12 Best Affordable SEO Tools & Why You Need Them

Do you wish to grow your website without burning a hole in your pocket? Website and reaching people is about creating content for a product and service that displays its need in the market and your brand’s value systems. Yes, technical aspects like SEO processes play a key role in doing so, but it doesn’t have to be dollars on premium platforms. As a beginner or a business owner with a small business yet big aspirations, finding cost-effective SEO tools can make a big difference. 

In this blog, I will guide you through the best free and cheap SEO tools and why cheap SEO tools for beginners matter. 

Why Do They Matter?

Affordable SEO tools matter because search engine optimization is essential for all, be it a beginner, a small business owner, or even an individual freelancer. And low-cost SEO tools make it happen as they benefit people from various sections of the market. They provide all the important features needed to utilize the search engine in the best possible way. By choosing affordable SEO tools for small businesses and the right SEO tools for freelancers, they can help them to grow in a pocket-friendly way, and yet gain potential customers.

12 Best Budget-Friendly SEO Tools

Here I have listed 12 best yet low-cost SEO tools for startups, freelancers, small businesses, and large enterprises as well. I have categorized them according to their cost, and you are being provided with a list of SEO tools from free to the most value-for-money. 

Free SEO Tools

1. Google Search Console

Google offers a free service called Google Search Console to help you look over and maintain your site’s presence in Google search results. It also allows you to troubleshoot. 

Key Features

• Website performance monitoring in Google Search
• Spot indexing issues and fixing them
• You will be alerted about manual actions or security issues
• Crawling activities with sitemap submission and individual URLs

Best For: Website owners, bloggers, and SMEs looking to improve the visibility of the site in Google search results.

Price: Free

2. Google Analytics

It’s a free SEO tool that provides an understanding of user behavior by tracking and providing website traffic. 

Key Features

• Observes user behavior and tracks website traffic
• Analyze audience demographics and interests
• You can monitor user activity in real time
• Set up goals and track conversions

Best For: Bloggers, marketers, and small businesses wanting to understand their audience and optimize their website’s performance. 

Price: Free

3. AnswerThePublic

With the AnswerThePublic tool, you are able to visualize search questions and suggested autocomplete searches in an image called a search cloud. 

Key Features

• Get keyword ideas based on real user queries
• It can visualize your search data in a simple format, easy to understand
• Find content ideas and topics to target
• Filter the results based on whether it’s a question, a preposition, or a comparison

Best For: Content creators, bloggers, and marketers looking for content ideas and user understanding.

Price: Free (with limited daily searches)

Cheap SEO Tools

1. Ubersuggest 

An affordable SEO tool providing keyword suggestions and help in understanding the domain overview, and you can also generate content ideas from Ubersuggest.

Key Features

• Search keywords with their search volume and where they stand in the competition
• Domain overview with top-performing pages
• Backlink data and site audit features
• Content ideas based on top-ranking pages

Best For: SMEs, bloggers, and startups who need an affordable SEO solution.

Price: Starting at $12/month

2. Mangools (KWFinder)

It’s a complete suite of SEO tools, which includes KWFinder, best known for its easy-to-use interface and accurate keyword data. 

Key Features

• Get accurate difficulty scores while keyword research
• SERP analysis and competitor insights
• Helps you analyze backlinks and also offers site audit tools
• User-friendly interface suitable for beginners

Best For: Bloggers, freelancers, and small businesses looking for an affordable option to carry on with their SEO practices 

Price: Starting at $29/month

3. ScreamingFrog SEO Spider

It is a website crawler that helps in improving on-site SEO as it audits websites for common SEO issues. 

Key Features

• Get issues like broken links and missing meta tags as it crawls websites
• Initiate XML sitemaps and robots.txt files
• Studies page titles and metadata
• Smoothly aligns with Google Analytics and Search Console

Best For: SEO professionals and agencies with a need for a comprehensive site audit tool. 

Price: Free for up to 500 URLs, £199/year for unlimited URLs.

Affordable SEO Tools

1. SE Ranking

All-in-one SEO software that covers keyword tracking, site audit, and analysis of your competition. 

