If you are looking to optimize and gain visibility for your website, (whether for an enterprise website or for a basic website) then the following tools should be your first options as they are highly respected in the industry.

1. Ubersuggest

Key features and functionality

Ubersuggest is a comprehensive keyword suggestion and SEO/PPC optimization tool. It’s useful for both SEO and PPC in the following ways:

• Finding, researching and keep track of keywords (including negative words and filtering)
• Get an overview of volume, cost per click data, seasonality and competition
• Find out how hard it is to rank for keywords and phrases both organically and paid search
• Find out about your competition for organic and paid keywords and phrases
• Export all the data you have collected

 

Why use it?

The main reasons to use Ubersuggest include the following:

• FREE: The tool provides a lot of useful information without costing a King’s ransom every month like most other tools do.
• No need to log into Google Analytics and Webmasters tools: Ubersuggest fetches all the information you need seamlessly and effortlessly
• Competitor intelligence: Find out how difficult it will be to compete for keywords and phrases or what you need to be doing to get on top
• Great UX with comprehensive data in one place.

2. Moz

Key features and functionality

Moz is an all in one suite of SEO tools that is quite useful for the following things:

• Target the right keywords and create custom reports
• Understand your visitors by finding keyword volume and difficulty
• Track your ranking
• Crawl your website and find harmful issues
• Optimize for target keywords and find backlinking opportunities
• Costs between $99 (standard plan) and $599 (Premium plan) per month across 4 different plans

 

 

Why use it

• Moz Pro is a full suite of SEO tools
• No obvious weaknesses besides being overwhelming to navigate for some people
• Useful crawler

 

3. Ahrefs

Key features and functionality

Ahrefs is quite useful for the following reasons:

• Backlink Research
• Competitive Analysis
• Content Research
• Keyword Research
• Web Monitoring
• Rank Tracking
• Costs between $99 (Lite plan) and $999(Agency plan) per month across 4 different plans

Why use it?

The key reasons to use Ahrefs include the following:

• Has great site-specific and internet-wide crawling capabilities
• Maintains one of the largest indexes of backlinks on the internet
• Can do a little bit of everything

 

4. Majestic

Key features and functionality

Majestic has the following key features and functionalities:

• Site Explorer: Site Explorer lets you explore a domain/URL in detail.
• Backlink History Checker: allows you to determine the number of backlinks detected
• Search Explorer: allows you to Search for Keywords, see the page title and URL, as well as get the URL Search Score
• Link Intelligence API: robust and fully documented API lets you bring their raw data into your own applications
• Costs $50 (Lite plan), $100 (Pro plan) and $400(Full API plan) per month

 

Why use it?

The main reasons to use Majestic include the following:

• Several domain analyses, backlink indexing tools, and campaign functionality
• Deep crawling capability
• Robust reporting
• Buzzmo integration and browser plugins
• Useful help resources

 

5. SEMrush

Key features and functionality

SEMrush is quite useful in the following ways:

• A comprehensive tool for any SEO professional
• Great tools for PPC efforts
• Facilitates effective building of a social media strategy
• Allows you to create content to get results based on engagement, brand mentions backlinking and promotional channels
• Costs $100 (Pro plan), $200 (Guru plan) and $400(Business plan) per month. You could request pricing for an Enterprise plan

 

Why use it?

The key reasons to use SEMrush include the following:

• Unique project-based SEO campaign structure
• Complete keyword research and domain analytics tools
• Good Backlink tracking capabilities
• Keyword suggestions and proactive SEO recommendations

 

6. SpyFu

Key features and functionality

The key features and functionalities of SpyFu include:

• PPC and SEO competitor Research: comprehensive competitor research including every keyword purchased from Google, Ad tests run, content and backlinks used
• Domain Leads and Top Lists: Create your own custom list of domains and filter by location, technologies, industry, social media, search traffic, and ad spend.
• Step-by-Step Guides: comprehensive guide and workflow tutorials
• Costs $39 (Basic plan), $79 (professional plan) and $299(Team plan) per month

Why use it?

The main reasons to use SpyFu include the following:

• Comprehensive Keyword and SEO management tools
• Great UX
• Interactive reporting
• Robust and deep PPC/CPC advertising metrics
• Unlimited search results
• SEO campaign management

 

7. AWR Cloud

Key features and functionality

AWR Cloud is quite beneficial for the following things:

• SEO tool specializing in rank tracking (AWR stands for Advanced Web Ranking)
• Includes great Google integration for Keyword research, Analytics for backlink and domain data.
• Tracks Google Algorithm changes
• Track mobile search results
• Unlimited websites and campaigns
• Clean and easy interface.
• Costs between $49 (Starter plan) and $499(Enterprise plan) per month across 4 different plans.

Why use it?

The key reasons to use AWR Cloud include the following:

• Can do a little bit of everything with regards to SEO
• Great tool for ongoing position monitoring
• Focuses on the search positions you are currently ranking for and whether you are losing or gaining ground
• Has exceptional automated monitoring tools

 

8. KWFinder.com

Key features and functionality

KWFinder.com is used for the following key benefits:

• Easy-to-use keyword and longtail keyword research tool
• Find keywords with low SEO difficulty
• Generate keyword ideas
• Get the exact search volume and keyword difficulty
• Narrow keywords and phrases used down to a city level
• Costs $49 (Basic plan), $69 (Premium plan) and $129 (Agency plan)

 

 

Why use it?

The main reasons to use KWFinder.com include the following:

• Robust keyword lists and management
• Detailed related keyword suggestions
• Rank tracking with new SERPWatcher tool and utilizes Google SERP tool as well
• Has narrow but laser-like focus for SEO keyword research and investigation

 

9. Searchmetrics Essentials

Key features and functionality

Searchmetrics Essentials is used for the following key reasons:

• Find relevant keywords
• Track competitors and their activities
• Find your visible pages on social media
• Find out who’s linking to you
• Analyze data and save time with real-time analysis
• Costs between $69 (Essentials plan) and $149 (Essential pro plan) per month. Also has a suite package for which you can ask for pricing.

 

 

Why use it?

The key reasons to use Searchmetrics Essentials include the following:

• Vertical industry breakdown
• Content creation module
• Advertising and pay-per-click data
• Tracks both backlinks and social links
• Basic keyword research and rank ranking
• Competitor analysis

 

10. LinkResearchTools

Key features and functionality

LinkResearchTools is quite helpful for the following ways:

• Remove and protect from Google Penalty and quickly identify link building anomalies that could be detrimental
• Understand your competitors and outperform them
• Build low risk and yet high-quality links
• Easy recovery of lost links during website migration/redesign
• Monitor new inbound links to any domain
• Costs between $445 (Small Business plan) and $3,100 (BRAND plan) per month across 4 different packages.

Why use it?

The key reasons to use LinkResearchTools include the following:

• In-depth and robust tracking of website backlinks
• Competitive comparison tools
• In-depth analysis of website link structures
• Audit and recovery tools
• Sales and marketing link prospecting tools
• Immediate backlink alerts
• Free browser extensions

 

 

Conclusion

No matter what your specific circumstance may be, whether you are cash-strapped or otherwise, you should not only find a tool that fits your pocket or purse, but you should use it for your maximum benefit.