In this article, I’ll highlight the tools that our SEO experts use every day for a variety of tasks.

A word of warning: There is a significant difference between DATA and WISDOM. Having data doesn’t help you unless you develop the expertise to understand it and take appropriate action. That’s wisdom. But without data, wisdom is in a vacuum.

Why use multiple tools? Well, when the only tool in your toolkit is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Why not have every tool? Besides the expense, you would have too much data that would be almost guaranteed to conflict. If you run several tools to find what appears to be the same kind of data, they often report different numbers for the same thing.

Why not pick one SEO software and stick to it? Well, the more popular tools give the same wimpy, middle-of-the-road, staying-out-of-trouble recommendations to a million users. Instead, you need a few specialty tools to do deep dives and get closer to the issues and solutions.

I’ll group the tools into categories to cover the many types of data research needed for search engine optimization. Feel free to jump to the type of SEO software that interests you:

• Crawling software
• Data aggregation software
• Competitive research software
• ADA compliance
• GDPR compliance
• Google algorithm effects
• Content optimization tools
• SEO browser extensions and tools (our favorites)
• FAQ: How do experts utilize a variety of SEO tools to enhance website performance and optimization?

Of course, features and pricing may vary. Larger sites may subscribe to higher-level versions, often with more features. This is just a summary to point you in the right direction.

Crawling Software

DeepCrawl

This SEO software can crawl millions of URLs and billions of links. DeepCrawl looks at hundreds of metrics to help SEOs identify and manage technical SEO issues and ensure webpages are being crawled by search engines. This is a preferred tool when it comes to crawling software.

Price: Starts at $89/month. Free trial available.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog is another tried-and-true crawling tool that offers a lot of features for analyzing a website. Find broken links, analyze meta data, find duplicate content, generate XML sitemaps, and much more.

Price: $149/year. Or, crawl 500 URLs for free.

SEOToolSetⓇ

Our SEO software’s site spider auto-crawls a website down to five clicks deep and, among other things, identifies any issues that may impact your site’s indexability. The SEOToolSet also offers page analysis tools, ranking monitors, and a whole host of other features for expert SEO analysis. (Side note: Find out more about what our SEO tools have to offer at SEOToolSet.com.)

Price: Starts at $24.95/month.

Data Aggregation Software

URLProfiler

This powerful SEO software can help you perform a variety of SEO tasks, including penalty audits, content audits, domain research, link prospecting, and more. URLProfiler is configurable to your needs, depending on what type of data you need to complete the job. Some of the best features include data aggregation, API integration, and speed tool.

Price: Starts at $19.95/month. Free trial available.

Competitive Research Software

Ahrefs

Competitive research is just one of the many things you can do with Ahrefs. Its Site Explorer lets you see what keywords competitors rank for and the traffic to pages. Also, see who links to the competition and if they are doing paid search. They also offer a “free” Webmaster Tools Account if you verify ownership of the domain. Data is limited but very useful as a free tool.

Price: Starts at $99/month. Get a trial for $7.

Semrush

(Yes folks, it is Sem and not S.E.M.) Another good competitive analysis tool (that also offers many other features for SEO work, such as keyword research) is Semrush. You can easily find out who your competition is in the search results, benchmark your traffic against theirs, track mentions of competitors, analyze competitors’ social media, and more.

Price: Starts at $99.95/month (billed annually). Free trial available.

Majestic

Majestic is a fantastic link intelligence tool that is particularly handy for competitive analysis. Get access to backlink information on multiple competitors and compare performance. Of course, you can use Majestic for your own backlink analysis as well.

Price: Plans start at $49.99/month. Demo Majestic here and sign up to access the reports.

ADA Compliance

PowerMapper

To be sure a website complies with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), PowerMapper’s SortSite tool “finds pages that are unusable by people with disabilities. It checks entire websites against W3 WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and US Section 508 accessibility standards.”

Price: Varies based on tools. Free accessibility checks available.

GDPR Compliance

GDPR Website Compliance Check

The GDPR Website Compliance Check scans a website to identify the cookies that are set and where data is going to help ensure you’re in compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Price: Free

Piwik Pro Cookie Scanner

The Cookie Scanner offers a complete cookie scan to identify first- and third-party cookies on a website, the cookie providers, GDPR cookie requirements, and more.

Price: Free

Google Algorithm Effects

Panguin Tool

This tool can help you figure out if you’ve been impacted by a Google algorithmic penalty. The Panguin Tool helps you determine when a traffic shift up or down aligns with a Google algorithm update so that you can investigate what might be impacting a website.

Price: Free

Content Optimization Tools

InLinks

InLinks provides in-depth information on how to optimize your content for a topic. Use it to identify marketing trends with content, for content optimization, and for discovery, ideation and enhanced rankings (such as featured snippets, how-to, FAQs, etc.). This SEO software generates a content brief for the topic you want to publish with targeted recommendations including access to related topics and a comprehensive list of related questions.

Price: $39.99/month. Free plan available.

Featured Snippets+ Tool

This tool for featured snippet optimization allows you to optimize your content so your webpage has a better chance of being chosen for a featured snippet, aka “position zero.” Featured Snippets+ analyzes which competitors own a snippet for the topic; the top “people also ask” questions, and more.

Price: Starts at $49.99 (one-time fee). Demo the product with limited URLs for free.

Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin

Analyze the top-ranked pages for your keywords and find out how to optimize your content to meet or beat them. Includes targets for meta data, readability scores, and word count. This SEO plugin also gives you the ability to track how you optimize the page with keywords.

