SEO tools, from free to paid
You don't need to spend a cent to start doing SEO well. This is the honest overview of the tools worth knowing, sorted by what they cost, from the free ones that do most of the job to the paid ones that save time once you're serious. What each is for, the catch, and which to reach for first.
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How to think about SEO tools
Most SEO tools do one of a few jobs. Knowing which job you actually need stops you paying for a suite when a free tab would do.
What they're for
- Keyword research. Finding the searches real people make, so you write to demand instead of guessing.
- Rank tracking. Watching where your pages sit in search over time, so you know whether it's working.
- Site audits. Catching the technical issues, slow pages, broken links, missing tags, that quietly hold you back.
- Competitor and backlink checks. Seeing what's working for the pages already ranking, and who links to them.
Start free: you can get remarkably far without paying. Google Search Console shows what you already rank for, Google's own autocomplete and “people also ask” hand you real keywords, and most paid tools have a free tier that's plenty at the start. Paid tools save time and add depth, so treat them as a later purchase, not a requirement.
The tools
Every tool I've written up, with an honest take on what it's for and what it costs. Filter by price:
No tools written up yet. They'll be listed here as I add them — in the meantime, the free and cheap marketing tools post covers the stack I actually use.
Common questions
Which SEO tool should I start with?
Google Search Console, and it's free. It's the only tool that tells you what you actually rank for rather than what a third party estimates. Set it up before you evaluate anything you'd have to pay for.
Do I need a paid SEO tool at all?
Not to start, and probably not for a while. Search Console, Google's autocomplete and the People Also Ask box hand you real keywords for nothing. Paid tools buy you speed and depth once you're doing this regularly — they don't unlock results a free setup can't reach.
Is Semrush or Ahrefs worth it for a single game?
For one game, hard to justify. Both are built for people doing keyword work every week, and the subscription outlives the launch. If you want the data once, use a free tier or a trial, pull what you need, and cancel.
What jobs do SEO tools actually do?
Four, mostly: keyword research (what people search for), rank tracking (where you sit over time), site audits (the technical issues quietly holding you back), and competitor and backlink checks (what's working for the pages already ranking). Knowing which job you need stops you paying for a suite when a free tab would do.
How is this different from the marketing tools list?
This page is about getting found in search. The marketing tools list is the wider stack — capture, clips, email, analytics, the Steam page. There's overlap, and both are sorted free-first.