Resources · Search and research
SEO tools for small business: what you actually need.
Most small businesses need two free Google tools before they need anything else. This guide sorts the popular SEO tools by the problem each one solves, so you only pay for what you’ll use.
The short answer
Start with the problem you’re trying to solve. If one of these matches, that’s your tool.
| If you want to… | Start with | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| See how Google actually sees your site | Google Search Console | Free |
| Speed up slow pages | PageSpeed Insights | Free |
| Handle on-page SEO basics in WordPress | Yoast SEO | Free plugin |
| Find keywords and see what competitors rank for | Semrush | From $139.95/mo |
| Do keyword research on a smaller budget | Moz Pro or Ahrefs | From $29–$49/mo |
| Find broken links and technical problems | Screaming Frog | Free up to 500 URLs |
| Estimate a competitor’s total website traffic | Similarweb | Free lookups; paid from $199/mo |
Set up the free tools first
Before you pay for anything, set up these. Together they cover most of what a small business website needs, and they take about an hour.
- Google Search Console: your real Google data, including searches you appear for, clicks and indexing problems.
- PageSpeed Insights: how fast your pages load on phones and desktops, and what’s slowing them down.
- Yoast SEO: page titles, meta descriptions and sitemaps, if your site runs on WordPress.
- Google Keyword Planner: rough search volumes for keyword ideas. You need a Google Ads account, and without an active campaign it shows broad ranges rather than exact numbers.
- Ahrefs Webmaster Tools: a free site audit and backlink view for sites you own.
Paid SEO tools compared
A paid tool earns its cost when you publish content regularly, compete in a crowded market, or need to see what competitors are doing. These are the main options.
| Tool | Best for | Free option | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | All-in-one keyword, competitor and site audit research | Limited free account | $139.95/mo |
| Ahrefs | Backlink and competitor research | Webmaster Tools for your own sites | $29/mo (limited Starter) |
| Moz Pro | Simpler, lower-cost keyword and link research | MozBar and a limited free account | $49/mo |
| Screaming Frog | Technical site audits | Free up to 500 URLs | $279/year |
| Similarweb | Competitor traffic across all channels | Limited free lookups | $199/mo |
Monthly prices at each tool’s entry plan, last reviewed September 2026. Most are cheaper billed annually; Screaming Frog is sold as an annual licence only.
Start with your problem
You don’t know how your site is doing in Google
Google Search Console
Search Console is the only tool on this list that shows your real Google data: the searches your pages appear for, how often people click, your average position, and pages Google can’t index. Every paid tool is estimating. This is the source.
Watch out for: it only covers your own site, and the data runs a few days behind. Check the Performance report monthly and look for pages that get plenty of impressions but few clicks. A better title and description on those pages is often the quickest win in SEO.
Your site feels slow
PageSpeed Insights
Paste in any URL and PageSpeed Insights scores it for mobile and desktop, then lists what’s slowing it down, from oversized images to heavy scripts. It’s one of the tools I check most, because a slow page loses visitors before your marketing gets a chance to work.
Watch out for: don’t chase a perfect 100. Fix the biggest items at the top of the list, test the mobile score first, and move on once your key pages load quickly on a phone.
You use WordPress and want the basics handled
Yoast SEO
Yoast adds fields for each page’s SEO title and meta description, creates your sitemap, and handles basic structured data so search engines understand your site. We use it on this site. The free version covers what most small businesses need.
Watch out for: the green traffic lights are a checklist, not a ranking promise. Write for the reader first, then use Yoast to catch anything you’ve missed.
You want to know what to write and who you’re up against
Semrush
Semrush shows how many people search for a keyword, how hard it is to rank for, and which keywords your competitors already rank for. It also audits your site and tracks your rankings over time. It’s the research tool I use most; the keyword data behind this guide came from it.
Watch out for: the Pro plan costs $139.95 a month, which is a lot for one small site, and extra users cost more. Test it with the free account first. If you only need research occasionally, some businesses pay for a month, do a big research session, then pause.
