Free SEO tools are only useful when they fit into a simple workflow. The best approach is: pick a target keyword → plan the page → improve on-page basics → fix technical issues → earn links → track results.

To keep this guide easy to use, every tool below includes at least five clear lines explaining what it does and how it helps.

Contents

• A simple way to use these tools
• Keyword + topic tools
• SERP + page research tools
• On-page + content tools
• Technical SEO + crawling tools
• Links + authority tools
• Speed + UX tools
• Tracking + reporting tools

A simple way to use these tools

1. Choose one keyword and one page you want to improve.
2. Match intent first, then add supporting subtopics.
3. Fix titles, headings, internal links, and clarity before anything else.
4. Resolve technical blockers (indexing, errors, speed, schema).
5. Track changes weekly using real search data.

Keyword + topic tools

Google Keyword Planner

• Helps you build a keyword list around one main topic.
• Shows keyword ideas that relate to your seed phrase.
• Useful for grouping keywords into page sections.
• Keeps planning focused so you avoid random issues.
• Best used early, before you write headings.

Google Trends

• Shows whether interest is rising, stable, or dropping.
• Helps you pick the best month or week to publish.
• Great for comparing two topics before you invest time.
• Enables you to find breakout queries you can cover first.
• Works well for seasonal content and local interest.

Google Autocomplete

• Reveals real phrases people type into search.
• Helps you find long-tail keywords with clear intent.
• Gives natural wording for headings and subheadings.
• Enables you to write in the same language users use.
• Combine it with location-based keyword ideas.

People Also Ask

• Provides common questions tied to your topic.
• Helps you build sections that answer real needs.
• Improves depth without making the page long and messy.
• Enables you to create simple "what / how / why" sections.
• Great for writing short, direct answers inside the page.

Related Searches

• Shows keyword variations closely connected to intent.
• Helps you find supporting terms for natural coverage.
• Useful for building internal link anchors that make sense.
• Enables you to avoid repeating the same phrase too often.
• Best used after you confirm the main intent.

AnswerThePublic

• Turns a topic into a question and phrases ideas.
• Helps you expand headings cleanly.
• Useful for blog posts, guides, and "how-to" pages.
• Enables you to cover "pre-buy" and "how-to" intent.
• Pick only the questions that match your page goal.

AlsoAsked

• Group questions in a logical order.
• Helps you structure your article like a real conversation.
• Useful for building a strong H2 and H3 layout.
• Enables you to avoid repeating the same answer in many places.
• Great for quickly planning a clean content outline.

Soovle

• Pulls suggestions from multiple search sources.
• Helps you find phrases you may not see on Google alone.
• Useful for content that targets different platforms.
• Good for quick brainstorming when your topic feels stuck.
• Choose the ideas with clear intent, not random words.

Keyword Surfer

• Shows keyword hints directly on search pages.
• Helps you compare keyword directions while browsing SERPs.
• Saves time during topic research and outline building.
• Useful for spotting related terms at a glance.
• Best used as a helper, not your only keyword source.

Google Search Operators

• Helps you find pages, lists, PDFs, and resource pages.
• Useful for discovering link opportunities in your niche.
• Enables you to find competitor pages by topic type.
• Supports deeper research without paid tools.
• Works great for outreach and for discovering content gaps.

SERP + page research tools

SEOquake

• Shows quick page metrics while you browse.
• Helps you quickly review titles, metadata, and page basics.
• Useful for scanning many pages.
• Enables you to spot patterns in top-ranking pages.
• Great for quick checks during competitor research.

MozBar

• Helps you quickly review page and domain signals.
• Useful when comparing pages targeting the same keyword.
• Supports faster SERP review without opening many tabs.
• Enables you to spot pages that look weak but rank well.
• Good for planning smarter outreach targets.

Detailed SEO Extension

• Shows titles, descriptions, canonicals, headings, and more.
• Helps you catch missing basics in seconds.
• Useful for checking how a page is built and labeled.
• Supports clean on-page fixes without guesswork.
• Great for auditing your own pages before publishing.

SEO Minion

• Checks headings, links, and on-page signals fast.
• Helps you find broken links without deep crawling.
• Useful for quick page reviews across a site.
• Supports basic SEO hygiene with simple outputs.
• Great for small teams that want speed.

Similarweb (free access)

• Gives a high-level view of traffic sources and topics.
• Helps you understand which types of content drive visits.
• Useful for spotting channel patterns in your niche.
• Supports smarter content planning and positioning.
• Use it for direction, not exact numbers.

