Search engine optimization is essential for driving traffic to your website and boosting visibility. However, hiring an SEO expert can be costly. That’s where DIY SEO software comes in – providing affordable tools for optimizing your site yourself.
This comprehensive guide explores the top DIY SEO software options, including Ahrefs, Semrush, Ubersuggest, Longtailpro, Surferseo, Keyword Everywhere, Nightwatch, Screaming Frog, Google Page Speed Insight, Keyword Surfer, and Frase.
Read on to learn what DIY SEO software is, the benefits, how to use these tools for best results, frequently asked questions, pros and cons, and more.
Table of Contents
What is DIY SEO Software?
DIY SEO software provides the tools and resources to optimize your website for search engines on your own without hiring an agency or consultant. This software aims to make professional SEO accessible to small businesses, SAAS websites such as ATT Shift APP, bloggers, and website owners.
With DIY SEO software, you can take care of essential optimization tasks like:
- Keyword research
- On-page optimization
- Technical SEO audits
- Backlink analysis
- Rank tracking
- SEO reporting
The goal is to handle the key SEO fundamentals without the advanced skills or experience required.
Benefits of Using DIY SEO Software
There are many advantages to using DIY SEO tools for optimizing your site:
Cost-Effective
DIY software provides significant cost savings compared to hiring an expert or agency. These tools generally only cost a small monthly fee.
Accessible for Beginners
You don’t need to be an SEO pro to use DIY software. The tools are designed for beginners with educational resources.
Convenient and Fast
You can optimize your site on your schedule without relying on anyone else. Results come faster since you don’t wait on an agency.
Full Control
With DIY SEO, you have complete control over optimization strategies without approvals.
Scalable
DIY software can handle sites of any size. The tools scale as your website grows.
Detailed Reporting
Many DIY platforms offer reports to track SEO analytics like rankings and traffic.
Top DIY SEO Software Tools
If you’re ready to start optimizing your site yourself, here are 11 of the top DIY SEO software tools:
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most powerful all-in-one SEO toolsets. Key features include:
- Keyword research – Access search volume data for one billion+ keywords in 10 languages. Track ranking difficulty and optimization opportunities.
- Backlink analysis – See all the sites linking to a domain with link strength metrics. Identify new link-building prospects.
- Rank tracking – Track website rankings for important keywords across Google and 200+ search engines.
- SEO audit – Crawl a site to identify 200+ potential SEO issues and optimizations. Fix technical problems hurting visibility.
- Content gap analysis – Discover untapped keywords your site could rank for with new content.
- Campaign tracking – Monitor rankings, traffic, backlinks, and other metrics for specific SEO campaigns.
Ahrefs is used by SEO professionals but is very beginner-friendly. Pricing starts at $99/month for indie bloggers and scales up based on usage.
SEMrush
SEMrush provides another robust set of SEO tools:
- Keyword research – Thorough keyword data, including search volume, CPC, and keyword difficulty scores. Filter by location.
- Rank tracking – Check keyword rankings locally across 120+ countries and competitor rankings.
- Backlink analysis – See who links to your site and analyze competitors’ backlink profiles for new link-building ideas.
- Site audit – Over 120 technical SEO checks to detect issues like broken links, metadata problems, site speed, security, etc.
- Position tracking – Monitor website visibility in local search engine map packs and knowledge panels.
- SEO content template – Generate pre-filled outlines for blog posts based on keyword research.
Like Ahrefs, SEMrush is used widely by SEO experts but is accessible to anyone. Plans start at $99/month.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is focused specifically on keyword research through reverse lookup:
- Keyword research – Type in a seed keyword, and Ubersuggest will find hundreds of additional long-tail keyword suggestions related to the topic.
- Search volume data – See estimated monthly searches for all the keywords Ubersuggest finds.
- SEO metrics – View data like CPC and competition levels for each keyword to gauge optimization potential.
- Filtering – Narrow down keywords by location, language, device type, ad intent, and other filters.
- Bulk analysis – Upload lists of existing keywords to analyze their metrics in bulk.
Ubersuggest has a free plan with limited searches. The Pro plan is $29/month for unlimited use.
Longtail Pro
As the name suggests, Longtail Pro specializes in uncovering ultra-specific long tail keywords:
- Long tail keyword discovery – Insert a seed keyword, and Longtail Pro will generate hundreds of long-tail variants.
- Search volume – See estimated search volume for each long tail keyword. Filter keywords by minimum volume.
- Keyword difficulty – Gauge how hard it may be to rank for each keyword based on competitiveness.
- Keyword grouping – Automatically group related keywords together by common topics and themes.
- Ranking analysis – Upload lists of existing keywords to analyze their current rankings and difficulty.
Longtail Pro costs $36/month for the Starter plan, with higher tiers available.
Surfer SEO
Surfer SEO is ideal for technical SEO audits and rank tracking:
- SEO crawler – Crawl a site to identify 200+ potential SEO issues and optimization problems.
- Customized auditing – Choose specific technical SEO factors you want to analyze and test for.
- Page-level audits – See optimization opportunities for each specific page, not just overall site-level.
- Rank tracking – Track keyword rankings across Google and 200+ smaller search engines.
- Local rank tracking – Monitor local pack and map listings for target location-based keywords.
- Ranking change alerts – Get notified if your site’s rankings drop or increase significantly.
Surfer SEO starts at $19/month for one website, with packages available for additional sites.
Keyword Everywhere
- Search volume overlay – See monthly search volume estimates directly overlaid on Google search results.
- SEMrush integration – Connect your SEMrush account to see keyword difficulty scores.
- MozBar integration – Connect your MozBar account to see Moz page authority scores per URL.
- Serpstat integration – Connect your Serpstat account to see additional keyword data.
