Auditing, tracking, searching, and reporting tools are used daily in the SEO industry.
For an SEO beginner, choosing the right tools and services can feel like a daunting task. Before researching potential options, take some time to map out what you're expecting from your SEO tool and what your needs are.
As Ahrefs pointed out in this study, 91% of online content gets zero traffic from Google. SEO keyword research tools can help you pinpoint exactly what your audience is looking for so you can write content for their needs and in turn, move higher up in page rankings.
Let’s review elements of what a good SEO keyword research tool has to offer and how they can help you rank fast.
If you already know what your needs are and are looking for a list of SEO tools to get started here is a list of the best free keyword research tools.
Otherwise, let’s talk about what to look for in an SEO tool and the pros and cons of the solutions out there.
Are you wondering “How do I find the best keywords for my website?” If you're searching for the perfect SEO tool but you’re not sure what to look for, here’s a list of essential features and characteristics that a great SEO tool can have.
If you choose the right tool for your SEO job, it's going to make your time better spent.
Here are a few things to consider when picking an SEO tool for your marketing:
Look for an SEO tool that will give you an idea of where your website SEO stands now and how you’re ranking for related search terms and keywords. Perhaps your website is already well optimized, both technically and content-wise. Or maybe you have areas where you’re not ranking for the keywords you need.
Picking an SEO tool that equips you with a score that is quick and easy to understand will tell you if you've got a problem worth investigating or if your SEO is good enough for now.
It’s essential to know how your website content is performing based on keyword phrases to help you increase traffic.
Once you're informed on how you're currently ranking for certain keywords, you can determine whether you’re on the right track or you need to create additional content with more targeted keywords.
A keyword generator can help you determine important topics, questions, and keywords your team should be focusing on and identify competitive gaps where you can gain traffic share immediately.
When assessing an SEO keyword tool, make sure it gives you these metrics about keywords and your performances:
So now you have your keywords, but how do you use them in content? If you’re looking for a definite way to boost your SEO results, an intelligent content idea generator is the tool you want for the job.
These SEO-driven tools minimize time spent researching keywords and topics by providing you with short-tail, long-tail keywords, and phrases that if used correctly -- can improve your SEO ranking.
Essentially, these tools examine top-performing keywords and phrases to show you specifically which keywords to target so you can boost your organic search results. Some SEO tools even provide content outlines that give users recommended H1, H2, and H3 tags as well as exact keywords to use in each section.
Content with a word count between 750 and 3000 words generates the most organic traffic. So, creating long-form content can be valuable for SEO and can help you become a thought leader in your niche.
How do you know if a keyword is profitable?
Some SEO tools allow CRM account integration so you can know with certainty which efforts are driving ROI. When a lead becomes a customer, you need to discern which keywords, marketing channel—or channels—should receive credit. Accurate account-based attribution will get you the most value out of your marketing spend.
Choose an SEO tool that lets you connect different attribution models side by side so you know how each touchpoint impacts conversions. That way, you can shift more of your budget to what’s actually working on your most powerful channels.
To put it bluntly, SEO can be complicated and intimidating. The tool you choose should have a low barrier to entry and a user-friendly interface. Most tools take a click or two to figure out, but anything that takes more than that isn't something you should be spending time on.
Things that will make a world of difference in an SEO tool:
Your SEO tool should be a guide to help you learn the ropes, get your feet wet, and expand your knowledge. A tool is probably not right for you if it's too challenging, like throwing you in the deep end when you're learning to swim.
It starts with the right tools that can help you work smarter and faster in SEO. We’ve collected a sampling of the most beneficial SEO tools on the market.
These tools have a wide variety of uses and cover a number of common needs.
DemandJump is the leading marketing insights and attribution platform. The platform shows you what your target audience is searching for, what your competitors are doing, and what actions you should take next to achieve better outcomes.
You will know exactly what content to write, what keywords to include, which websites to target, videos to produce, and much more.
DemandJump has a keyword finder that puts essential insights in one place and translates SEO strategy into action. The SEO Keyword reporting includes lists of short and long-tail keywords that uncover the questions your target audiences are searching for at crucial moments of their buying decision.
Every keyword is prioritized so you know exactly what action to take. DemandJump even pulls in competitor data to show their best-ranking content. Also, have you ever wondered “How do I know if a keyword is profitable?”
DemandJump solves this problem by measuring the effect of your content with our CRM integration tool where you can see which pieces of content are driving revenue.
From the intuitive consumer insight reports to content briefs that make it easy to write blog content that your customers will love AND that find themselves at the top of search results, DemandJump will take all guesswork out of your content marketing.
Moz's SEO platform offers several different tools created for keyword research. Although Moz doesn't include as many data points as some of the other full-featured SEO tools, this makes for a straightforward user experience for those who aren't professional search marketers.
With their Keyword Planner tool, you can search any keyword you choose and see its monthly volume, difficulty, and organic clickthrough rate (CTR).
Semrush shares a ton of keyword data so you can dig into the details, like search engine results page (SERP) features and super specific analysis of current results. Semrush's keyword research tools can span from the standard traffic and search volume data to content-driven keyword research and competitive keyword gap analysis.
With their Keyword Gap feature, you can enter your competitors' websites and Semrush shows you the keywords they rank for but that you don't—making it simple to find new opportunities.
AnswerThePublic works a bit differently, instead of a list of keywords, they present visual images of top keywords, although you can also see them in a list or download a .csv file of results.
All you have to do is type in your keyword and take a look at what comes up. The keyword results from this tool are based on Google and Bing's auto-suggest/auto-complete features. Within a search, you can click on any keyword and it will send you to a new tab with the Google results.
If you made it through that exhaustive list, congrats, and well done! Now you're educated in about 20 SEO keyword tools. To reward you, we're offering you to create a free DemandJump account to kick off your keyword research and start ranking fast today!
DemandJump.
When doing SEO research, you need a tool that can take you from research to results. DemandJump automates the keyword research process.
With one-click SEO content briefs for new content, recommendations for updating current content, and linking content to revenue generated with marketing attribution you are sure to see results.
Work smarter with automation tools designed to make content marketers look like rockstars.
Write content that ranks fast, and save time doing it - get started today!