BuiltWith (free lookups)

• Shows what tech a website uses.
• Helps you quickly identify CMS, analytics, and scripts.
• Useful for learning what tools are common in your niche.
• Can help you audit performance-heavy plugins or scripts.
• Best used during competitor review and site rebuilds.

Wappalyzer (free extension)

• Detects web technologies directly in your browser.
• Helps you spot platforms, frameworks, and tracking tools.
• Useful when reviewing many sites quickly.
• Supports technical planning and competitive research.
• Great for quick checks without opening source code.

View Source + Inspect

• Let's you confirm what is truly on the page.
• Helps you check titles, meta robots, canonicals, and schema.
• Useful when tools disagree or hide details.
• Supports fast validation of SEO changes after updates.
• A must-have skill even when you use other tools.

On-page + content tools

Google Search Console Performance

• Shows the queries that already bring impressions and clicks.
• Helps you find "almost ranking" keywords to improve your ranking.
• Useful for rewriting titles to raise click-through rate.
• Enables you to spot pages losing traffic early.
• Best used weekly to guide what to update next.

Google Docs

• Keeps headings organized and easy to scan.
• Helps you write shorter paragraphs and a cleaner structure.
• Useful for drafting content before moving it to your CMS.
• Supports teamwork with comments and clear revisions.
• Great for maintaining a consistent writing style.

Hemingway Editor

• Helps you simplify sentences and reduce complexity.
• Useful for improving readability without changing meaning.
• Highlights hard-to-read lines so you can fix them fast.
• Supports a clean, clear tone for broad audiences.
• Great for turning long paragraphs into short, strong ones.

Grammarly (free)

• Fixes grammar, spelling, and basic clarity issues.
• Helps you avoid small mistakes that reduce trust.
• Useful for polishing intros, headings, and meta text.
• Supports consistent tone across many pages.
• Best used at the end, after the structure is final.

SERP Snippet Preview (free)

• Helps you shape titles and descriptions for readability.
• Useful for avoiding cut-off text in search results.
• Supports clearer messaging and better clicks.
• Enables you to keep a consistent style across pages.
• Great for quickly testing multiple title options.

Redirect Checker (free)

• Confirms whether a URL redirects and where it lands.
• Helps you spot redirect chains that slow crawling.
• Useful after migrations, slug changes, and HTTPS updates.
• Supports clean link equity flow across your site.
• Great for checking links inside older blog posts.

Broken Link Checker (free)

• Finds dead internal links that frustrate users.
• Helps you clean up old posts and resource lists.
• Useful for improving crawl flow and user experience.
• Supports trust, because nothing feels "unfinished."
• Great for quick wins on older content.

NaSSEOTools

• Use NaSSEOTools when you want quick SEO utilities during content work.
• Helps you move faster while polishing on-page elements and page basics.
• Useful for supporting checks when refining a page for publication.
• Fits well inside a content workflow because it keeps tasks simple.
• Best used as a helper tool while you finalize updates.

Technical SEO + crawling tools

Google Search Console URL Inspection

• Shows whether a page is indexed and how Google sees it.
• Helps you find canonical choices and crawl issues.
• Useful after publishing, updating, or changing URLs.
• Supports faster fixes when a page does not appear in search.
• Great for confirming that your updates have been discovered.

Google Search Console Sitemaps

• Helps you submit sitemaps and monitor discovery.
• Useful for tracking how many URLs are being picked up.
• Supports better coverage on large sites.
• Enables you to catch sitemap errors early.
• Best used after major content additions.

Robots.txt Tester

• Shows whether your robots.txt blocks key pages.
• Useful for preventing accidental indexing problems.
• Helps you confirm crawlers can access important folders.
• Supports clean control over low-value pages.
• Great during site changes and new launches.

Google Rich Results Test

• Checks if your structured data qualifies for rich results.
• Helps you spot missing required fields.
• Useful for product, FAQ-free alternatives, and article schema checks.
• Supports higher visibility when rich results apply.
• Best used before and after publishing schema updates.

Schema Markup Validator

• Validates schema syntax and provides clear error messages.
• Helps you confirm your markup is well-formed.
• Useful when a page has multiple schema types.
• Supports cleaner technical SEO without guesswork.
• Great for debugging structured data quickly.

Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools)

• Audit performance, SEO basics, and best practices.
• Helps you see what slows down your pages.
• Useful for quickly checking mobile and desktop.
• Supports repeat testing after fixes.
• Great for developers and site owners alike.