You want competitor data for less than $140 a month
Moz Pro or Ahrefs Starter
Moz Pro’s Starter plan costs $49 a month for one site, and Moz is simpler to learn than Semrush. Its free MozBar browser extension is worth installing either way, because it shows a site’s authority score as you browse search results. Ahrefs Starter costs $29 a month and gives you a taste of its keyword and backlink data, which is some of the best available.
Watch out for: entry plans have tight limits. Moz Starter tracks 50 keywords for one site, and Ahrefs Starter comes with a limited monthly allowance of reports. Both are fine for a single small site but get outgrown quickly.
You think something on your site is broken
Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is a desktop app that crawls your site the way a search engine does. It finds broken links, redirect chains, missing or duplicate page titles and other technical problems, and it’s free for sites up to 500 URLs, which covers most small businesses.
Watch out for: it gives you a detailed list, not a fix. The results can look overwhelming the first time, so start with broken links (404 errors) and missing titles, which matter most and are easiest to fix.
You want to see how much traffic competitors get
Similarweb
SEO tools focus on search. Similarweb estimates a website’s total traffic from every channel, including search, social, paid ads, email and direct visits. That makes it useful for sizing up a competitor or checking which channels drive a market.
Watch out for: the numbers are estimates and get less reliable for smaller sites. Paid plans start at $199 a month billed monthly, so for most small businesses the free lookups are enough.
How to decide what you need
Five questions, in order. Stop at the first one that gives you something to do.
- Is Google Search Console set up? If not, that’s your first job, before any paid tool.
- Do your key pages load quickly on a phone? Run them through PageSpeed Insights and fix the biggest issues first.
- Does your site have fewer than 500 pages? Then Screaming Frog’s free version can audit all of it.
- Do you publish new content at least monthly? If not, a paid keyword tool probably isn’t worth it yet.
- Will you act on what the tool finds? A tool only pays for itself if someone writes the content or fixes the problems.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Paying for an all-in-one tool before setting up Search Console. The free tool has your real data; the paid tools estimate.
- Treating estimates as facts. Search volumes and competitor traffic figures are estimates. Use them to compare options, not as exact numbers.
- Chasing perfect scores. A 100 on PageSpeed or all green lights in Yoast won’t rank a page that doesn’t answer the searcher’s question.
- Tracking hundreds of keywords. Track the 20 to 50 that matter to your business and act on them.
- Buying a year upfront. Try a month first. If you haven’t used it weekly by the end, you don’t need it yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free SEO tool for a small business?
Google Search Console. It’s the only free tool that shows your real Google data: what people search to find you, how often they click, and which pages have problems. Pair it with PageSpeed Insights for site speed.
Is Semrush worth it for a small business?
It is if you publish content regularly or compete in a crowded market, because it shows exactly which keywords to target and what competitors rank for. If you rarely publish, the free tools plus an occasional month of Semrush is usually enough.
Semrush or Ahrefs: which is better?
Both are strong. Semrush covers more of marketing, including advertising and content research, while Ahrefs is known for its backlink data. Ahrefs has the cheaper entry plan. If you can’t decide, try each for a month on the same research task and keep the one you actually open.
Do I need an SEO tool if my site runs on WordPress?
A plugin like Yoast handles the on-page basics, but it doesn’t show how your site performs in Google. You still need Search Console for that.
How much should a small business spend on SEO tools?
Start at $0 with the free Google tools. Once you publish content regularly, one paid tool at roughly $30 to $140 a month is usually plenty. Most small businesses don’t need more than one.
Prices and plan limits were last reviewed in September 2026 using each provider’s pricing page: Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, Screaming Frog and Similarweb. Check the current numbers before you sign up.
Free resource
The AI Marketing Workflow Kit.
Five copy-and-paste AI workflows for the marketing work you already do, including an SEO content-gap workflow you can run without a paid tool.
- Find content gaps before writing SEO posts
- Brief AI to write better emails
- Edit AI drafts so they sound like you