18 Best DIY SEO Software and Tools for Small Businesses
There are tens of thousands of SEO tools for small businesses out there.
But not all are easy to use for everyone. And even those that promise to be user-friendly have a steep learning curve before you can start using them.
What if I told you there are a handful of DIY SEO software tools you can use to conduct keyword research to understand your target audience so that you can optimize content to rank higher on Google, drive more traffic, and grow your business today? All without requiring any help from an SEO agency or expert? Or even without going through the steep learning curve?
In this blog post, I’m going to review the best tools for DIY SEO that are easy to use for both beginners and experts alike.
DIY SEO Software & Tools for Small Business
Here are the best tools for keyword research and content optimization. Most of these tools come with an intuitive interface, making them easy to use for everyone regardless of your technical expertise.
| Tool | Key Features | Pricing | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | Keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, on-page SEO, content marketing | Starts at $119.95/month | 7 days |
| Ahrefs | Research, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, content planning, rank tracking | Starts at $99/month | 7 days |
| BrightLocal | Local SEO management, citation building, reputation management, website audits | Starts at $39/month | 14 days |
| KeySearch | Research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, YouTube research | Starts at $17/month | 10 days |
| KWFinder | Research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, SERP analysis | Starts at $19.90/month | 10 days |
| Rank Math | Advanced Schema generator, internal linking, SEO content analysis | Free Plan available; Pro plans start at $69/year | Yes, with limited features |
| SurferSEO | Content editor, content planning, content audit, competitor analysis | Starts at $119/month | 7 days |
| vidIQ | YouTube SEO, keyword research, video optimization, competitor analysis, channel analytics | Starts at $5/month | 10 days |
| Jasper | Content creation, AI writing assistant, plagiarism checker, grammar checker | Starts at $39/month | 7 days |
| AlsoAsked | Research, long-tail keyword generation, content topic inspiration, competitor analysis | Starts at $144/year | 7 days |
| Grammarly | Grammar & punctuation checker, clarity & conciseness suggestions, vocabulary enhancement, plagiarism detection | Free plan available; Premium plans start at $12/month | Yes, with limited features |
They also have reliable support and a generous free trial to try the tool before you purchase the premium plan. Furthermore, some tools enable you to conduct SEO for free.
Ready to elevate your SEO strategy today?
Let’s get started.
1. SEMRush
(Best all-in-one DIY SEO Tool and Software)
If you’re looking for tools for SERP ranking success, then never miss Semrush in your SEO toolbox. You can use the tool to do everything you need from keyword research and SEO audits, and optimizing your website content to improve your search engine visibility.
What’s more?
The tool offers a free version making it suitable for users operating on a shoestring budget. All you need is to create a free account and start using the tool right away.
Overall, this is a powerful and complete SEO platform that can be used by anyone, regardless of their experience level. With its wide range of features, it can help you achieve your SEO goals and improve your website’s online presence.
Key Features
- Comprehensive keyword research
- Rank tracking
- Competitor analysis
- Backlink analysis
- Content marketing toolkit
- Site audit
Pricing
Semrush pricing starts from $129.95 per month.
2. Ahrefs
(Best Keyword Research and Competitor Spying Tool)
This is one of the most powerful technical SEO tools that shines in keyword research and competitor analysis.
Its robust keyword research tool provides comprehensive insights into search volume, difficulty, and related terms, which helps you target the most impactful keywords for your niche.
Additionally, the tool’s competitor spying feature allows users to dissect competitors’ strategies, uncovering their top-performing keywords, backlink profiles, and content tactics.
This invaluable information empowers users to refine their SEO strategies, stay competitive, and improve their online presence effectively.
Overall, Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO suite with a collection of free SEO tools to help you streamline your keyword research, link building, and other SEO work.
Key Features
- Keyword difficulty checker
- Keyword generator
- Competitor analysis
- Site explorer
- Keyword rank alerts
- Content planning
Pricing
Ahrefs pricing starts from $99 per month.
3. BrightLocal
(Best all-in-one SEO Software Suite for Local Businesses)
BrightLocal offers a collection of SEO tools focusing on local SEO. This is a great tool that helps you rank higher and grow your search visibility within your local area.
With it, you can track your business’s visibility on Local Pack, Organic, and Map results in Google and Bing.
You can also uncover top-performing keywords to improve your local search visibility and grow traffic.
Additionally, you can audit your Google My Business profile to see exactly where you need to improve and spy on your competition in local pack positions.
Overall, BrightLocal is one of the SEO tools to improve your website’s SEO and dominate local searches.
Key Features
- Local rank tracker
- Google My Business profile and local search audit
- Local search grid
- Citation tracker
- Reputation manager
Pricing
BrightLocal pricing starts from $39 per month.
4. KeySearch
(Best Low-Cost Keyword Research and Rank-Tracking Tool)
KeySearch is yet another robust tool designed to help you out-smart, out-rank, and beat your competition in Google.
The software comes with a suite of SEO tools to spy on your competitors and track your SEO efforts.
