Introduction

When it comes to SEO tools and platform there are a few big players that dominate the market and then there are some smaller niche and simpler solutions out there. 

SEO can be divided into several categories such as; On-page SEO, Keyword Research, Link Building, Rank Tracking, Competitor SEO Analysis, Content Marketing etc.

The field is big and sometimes confusing.

I have selected 6 tools that will cover what you need in order to do most of the things to succeed with SEO.

Let's dive in.

1. Mangools (KWFinder)

I started using Mangools instead of SEMRush (which I had been using for years), because it is just so much easier to use and moving around in the user interface goes faster. 

For most of your needs as a company working with SEO for ranking on keywords or checking out competitors Mangools works great.

Mangools has lots of the features that other tools have. But unlike most other tools, KWFinder automatically shows a Keyword Difficulty score next to every keyword. This is super useful for quickly determining if the keyword is worth pursuing on not. 

I also work a lot with Paid Search and Google Ads, and the CPC column helps me with identifying opportunities for that as well.

Also having the SERP right next to the list of keywords is immensely helpful in identifying the competitors' websites and the search intent.

‍Best Feature: Keyword Difficulty

Pros‍

• Easy to use and understand
• Priced affordably
• Good if you work with multiple languages

Cons

• Weaker competitor analysis than SEMRush
• Lacks deeper site analysis
• Weaker content marketing features

‍

‍Pricing:

Mangools Basic: €29.90 per month
Mangools Premium: €39.90 per month
Mangools Agency: €79.90 per month

Try Mangools here

2. SEMRush

SEMRush is awesome, it's a real powerhouse with everything you can possibly need in terms of SEO and PPC.

SEMrush however, works a little differently than other tools out there.

Instead of entering a seed keyword and getting a long list of keyword ideas, SEMrush shows you keywords that your competition already ranks for.

(These are usually outside-the-box keywords that would be impossible to find using any other tool).

The real value of SEMrush comes from the “Organic Keywords” data.

This box will show you 5 of the top keywords that your competitors are ranking for. To see more, click on “View details”.

And you’ll get a list of all of the keywords that the site or URL ranks for. This page alone will usually give you a handful of solid keywords.

‍Best Feature: Competitor keywords

But if you want more ideas, go back to the domain’s overview and check out the “Competitors” in the sidebar.

And you’ll see that site’s first page competition:

When you click on one of THOSE results, you can see the exact search queries they’re ranking for.

There will be some overlap from what you just saw, but you’ll also (usually) dig up some real gems.

If you go with SEMRush you basically don't need many of the other tools in this list.

But this feature-packed super tool comes with a steep price and is usually only justifiable if you work with SEO daily.

This tool pulls keyword suggestions from SEMRush’s massive database of 800+ million terms.

Pros‍

• Good for competitor analysis
• Has everything you need
• Great for both SEO and PPC

Cons

• Not cheap
• Hard to learn
• No SERP analysis feature

‍Pricing:

SEMRush Pro: $99.95 per month
SEMRush Guru: $199.95 per month
SEMRush Business: $399.95 per month

Try SEMRush here

3. Keywords Everywhere

Get search volume (and more) wherever you go with this powerful Chrome extension.

That way, you don’t need to copy and paste keywords into the Google Keyword Planner.

The feature “People Also Search For”Get a list of keywords related to your search term in the Google search results. Very neat.

What’s cool about this feature is that you can find keywords that your target customer searches for when they’re not searching for what you sell.

Pros‍

• Chrome-extension, always there
• Priced affordably
• Trends and competition

Cons

• Only for Chrome
• Pricing structure is a bit complicated at first
• No competitor data

‍Pricing:

Pay-as-you-go credit system, starts at $10.

Try KeywordsEverywhere

4. Answer The Public

Enter a keyword and get questions people ask regarding that keyword. Really good for awareness based keywords.

ATP is a good starting point for question queries that can be turned into paid ads and organic traffic.

Pros‍

• Visual representation of search queries
• Free version is good enough
• Good for initial keyword research phase

Cons

• No volume data
• No competition data
• Looks easy but requires a trained eye to take advantage of

‍Pricing:

Pro: $99 per month
Enterprise: $399 per month

Try AnswerThePublic

5. CanIRank

Can you rank for your most important keywords? Well with CanIRank you can find out!

CanIRank, it evaluates a keyword’s competition level relative to your website's ranking.

For example, if you entered the keyword “pos systems” into CanIRank. The tool looks at Google’s first page competition compared to your site’s authority. And it gives your a “Ranking Probability”. Super helpful.

There aren't many tools that can do this and CanIRank is truly unique and an impressive tools for finding areas of improvement for your most important keywords.

Pros‍

• The structure and workflows keeps it easy to understand
• Priced affordably
• Good competitor analysis

Cons

• Aimed for slightly smaller websites and businesses
• Some suggestions doesn't make sense
• Backlinks suggestions can sometimes be hard to acquire

‍Pricing:

DIY Individual: $49 per month
DIY Pro: $79 per month
DIY Agency: $299 per month

Try CanIRank

6. Google Search Console

Find “opportunity keywords” through the Performance Report. Opportunity Keywords are where you rank between #8-#20 in Google for a specific keyword. And with little extra on-page SEO, you can find yourself with a legit rankings boost.

If you optimize your page around opportunity keywords, your rankings for those terms should go up. The Google Search Console is an underrated keyword research tool. No other tool can help you find opportunity keywords like the GSC.‍

Pros‍

• Free
• Easy to use
• Find opportunities

Cons

• Technical setup
• Only based on current data
• Some features have a learning curve

‍
‍Pricing:

Free

Try Google Search Console