The Top 5 Free SEO Tools to Rank #1 in Google

Looking to improve your website on a budget? We’ve put together some of the 5 best SEO freemium and free SEO tools from the best SEO companies for you to audit and improve your website. With freemium options, join the community of SEO professionals using these tools to drive business growth and contribute to the success of your company. Most of the free tools mentioned will likely always remain free, due to the powerhouse brands like Google behind them.

5 of the Best Free SEO Tools

Google Analytics 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely heard of Google Analytics. This powerful tool has become a staple in the digital marketing world, and for good reason. It’s one of the best free SEO tools available, and every digital marketer should make it a part of their toolkit.

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, monitoring performance is not just important it’s essential for success. SEO requires a keen understanding of how your website is performing, and Google Analytics is one of the best SEO tools to optimise your strategy.

By configuring GA4 (Google Analytics 4), you gain the ability to track your website’s progress across multiple critical areas. From acquisition – how visitors find your site – to engagement – how they interact with your content – GA4 offers a deep dive into the user journey. But perhaps most importantly, it enables you to track conversions, the ultimate goal of any online presence. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or filling out a contact form, understanding how and when conversions happen can greatly enhance your marketing efforts.

Google Analytics gives you a comprehensive view of your website’s overall performance, acting as a virtual magnifying glass that allows you to see both the bigger picture and the finer details. With this wealth of information at your fingertips, you can easily identify what’s working on your site and what needs improvement. Whether it’s tweaking your content, adjusting your SEO strategy, or refining your marketing campaigns, the insights provided by Google Analytics are invaluable in helping you make informed decisions that drive better results.

For anyone serious about digital marketing, mastering Google Analytics is not just an option—it’s a necessity. With the right data at your disposal, you can continuously optimise your site to ensure it’s performing at its best, helping you stay ahead of the competition and achieve your business goals.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is another essential addition to the suite of free SEO tools provided by Google, designed to significantly enhance your website’s visibility in search results. As one of the most powerful SEO tools available, it offers a comprehensive range of features that help you understand how Google crawls, indexes, and ranks your website. By gaining insights into how search engines perceive your site, you can make informed decisions to boost your SEO performance.

One of the primary functions of Google Search Console is its ability to provide detailed reports on the crawling and indexing of your website’s pages. This feature allows you to monitor how well your site is being understood by Google’s algorithms, which is critical for achieving higher rankings. If there are any issues, such as broken links, page errors, or mobile usability problems, Google Search Console will flag them, enabling you to address these obstacles that might be hindering your SEO progress.

But Google Search Console doesn’t stop at technical diagnostics – it also provides valuable insights into consumer behaviour. You can track how customers are discovering your website, identifying the specific keywords, search queries, and channels that are driving traffic. This data is invaluable for refining your SEO strategy, as it allows you to focus on the most effective keywords and optimize your content to better align with user intent.

Additionally, Google Search Console gives you a clear view of your website’s performance in terms of click-through rates (CTR), impressions, and average position in search results. By analysing this data, you can identify which pages are performing well and which may need further optimization. Regularly reviewing and acting on these insights can help you maintain a healthy, well-optimized site that consistently ranks higher in search results.

Regular use of this tool ensures that your website remains optimised for search engines and aligned with user behaviour, ultimately leading to improved visibility, more traffic, and better overall performance. If you’re serious about maximising your website’s potential, Google Search Console is a must-have in your arsenal of SEO tools.

Google Keyword Planner

Available as part of Google Ads, the Google Keyword Planner is a vital tool for anyone serious about crafting a strong keyword strategy. This SEO tool allows you to research keywords and phrases relevant to your business, providing you with a comprehensive list of keyword ideas that can guide your content creation. By simply entering a relevant keyword, the Keyword Planner not only suggests related terms but also provides crucial data on monthly search volumes and the competition level for each keyword.

This information is essential for understanding what your potential customers are searching for online. By analysing search volume, you can gauge the popularity of specific keywords, while competition data helps you identify which terms may be easier to rank for. This balance is key to optimising your SEO strategy, ensuring that your content is tailored to meet user demand while still being achievable within the competitive landscape.

The insights provided by Google Keyword Planner are invaluable for tailoring your content to match user intent. By focusing on the keywords that your audience is actively searching for, you can create content that resonates with potential customers, increasing your chances of ranking higher in search engine results and driving more organic traffic to your site.

