The 9 Best Free SEO Tools in 2024

As a small business owner or digital marketer, you’re in charge of everything SEO: tracking web analytics, preparing for algorithm updates, researching keywords, and scrutinizing backlinks. The list never stops.

Handling all these tasks requires investing in SEO tools, which can be tough on a tight budget. Today, however, plenty of free options exist that can be just as effective as the paid ones. Free SEO tools let you monitor performance, analyze keywords, and research the competition at no cost to you. 

In this guide, we review the best free SEO tools for a range of search engine optimization work. We also examine each product’s features, reviews, pros, and cons, making it easy to find the best one for your needs. Best of all, our list offers low-cost options you can start using right away. 

How did we select and evaluate the best software?

At G2, we rank software solutions using a proprietary algorithm that considers customer satisfaction and market presence based on authentic user reviews. Our market research analysts and writers spend weeks testing solutions against multiple criteria set for a software category. We give you unbiased software evaluations, that's the G2 difference! We didn’t accept payment or exchange links for product placements in this list. Please read our G2 Research Scoring Methodology for more details.

9 best free SEO tools in 2024

Search engine optimization tools let users track organic marketing metrics and boost web page rankings. SEO specialists use these platforms to find areas that need improvement and outperform competitors. 

The list below has real user reviews from the best SEO software category page on G2. Please note that in this list's context, software that requires payment after a free trial is considered free. 

To be included in this category, a solution must:

• Perform functions like content optimization, SEO audits, keyword research, rank tracking, link building, and backlink monitoring
• Provide reports on optimization-related metrics
• Focus on improving in free, organic search engine listings

*This data was pulled from G2 in 2024. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.

1. Semrush

Semrush’s online visibility management platform helps SEO specialists with competitive research, search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, and content. The platform provides easy tools and workflows to help you discover local and national keywords. Moreover, you can also analyze a domain’s backlink portfolio, run technical SEO audits, and track search engine results page (SERP) positions. 

What users like best:

"Semrush is a useful tool for anyone doing business online through their website. Even if you only have the free plan, there is so much useful information and many resources to help you understand issues and improve your website. The best part about Semrush is that it is an all-inclusive tool, meaning everything you need to improve your SEO, rank higher in SERP, and analytics about your website vs. your competitor's websites is all in one place. There is an overwhelming amount of data and information to be had with Semrush!

I also love how every step of the way is explained to me in terms that I can understand so I know why I am changing something on my website and the potential that change can have on my website's overall performance. Customer service for Semrush has also been great! Anytime I needed assistance, customer service responded quickly and helped me navigate to where I needed to go or explained what I needed to do."

- Semrush Review, Ashley F.

What users dislike:

"Semrush has a robust monetization system that adds up very quickly. While the cost does scale to match your agency needs, they represent one of our larger monthly expenses as each feature has some sort of paywall to access. Another thing to consider is that while the customer support offered is very helpful, various individuals with various titles will contact you, and the function and hierarchy of each are not immediately clear."

- Semrush Review, Zacharias W.

2. SE Ranking

SE Ranking works as a reliable SEO platform with SEO monitoring, research, content marketing, and local marketing capabilities. Its key features include an advanced rank tracker, website audit, competitive research, on-page SEO checker, and backlink monitoring. The platform uses advanced data processing algorithms to give businesses unique organic marketing insights. 

What users like best:

"I have compared SE Ranking side-by-side with other SEO tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz. SE Ranking offers virtually all the tool modules of its competitors, plus additional features that others lack. One significant difference stands out: SE Ranking provides a much more cost-effective monthly subscription. Many other tools rely on their long-standing reputations and assume their rising subscription fees will continue to be renewed.

In contrast, SE Ranking consistently works hard to improve its product and offers it at a competitive price. Overlooking this excellent software would be a mistake. I highly recommend starting an SE Ranking trial to experience this product's effectiveness. Additionally, their tech support is outstanding, which I greatly appreciate."

- SE Ranking Review, Jack V.

What users dislike:

"I would like to be able to add filters in the Google Analytics reporting, e.g., display an Audience Overview and then filter it only to show traffic from a certain country."

- SE Ranking Review, Rob W.