PageSpeed Insights

• Shows Core Web Vitals data and lab suggestions.
• Helps you prioritize fixes that matter most.
• Useful for spotting image, script, and layout problems.
• Supports faster pages and better user experience.
• Best used on your top traffic pages first.

WebPageTest

• Breaks down load time with a waterfall view.
• Helps you see which files are slowing down the page.
• Useful for testing from different locations and devices.
• Supports deeper performance troubleshooting.
• Great when you need proof of what is slow.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free crawl limit)

• Crawls your site to find missing titles and broken links.
• Helps you detect duplicates and redirect chains.
• Useful for auditing internal linking at scale.
• Supports clean metadata across many pages.
• Best for routine audits and pre-launch checks.

Bing Webmaster Tools

• Adds extra visibility beyond Google data.
• Helps you monitor indexing and site health signals.
• Useful for finding issues you may miss elsewhere.
• Supports broader search coverage and monitoring.
• Great as a second confirmation source.

Links + authority tools

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (verified sites)

• Provides site audit insights for your own domain.
• Helps you spot SEO issues tied to organic visibility.
• Useful for prioritizing fixes across many pages.
• Supports ongoing monitoring without a paid suite.
• Best used monthly for a bigger view.

Ahrefs Backlink Checker (free)

• Gives a quick sample of backlinks to a site.
• Helps you understand where links come from.
• Useful for link gap ideas and competitor review.
• Supports smarter outreach targeting.
• Great for quick checks before contacting a site.

Moz Link Explorer (limited free)

• Shows basic link profile details and link examples.
• Helps you review authority signals at a glance.
• Useful for comparing link quality between pages.
• Supports better link prospect lists.
• Great when you need quick confirmation.

Google Alerts

• Notifies you when your brand or topic is mentioned.
• Helps you find unlinked mentions that can become links.
• Useful for tracking competitors and industry news pages.
• Supports simple reputation and visibility monitoring.
• Best used for brand names and key products.

Wayback Machine

• Let's you view old versions of pages.
• Helps recover lost content and old URL paths.
• Useful during migrations and link reclamation work.
• Supports rebuilding pages that once earned links.
• Great for troubleshooting "what changed" over time.

Hunter IO (free)

• Helps you find contact emails for outreach.
• Useful for partnership pages and resource page outreach.
• Supports clean, targeted contact discovery.
• Enables you to avoid sending messages to generic inboxes.
• Best used with a strong, relevant reason to reach out.

Speed + UX tools

Chrome DevTools Network tab

• Shows what loads and how long it takes.
• Helps you find heavy files and slow scripts.
• Useful for quickly debugging page speed issues.
• Supports faster load by targeting the biggest blockers.
• Great for validating changes after optimizations.

Chrome DevTools Coverage

• Highlights unused CSS and JavaScript.
• Helps you reduce page bloat and improve speed.
• Useful for themes with too many scripts.
• Supports cleaner front-end performance.
• Best used before removing or delaying assets.

Core Web Vitals report (Search Console)

• Group pages by "good," "needs improvement," and "poor."
• Helps you focus on page groups that affect many URLs.
• Useful for prioritizing fixes by impact.
• Supports long-term performance monitoring.
• Great for keeping speed work organized.

GTmetrix (free)

• Provides another view of performance and page weight.
• Helps you confirm speed issues across tools.
• Useful for quick checks before and after updates.
• Supports simple reports you can share with a team.
• Great for keeping speed work consistent.

Responsive mode

• Let's you test layouts across screen sizes quickly.
• Helps you catch spacing and readability issues on mobile.
• Useful for checking tap targets and content flow.
• Supports better engagement and lower bounce risk.
• Best used before publishing major design changes.

Tracking + reporting tools

Google Analytics (free)

• Shows how users behave after they arrive from search.
• Helps you find pages with high exits or low engagement.
• Useful for measuring conversions from organic traffic.
• Supports smarter content updates based on behavior.
• Best used alongside Search Console for full context.

Looker Studio (free)

• Builds dashboards from your SEO data sources.
• Helps you view key metrics without manual reporting.
• Useful for weekly or monthly performance summaries.
• Supports clear visuals for teams and clients.
• Great for tracking trends over time.

Google Sheets

• Keeps your SEO plan organized and simple.
• Helps track keywords, URLs, intent, and update dates.
• Useful for managing internal links and refresh schedules.
• Supports consistent execution without clutter.
• Great for turning SEO into a repeatable system.

Conclusion

These tools are powerful when used as part of a clean routine. Start with the "starter stack," pick one page to improve, and make small upgrades each week. Over time, those steady updates add up to stronger rankings, better clicks, and more consistent organic growth.