Price: Starts at $24.95/month and includes a subscription to the SEOToolSet. Free seven-day trial available.

SEO Browser Extensions & Tools

Heading Tag Markup

This extension highlights and notates all heading tags on a page. It’s useful for seeing if heading tags are set up properly.

Price: Free

Highlight This

This extension allows you to create a keyword list that the tool then uses to highlight the words visually as you browse a website. You can create multiple lists and assign colors to them.

Price: Free

Word Counter

This extension lets you select any text online and get a word and character count quickly with a right click.

Price: Free

Text Analyzer

Quickly get a picture of the words used most on a page, the word count of the page, and more with Text Analyzer. A really basic but fast and useful tool if you want to quickly view those metrics.

Price: Free

Schema Markup Generator (JSON-LD)

The Schema Markup Generator (JSON-LD) creates JSON-LD markups for you. Just choose the type of schema.org markup you want to create, input the information, and go.

Price: Free

WordPress Security

Hacker Target’s WordPress Security Scan tests vulnerabilities in application security, WordPress plugins, the hosting environment, and the web server.

Price: Free

Advice for Picking SEO Tools

SEO is only as good as the SEO software you use to analyze a website. This article contains some of the tools we use currently, but the list is fluid. So give tools a try, but then choose wisely and build a tool stack that will set you up for success.

We can provide the expertise you need to improve your website SEO. Contact us today for a free consultation.

FAQ: How do experts utilize a variety of SEO tools to enhance website performance and optimization?

Optimizing website performance has become paramount for businesses seeking online success. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts understand that achieving this goal requires a comprehensive toolkit of specialized software and techniques. Through strategic utilization of SEO tools, these experts streamline their efforts, enhance performance, and unlock the full potential of their websites.

At the core of effective website optimization lies the deployment of crawling software. This specialized tool, such as DeepCrawl or Screaming Frog SEO Spider, allows experts to conduct comprehensive website audits. Experts thoroughly understand their website’s health by identifying broken links, analyzing meta data, and generating XML sitemaps, making way for targeted improvements.

Competitive research software, exemplified by Ahrefs and Semrush, offers experts valuable insights into the strategies of their competitors. These tools enable experts to uncover keywords competitors rank for, understand traffic trends, and even identify paid search efforts. With this information, experts make informed decisions to outmaneuver competitors and elevate their website visibility.

In the realm of compliance, experts ensure their websites adhere to accessibility and data protection standards. Tools like PowerMapper aid in conforming to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by identifying pages inaccessible to people with disabilities. Meanwhile, GDPR compliance checks, such as the GDPR Website Compliance Check and Piwik Pro Cookie Scanner, safeguard user data in line with EU regulations.

Experts also leverage content optimization tools to enhance their website’s search ranking. InLinks, for instance, offers valuable insights for optimizing content around specific topics. Featured Snippets+ helps tailor content for coveted featured snippet positions, while the Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin empowers experts to optimize pages for optimal visibility.

Transitioning seamlessly from one subtopic to the next, experts weave together the diverse functionalities of these SEO tools to orchestrate a symphony of website optimization. By implementing crawling software, competitive research tools, compliance checks, and content optimization strategies, they create a powerful amalgamation that maximizes website performance and drives results.

Experts employ a multi-faceted approach to SEO by harnessing various specialized tools. Their mastery of crawling software, competitive research tools, compliance checks, and content optimization techniques propels their websites to new heights of performance and optimization. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, their expertise remains a beacon of light, guiding the way to digital success.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Leveraging SEO Tools for Enhanced Website Performance

1. Introduction to SEO Tools: Explain the significance of SEO tools in optimizing website performance.
2. Crawling Software: Detail the functionalities of crawling software like DeepCrawl and Screaming Frog SEO Spider for comprehensive website audits.
3. Competitive Research Tools: Explore how tools like Ahrefs and Semrush aid experts in analyzing competitors’ strategies.
4. **Compliance Checks: Discuss tools like PowerMapper and GDPR Website Compliance Check for ADA and GDPR compliance.
5. Content Optimization Tools: Explain how InLinks, Featured Snippets+, and Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin enhance content ranking.
6. Seamless Transitions: Emphasize the importance of integrating these tools harmoniously for holistic optimization.
7. Expert Strategy: Share insights into how experts strategically combine tools to drive performance improvements.
8. Real-world Examples: Provide case studies or examples showcasing successful website optimization through tool utilization.
9. Long-term Benefits: Discuss how consistent tool utilization contributes to sustained website performance.
10. Dynamic SEO Landscape: Address the evolving nature of SEO tools and the need for continuous learning.
11. Professional Recommendations: Offer expert tips on selecting the right tools based on specific optimization goals.
12. Measurement and Tracking: Explain the importance of tracking and measuring the impact of tool usage.
13. Balancing Tool Stack: Advice on creating a balanced tool stack that addresses various optimization aspects.
14. Collaboration: Highlight the significance of expert collaboration for optimal tool utilization.
15. Future-proofing: Discuss strategies for staying updated with new tools and techniques.
16. Case Study: Provide an in-depth case study showcasing how a website achieved remarkable results through tool-driven optimization.
17. Key Takeaways: Summarize the key learnings from using SEO tools for website optimization.
18. Conclusion: Reiterate the central role of SEO tools in achieving enhanced website performance and optimization.

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