Best SEO Tools (My 2025 Stack)

When it comes to SEO software, digital marketing agencies have plenty of options, which can make it difficult to decide which tools provide the best value for money. Good news: I’ve invested thousands of dollars into SEO tools so that you don’t have to! Here are some of the best paid and free SEO tools that I use almost every day in our campaigns to help clients rank higher in search results.

#1: SEMrush

I use SEMrush daily because it’s an incredibly powerful SEO platform—if you know how to leverage it. One of my top uses is to identify “low-hanging fruit” keywords. To do this, go to Organic Research, enter your domain, click the Position filter, and enter 2 to 15 for keyword rankings. Then, set the Keyword Difficulty filter to “Very Easy.” You’ll end up with a targeted list of keywords that can help you create a practical SEO strategy.

Another SEMrush feature I rely on is the Competitor Analysis tool. Here, you can identify untapped keywords. Head to the Keyword Gap tool, enter one to three of your top competitors, and start the analysis. Focus on low-difficulty, untapped keywords that competitors are ranking for—these can yield quick wins.

Backlink Analysis is another crucial aspect. By using the Backlink Gap tool, you can enter competitors’ domains and access data on their backlinks, which shows you the types of placements that drive results. Study their backlink profiles to understand how they’ve built these links. You’ll get insights on how to supplement your own outreach efforts.

For advanced backlink strategies, I recommend looking into Search Intelligence, a digital PR and link-building agency sponsoring this video. They specialize in obtaining high-authority backlinks from sources like Forbes and Bloomberg, which build authority and are favored by Google. These high-quality links may not be the cheapest option, but they’re invaluable for building a sustainable, trusted link profile. You can check out their services at search-intelligence.co.uk.

#2: Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another top SEO tool I use frequently, especially for finding less competitive keywords. One of its standout features is the Lowest DR (Domain Rating) Filter in the Keyword Explorer. By using this filter, you can find keywords where lower-authority sites are ranking, making them prime targets for boosting your rankings.

#3: Rankability

Rankability is another must-have SEO tool, known for blending Google’s NLP with IBM Watson and OpenAI, which results in highly accurate SEO recommendations. The tool has a two-part process, starting with creating an SEO content brief. This brief is essential for setting up the copywriter for success. A strong brief helps avoid wasted efforts on poor content, which is a common mistake in SEO.

After creating the brief, Rankability guides you through building an outline based on NLP keywords. You can either manually enter each keyword or use the AI tool to generate the outline automatically. Once the outline is optimized for NLP, share it with your writer, who can then create content that ranks well. Rankability’s customer support is exceptional, with a weekly mastermind call that I personally lead to help users get the most out of the tool.

#4: ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a revolutionary tool that I use to enhance SEO and marketing efforts. Most people tap into only a fraction of its potential, but I use it as a data scientist. For instance, I recently created a blog post investigating whether H1 tags are a Google ranking factor by inputting a large dataset into ChatGPT. The AI then analyzed this data to help me draw conclusions, making it a great tool for SEO analysis and content strategies.

#5: Detailed Browser Extension

This extension is an excellent tool for quickly analyzing basic SEO issues on any page. It’s not comprehensive, but it lets you check if a keyword is included in titles, meta descriptions, and headings.

#6: Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog is my go-to tool for website audits. It enables you to crawl any site and identify both technical and content-related SEO opportunities. You can connect Screaming Frog with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google PageSpeed Insights, and Ahrefs APIs to get deeper insights. Here are some key aspects to focus on:

1. Crawl Depth: Use the Crawl Depth column to find pages that are over three clicks deep in the site structure. Bringing these pages closer to the homepage can make it easier for Google to crawl and index them.
2. Internal Link Coverage: Look for pages with fewer than five internal links, as they can benefit from added internal links from other relevant pages.
3. Poor Engagement Rates: Engagement rates from Google Analytics 4 can indicate how well users are engaging with your content. Low engagement often signals that there’s room to improve.
4. Underperforming Pages: Pages with zero impressions and clicks, no traffic from Google Analytics, and no backlinks can be flagged as underperforming.

#7: Google Suite of Tools

My agency uses multiple Google tools to support our SEO services:

1. Google Search: Simple but essential. Real-time results let you know what’s working.
2. Google Business Profiles: Ideal for local SEO and building customer trust through reviews.
3. Google Calendar: Keeps our day-to-day activities organized, from sales to client meetings.
4. Google Meet: A critical tool for client meetings, it integrates seamlessly with other Google products.
5. Google Voice: Having a dedicated phone number helps with trust-building and is a valuable sales tool.
6. Google Analytics: One of the best for website traffic analysis.
7. Google Tag Manager: Consolidates tracking codes into one snippet, which simplifies implementation.
8. Google Search Console: Analyzes SEO data and technical issues on the site.
9. Google Keyword Planner: Offers keyword data, essential for ROI-focused Google Ads campaigns.
10. Google Sheets and Docs: We organize all SEO tasks within Google Sheets, allowing real-time collaboration.
11. Google Slides: Useful for SEO proposals and pitch decks; we sometimes opt for Canva for enhanced design capabilities.
12. Google Gemini: Another language model that I use when ChatGPT’s outputs aren’t up to par.

#8: Hemingway Editor

I recommend this tool for editing SEO content. Hemingway Editor encourages a lean, easy-to-read style and helps you polish blog posts, social media content, and YouTube scripts.

#9: Grammarly

After using Hemingway, I run my content through Grammarly for extra refinement. It’s an essential tool for enhancing writing quality and ensuring accuracy.

#10: Siteliner

This tool identifies duplicate content on your site. It’s straightforward but helps ensure unique content across all your pages.

#11: SEOTesting.com

SEOTesting.com lets you test changes and track their impact on search rankings. For instance, I recently tested a page update targeting the keyword “SEO for roofers” and saw a 627% increase in clicks.

#12: Hunter

Hunter is a valuable tool for content promotion, link outreach, and sales prospecting. It makes contact information more accessible for targeted outreach.

#13: Agency Analytics

Finally, for reporting, Agency Analytics integrates with Google Analytics, Search Console, SEMrush, and Ahrefs, streamlining our SEO reporting process. It’s a game-changer for agencies, making reporting 10 times easier.

In conclusion, digital marketing agencies have a vast array of SEO tools to choose from. However, any tool is only as effective as the strategy and person using it. To ensure your SEO systems are strong, consider enrolling in Gotch Academy, where we help agencies scale through proven systems.