Olga’s Favorite SEO Tools

A curated list of my favorite SEO tools I cannot live without. 

Over the years, I’ve tried and tested numerous SEO tools to help my work as an SEO consultant. 

Here, I’ve put together a compact list of the SEO tools that I truly love and have been using consistently for a long time. 

Some of the links provided are affiliate links, but rest assured that I only recommend tools I have firsthand experience with and genuinely believe in their value.

Hope you like the list!

SEO Tools

My favorite SEO tools

I added a tiny description of each tool and included information on what I use this tool mainly for. There is also a link to the tool’s website. The order of the tools is totally random. Note that these are not ALL the tools I use or have been using but only my favorite ones. Enjoy!

Semrush

Semrush is a paid all-in-one SEO tool. I use Semrush to monitor rankings, run weekly website crawls, do keyword research, analyze the SEO visibility & backlinks of domains, and more.

My favorite tools within the Semrush toolset:

JetOctopus

JetOctopus is a cloud-based website crawler that also happens to be the fastest crawler on Earth. JetOctopus is an essential tool if I do a website audit (especially a larger website).

JetOctopus Log File Analyzer is a log file analyzer that will let you make sense of log files without tormenting yourself in Excel.

I have dedicated articles where I show how I use these tools to perform the above tasks:

SEO PowerSuite

SEO PowerSuite is another all-in-one SEO tool that has all the features you may need as an SEO too. I always use it as part of any website audit, website visibility analysis, and keyword research (!).

My favorite tools from the SEO PowerSuite toolset:

InLinks

When it comes to internal linking optimization, entity SEO and advanced Schema, only InLinks matter. I honestly don’t know how I was able to live without that tool before. Kudos to Dixon Jones for creating this tool. This is a real game-changer.

Surfer SEO

SurferSEO is an essential tool for me when it comes to on-page SEO. I use it to analyze both existing articles on my website and my clients’ websites or when I write new articles. This tool lets me make sure that the article I publish is really 100% tuned for SEO.

Rank Math

Rank Math is not another SEO WordPress plugin. This is the plugin. I honestly could not live without having the Rank Math plugin installed on all my websites. As soon as I learned about Rank Math, I switched all my websites and my clients’ website to Rank Math.

WP Rocket

I’ve been using WP Rocket for many years now. Learning about WP Rocket and getting it on all my websites was a really important moment for me. It put a stop to constant speed and performance optimizations and allowed me to focus on what really moves the needle: content creation.

Not all my sites score 100% in Google PageSpeed Insights but it does not matter. In 99% of cases, all I need to do is install WP Rocket, configure it, and forget about the overhyped speed-and-performance-are-a-ranking-factor thing!

Check my review of WP Rocket.

SE Ranking

I love the team behind SE Ranking and how much work they put into their tool. This tool is just as good as any other top all-in-one SEO tool like Semrush or Ahrefs. I especially like the SE Ranking On-Page SEO Checker.

Ahrefs

I don’t think Ahrefs needs an introduction. I use to monitor my clients’ rankings, backlinks, and technical SEO well-being. I always use it together with Semrush to do keyword research.

My favorite tools within the Ahrefs toolset include Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, and Ahrefs SEO Toolbar.

Here are the guides I wrote specifically about Ahrefs:

Serpstat

Serpstat is also a very nice all-in-one tool and I especially like its Technical Website SEO Audit. Some websites block Ahrefs or Semrush bots so that you cannot see their data in those tools. Serpstat is rarely blocked so you may use it to look up a site that is blocked in the most popular tools.

Google Search Console

If I could have just one SEO tool, what do you think I would choose? Google Search Console, obviously. I invite you to check my Google Search Console guides:

Screaming Frog

I don’t think Screaming Frog SEO Spider requires any introduction. This is an essential desktop website crawler for technical SEO and SEO audits. The free version allows you to crawl up to 500 URLs. If you haven’t used Screaming Frog yet, stop reading now, install it, and start playing with it.

Sitebulb

Sitebulb is a great alternative to Screaming Frog. Honestly, I love using them both because each one is a bit different and lets you get unique insights. Sitebulb has also recently launched the Sitebulb Server version which runs in the cloud.

Kajabi

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for creating, marketing and selling online courses and membership sites. I use Kajabi for my SEO newsletter, SEO podcast and will soon be using it for my SEO courses.

SBI

SBI (Solo Build It) is a comprehensive online business-building platform, including website creation, marketing, and monetization tools. This is the tool that got me started with SEO. This is how I created my first website which earned me money. If it hadn’t been for SBI, I would not be where I am today.

Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting solution for businesses, offering simplicity and flexibility. I have had very bad experiences with Bluehost, which made me switch to Cloudways. Honestly, I think this is the best option.

AlsoAsked

AlsoAsked is a tool that reveals related questions and topics searched by users for content ideation and keyword research. If you want to make sure that you are exhausting the topic, you need to use AlsoAsked. Trying to manually grab all these topics will take you ages.

Canva

Canva is a graphic design platform for creating and editing visual content with templates, elements, and collaboration features.

Descript

Descript is an all-in-one audio and video editing software that enables editing, transcription, and collaboration. This tool is essential for me when it comes to removing all “uhs” and “errs” from my videos and creating transcripts or subtitles.

