Top 6 SEO Tools Recommended To Use Free and Paid

In today’s competitive digital landscape, having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses looking to thrive. Whether you’re a blogger, an e-commerce site owner, or a large corporation, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a pivotal role in driving organic traffic to your website. With the rise of Google and other search engines, SEO has become an essential aspect of digital marketing strategies. However, achieving top rankings on search engines isn’t an easy feat—it requires a well-structured approach, consistent effort, and, of course, the best SEO tools at your disposal. 

In 2025, SEO continues to evolve with advanced algorithms, new ranking factors, and constantly changing user behaviour. Luckily, there are numerous powerful SEO tools available to help streamline your optimisation process. In this blog, we’ll delve into some of the best SEO tools both free and paid, and how they can enhance your SEO efforts. From keyword research to website audits, these tools provide comprehensive insights that can boost your website’s visibility and performance in search engines. 

Why SEO Is Essential for Success 

Before we dive into the best SEO tools, it’s important to understand why SEO is such a vital part of digital marketing. Search engine optimisation refers to the practices and strategies used to improve a website’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO impacts how easily your target audience can find your content, products, or services. 

When executed effectively, SEO helps businesses increase their website traffic, improve brand awareness, and generate high-quality leads. Given that Google processes over 3.5 billion searches every day, ranking high on search engine results can significantly boost your website’s reach. 

With that in mind, having the best SEO tools at your fingertips will allow you to: 

• Conduct in-depth keyword research: Finding the right keywords to target is the foundation of a solid SEO strategy. 

• Analyse competitors: Knowing what your competitors are doing allows you to stay ahead of the curve. 

• Optimise your website: From site audits to speed tests, SEO tools help ensure your site is fully optimised. 

• Monitor performance: Tracking how your SEO efforts are paying off is crucial for continuous improvement. 

• Improve your rankings: Tools that identify technical and on-page issues will help you correct them and improve your overall SEO. 

Now that we understand why SEO is essential, let’s look at the best SEO tools both free and paid. 

1. SEMrush: The Best SEO Tool for Keyword Research and Competitive Analysis 

SEMrush is one of the best SEO tools for businesses looking to improve their organic search rankings. Known for its comprehensive range of features, SEMrush offers everything from keyword research to backlink analysis and SEO audits. 

What SEMrush is Best Used For: 

• Keyword Analysis: SEMrush allows you to conduct keyword research by providing detailed data on search volume, competition, and keyword difficulty. You can discover both short-tail and long-tail keywords to target in your SEO campaign. 

• Competitor Analysis: With SEMrush, you can spy on your competitors’ websites. This tool allows you to analyse their backlinks, top-ranking keywords, and even their paid ad strategies. By identifying what works for your competitors, you can tailor your SEO approach accordingly. 

• SEO Audits: SEMrush’s site audit feature scans your website for technical SEO issues, such as broken links, slow loading speeds, and content issues, helping you improve your site’s overall SEO health. 

• Backlink Analysis: SEMrush helps you monitor the quality of your backlinks and find new backlink opportunities, which are crucial for improving domain authority. 

SEMrush Pricing: 

• SEMrush offers a free version with limited features. The paid plans start at £119.95 per month however you can do a free trial for 7 days.  

2. Ahrefs: A Comprehensive SEO Tool for Link Building and Content Research 

Ahrefs is another one of the powerful SEO tools that is widely used for link building, keyword research, and content analysis. It’s known for its extensive database of backlinks and its ability to provide insightful analytics on your website’s performance. 

What Ahrefs is Best Used For: 

• Backlink Analysis: Ahrefs is best known for its massive link index, which allows you to identify your backlinks and monitor the health of your link profile. You can also spy on competitors’ backlinks to uncover new link-building opportunities. 

• Keyword Research: Ahrefs offers a robust keyword research tool that helps you find profitable keywords, analyse their difficulty, and track your keyword rankings. 

• Content Research: Ahrefs makes it easy to find content that is performing well in your niche. Their “Content Explorer” feature allows you to search for high-performing content based on specific keywords or topics. 

• Site Audits: Ahrefs’ Site Audit tool helps identify SEO issues on your website, such as missing metadata, broken links, or issues that could affect your rankings. 

Ahrefs Pricing: 

• Ahrefs offers a 7-day trial for £7. Its paid plans start at £99 per month. 

3. Google Analytics: Essential for Monitoring Website Traffic and User Behaviour 

Google Analytics is a free tool that every website owner should use. It provides valuable insights into your website’s performance, traffic sources, user behaviour, and more. 

