Below is a list of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content, and technical tools I use.
Keyword Research, Rank Tracking, Backlinks, Site Audits, and Competitive Analysis
- Ahrefs – The best and most up-to-date link research tool.
- Moz Pro – Rank tracking, keyword research, and link research tools. Moz is the leader in SEO advocacy and education.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider – A tool with hundreds of uses. Find missing or duplicate titles, meta descriptions, create XML sitemaps, etc.
- SEMrush* – Comprehensive rank tracking, SEO site audit, link research, and more.
- Sitebulb – Versatile website crawler with beautiful and comprehensive reports.
Local SEO, Citation Building, and Reporting
- Brightlocal Local Rank Tracker* – Provides a good dashboard of your local search rankings, along with screenshots of the SERPs. 1-month free trial.
- Moz Local – One of the best and most low-cost options for businesses to get their location data synced out to all 4 major data aggregators. This is best for do-it-yourselfers and the technically inclined.
- Whitespark Citation Building* – Great for building extra citations for specific niches or locations.
- Whitespark Citation Audit & Cleanup* – This is a comprehensive service and is perfect if you have changed business name, addresses, or phone numbers, or you haven’t been consistent about how you list your business online.
- Whitespark Local Rank Tracker* – Get an accurate idea how your website is ranking in location search in various markets.
Site Speed Tools
- Google Page Speed Insights – Test your web page speed and optimize your site.
- GTmetrix – Test your website speed and archive performance over time.
- Pingdom Website Speed Test – Test your web page speed and find performance bottlenecks.
Reputation Management and Customer Reviews
Text, Content, and Technical Tools
- Builtwith.com – Find out technology, content management system, tracking codes, and other details about websites.
- Hemingway App – For more clear and concise writing.
- Grammarly
- HTTP Status Code Checker – Are your redirects set up properly? Use this tool to check.
- WordCounter.net – An online text editor, character counter, and more.
- XML-Sitemaps.com* – Generates an accurate XML sitemap on a daily basis so you can keep Google and Bing up-to-date about your website. Also reports on broken links and XML sitemap history.
Website Hosting
- Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting*
- Dreamhost VPS Web Hosting* – All hosting providers have their ups and downs. I’ve been with Dreamhost since 2010 and overall the experience has been good. I recently switched from Shared to VPS hosting and have seen a great increase in performance.
- WPEngine* – The best WordPress hosting! Save 20% off your first payment.
* Some links above are affiliate links which means I may receive a small payment if you click the link and sign up for the service(s).