Key Features

• Get daily updates and rank tracking
• Detailed SEO reports along with website audit
• Looks after your backlinks and examines their performance
• Suggest keywords and help with researching competitors

Best For: Agencies and SEO professionals with a requirement for a comprehensive SEO platform.

Price: Starting at $52/month, with several other plans and add-on prices. Check the official pages. 

2. Serpstat

An all-inclusive SEO tool crafted to support growth in SEO, PPC, and content marketing. It has covered a long way from being a simple keyword research tool to transforming into a complete suite, gaining the trust of marketers, startups, and businesses across the globe. 

Key Features

• Keyword research and analysis
• Audit sites and study backlinks to ensure effective performance
• Tracks your website ranking and researches your competitor’s performance
• Offers API access and white-label reporting

Best For: Digital marketers and agencies in search of an all-in-one SEO tool.

Price: Starting at $50/month, click here for more details.

3. Moz Pro

Moz Pro is an old leader in the domain of SEO practices. It has built user trust by providing safe data and information useful for designing a plan of action. It makes complex SEO processes simple, which in turn makes it easy for businesses to take advantage of SEO towards better visibility and organic growth. 

Key Features

• Get your SERP analysis and keyword research done effectively
• Site audit and crawl assessment
• You can access link-building tools and also analyze your backlinks, ensuring effective performance
• Get customized reports and track your website rankings

Best For: Small businesses and marketers with a reliable SEO requirement.

Price: Starts $49/month onwards. Check details here. 

Also Read: SEO Reputation Management: Your Comprehensive Guide 

Best-Valued SEO Tools

1. Yoast SEO (Premium)

Largely used for WordPress as it optimizes content for it. YoastSEO also helps users in writing content in a SEO-friendly way, and technical SEO work is taken care of in the background by it.

Key Features

• Real-time analysis of content for SEO and readability
• It also edits your meta descriptions and provides snippet reviews
• Suggests internal linkings
• It manages redirections and also integrates your schema.org

Best For: WordPress users and bloggers who aim to enhance their on-page SEO.

Price: $118.80/month 

2. SEMrush (Pro Plan)

A powerhouse of SEO in the digital marketing world, SEMrush is a complete package that offers everything from keyword research to competitive analysis. It is widely chosen because it provides in-depth data and various marketing insights. 

Key Features

• Best helping hand in keyword research and tracking
• You can audit sites and keep your on-page SEO in check
• Offers tools for backlink building and analysis
• It can also help you analyse competitors and perform market research

Best For: Digital marketers and agencies seeking a robust SEO platform.

Price: Starting at $117.33/month 

3. Ahrefs (Lite Plan)

Ahrefs is a leading provider of an SEO toolkit with its powerful backlink index and comprehensive data. It is mainly used by professionals who work on accurate insights and prefer to make informed decisions and well-planned content strategies. 

Key Features

• Provides website health checkups to find any technical issues that might hurt rankings
• Discover the right search keywords and check their ranking over time
• Find out which sites are linking you back and discover new link opportunities
• It also helps with content ideas, where you can research popular topics and know your competitors’ best-performing content. 

Best For: SEO professionals and agencies looking for an advanced yet cost-efficient SEO tool.

Price: Starting from $129/month onwards

Key Takeaways: What to Look for in SEO Tools?

• Find a tool that has good customer support, provides tutorials or guides to help you. And further check if it integrates with Google Analytics/ Search Console to make it more practical and effective for the day-to-day needs of your work.
• Choose an SEO tool that has all the important features like keyword research, site audits, backlink assessment, and also helps in rank tracking. These are basic features; you need them for a successful SEO strategy. 
• Check if the tool is easy to use or not. SEO itself is a multilayered and overwhelming process. You can’t afford to have another avalanche of overcomplex tools that can waste your time and make it harder as a beginner.
• Always make sure that the SEO app provides accurate information and is in line with timely and necessary updates, so your strategies are up to date and fresh.
• Look for a tool that also offers tiered plans so you can upgrade it as your needs and requirements change. Also, see if they fit in your current budget and have potential growth with your business. 

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