Most Popular Articles
Advertiser Disclosure
How We Rank Software
The rankings and reviews shown on this website are the opinion of the webmaster. Affiliate links are used on this website to receive compensation from mentioned brands which can influence our rankings and reviews. We do not review every software available in the marketplace. We don't guarantee the accuracy of information shown on this website.
We rank marketing software according to 6 major categories; relevance to category, vendor reputation, ease of use, functionality, pricing & partner program strength. We seek to bring to our audience the most reliable and user friendly software that anybody can use.
Related Categories
How to optimize your website for the search engines
Learn all the tips and tricks for perfecting your site to perform the best in search results.
How to find the best keywords for SEO
Every profitable SEO campaign starts with keyword research, learn how to pick the best target phrases.
How to perform SEO for a website
Learn how to apply search engine optimization techniquest to get more traffic to your site.
How to get good quality backlinks
Getting quality backlinks for your website has always been the #1 factor in high search engine rankings.
​
If your a small business then you need to learn how to do local SEO to reach nearby customers.
Market Leader
$69 - $549
All-in-one search marketing tool
Deep comprehensive SEO data
Industry gold standard platform
$49 - $299
Cheap annual plans
Easily find good keywords
Organic & paid research
Competitor Research
$42 - $202
Comprehensive reporting
Deep website audits
Intuitive user interface
Easy All-In-One Platform
Good user/reporting management
"Not provided" work-around
Local results tracking
Accurate Rank Tracking
$299 one time
Well established company
Multiple toolset
Robust interface
Comprehensive SEO Platform
$75 - $375
In-depth website analysis
Great reporting & scalability
15 Tools Included
Powerful Internet Marketing Platform
$25 - $37
Birds-eye view competitor analysis
8x faster than competition
Up to 800 keywords per search
Fast Keyword Research Tool
$49 - $999
Sophisticated link research
White label reports
Competitive pricing
Comprehensive SEO Tool
$9 - $329
Good for SEO agencies
Great charts and reports
Easy to user interface
Simple Cheap Rank Tracking
$19 - $64
White-label reporting
Track Rankings
Audit & Cleanup Citations
Local SEO Software Leader
$99 - $450
What is SEO software?
SEO (search engine optimization) is big news for businesses of all sizes. Simply put, SEO is the art of making sure that when search engine bots find a website, they like what they see and rank it well. SEO is a complex issue, involving everything from content that reads naturally to good quality back links, and it can seem quite overwhelming to a business that is just starting out with SEO.
That's where SEO software comes in. SEO software helps businesses to analyze and understand their website in terms of how good their SEO is. A major part of this is, of course, ensuring that they're getting a good ranking for their chosen keywords. SEO software can help a business to understand how well their site is performing, how relevant they are for their keywords, and whether there are other keywords that would be more effective for them.
There's more to SEO software than just keyword rankings, though. For example, SEO software can also help a business:
•Understand their competition and see where they are getting the most success with keywords
•Analyze pages on their website to check for good SEO compliance
•Seek out new keyword or niche opportunities, or spot keywords that they haven't thought of trying
•Get a good overview of the quality of their backlinks
•Analyze both their own and their competitors' AdWords campaigns
•Examine the buzz and reputation around their businesses
SEO software is a downloadable software (some providers are more desktop focused while others are more Cloud focused) that lets businesses examine rankings and statistics that are relevant to their SEO activities. They can see all of the necessary information in one place, and take advantage of clear stats and reports.
SEO software gives businesses access to a wealth of information that they can use to improve their search engine rankings and make sure their website is as SEO and search engine friendly as it can be. All in all, SEO software is a time and labor saver that makes SEO much easier to handle for any business.
Why use search engine optimzation software?
Getting found online is vital for businesses these days. Customers are out there online searching for businesses to spend money with – businesses that meet their needs. In fact, research by AdWeek suggests that 81% of customers do business online before making a purchase decision.
