SEO: FREE Open Source Tools

Listed below is a cheat sheet of a compiled set of tools and resources to boost your global reach through the practice of SEO. While SEO has one distinct goal, there are several categories in which SEO demands attention from. Here, we’ve broken down the categories into 5 areas that need to be treated in order to correctly build engagement.

1. Technical SEO

Technical SEO refers to the optimization of your website. Structurally, this enhances your website’s performance by increasing speed, decreasing loading times, reach a targeted audience and leads, and make necessary updates to your website. By excelling and understanding this area, you begin to understand the backend of your applied strategies.

  • GOOGLE ANALYTICS

  • GOOGLE PAGESPEED INSIGHTS

  • GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE

  • HREFLANG TAGS GENERATOR

  • MAP BROKER XML

  • GT METRIX

  • BROWSEO

2. Keyword Research

Keyword research refers to the findings and research that goes into growing alternative terms within a search engine. The idea of keyword research is practiced by the ones who are aiming to rank on the first page and display their website as a top resource. To generate more traffic to your website, keyword research is essential in overcoming competition within a certain niche.

  • GOOGLE ADWORDS: KEYWORD PLANNER

  • GOOGLE COERELATE

  • ADWORD AND SEO KEYWORD PERMUTATION GENERATOR

  • IMforSMB BULK KEYWORD GENERATOR

  • KEYWORD IN

  • SOOLVE

  • UBERSUGGEST

3. Rank Tracking

Rank tracking refers to checking your position according to the search engine. While it is important to make the efforts within your keywords, tracking and seeing where your website ranks is essential in understanding patterns and visibility.

  • SEO PANEL

  • PIPULATE

  • SERPOSCOPE by Serphacker

  • MATOMO

  • OPENSEO

  • SEER’S SEO TOOLBOX

  • SEMRUSH

4. Content Optimization

Content optimization refers to the development of reaching the most amount of people. Through the other categories mentioned above, such as keywords, meta and title tags, creating links, optimizing media, clean HTML/CSS, and using social media.

  • SEOCLARITY

  • SEARCHMETRICS

  • MOZ PRO ON-PAGE OPTIMIZATION

  • BRIGHTEDGE CONTENT IQ

  • SERPSTAT: RESEARCH KEYWORD GAPS

5. Link Building

Link building refers to the authenticity of your website being a viable source for others to consult. A popular tactic used to let search engines know you are active and up to date, linkage is crucial to establishing yourself online. By forming a reliable presence, this engages your overall potential to be a top ranking source.

  • SEO TOOLBAR

  • GOOGLE WEBMASTER CENTRAL

  • LINK EXPLORER

  • COMMON CRAWL

  • RAVEN SEO TOOLS

  • MAJESTIC SEO

  • SEOQUAKE

When starting out, open source tools make it possible to educate yourself on SEO without the financial commitment. The importance to know what happens behind the scenes of your online business, product or service gives you an advantage to better understand the needs of your clients or prospects. While a general understanding of SEO is highly beneficial, digital marketers and strategists who regularly practice SEO are sought out for their digital sensibilities.