You don't need to spend $99/month to start doing SEO. There are excellent free tools that cover auditing, keyword research, and technical checks. We tested over 30 and picked the 11 best.
1. GetSEOAnalyzer — Best for Instant SEO Audits
Full disclosure: this is our tool. But we built it because we were frustrated with how slow and expensive other auditors were. GetSEOAnalyzer runs 47 checks in 30 seconds, including real sitemap and robots.txt verification. The free tier lets you scan any site unlimited times. Paid plans start at $9/month for monitoring and AI-powered fix suggestions.
2. Google Search Console — Best for Real Performance Data
This is the only tool that shows you actual Google data: which queries bring traffic, your average positions, click-through rates, and indexing issues. It's free, straight from Google, and essential for any site owner.
3. Google PageSpeed Insights — Best for Performance
Uses real Chrome User Experience data to show how fast your site loads. Gives specific recommendations for improving Core Web Vitals — the metrics Google uses in its ranking algorithm.
4. Ubersuggest (Free Tier) — Best for Keyword Ideas
Neil Patel's tool gives you 3 free searches per day. You get keyword volume, difficulty, and related keywords. Limited, but useful for initial research.
5. AnswerThePublic — Best for Content Ideas
Enter a keyword and get hundreds of questions people are asking. Perfect for blog content planning and FAQ sections.
6. Screaming Frog (Free Tier) — Best for Technical Crawls
The desktop crawler is free for up to 500 URLs. It finds broken links, duplicate titles, missing meta descriptions, and redirect chains.
7. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools — Best Free Backlink Checker
Verify your site and get access to your backlink profile, broken links, and organic keywords — for free. Limited compared to paid Ahrefs, but excellent for the price.
8. GTmetrix — Best for Page Speed Details
More detailed than PageSpeed Insights. Shows waterfall charts, fully loaded time, and historical performance data.
9. Schema Markup Validator — Best for Structured Data
Google's official tool for testing your Schema.org markup. Essential if you're implementing FAQ, HowTo, or product schema.
10. Yoast SEO (WordPress) — Best for On-Page
If you're on WordPress, Yoast's free plugin handles title tags, meta descriptions, sitemaps, and readability analysis.
11. MozBar — Best Browser Extension
Free Chrome extension that shows Domain Authority, Page Authority, and link metrics for any page you visit.