Top Free SEO Tools Every Small Business Should Use
In today’s world, just having a website is not enough. If your small business wants to attract customers online, you need to be visible on search engines results page. That’s why we have to work on our website with a technique called search engine optimization (SEO). And this can be done with a very low affordable budget.
There are many free SEO tools that can help you improve your rankings, analyze your site, research keywords, and keep an eye on your competition. In this blog, we have selected the most useful free SEO tools that every small business can use.
Why Small Businesses Need SEO Tools
Small businesses often run on limited resources. They don’t have the budget to hire an agency or have a dedicated team. Even spending on premium SEO is very expensive. But SEO is still essential for:
- Bringing more organic traffic
- Competing with local and national businesses
- Building trust through better online visibility
- Increasing sales and conversions from search
With the right free tools, you can manage your own SEO strategy smartly and cost-effectively.
1. Google Search Console
Best for: Website performance tracking, indexing issues, mobile usability
This is a must-have tool. Google Search Console helps you understand how your site performs in search results. You can:
- Submit your sitemap for faster indexing
- See which queries bring traffic
- Monitor indexing and crawling errors
- Check Core Web Vitals and mobile usability
Use this tool regularly to make sure Google is properly crawling and showing your pages in search.
2. Google Analytics
Best for: Understanding website traffic and user behavior
Google Analytics works perfectly with Search Console. It tells you:
- Where your traffic comes from (organic, social, referral, etc.)
- Which pages are performing best
- How users behave once they land on your site
- What your bounce rate, session duration, and conversions look like
Small businesses can use this data to shape their content and SEO strategies.
3. Google Keyword Planner
Best for: Keyword research
Originally made for Google Ads, Keyword Planner is also useful for SEO. You can:
- Discover keyword ideas
- Find monthly search volumes
- Understand keyword competition
It’s ideal for identifying high-volume, low-competition keywords relevant to your business.
4. Ubersuggest (by Neil Patel)
Best for: Keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis (limited free use)
Ubersuggest gives an overview of:
- Keyword ideas and difficulty
- Competitor analysis
- Top SEO pages for a domain
- Content suggestions based on what’s ranking
The free version offers a few searches per day — enough for small businesses to get insights.
5. AnswerThePublic
Best for: Content ideas and search questions
Enter a keyword, and it shows what people are asking about it. It visualizes questions, comparisons, and prepositions, helping you understand user intent.
Use case: If you run a bakery and search “chocolate cake,” it might show questions like:
- “Is chocolate cake healthy?”
- “How to make chocolate cake without eggs?”
These can inspire blog posts, FAQs, and social content.
6. Ahrefs Free Tools
Ahrefs, a popular SEO suite, offers several free tools:
- Free Backlink Checker
- Website Authority Checker
- Keyword Generator
- Broken Link Checker
These are helpful for understanding your domain strength and finding backlink opportunities — without needing a paid plan.
7. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version)
Best for: Site audit and technical SEO
This desktop tool crawls your site and shows:
- Broken links
- Duplicate pages
- Missing meta tags
- Page titles and status codes
The free version crawls up to 500 URLs, which is enough for most small business sites.
8. Yoast SEO (For WordPress Sites)
Best for: On-page SEO and readability
If your website is on WordPress, Yoast SEO is one of the easiest ways to optimize your content. It helps with:
- Meta titles and descriptions
- Keyword usage
- Content readability
- Internal linking
Yoast gives real-time suggestions while you’re writing blog posts or product descriptions.
9. GTmetrix / PageSpeed Insights
Best for: Improving website speed and Core Web Vitals
Page speed is a Google ranking factor. These tools help you:
- Analyze your site’s loading speed
- Get recommendations to fix issues
- Check Core Web Vitals (like LCP, FID, CLS)
Improving your speed helps both your rankings and user experience.
10. MozBar (Chrome Extension)
Best for: Checking page/domain authority and quick SEO metrics
MozBar is a handy browser extension that shows:
- Page Authority (PA)
- Domain Authority (DA)
- On-page elements like meta tags, headers, etc.
You can also use it to compare your site with competitors during Google searches.
11. SEOquake (by SEMrush)
Best for: Instant SEO audit in your browser
This Chrome plugin shows:
- Page SEO health
- Keyword density
- Internal/external links
- SERP data for any keyword search
It’s useful for evaluating your own site or analyzing competitors quickly.
12. Mobile-Friendly Test (Google)
Best for: Testing how your site performs on mobile devices
More than 60% of searches happen on mobile. This free tool checks:
- Mobile usability
- Viewport settings
- Text sizing
- Clickable elements
If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on traffic and rankings.
Bonus Free Tools for Small Businesses
- Canva – Create SEO-optimized graphics for blog posts and social sharing
- Grammarly – Check grammar and clarity of SEO content
- Hemingway Editor – Improve content readability
- Small SEO Tools – Offers plagiarism checker, keyword density checker, etc.
Conclusion
You don’t need expensive subscriptions or a full-time SEO expert to start ranking higher on Google. With these free SEO tools, your small business can:
- Track what’s working
- Fix technical issues
- Find the right keywords
- Create better content
- Improve visibility and grow
Start with Google’s free tools, then add more as your SEO knowledge grows. What matters most is consistency and using the data these tools give you.