3. SEO PowerSuite

SEO PowerSuite delivers an easy-to-use, all-in-one SEO toolkit for keyword research, competitor analysis, technical SEO, content analysis, backlink analysis, and link building. It uses more than 20 keyword research methods to provide top keyword ideas that help businesses increase site traffic. You can also turn to SEO PowerSuite to discover your competitors' keyword strategies. 

What users like best:

"It's very cost-effective. I can run unlimited queries and projects for one low fixed price, especially with their annual sales. Other SEO software gets expensive fast with more projects and search terms added. Also, I know the data collected is the most recent and not coming from a collective database that might be weeks or months old. Yes, running and getting the reports takes a little longer, but it's not that bad with a high-speed internet connection and proxy rotation. And it works great on my Macbook Air."

- SEO PowerSuite Review, Chris S.

What users dislike:

"There is a learning curve. The best way to learn is by just playing with the tool and exploring the different features. I have used the tool for over a year and am still finding new features."

- SEO PowerSuite Review, Erick N.

4. Moz Pro

Moz Pro’s all-in-one SEO toolkit helps with many tasks, including keyword research, site audit, page optimization, rank tracking, and link building. The search visibility score shows you a comprehensive picture of your website’s ranking for different keywords. The crawler can also identify and assist with fixing critical issues. 

What users like best:

"The keyword location option within Moz Pro has been very helpful for us in figuring out which surrounding towns we have a dominant search presence in, and which towns we can improve our presence in. The on-page optimization recommendations help us improve our website's searchability to gain more visibility, especially in the towns we are targeting."

- Moz Pro Review, Anne-Marie P.

What users dislike:

"The pricing can be a bit steep for small businesses or solo practitioners, especially compared to other tools with similar functionalities. Also, while it provides vast data, the interface can occasionally feel overwhelming to new users."

- Moz Pro Review, Brianna A.

5. Serpstat

Serpstat keeps search marketing specialists productive with a wide variety of features. Besides providing comprehensive SEO insights, this platform enables you to create content strategy for publishing top-tier content. Users can also refine paid ad campaigns with advertising and paid search intelligence. Other features include competitor insights, AI-powered content writing, and market analysis and intelligence.

What users like best:

"Serpstat has become my go-to platform for all things SEO and more. Its extensive range of features has truly impressed me. From insightful backlink analysis to precise rank tracking and visibility trend monitoring, Serpstat has it all. Its commitment to innovation sets it apart, offering advanced tools like AI content tools and keyword clustering, which I haven't seen in other SEO software. Plus, it's not limited to the typical North American and Western European markets; it covers Eastern European markets exceptionally well."

- Serpstat Review, Olena S.

What users dislike:

"While Serpstat provides reporting features, some users have mentioned that the customization options for reports are limited. You may find the options restrictive if you require highly customized reports with specific metrics or visualizations."

- Serpstat Review, Alekos K.

6. Conductor

Conductor gives businesses the power to maximize organic search visibility with its SEO, content optimization, and website monitoring capabilities. Finding  strategic topics that will resonate with audiences becomes quick work with Conductor’s global keyword index. Plus, you can analyze competitors’ strengths and weaknesses to stay ahead of the pack. The platform also lets you track positions, measure content ROI, and create value-focused reports.

What users like best:

"Conductor's keyword research tool is a goldmine for SEO enthusiasts like myself. This tool helps you find the perfect keywords to target for the correct pages. The Content Guidance and Recommendation section of Conductor helps me add content for both users and what Google is looking for. These tools are the main go-to resources for creating high-performing content. These tools are easy for some who may not be highly educated with analytics. Conductor also includes an advisor you speak with once a month to help in any way they can regarding the platform."

- Conductor Review, Claudiya P.

What users dislike:

"Despite the easy-to-use interface, the learning curve is a bit steep, as is the case with all of the SEO tools I've used."

- Conductor Review, Melissa C.

7. Similarweb

Similarweb gives users a digital research and marketing platform that lets them analyze the competitive landscape, gather shopper intelligence, and conduct digital research. The competitive analysis feature means you can collect first-party traffic analytics and gain keyword information. You can also use Similarweb to find the best niche affiliates, discover down-funnel keywords, and get the most out of ad performance. 