With it, you can discover low-competition keywords that are relevant to your niche on Google, YouTube, and Amazon.
You can also conduct a competition analysis. In fact, the tool allows you to bulk-check competitors for multiple keywords. And you can compare multiple keywords.
Overall, if you’re looking to take your SEO game to the next level, this is the best SEO tool to use.
Key Features
- YouTube research
- Backlink checker
- SEO competition analysis
- Keyword difficulty checker
- Content assistant
- Webpage audit analyzer
- Rank tracking
Pricing
KeySearch pricing starts from $17 per month.
5. KWFinder
(Best Low-Cost Keyword Research and Rank-Tracking Tool)
Developed by Mangools, KWFinder is your ultimate SEO software for uncovering long-tail keywords with low SEO difficulty.
With this tool, you can search by keyword or entire domain.
The good thing about this tool is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to keywords to target.
Furthermore, you can discover seasonal keywords and hot topics that you can target to boost organic traffic for your business website.
You can use this tool to identify location-specific long-tail keywords for your website to target local searchers.
Key Features
- KWFinder
- SERP Checker
- SERP Watcher
- Link Miner
- Site Profiler
Pricing
KWFinder pricing starts from $19.90 per month.
6. RankMath
(Best WordPress SEO Plugin)
Rank Math is a revolutionary search engine optimization plugin for WordPress that offers real-time insights and other powerful SEO functionalities.
In other words, this is your ultimate tool to simplify WordPress SEO.
With it, you can optimize your content on the WordPress platform using built-in suggestions, following SEO best practices.
The tool allows you to customize vital SEO settings, decide which pages you want indexed by Google, and control how you want your website displayed in search results with structured data.
Overall, Rank Math is the tool to help you make your website SEO-friendly and get your content to appear in Google’s featured position.
Key Features
- Advanced Schema Generator
- Content AI
- Google Index Status
- Integrates with many tools
- Rank tracker
- Custom schema builder
- Keyword Comparison & Google Trends Tool
- Local business citations
Pricing
Rank Math pricing starts from $5.75 per month, billed annually.
7. SurferSEO
(Best Content Optimization Tool)
Surfer SEO streamlines your SEO workflow. The tool helps you research, audit, and write, blog posts and articles that rank higher on Google.
With it, you can structure your content into detailed outlines complete with unique and catchy headlines in just a few clicks.
And that’s not all. Surfer SEO will help to check your article for plagiarism whether you produce AI-generated content or write it yourself.
Overall, this is your ultimate tool to take your content strategy, creation, and SEO to the next level to boost your organic traffic and search visibility.
Key Features
- Surfer AI
- Content Editor
- Keyword Surfer extension
- Keyword research
- Content audit
- AI outline generator
Pricing
SurferSEO pricing starts from $119 per month, billed annually.
8. vidIQ
(Best YouTube SEO Tool)
vidIQ is ideal for users aiming to dominate YouTube, ignite their SEO game, and transform their channel into a growth engine.
It even has a free version with basic features for users who are new to YouTube to learn how to navigate the deep waters of video content.
With it, you can discover high-performing keywords with low competition to attract targeted viewers.
You can also add keywords on titles, descriptions, and tags with AI-powered suggestions for maximum search engine reach.
Additionally, the tool allows you to track keyword rankings and analyze performance to refine your strategy over time.
Plus, you can also analyze top-performing competitor videos, and identify their video titles, descriptions, and tags to discover their winning strategies.
Key Features
- Thumbnail generator
- Keyword research
- Competitor analysis
- Trends alerts
- Channel audit
- Video SEO
Pricing
vidIQ pricing starts from $5 per month.
9. Jasper
(Best AI Writing Tool)
You’re probably wondering why I included Jasper in my list of the best DIY SEO tools for small businesses but here is why.
For most people, keeping up with the content demands of their strategy can be a struggle.
This is where Jasper, a powerful SEO and content writing tool, empowers them to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently, fueling their organic growth.
The tool helps you create diverse content that is SEO-ready and resonates with your audience. This includes blog posts, articles, social media captions, and product descriptions.
The tool can also help you identify best-performing keywords and incorporate them naturally into your content for maximum online visibility.
Key Features
- Diverse content generation
- AI-powered content ideas
- Plagiarism checker
- SEO keyword research
- Content structure
- Compelling title and introduction generation
Pricing
Jasper’s pricing starts from $39 per month.
10. AlsoAsked
(Best People Also Ask Keyword Research Tool)
What’s a better way to target your audience with content that actually addresses their needs and pain points than to get into their minds and understand exactly what they are asking on Google when looking for information?
That’s what AlsoAsked does.
The tool provides you with information directly from Google based on information that your audience is looking for, improving your chances of fulfilling searcher intent.
In fact, the questions you get from this tool are from real user searches grouped by Google.
Overall, with this tool, you can uncover your audience’s pain points, concerns, and questions, enabling you to create helpful content that meets Google’s E-E-A-T quality rater guidelines.
