The Best Free SEO Tools for Improved Rankings

As a seasoned SEO professional with years of experience running multiple seven-figure SEO companies, I can guarantee that no SEO success story rests solely on paid tools. In fact, some of the best results come from utilizing free SEO tools. In this article, I'll be sharing my complete list of the best free SEO tools that you can add to your tool kit, including both freemium and truly free tools.

Outline

  1. Introduction
  2. The importance of free SEO tools
  3. Types of free SEO tools
  4. Truly free tools
    1. 100% Free YouTube Like Button extension
    2. Browser extensions
      1. Keyword Surfer
      2. SEO Minion
      3. GMass
      4. Detailed SEO extension
  5. Must-have free tools
    1. Google Search Console
    2. Google's other free tools
    3. Bing Webmaster Tools
  6. Free schema tools
    1. Merkel's free schema generator
    2. Schema.org's free schema validator
  7. Freemium tools
    1. Screaming Frog
  8. Conclusion

The Importance of Free SEO Tools

No matter the size of your SEO operation, there isn't a single SEO success story that doesn't rely on the solid foundation of free tools. Utilizing free SEO tools can provide a competitive edge without breaking the bank.

Types of Free SEO Tools

There are two types of free SEO tools: freemium tools and truly free tools. Freemium tools provide limited functionality for free, with the option to pay for additional features. Truly free tools, on the other hand, will likely remain free forever.

Truly Free Tools

100% Free YouTube Like Button extension

While not a traditional SEO tool, the 100% Free YouTube Like Button extension can help boost your channel's visibility. By giving videos a "like", the YouTube algorithm can better understand what types of videos you prefer, which can lead to more relevant recommendations.

Browser Extensions

Browser extensions can be incredibly helpful when it comes to SEO. Here are my top picks:

Keyword Surfer

Keyword Surfer is my favorite tool on this list. This extension lets you gather keyword ideas and SEO metrics while searching Google. Using the sidebar feature, you can build a list of keywords related to your search and export it with just one click. This tool is intuitive and perfect for finding low competition keywords to add to your content plan.

SEO Minion

SEO Minion allows you to extract data about the top-ranking pages directly from the search results page. For example, you can scrape the top 20 titles from the search results to get ideas for your own title optimization. You can also download every "People Also Ask" question related to your search query, which is great for plugging content gaps.

GMass

GMass is a great tool for managing cold outreach campaigns directly from Gmail. It drips out emails to your outreach list and schedules follow-up emails. GMass's deliverability is also excellent, and it's a lightweight add-on to Gmail.

Detailed SEO extension

Detailed SEO extension gives you a one-click bird's-eye view of the on-page and technical specs of any public page on the internet. This extension is great for ensuring that your content uploader has implemented the right heading structure, image alt text, and used all necessary HTML tags for on-page SEO.

Must-Have Free Tools

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is hands down the most popular free SEO tool out there. It allows you to submit your sitemap directly to Google, troubleshoot technical SEO problems, force indexing on new content, and get insight into what keywords your website is ranking for.

Google's Other Free Tools

Google offers a suite of other free tools that can level up your SEO, including Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Trends, Keyword Planner, Sheets, and the NLP API.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools offers many of the same features as Google Search Console, plus a few additional ones. You can check out their SEO section to get reports on backlinks, new keyword opportunities, and run technical audits. Bing is also more generous with the data it offers to SEO professionals compared to Google.

Free Schema Tools

Schema is a critical part of SEO, and it's like a translator between what we understand as humans to concepts that a search engine can understand. Merkel's free schema generator walks you through how to create different types of schema, and Schema.org's free schema validator helps you hand-craft your own custom schema.

Freemium Tools

Screaming Frog is a freemium tool that's great for performing technical audits. While it's technically on a freemium pricing model, if you have a site with less than 500 URLs, you unlock a decent amount of essential functions for free.

Conclusion

In conclusion, utilizing free SEO tools can provide a competitive edge without breaking the bank. Whether you choose freemium or truly free tools, my list of the best free SEO tools can help improve your rankings and boost your SEO success.