The world of marketing has changed dramatically in recent years. Where businesses used to rely on outbound techniques such as newspaper ads, TV spots, fliers and cold calling, nowadays inbound marketing is gaining popularity. Inbound marketing means creating great, useful content so that when customers find a business, they can see at a glance that they are knowledgeable and can help them with their needs.
Inbound marketing is generally more profitable for businesses than outbound, with NewsCred reporting that leads who find a business through an organic search have a 14.6% close rate, as opposed to just 1.7% for leads found by outbound marketing.
But for inbound marketing to work, customers need to first find the business online, and that's where SEO software comes in.
Employing an SEO consultant is out of the price range of many businesses, which leaves them in a conundrum. Most business owners and staff don't have the resources to spend hour upon hour:
•Researching keywords
•Going through their own website with a fine tooth comb
•Checking out the competition
•Compiling in depth reports
•Figuring out which keywords will bring them the most customers
And more, in order to better hone their SEO techniques.
SEO software gives businesses a way to manage and improve their SEO from one central and easy to use control panel. Making good use of SEO software does involve a learning curve, but it's a relatively shallow one, and most businesses will find they can start doing keyword research and getting results quickly.
As well as making their own SEO that much more effective, SEO software gives businesses a chance to check out the competition so they can see how they measure up. Inside info on the competition is a bonus for any business, and well worth the price of the SEO software.
SEO software also helps businesses to schedule and plan their SEO research and set aside time to work on their SEO techniques. It can be hard to make time for SEO in a busy business week, but the benefits make the time spent well worth it. SEO software can make that process even easier.
In short, SEO software removes the need for specialist consultants or specialist training, and equips businesses with a powerful tool that they can use to gain valuable insights. Armed with the knowledge about how well they are ranking and how they are doing compared to the competition, businesses can hone their SEO for even better results. Better SEO means a better relationship with search engines, which ultimately means better rankings and more customers.
What to look for in SEO software?
Businesses will find many SEO software tools on the market, each with their own range of features. So just what should a business look for when choosing SEO software? Here are 14 key features that set the best SEO software tools aside from the rest:
1.) Both local and global searches - Businesses need to be able to target their keyword research to specific locations sometimes, and understand where their search traffic is coming from. Local search capabilities will help them to analyze specific segments of the market.
2.) Thorough keyword research - The right SEO software is one that lets a business research keywords in a variety of ways and using a variety of filters. More ways to examine keywords means more ways to work with them for success.
3.) Ease of use - SEO is a big topic, and most businesses don't have the time to learn from scratch. Businesses should look for an easy to use software with an intuitive control panel and ease of navigation. All new software takes some learning, but it shouldn't be an uphill climb.
4.) Comprehensive stats - Good statistics are key to success with keywords and SEO. The software should offer a business full reports on their keywords,ranking and links so they can see at a glance how their SEO is working and where they need to make improvements.
5.) Good reporting options - Looking at stats is rarely a one person job. Good SEO software gives its users a range of reporting options so they can see what they need to see at a glance, and easily share it with others in their team. Some software even allows for branded reports for a truly professional look.
6.) Competitor research - One of the major plus points of SEO software is its ability to spy on and rank the competition. Businesses should opt for software that will allow them to get a good overview of which keywords their competitors are having success with, which backlinks are working for them, and even which AdWords they're using.
7.) AdWords integration - AdWords integration is a helpful tool that lets businesses look at all things AdWords related. This includes click rates, page visits, bounce rates, which AdWords bring the most traffic and so on.
8.) Site audit - Site auditing means the SEO software will thoroughly examine the business website and check it for any issues that will prevent a good ranking, such as broken or bad back links, bad redirects, or any other issues that make it hard for a search engine to crawl and index the site.
9.) Back link analysis - Good reputable back links to a site are a key part of good SEO. Search engines like quality back links, and frown on low quality links. Businesses should look for SEO software that analyzes the quality of their back links and reports on any problems.
