With so many Google algorithm updates and changing best practices, it can be difficult to stay ahead of the curve with Search Engine Optimization. Fortunately, there are a number of free SEO resources available online.
Here, we’ve rounded up the top four that you should find useful.
Google AdWords Keyword Planner
Since you probably want to rank on Google, it makes sense to take advantage of their free AdWords tool. The main purpose is to see how successful certain keywords might be in an AdWords campaign. Plug in the terms you’re planning to target, and see how well they’ve done in the past. You can also discover new keyword combinations using this tool, in addition to helping figure out a reasonable budget.
Google PageSpeed Insights
Another free tool from Google, PageSpeed Insights analyzes your web page (or that of another company, if you’re looking to compare with a competitor), and then suggests ways to make your page faster.
Even if you think your page is performing well based on your traditional desktop-based experience, you may be surprised to learn that your mobile website performance is considerably lower.
The PageSpeed Score ranks both your desktop and mobile loading experiences, and goes from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better performance. Aim for a score of 85 or above.
SEMrush
This free SEO tool provides comprehensive data analysis of your competitors’ strategies. Why does this matter?
Because if you can see which keywords they’re seeing the best results for, and how they’re achieving success in organic and paid search, this is a valuable way for you to structure your own SEO plans moving forward. They’ve done the testing for you, and now you have the benefit of using whichever strategies have proven most effective.
This tool bridges the gap between organic and paid search results, link building initiatives, and display advertising so that you can see all of this information in one place. You can even discover new competitors in AdWords and Bing Ads, which provides yet another competitive boost to your business.
Ahrefs.com
Another competitive analysis tool for SEO, Ahrefs.com allows you to check the URL of any website to examine its domain authority and backlinks.
Again, by seeing which sites are providing backlinks to your competitors, you’ll be able to review and re-adjust your own backlinking strategy accordingly. In addition, you can even check factors such as social media activity to see how you compare in that arena.
If your competition is getting a lot of attention in the social space, see what they’re doing and how you can modify your own tactics.
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