What Google Analytics is Best Used For: 

• Tracking Website Traffic: Google Analytics allows you to monitor the number of visitors coming to your site, their location, and the pages they visit. This data is essential for understanding how users interact with your website. 

• User Behaviour Analysis: Google Analytics helps you analyse how users behave on your site, including how long they stay, what actions they take, and where they exit. This information can help you improve user experience and retention. 

• Goal Tracking: With Google Analytics, you can set up specific goals such as form submissions, newsletter signups, or product purchases. It then tracks your website’s ability to meet those goals. 

• SEO Performance Tracking: Google Analytics is integrated with Google Search Console, which allows you to monitor your SEO performance by tracking keyword rankings, impressions, and click-through rates. 

Google Analytics Pricing: 

• Google Analytics is free to use, with advanced features available in Google Analytics 360 for enterprises. 

4. Google PageSpeed Insights: Best Tool for Optimising Website Speed 

Page speed is a critical ranking factor for SEO, as search engines prioritise fast-loading websites in their search results. Google PageSpeed Insights helps you measure the loading speed of your web pages and provides actionable recommendations for improving performance. 

What Google PageSpeed Insights is Best Used For: 

• Website Speed Testing: Google PageSpeed Insights analyses how quickly your website loads on both mobile and desktop devices. It provides a score from 0 to 100, along with specific suggestions for improving speed. 

• Actionable Recommendations: The tool offers practical suggestions for optimising images, reducing server response time, leveraging browser caching, and minimising JavaScript to improve load times. 

• Mobile Optimisation: With the increasing dominance of mobile searches, it’s crucial to have a mobile-friendly website. Google PageSpeed Insights tests how well your site performs on mobile devices and offers recommendations for mobile optimisation. 

Google PageSpeed Insights Pricing: 

• Google PageSpeed Insights is free to use. 

5. Moz Pro: Best for On-Page Optimisation and Link Building 

Moz Pro is one of the most trusted SEO platforms available. It offers a wide range of tools designed to help businesses improve their SEO performance, particularly in areas such as on-page optimisation and link building. 

What Moz Pro is Best Used For: 

• Keyword Research: Moz Pro helps you discover keywords that will drive organic traffic to your website. It also offers keyword difficulty scores, search volume estimates, and SERP analysis to guide your keyword strategy. 

• On-Page Optimisation: Moz’s “On-Page Grader” analyses your content and provides optimisation suggestions based on keyword usage, title tags, and metadata. 

• Link Building: Moz Pro’s link analysis features allow you to monitor your backlinks and discover new opportunities. The tool also helps you track the quality of backlinks and your website’s Domain Authority (DA). 

• Site Audits: Moz Pro offers a comprehensive site audit tool that identifies SEO issues like duplicate content, broken links, and poor on-page SEO. 

Moz Pro Pricing: 

• Moz Pro offers a 30-day free trial. Paid plans start at £99 per month. 

6. Ubersuggest: A Budget-Friendly SEO Tool for Keyword Research 

Ubersuggest is a highly affordable SEO tool developed by Neil Patel. It’s a great choice for beginners or small businesses that need basic keyword research and site auditing tools. 

What Ubersuggest is Best Used For: 

• Keyword Research: Ubersuggest provides keyword suggestions, along with search volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and competition data. It helps identify profitable keywords that will drive organic traffic to your website. 

• SEO Audits: Ubersuggest offers site audits that help identify technical SEO issues, such as broken links, slow page speed, and missing metadata. 

• Competitor Analysis: The tool allows you to analyse competitors’ websites to identify which keywords they rank for and uncover potential backlink opportunities. 

Ubersuggest Pricing: 

• Ubersuggest offers a free version with limited features. Paid plans start at £12 per month. 

The Best SEO Tools 

As SEO continues to evolve, having the best SEO tools for your website is more important than ever. The tools mentioned in this blog—SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Analytics, PageSpeed Insights, Moz Pro, and Ubersuggest—are among the top contenders in 2025 for anyone looking to boost their SEO performance. 

Each of these tools excels in specific areas, whether it’s keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits, or traffic tracking. By utilising these tools effectively, you can optimise your website for search engines, improve your rankings, and drive more organic traffic to your site. 

At Qualia Academy we specialise in digital marketing and currently provide Digital Marketing training and services for those interested in implementing digital marketing into their business, if you are interested please feel free to click our link here for more information.