Key Features
- Search intent analysis
- Uncover long-tail keyword
- Relevant and engaging content ideas
- Competitor analysis
- Local SEO insights
Pricing
AlsoAsked pricing starts from $12/month or $144 annual payment.
11. Grammarly
(Best Free Writing AI Assistance)
Creating high-quality SEO content is crucial for driving organic traffic but this isn’t always easy for many people.
With Grammarly, a free writing assistant, you can write confidently and effectively, ensuring your content shines in search results.
This tool eliminates grammatical errors and typos, ensuring your content is polished and professional. It also enables you to write with clarity and conciseness, improving readability and engagement of your content.
For SEO, Grammarly provides real-time keyword suggestions as you write, helping you naturally incorporate relevant keywords into your content.
It also analyzes your content’s readability score and adjusts your writing style for optimal search engine understanding. Plus, it enables you to protect your brand and ensure originality by checking for plagiarism in your content.
Key Features
- Grammar and punctuation checker
- Keyword suggestions
- Plagiarism detection
- Customization
- Content readability analysis
Pricing
Grammarly pricing starts from $12 per month.
What is DIY SEO Software?
This is dedicated software designed to help business owners manage their website content optimization processes without the need to hire an SEO professional or agency.
The software comes with tools and features to help you easily research keywords, create Google-friendly content, and track your website performance on search.
What Can You Do with DIY SEO Software & Tools?
The best do-it-yourself SEO software and tools can help you easily execute the following website tasks:
- On-Page SEO: Optimize your content and structure for optimal search engine understanding. Write catchy titles with keywords, descriptions, headings, and meta tags. Improve internal linking and website architecture for seamless navigation.
- Off-Page SEO: Discover quality backlinks to build backlink authority for your website through outreach, guest blogging, and linkable content creation.
- Technical SEO: Ensure your website’s technical foundation is strong by addressing crawl errors, broken links, and website speed issues. Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google for efficient crawling.
- Content creation: Produce high-quality, informative content that resonates with your audience. Research relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally.
- Page experience: Prioritize page speed, mobile-friendliness, and core web vitals to ensure optimal user experience. Enhance mobile loading speeds.
What Are the Best Free DIY SEO Tools and Software?
12. Google Analytics
This tool allows you to dig deeper into your website traffic, analyze user behavior, and see what’s working (and what’s not) to optimize your website for better engagement and conversions.
13. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is one of the powerful webmaster tools that turns you into your website’s own SEO doctor. The tool allows you to monitor your website’s performance in search results, submit sitemaps to Google, and identify and fix technical issues. Plus, you can use for free.
14. Google Trends
Google Trends is one of the top SEO tools that enable you to stay ahead of what’s trending. The tool allows you to discover hot search topics and analyze search volume for specific keywords to inform your content strategy and target the right audience.
15.Google PageSpeed Insights
With Google PageSpeed Insights you get a free website speed checkup. The software analyzes website loading times on mobile and desktop devices and provides actionable tips to make your website lightning-fast, improving user experience and SEO.
16. Keyword Sheeter
Keyword Sheeter is a free keyword research tool that gives you a list of tools for advanced keyword research. The tool generates thousands of long-tail keyword suggestions based on a seed keyword for content creation and SEO.
17. MozBar
This is a free Chrome extension offered by Moz reveals key SEO metrics such as website authority, domain age, backlinks, and on-page factors in real-time, giving you valuable insights into your website and competitors.
18. Google SERP Simulator
This tool lets you preview how your website will appear in search engine results pages with different meta descriptions and titles as you write them, allowing you to craft the perfect first impression.
SEO Software FAQs
Which Is the Best Free SEO Software?
This entirely depends on your needs and goals.
For instance, Google Search Console and Google Analytics are excellent free options for most users for analyzing website performance and identifying technical issues.
Google Trends helps explore trending keywords, and Keyword Sheeter generates long-tail keyword ideas. Google PageSpeed Insights is great for quick website speed analysis.
Which Is the Best DIY SEO Software?
Several paid options offer advanced features and deeper insights. The favorite tools among SEOs include Ahrefs, Semrush, Rank Math, and SurferSEO. Each has its strengths, so consider which features matter most to you and try free trials to find the best fit for you.
Can You Do SEO by Yourself?
Yes. DIY SEO tools empower you to manage your site’s SEO without needing an expert. However, it requires learning and effort. Consider free resources and courses to build your knowledge.
Can You Do SEO for Free?
Yes, to a certain extent. Several great SEO tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Keyword Sheeter can help you improve your website search engine visibility. However, paid tools offer more advanced features and insights that can accelerate your SEO efforts.
Final Thoughts
SEO doesn’t have to be a complicated task. With the best SEO software and tools, you can conduct thorough keyword research, and improve content creation, and website analysis without needing any SEO help from a professional.
Whether you’re an affiliate marketer, blogger, or any kind of business owner, these tools will help you elevate your SEO game without outsourcing your work to costly SEO experts.
P.S. Ensure you try a couple of free tools before you advance to the paid tools.
