7 Must-Have SEO Tools for Small Businesses

What is SEO? What is its use for small businesses? And what are the most important SEO tools?

In this article, we will try to find the answers to these questions while also understanding the concept of SEO as a whole.

The technique of raising the quality and quantity of search engine traffic to a webpage or a website is known as search engine optimization (SEO). Rather than paid or direct traffic, SEO puts an emphasis on unpaid traffic ( “natural” or “organic” results). Unpaid traffic can come from a myriad of sources, including pictures, video, academic, and news searches, as well as industry-specific search engines. As an Internet marketing technique, SEO evaluates how the search engines function, the computer-programmed rules that govern search engine behavior, what people are looking for, the keywords or search terms entered in the search engines, and which of the various search engines are preferred by their target audience. SEO is done for a simple reason, that is — when a website ranks higher on the search engine results page, then the website will receive more visitors from the search engine (SERP). These visits are potential clients and may converted into actual clients in the future.

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Small changes to elements of your website are frequently used in search engine optimization. These tweaks may appear tiny on their own, but when paired with other adjustments, they can have a major impact on your site’s user experience and organic search rankings. You should develop a website for the benefit of your users, and any optimization should be focused on improving the user experience. One of those users is a search engine, which aids in the discovery of your material by other users. SEO is all about assisting search engines in comprehending and presenting the information. The optimization themes apply to all sizes and types of websites.

SEO tools look into the ability of Web pages to rank highly in search engine results pages. They provide crucial data on things like backlinks and keywords, as well as information on online SEO competition. There are hundreds of SEO tools to pick from, which can be daunting at times. If a business is just getting started with SEO, the tools they choose should aid with the following:

1. Management of business listings and citations
2. Local SEO listing
3. Website performance and analytics
4. SEO assessment on a technical level
5. Searching for keywords

Budgetary issues come to mind for any small business when considering SEO software options. The tools on this list are either free or very cheap.

Basic Analytics Tools:

SEO analytics is a means of gathering your own data in order to increase organic traffic to your website. Through data analysis, SEO analytics essentially aids in improving organic traffic to your site. To drive traffic on your website, you’ll require SEO reporting, execution, task planning, and analysis.

Google Analytics:

If you have a website, you should start with Google Analytics. It’s the foundation for measuring the success of your website. Google Analytics provides information about how people find and engage with your website. You can utilize this information to reinforce what’s working for your digital marketing efforts and improve what isn’t by learning who your website users are, how they found you, and the actions that these people perform on your website.

Google Search Console:

A must-have item. Another of Google’s basic search performance and analytics tools is Google Search Console. Search Console monitors the way your site appears in search, the search queries you appear for, and much more, in addition to what Google Analytics informs you about traffic and user activity. Use Google Search Console to do keyword research, submit sitemaps, and find and fix any site issues it finds.

Local SEO Tools:

A focus on local SEO is of utmost importance for any business that has a physical presence, that is, that customers either visit or where the firm comes out to the customers. Three primary criteria impact where you rank in the SERPs on a local level:

1. Relevance: The searcher’s inquiry must be relevant.
2. Distance: The distance between the searcher’s current location and the searcher’s previous location.
3. Prominence: How well-known is your company? (various links, reviews, online listings, etc.)

Google My Business:

Google My Business is a dedicated listing for local businesses and organizations within Google’s search engine. Local retailers and service providers relevant to a user’s search query are displayed on a map, and each listing includes the business’s hours, phone number, address, website, and other important information that people would look for on a website.

Setting up a Google My Business listing is critical if you own a brick-and-mortar business and want to be found by potential consumers. It’s completely free to use, and it’s simple to set up and manage. You can do the following with your GMB listing:

• Appear on Google Maps and Local Pack.
• Review and reply to customer feedback about your company.
• Share images of your company and encourage consumers to do the same.
• Manage your business’s hours of operation and other details.
• Learn more about the performance of your listing.

AHREFS’ Webmaster Tools:

AHREFS just introduced their free Webmaster Tools solution, which gives anyone in charge of website access to their simple dashboard. You can do the following from your own dashboard:

• With their Health Score, you can keep track of the health of your website.
• Domain Evaluation
• Fix faults on the site in order of importance (notices, warnings, errors)
• See HTTPS status code problems and redirects for further information.
• View all of your site’s backlinks
• Find out how much traffic your site receives and where it comes from.
• Look at the keywords for which you’re now ranking.
• Within your site, look for changes and suggestions for internal connection.

Market Research Tools:

Market research is oftentimes used in SEO to collect information on demographics, market trends, customer values, the competitive landscape, and effective mediums. It gives us a larger view of the landscape and trends by looking into market research related to a site.

Answer The Public:

Answer The Public is a visual keyword research tool that can help you come up with new content marketing concepts. It provides a stream of questions actual people ask online based on a topic or phrase connected to your business. This should give you an idea of the types of information and answers your target audience is looking for on the internet.

Google ADs Keywords Planner:

This tool isn’t just for paid search ad professionals. Google’s Keyword Planner, another of Google’s free tools for users, provides information on keywords on which you’d like your company to rank. Enter your website’s URL to have Google locate relevant keywords already on your site or upload an existing keyword list to dive into the search volume and other data. You may also use this to discover which keywords your competitors are targeting.

NAP Tools:

Any mention of your company’s name and contact information on the internet is considered an online citation, and consistency of that information is crucial for firms focusing on local SEO. This is referred to as NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone number).

While NAP consistency is a well-known ranking criterion for local SEO and is significant for search engines, it’s also crucial for customers who want to call or visit your business.

NAP Hunter:

N.A.P. Hunter compiles a list of all your business listings and profiles across the search engine by automatically searching for various combinations of your business’ name, address, and phone number information. Download a CSV file with all of your citations and start managing where your business appears in local searches.

These seven must-have SEO tools cover almost all the needs of a small business. They will help you to generate leads, put out relatable and relevant content, look at your standing amongst others in the same line of work and even optimize your own website.

All in all, if used effectively, they should help your business gain steady momentum and customers in time!