- Keyword tracking – Monitor the search volume and difficulty for specific keywords you’re targeting.
Unlike the rest, Keyword Everywhere is a simple free Chrome extension:
Keyword Everywhere is completely free and works alongside other paid tools.
Nightwatch
Nightwatch focuses specifically on getting new sites indexed faster in search engines:
- Automated submissions – Schedule automated submissions of new pages and content to search engine indexers.
- New site setup – Quickly submit new websites to Google, Bing, Yandex, and more to accelerate indexing.
- Reindex existing pages – Submit updated or changed pages to search engines for reindexing.
- Track indexing status – Monitor indexing progress in Google and Bing to see how much has been indexed.
- 24/7 monitoring – Nightwatch continuously monitors uptime and crawling status.
Plans for Nightwatch start at $10/month, with bulk pricing available.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog provides desktop crawling for in-depth technical SEO audits:
- Full site crawl – Crawl an entire website to create a detailed map of all pages.
- Broken link checking – Identify any broken links, both internal and external.
- HTML/XML validation – Validate site markup to flag issues with HTML, CSS, etc.
- Page optimization checks – Test page titles, metadata, headers, images, and more for optimization.
- Accessibility checks – Check for accessibility/ADA compliance issues to fix.
The free version of Screaming Frog lets you crawl 500 URLs. Paid plans start at $149/year for up to 5,000 URLs.
Google PageSpeed Insights
PageSpeed Insights focuses specifically on site speed:
- Page speed testing – Analyze page load speed performance on both desktop and mobile.
- Enhancement tips – Get specific tips for improving page speed benchmarks.
- Mobile-friendliness – Check if pages are mobile-friendly and optimized for smartphones.
- Core Web Vitals – See metrics for largest content paint, cumulative layout shift, and more.
- Lab data – View technical load timing metrics like First Contentful Paint, Time to Interactive, and Total Blocking Time.
PageSpeed Insights is completely free to use with no limitations.
Keyword Surfer
Keyword Surfer offers low-cost keyword research:
- Keyword search – Look up search volume estimates and CPC data for specific keywords.
- Bulk analysis – Upload large lists of keywords for bulk lookup and analysis.
- Keyword variant finder – Insert keywords to generate additional long-tail variants.
- Search volume filter – Refine keywords by minimum or maximum monthly search volume.
- Search trends – See historical search volume graphs for keywords over time.
Keyword Surfer starts at $1 for 100 keyword searches. Volume discounts are available.
Frase
Frase combines AI writing with keyword research:
- Content briefs – Get AI-generated content ideas for articles optimized with relevant keywords.
- Natural language generation – Convert content briefs into full draft posts.
- Keyword research – See search volume, competition, and other data for all keywords.
- SEO content optimizer – Expand articles with relevant keywords and synonyms.
- Analytics – Track traffic is driven by AI-optimized content.
Frase starts at $47/month for solo bloggers and small teams.
How to Use DIY SEO Software for Best Results
The key to success with DIY SEO software is having an effective strategy. Here are some tips:
Start with Competitor Research
Use keyword and backlink research tools to analyze competitors’ strategies. Identify opportunities for your site.
Perform a Technical SEO Audit
Audit your site’s technical SEO status, then fix errors and issues for better optimization.
Define Target Keywords
Choose relevant target keywords and track rankings over time.
Optimize Pages
Optimize pages for focus keywords by using them in titles, headers, content, metadata, alt text, etc.
Create Optimized Content
Publish new blog posts and pages optimized for SEO, targeting primary keywords.
Build High-Quality Backlinks
Research and slowly build authoritative, relevant backlinks from other sites.
Monitor and Refine
Use reporting to see what’s working and refine your approach accordingly.
With the right strategy for your goals, DIY software can drive organic search visibility and traffic.
The Pros and Cons of DIY SEO Software
Pros
- It is very cost-effective compared to hiring an SEO expert
- Accessible tools allow anyone to do optimization
- Convenient to manage SEO completely yourself
- Faster optimization since you don’t rely on others
- Full control over your website’s SEO strategy
- Detailed analytics and reporting
Cons
- The time investment required to learn SEO best practices
- Risk of poor optimization if not properly implemented
- Lack of expert guidance provided by a consultant
- Difficulty scaling across a very large website
- Limited customer support compared to SEO services
For many small businesses, bloggers, and digital marketers (full time digital marketers and also the marketers are working as digital marketing sider hustlers), the benefits of DIY tools outweigh the downsides. Consider both when deciding if outsourcing SEO is a better fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free SEO software?
Top free tools include Google Search Console, MozBar, Google Analytics, SEMrush Site Audit, UberSuggest, and Keyword Everywhere. Paid tools offer more capabilities, though.
Can I do SEO myself with DIY software?
Yes, DIY SEO software provides the tools you need to optimize your site on your own. But there is a learning curve, so beginners should expect a time investment.
How long does DIY SEO software take to work?
It takes 3-6 months of consistent effort to see measurable results in rankings and traffic. SEO requires patience and persistence.
What should I look for in choosing software?
Look for robust keyword research, detailed reporting, backlink analysis, easy use for beginners, understandable support, and fair pricing.
Can I use DIY software for multiple websites?
Most platforms allow managing multiple sites under one account. However, higher pricing tiers may be required for additional websites.
Conclusion
Optimizing your site for search doesn’t require becoming an expert or paying high agency fees. With the right DIY SEO software, anyone can improve their website’s search visibility.
The key is choosing tools with the features you need at a fair price and then applying an effective optimization strategy.
Focus on technical SEO, keyword optimization, content creation, backlink building, and monitoring results. Let DIY software empower you to take your website’s organic search performance into your own hands. With persistence and the right approach, these tools can drive significant growth in search traffic over time.
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