This article was originally published on TuxbeeDigital.com.
Here are some of my favorite resources and tools for SEO that are free or low-cost. From some basic tools to my membership which is all about implementation, here are some of the best resources I have used on my own websites as well as my clients’ websites. There are some more advanced tools available for SEO but they are also more expensive so I stuck with the most important resources and tools for SEO I used when I was starting out.
1. SEO Simplified VIP Membership
Did you know that I have a free SEO group for business owners on Facebook? And that I also have a paid membership, too? Yup! I teach business owners to create content that gets found on Google by their ideal clients without having to spend money on ads. Get started in the free Chill Entrepreneur Spot on Facebook by going to https://www.TuxbeeDigital.com/facebook
Join the waitlist for the SEO SImplified Mastermind Here: https://www.tuxbeedigital.com/waitlist
2. Tools for SEO: Navigating SEO Course
If you have ever wondered how I learned everything I know about SEO, this is the secret. The Navigating SEO course was created by the amazing developers behind Lyrical Host and is super informative and at the same time simple to understand. Since it was made by developers you can rest assured knowing that the information in the course is relevant and the information is correct. As their advertising puts it, this is a no-fluff course!
3. Free Tools for SEO: Google Analytics
Google Analytics is like your holy grail of reporting. Having numbers and data to understand what is going on in your website so you can make smart choices about your content. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but don’t fret! In the beginning, stick to the “Overview” Tab under each big category:
- Audience>Overview
- Behavior>Overview
- Acquisition>Overview
This will help you start getting an idea of who your audience is and what they are doing on your website. A simple way of adding your Google Analytics tag to your website is by installing the Headers and Footers Plugin (on WordPress). Once you have installed and activated this plugin you can copy your Google Analytics tracking code into the “Header” Box, and viola! If you are running an e-commerce business, there is an extra tracking step that you need to complete to track your sales information.
4. Free Tools for SEO: Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a less known software that Google provides to website owners to help with all things search. You can submit site maps to Google through this Console, and check on other stats as well. This is added through your control panel, not on the WordPress dashboard, so you may need to reach out to your website host for some help with this. Once you have that set up you will want to go back into Google Analytics and connect the two so that they can share information.
5. Free Tools for SEO: Google Trends
Good Trends is a great place to check in each morning to see what the trending searches are looking like. This can help you spot trends to create content about in your industry based on what the talk of the town is.
6. Free Tools for SEO: Facebook Pixel
If you are using Facebook or Instagram then you are going to want to set up your Facebook Pixel from the Facebook Business Area. This is going to allow you to give you more control over your Pages and groups. Please note that this is required to Instagram even if you don’t use Facebook.
7. Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere is a Chrome Extension that will show you search numbers on terms when you use Google Search. Once you download and install it, it will automatically appear on the right-hand side of the Google Search results page with search info for your term as well as related terms. This software does not show competition status, so I use these suggestions as a starting point for further research.
8. SEO Tools Rank Checker Ubersuggest- Free and Paid Versions
Ubersuggest has a free and a paid version of their software. You can get plenty of information with the free version, but you are only allowed 3 searches a day, so use them wisely. If you do decide to upgrade, keep in mind that they have a lifetime option that will be the least expensive. I don’t recommend paying monthly as this can get really expensive really quickly.
9. Paid and Free SEO Tools: Keywords with Answer The Public
Answer the Public is a powerhouse of information, but they do limit your searches to 2 or 3 a day. Although this one doesn’t display actual search numbers or competition scores, it does bring up a bunch of different questions that have been asked online related to your search term.
10. Free Tools for SEO: Google Predictive Text
One super easy and free way of coming up with content ideas is to take advantage of Google’s predictive text feature. Start typing a question with your keywords and then see what pops up in the suggestions. Don’t actually hit search, just type the beginning of the question and see what populates. Google is making suggestions based on what others have searched for so take advantage of this and write the answers to those questions that you find.
11. Facebook Groups
Another free and easy way of getting content ideas is to check out what others are asking in Facebook groups related to what you do. Go into the group and scroll through and see what trends seem to appear in the questions. Look in different groups that contain your ideal customers (this is important-be where your people are hanging out, right?) and find out what they are trying to find out! Also, check out people of authority in your market to see what they are talking about and what people are asking them.
12. Free Tools for SEO: Monster Insights Headline Analyzer
One cool tool that I accidentally discovered was the Monster Insights Headline Analyzer. This tool can also be used for Google Analytics but I don’t like using it for that. The numbers were off and it doesn’t provide as much data as Google Analytics directly. However, it does have a cool little feature called the Headline Analyzer which has helped me with creating awesome headlines titles. I make sure my keywords are in there but then I use it to tweak the details. Like other software we use, its not perfect, but if you are totally unfamiliar with creating captivating headlines, this tool could be a great place to start learning in action.
13. Pinterest
Pinterest is a beast for traffic! Free traffic, might I add. There are lots of great courses you can take to learn more about the ins and outs of Pinterest. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do know that Pinterest loves fresh content and that people love pinning things! One tool that I have used to help me manage scheduling Pinterest out is Tailwind. This way I can batch my work and don’t have to worry about actually pinning things manually every day. Speaking of batching, I will create Pinterest graphics when I am working on my other social media graphics. I have templates that I use, so I can just create a copy, add the graphics and my keyword-rich titles and then save them.
14. Free Tools for SEO: Backlink Checker Google Extension
I use a chrome extension to check the links on my and my client’s websites called Backlink Checker by LRT. You push the button and the software will scan the page you are looking at for all the available links. The most important thing to look for with this on your website are broken links (404 error pages) so you can fix them.
15. Speed Boost Course by Lyrical Host
Another super important course that I took by the makers of Navigating SEO was the Speed Boost Course. This course details all the different steps and tweaks that you can make on your website to make sure that it is running quickly and smoothly. In our superfast life, a loading time of four seconds could mean too long. Yes, you read that right. FOUR SECONDS. Make sure your website is impressing your visitors, not getting them to leave cause it took too long to find what they needed.