Wix

Wix is a website builder platform that allows users to create, customize, and manage websites with no coding required. Wix is really an awesome alternative to WordPress and I have recently started building websites on that platform too.

Movavi Video Suite

Movavi Video Suite is a comprehensive video production and editing solution. I use it for my YouTube videos and SEO podcast episodes.

Namecheap

Namecheap is a domain registration, management, and hosting service provider with competitive pricing. The pricing it offers is really advantageous.

Google PageSpeed Insights

Google PageSpeed Insights is an essential tool for any website audit. It quickly lets you check whether the site has serious speed/performance issues and what some areas of improvement are.

Mobile-Friendly Test

Mobile-Friendly Test is a tool that analyzes a website’s compatibility with mobile devices and also provides a rendered screenshot of the site as seen by Google.

I am very sad that Google is deprecating this tool because this is the tool I always use with every SEO audit I do… 😭

Schema Markup Validator

Schema Markup Validator is a tool that checks and validates the implementation of schema.org structured data markup. I use it to check Schema on a per-page basis. To check it in bulk, I use Screaming Frog and/or Sitebulb.

Google Rich Results Test

Google Rich Results Test is a tool that evaluates a website’s structured data to ensure compatibility with Google’s rich search results features. I use it on a per-page basis as the above tool. To check for the Google Rich Results issues in bulk, I use the corresponding reports in Google Search Console.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that analyzes search data to reveal popular queries and trends over time. I use it to check if the topic I want to target has a promising future.

Google Lighthouse

Google Lighthouse is a tool that evaluates website performance, accessibility, and SEO optimization (be careful with this). I use it mostly to check if a site has accessibility issues. Remember that the SEO score in Google Lighthouse does not have much to do with the real SEO optimization of that page. 😆

ChatGPT

I use ChatGPT for a variety of SEO tasks. ChatGPT is also my personal coach and assistant. Check my article about using ChatGPT for SEO to learn more about possible ways of using it.

Grammarly

Grammarly is an AI-driven writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, and readability to improve written content. I make tons of typos when I write so it is a real life saver for me. Even the free version can do a lot!

Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a browser add-on that displays keyword search volume, cost-per-click, and competition data. I mostly use it to get keyword data displayed directly in Google Search Console.

Lightshot Screenshot

Lightshot Screenshot is a lightweight screen capture tool for quick and easy screenshot sharing and editing.

Clipchamp

Clipchamp is a browser-based video editor for creating, editing and sharing professional-quality videos. The free version is quite powerful and I really like it.

Google Domains

Google Domains is a domain registration and management service integrated with Google services. This is the only domain registration service I use at the moment.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is a suite of productivity and collaboration apps for businesses, including email, calendar, and document management. I keep my entire SEOSLY consultancy in Google Workspace.

Pomodoro Time Tracker

I’ve tried many different time tracking and time management system. Pomodoro seems to work best for me. I work in 60-minute sessions. There are lots of various Pomodoro trackers. My favorite app is Emphasis (iPhone).

Asana

Asana is a project and task management platform for team collaboration and productivity. I use it to assign tasks to others on my team. For my own tasks and goals, I use Apple Notes & Apple Reminders.

Apple Notes

Apple Notes is a note-taking app that allows users to create, organize, and sync notes across Apple devices. I use it together with Apple Reminders to manage my work, plan tasks, and – obviously – take notes.

Apple Reminders

Apple Reminders is a task management app that helps users set reminders and manage tasks on their Apple devices. I use this tool to manage my work and tasks both on my iPhone and my Mac. I tried various task managers but this one works best for me.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is an online calendar app for organizing, sharing, and managing events and schedules. I don’t think it needs any further description or explanation. I integrate it with Calendly and use a dedicated Google Calendar app on my phone.

Calendly

Calendly integrated with Google Calendar is my to-go tool for scheduling and managing meetings.

Wordfence

Wordfence is a WordPress security plugin that provides malware scanning, firewall protection, and login security.

Sucuri

Sucuri is a website security platform offering malware removal, firewall protection, and website monitoring. It’s good to have it scan your website on a constant basis.

Chrome Web Developer

Chrome Web Developer is a tool that offers a suite of web development features through a browser extension for inspecting, debugging, and optimizing websites.

I use it mainly to check the website heading structure, disable JavaScript, check image SEO optimization, and analyze internal links on a per-page basis.

Detailed SEO

Detailed SEO is a Chrome extension that provides the most important SEO data about the page you are visiting.

Loom

Loom is a tool that enables users to create, edit, and share quick, personalized video messages. I hate calls and meetings so Loom is really a lifesaver for me.

NoFollow

NoFollow is a browser extension that highlights nofollow links on web pages.

Adblock Plus

Adblock Plus is a browser extension that blocks unwanted ads and tracking scripts. I am unable to view some sites without this.

GoFullPage

GoFullPage is a Chrome extension that captures full-page screenshots of web content for easy sharing and archiving.

Pageoscope by Mobile Moxie

This Chrome extension lets you compare rendered & un-rendered page code of mobile & desktop pages. It is essential for SEO’s validating page code for Mobile-First Indexing.

Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a cross-platform, customizable source code editor for programmers and developers. I use it for any code-related stuff and for the edition of .txt files.

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