What users like best:

"The platform offers comprehensive insights into website traffic, competitive analysis, and market trends, which are crucial for informed decision-making in digital marketing strategies. Its user-friendly interface and detailed reporting capabilities allow for easy analysis and interpretation of data, making it an indispensable tool for staying ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape."

- Similarweb Review, Mehmet A.

What users dislike:

"Site metrics in Similarweb were not quite matching our own website in Google Analytics. Demo data is probabilistic and I wouldn't rely too much on it. Referral traffic lists can be messy and sometimes include your subdomains. Data for websites with less than 100k monthly visitors can be very noisy and empty for some categories of analysis."

- Similarweb Review, Nikita B.

8. Frase.io

Frase.io helps you with search query analysis and generating research-driven SEO content. This AI-enabled platform makes it easy for users to outline, write, and optimize content using a single platform. The intuitive research panel also lets you analyze competitor content, track SERP metrics, and create full-length content briefs. 

What users like best:

"I love the automatic content brief creation; it drastically reduces content creation time as we can put keywords in, and Frase.io creates clear briefs that our writers can follow, saving hours of work. The AI writer and SEO add-on are amazing too. You just have to try it to see how fast you can write original articles with SEO in mind."

- Frase.io Review, Ray M.

What users dislike:

"I'm not crazy about the heat map. It's not visually appealing. I also feel like while Frase is not so difficult to use, there's a little bit of a learning curve to take full advantage of what it has to offer."

- Frase.io Review, Shanna M.

9. Seobility

Seobility features website crawling, rank tracking, link building, and continuous monitoring capabilities. The SEO checker tests your website against important search engine optimization metrics and suggests improvements. You can also use the keyword checker to make sure your content performs as best it can. The platform also features a term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) tool to help you analyze top content pieces on search engines and augment your content for topical relevance. 

What users like best:

"I've been using Seobility for the last two years to make improvements to my photography website SEO. I've tried many tools, but have returned to this one repeatedly because it's easy to use, accurate, and has actionable improvement items with comprehensive descriptions. I have used SEO agencies, and when things went wrong, I did not understand why.

By signing up and using this tool, I've learned and understood what affects my website rankings, and I am gaining more control of my business cash flow by directly influencing my SEO. Thanks for an awesome, great system even when I barely understood SEO."

- Seobility Review, Zina l.

What users dislike:

"The time it took to do a crawl. Also, there is a lot of work to do, but I'm not sure how valuable many of the tasks are."

- Seobility Review, Amos V.

Comparison of the best free SEO tools

If you still can’t decide which SEO software to use, look at the comparison of free SEO tools below. 

Frequently asked questions on best free SEO tools

Q. What’s the best free SEO tool?

According to G2 data, Semrush, SE Ranking, and SEO Powersuite are the three best free SEO tools in 2024.

Q. What is the best free keyword research tool for SEO?

According to G2 data, Semrush, SE Ranking, SEO Powersuite, Surfer, and Moz Pro  top the list for the best free SEO keyword research tools. 

Q. What is the best SEO tool for automated reports?

Semrush and SE Ranking.

Q. Which is the best tool for doing an SEO audit on your website?

According to G2 data, Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and SE Ranking are the best SEO tools for website audit. 

Q. How do I choose the best free SEO tool?

To choose the best free SEO tool, consider the following factors.

• Core features help you cover essential SEO functions like keyword research, backlink analysis, and site audit.
• Ease of use guarantees that the tool is easy to learn.
• Data accuracy means the tool provides reliable and up-to-date data.
• Limitations help you decide whether the free version meets your requirements.
• Integrations allow you to connect your SEO tool with other platforms like Google Analytics and Search Console.

Ready to make your mark?

SEO tools prove themselves invaluable for boosting online visibility, reaching the right audiences, and standing out from the competition. Start with the best free SEO tools in this article to experiment and find what’s best for your business. Also, consider evaluating each tool’s strengths, weaknesses, and unique offerings. 

Planning SEO strategy for 2025? Check out the top SEO statistics to learn which strategies deliver the highest ROI.