

Dislike:

• Pricing may be higher compared to some other SEO tools
• Steeper learning curve for beginners

Product Updates

Ahrefs consistently updates its toolset to stay ahead in the ever-changing SEO landscape. Recent updates include expanded keyword research capabilities, improved backlink analysis, and enhanced site auditing features.

Nightwatch

Best Rank Tracking Tool For Teams

Overview

Nightwatch.io is a cross-browser end-to-end testing platform that helps developers automate user interface tests and browser extensions. 

It allows users to write automated tests in Node.js or JavaScript, which can then be run against the most popular browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc). 

With its easy-to-use framework, powerful built-in commands and compatible plugins, Nightwatch.io promises to make testing easier and faster for developers.

Key Features

• Integration with CI/CD pipelines
  • Nightwatch.io can be easily configured to integrate with any CI/CD pipeline to integrate and deploy automated tests continuously.
• Cross Browser Testing
  • With Nightwatch.io, developers can write automated tests for popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.
• Real-Time Reporting
  • Nightwatch.io generates real-time reports that show the number of passed/failed tests, run times and detailed execution logs.
• Easy Setup
  • Setting up a testing environment with Nightwatch.io is incredibly easy, with its simple installation process and precise documentation.
• Powerful Commands
  • The platform provides developers powerful built-in commands that make writing automated tests easier and faster.

User Experience

Nightwatch.io has a user-friendly web interface which makes it very intuitive to use. Plenty of resources are available on the website to help users get started with Nightwatch.io, including tutorials and detailed documentation. 

It also has a vibrant community of developers who are always willing to help newcomers.

Pricing

Nightwatch has pricing plans starting from $39:

• 250 keywords – $79 p/m
• 10,000 – $699 p/m

What I Like and Dislike About NightWatch

Like:

• Easy to set up and use
• Powerful commands that make writing automated tests easier
• Real-time reporting of execution logs
• Compatible with popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Safari

Dislike:

• Limited features in the free plan
• Occasional bugs with its CLI tool
• Slow customer support response time for paid plans

Product Updates

Nightwatch.io has recently released an updated version of its platform, including improved documentation and better handling of browser cookies. 

They have also added more plugins and improved their overall performance by reducing the run time of tests.

MOZ Pro

Best All in One SEO Platform

Overview

Moz Pro is a suite of tools designed to take your search engine optimisation (SEO) game up a notch. 

Its features help you track and optimise your website performance, from keyword research to content creation and link-building – all in one powerful toolbox.

With its easy-to-use framework, powerful built-in commands and compatible plugins, Nightwatch.io promises to make testing easier and faster for developers.

Key Features

• On-Page Optimization
  • Keep tabs on your content’s performance with data from Moz’s crawler and keyword analysis tools.
• Link Building & Analysis
  • Connect with other websites and build relationships that will help boost your search engine rankings. Track inbound links to evaluate the success of your campaigns.
• Analytics & Reporting
  • Get insights that will help you make data-driven decisions. Track your SEO performance in real-time with comprehensive reports and analytics.
• Content Optimization
  • Create high-quality content tailored to the keywords you want to rank for using Moz’s content optimisation tools.

User Experience

Using Moz Pro couldn’t be easier. With a user-friendly interface, you can quickly access all the features and tools you need to boost your website’s visibility. 

You’ll also get step-by-step guidance for each task, helping you become an SEO ninja quickly!

Pricing

Moz Pro offers four pricing plans:

• Standard Plan – $99 p/m
• Medium – $179 p/m
• Large – $299 p/m
• Premium: $599 p/m

What I Like and Dislike About Moz Pro

Like:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Free SEO Tools
• A comprehensive set of tools
• Step-by-step guidance
• Advanced analytics and keyword tracking.

Dislike:

• High subscription cost
• Limited support for smaller businesses.

Product Updates

Moz Pro is constantly innovating, with new features added regularly to help you stay on top of the latest trends in SEO. 

Recent updates include improved reporting capabilities, automated content optimisation tools and expanded international language support. 

Noteworthy SEO Tools

Answer The Public 

Best For Knowing What’s Being Asked By Users?

Bright Local 

Best SEO for Local Businesses

FAQ – SEO

What exactly does SEO do?

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, is the process used to enhance a website’s technical configuration, relevance of its content, and popularity of its links. This optimization enables the website’s pages to become easily discoverable, relevant, and popular in response to user search queries. As a result, search engines rank them more favourably.

The fundamental principle of affiliate marketing is to endorse products that are relevant to your audience. Knowledge of your niche is essential in order to succeed.

How can I SEO my website?

1. Create a captivating and valuable website that engages and informs visitors.
2. Understand the desires of your readers (and fulfill them).
3. Engage in actions that foster trust from users.
4. Clearly demonstrate expertise and authoritativeness.
5. Ensure that you provide a suitable amount of content relevant to your subject.
6. Minimise the presence of disruptive advertisements.
7. Exercise caution when utilising hyperlinks.

Can I do SEO on my own?

Search engine optimization can be handled without the need for a professional. Companies with smaller to medium-sized websites and an SEO-friendly content management system or ecommerce platform have the capability to handle a significant portion of the work internally.

Can a beginner do SEO?

At this moment, some of you may feel a bit overwhelmed. The discussion about search algorithms, keyword research, and reciprocal links may sound complex. Take a deep breath, even with all the technical terminology, learning SEO isn’t as difficult as it may seem, even for beginners. You just need to be willing to invest your time and effort.

How much does SEO cost for a small business?

Typically, small businesses allocate a monthly budget of $500 to $1500 for SEO services. It’s important to note that the actual cost may fluctuate depending on your specific objectives and the level of SEO work needed.

Did I overlook any of your favourites on this list? Which tools are you now looking to incorporate into your workflows? Let me know in the comment section below.