10.) Search for new keywords - Sometimes a business just hasn't hit on the right keyword, or isn't aware of similar keywords that could be used to bring them traffic. Many SEO software providers offer the option to look for new and similar keywords and see at a glance how popular they are.
11.) Discover competitors - Examining the existing competition isn't enough – businesses need to know about new and upcoming competitors who could be a threat to them. SEO software can help them discover new competitors, and get information on their SEO and AdWords etc at a glance.
12.) Social media tools - Social media is becoming more important as part of any SEO campaign, with the right social media activity and rankings capable of boosting a business' position in the search engines. That's why businesses should look for SEO software that comes with social media evaluation and tracking tools built in.
13.) Reputation monitoring - Businesses need to know how popular they are and what their reputation is like. SEO software can help by way of reputation monitoring, helping businesses to keep track of their rankings and popularity.
14.) Quality support - If something doesn't make sense or there's a problem with the SEO software, it's important to know that help is at hand. Support should boast a fast response time so businesses are never left hanging.
SEO software strategies, tips and tricks
Once a business has chosen their SEO software, it's time to put a strategy into place for using it. SEO software offers a wide range of helpful information, but sometimes the sheer volume can seem overwhelming. Having a clear idea of what to use the software for can help a business to get the most from it. Here are 6 strategies that can help make using SEO software profitable for the business:
1.) Brand monitoring - Knowing what customers are saying about a business is vital. Knowing their reputation can help a business immensely by giving them a clear oversight of how customers see them. That means they can do more of what is working, while taking care of any issues. Many SEO software solutions include brand and mention monitoring which helps businesses to see how popular they are, and how they're seen by their customers.
2.) Look for new opportunities - SEO software gives businesses a look at which keywords are most popular in relation to the terms they enter into the software, and also helps businesses to look at related keywords. By using this feature, businesses can find popular keywords that are similar to their own. In doing this, businesses can uncover popular and profitable niches that might just be a perfect fit for them, thus increasing their usefulness and reach, and bringing more customers and profits.
3.) Check up on competitor's keywords - SEO software gives businesses the chance to get an inside view of their competitor's SEO techniques, and see how well those techniques are working. Businesses can find out which keywords their competitors are ranking high for, and spot any popular keywords or phrases that they perhaps hadn't thought of using. This has double benefits for the business – they know what they're up against, and they can get some fresh ideas, too.
4.) Take a look at competitor's backlinks - Good backlinks endear a website to the search engines – but low quality backlinks can mean points against it. SEO software lets businesses take a look at which backlinks their competitors are using and which ones are working well for them. Businesses can then consider replicate some of those backlinks for their own website.
5.) Find keywords that work - By using an SEO tool, businesses can get an in depth look at which keywords they're ranking highest for and which keywords are bringing the most traffic. Add in some geographical data and businesses can find out which keywords are attracting which customers. Keyword choice can be a delicate thing – just a few simple modifications can make a real difference to the effectiveness of a keyword. Using SEO software lets businesses really drill down into their keywords so they can build a keyword strategy with a better chance of success.
6.) Keep their website SEO friendly - Staying on top of SEO can be a big job – but not with SEO software. Businesses can set up a schedule for the software so it will regularly examine their site and flag up any issues with duplicate content, back links, irrelevant keywords and more. Using the software to give the site a regular tune up will keep it search engine friendly and help it get indexed and ranked.
Top 10 Best SEO Software Compared
It's been proven that search engines, Google in particular, send the most amount of valuable web traffic than any other source. In fact, studies show over 82% of all buying experiences start with a search engine, therefore it's very important that your website is correctly optimized according to the best search engine optimization practices. With a good SEO software application you can also research your competitors, find new keywords, find new link building opportunities and receive performance reports. Read our SEO software reviews below to find the best tool to suit your needs.