In the ever-evolving world of SEO, regularly using the Google Keyword Planner is essential. It helps you stay on top of search trends, refine your content strategy, and ultimately improve your website’s visibility. Whether you’re managing a large-scale campaign or just starting out, this tool is a critical component of any well-rounded set of SEO tools.

SEMRush

SEMRush is widely regarded as one of the best SEO tools for enhancing your strategy, making it a top choice among the best SEO companies. This powerful platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to elevate your digital marketing efforts. With a free trial account, you can access SEMRush’s full marketing package for 7 days, giving you a chance to explore the extensive features it offers.

SEMRush is considered an “all-in-one” platform for digital strategy, making it a go-to tool for the best SEO companies looking to deliver top-notch results for their clients. The platform excels in various areas of SEO, including keyword research and competitor analysis. By using SEMRush, you can easily identify high-performing keywords and understand how your competitors are ranking, allowing you to refine your strategy for maximum impact.

One of the standout features of SEMRush is its ability to track keyword rankings over time. This feature is essential for monitoring your progress and ensuring that your SEO efforts are paying off. Additionally, SEMRush includes a local listings audit tool, which is crucial for businesses aiming to improve their local SEO and attract customers from specific geographic areas. This capability makes it a valuable asset for the best SEO companies that manage localised campaigns.

Beyond its core SEO functions, SEMRush offers a range of tools that extend into other areas of digital marketing. The platform supports content marketing by helping you optimise your content for search engines, ensuring that your articles, blogs, and web pages are both engaging and SEO-friendly. Additionally, SEMRush incorporates social media management tools, allowing you to track and enhance your social media presence alongside your SEO efforts.

For anyone serious about digital marketing, SEMRush is a comprehensive tool that covers all the bases. The best SEO companies rely on SEMRush to deliver exceptional results across various channels, from search engine optimisation to content marketing and social media. By integrating these capabilities into a single platform, SEMRush ensures that your digital marketing strategy is cohesive, efficient, and effective.

Ahrefs 

Ahrefs is another one of the most powerful SEO tools available, offering advanced and in-depth data that can significantly boost your digital marketing efforts. Known for its comprehensive features, Ahrefs is a go-to choice for many of the best SEO companies looking to gain a competitive edge. The platform’s freemium package includes essential tools like the Backlink Checker, Keyword Generator, and Website Checker, making it an excellent resource for businesses of all sizes.

The Backlink Checker allows you to discover which websites are linking to your content, providing valuable insights into your site’s authority and visibility. For the best SEO companies, backlinks are a crucial factor in improving search engine rankings, and Ahrefs makes it easy to identify and capitalise on these opportunities. The Keyword Generator is another standout feature, enabling you to generate keyword ideas across numerous search engines, including Google, YouTube, and Bing. This is especially useful for businesses aiming to expand their reach and attract more targeted traffic.

The Website Checker is a vital tool for diagnosing any technical SEO issues that may be holding your site back. By identifying problems such as broken links, slow page speed, or mobile usability issues, Ahrefs helps ensure that your website is fully optimised for search engines. The best SEO companies rely on these insights to deliver top-tier performance for their clients, ensuring that every aspect of the site is fine-tuned for success.

Ahrefs is not just about analysis; it’s about discovering new opportunities for growth. Whether you’re looking to improve your backlink profile, find new keyword opportunities, or resolve technical issues, Ahrefs provides the data and tools needed to take your SEO strategy to the next level. For the best SEO companies, this platform is invaluable in driving consistent, measurable results.

Conclusion

With a business based on advertising, it’s no wonder Google offers some of the best tools available for SEO. SEO is ultimately a strategic process, but the reality is even with the smallest budget, it takes very little to embed these SEO tools and start implementing. If you’re just starting out or looking to refine your current strategy, leveraging these tools can make a huge difference. Remember, the key to successful SEO is consistency and adaptability.

Keep analysing, keep optimising, and watch your website soar in search rankings. As a digital marketing and SEO agency covering Surrey, London and supporting businesses throughout the UK, we’ve had plenty years of using and leveraging the power of these SEO tools. Whether you’re looking for a set SEO Package or something more bespoke, we’re here to help you get started on your journey to growth.