Let’s face it, there’s no fun in drawing up spreadsheets and tallying your website’s performance. And especially when no tangible result comes out of this manual labor. Search engine optimization tools offer you accurate results at a click of a button. As the name suggests, they optimize your web content to rank it higher across search engines such as Google, Bing, Yandex, and YouTube.
SEO tools ensure that your website reaches your potential customers. They allow you to check what’s working for you and tweak what isn’t. But SEO tools don’t magically uplift the ranking of your page, you need to choose the best-suited tools for your website and act accordingly.
There are hundreds of SEO tools for you to choose from. Luckily for you, this guide outlines the main features to look for while choosing SEO tools.
Things To Consider While Choosing The Best SEO Tool
When picking the right SEO tool, you may come across several questions – which elements are the pre-requites, what to expect, how important are reports, etc. Here are some essential criteria that make an SEO tool function optimally.
1. Accuracy
If the ranking measure is not accurate, there is no point in relying on it. Before investing in any SEO tool, be sure to read reviews of the accuracy of the data they show. To begin with, review the accuracy of the keyword ranking tracker.
Check for locations and devices that the particular software supports. Whether or not it provides for third-party integration such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics is crucial to analyze the traffic and be aware of higher traffic generating search engines for your website.
2. Competitor Analysis
When it comes to marketing your content using SEO strategies, keeping a check on your competitors is as crucial as being up-to-date with your website. Effective SEO tools simultaneously analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your competing websites and help you stay one step ahead.
3. Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI)
People type in keywords while searching on the word. To make your website relevant, your keywords must match what users search. KEI helps you navigate through the available keywords and select the ones that show potential – and will drive traffic to your website. KEI is calculate using the search volume and competition of a keyword. You can sort columns and apply a filter to find the most relevant keywords.
4. Website Audit
Regular website audits are necessary to keep your website up-to-date and bug-free. Before choosing a tool with this feature, check for the parameters included in the audit and the style of reporting. SEO audits provide useful insights and recommendations that you can implement for optimizing your website. The detailed reports look professional and can be shared with your team or clients.
5. Customized Report
Detailed report analysis enables you to better track your report. Some SEO tools even allow you to directly send your report to clients with your logo attached. You can test the report feature yourself by signing up for free.
Ranking reports give suggestions which you can work on to increase your website’s visibility. Certain tools like WhatsMySerp let you download complete report without asking for credit card details. Data presentation in the generated reports is equally crucial for how your client views your website.
Be sure to check customization levels, automation, and details provided in the report. Your company’s logo and contact information add professionalism and personal touch to the report.
6. Ease of Use and User Interface
A given software may offer all the features, but if you are unable to access them easily, they are of limited use to you. An effective SEO tool would offer a simple and user-friendly user interface.
Easy to follow steps would save you precious time and effort. Helpful prompts and on-screen guidance can make your work easier. Make sure that the tool you choose offers all the SEO related function that you’d need, or else you will have to hop from one tool to another, in addition to paying more.
7. Heat Maps
They analyze web activity, where people engage and spend time, and what they click on. Such data allows you to tweak the organization of your website, design, SEO strategies, and functionality.
8. Backlink analysis
Banklink Analysis lets you make sense of the data behind the backlinks by auditing DA level, velocity, webmaster contact details, site quality. Sophisticated backlinking SEO tools sort this out for you, but they are usually paid. Alternatively, you can review the backlinks manually by using Google Webmaster Tools to download the complete list of your links.
To Sum Up
A study suggests that about 82% of smartphone users research online before making an offline purchase. This implies that even if you run an offline business, online marketing and SEO are more important than ever. And SEO tools are key to reach your potential customers.
Several factors like accuracy, keyword analysis, user interface come into play before you get the best SEO tool. If you are still confused about making the right choice, you can always try the free trial version to test the tool yourself first.