Most SEO tools cost $100-400/month. That's $1,200-4,800 per year — significant for small businesses testing whether SEO is worth the investment.
Good news: you can do real SEO with free tools. The paid tools are faster and more comprehensive, but they're not necessary to start.
Here's what actually works at $0/month.
The essential free stack
These four tools cover most SEO needs:
1. Google Search Console (Free)
The single most important SEO tool, period.
What it does:
- Shows exactly what keywords you rank for (real Google data, not estimates)
- Shows which pages get impressions and clicks
- Alerts you to technical issues
- Reports Core Web Vitals
- Shows mobile usability problems
- Lets you submit sitemaps and request indexing
Why it matters:
This is the only tool that shows real Google data. Every other tool estimates based on samples. Search Console shows what's actually happening.
How to set it up:
- Go to search.google.com/search-console
- Add your property (use URL prefix method if unsure)
- Verify ownership (HTML tag is easiest)
- Submit your sitemap
What to check regularly:
- Performance report (weekly): Traffic trends, ranking keywords, top pages
- Coverage report (monthly): Indexing issues
- Core Web Vitals (monthly): Speed problems
2. Google Analytics 4 (Free)
Track what visitors do after they arrive.
What it does:
- Shows traffic sources (organic, direct, social, referral)
- Tracks user behavior on your site
- Measures conversions and goals
- Segments traffic by various dimensions
Why it matters:
Search Console shows search performance. GA4 shows what happens after the click — which matters for measuring ROI.
Key reports for SEO:
- Acquisition → Traffic acquisition: See organic traffic trends
- Engagement → Pages and screens: See which content performs
- Conversions: Track leads/sales from organic
3. Google Keyword Planner (Free)
Basic keyword research without premium tools.
What it does:
- Shows search volume ranges for keywords
- Suggests related keywords
- Shows competition level (for ads, but useful for SEO)
Limitations:
- Gives ranges (1K-10K) instead of specific numbers
- Competition metric is for ads, not organic
- Less comprehensive than paid tools
How to use it:
- Create a Google Ads account (you don't need to run ads)
- Access Keyword Planner from Tools menu
- Enter topics/keywords to get suggestions
Related reading:
- SEO Tools Comparison — When to upgrade to paid tools
- How to Do an SEO Audit — Using these tools effectively
Additional free tools worth knowing
PageSpeed Insights (Free)
Tests page speed and Core Web Vitals.
URL: pagespeed.web.dev
Use for:
- Testing your most important pages
- Identifying specific speed issues
- Before/after speed optimization
Google Trends (Free)
Shows search interest over time.
URL: trends.google.com
Use for:
- Comparing keyword popularity
- Identifying seasonal trends
- Validating topic interest
AnswerThePublic (Limited free)
Shows questions people ask about topics.
URL: answerthepublic.com
Use for:
- Finding question-based keywords
- Understanding what your audience wants to know
- Content ideation
Limited to a few searches per day on free plan.
Ubersuggest (Limited free)
Basic keyword research and site audit.
URL: neilpatel.com/ubersuggest
Use for:
- Additional keyword suggestions
- Basic competitor overview
- Quick domain analysis
Free tier has daily limits.
AlsoAsked (Limited free)
Shows "People Also Ask" questions for any keyword.
URL: alsoasked.com
Use for:
- Finding related questions to answer
- Understanding search intent
- Content structure ideas
SERP Simulator (Free)
Preview how your title and description appear in search results.
URL: Search "SERP simulator" — several free options exist
Use for:
- Testing title tag length
- Previewing meta descriptions
- Optimizing click-through rate
What free tools can't do
Be honest about limitations:
No comprehensive competitive analysis
Free tools don't show:
- Competitor backlink profiles
- Which keywords competitors rank for
- Content gap analysis
- Competitor traffic estimates
This is the main reason to eventually pay for Ahrefs, SEMrush, or similar.
Limited historical data
Free tools have shorter data retention:
- Search Console keeps 16 months
- GA4 varies by setup
- No historical keyword data
Paid tools often have years of historical data.
No rank tracking for competitors
You can see your own rankings in Search Console. You can't track competitor rankings without paid tools.
Less keyword data
Keyword Planner gives ranges. Paid tools give specific numbers plus difficulty scores, SERP analysis, and more.
When to upgrade to paid tools
You don't need paid tools to start. Consider upgrading when:
You're doing serious competitive analysis
If your strategy depends on knowing what competitors rank for and their backlink strategies, paid tools become necessary.
You're managing multiple clients
Agencies need the scale features of paid tools: more projects, automated reporting, team access.
You've outgrown free tool limits
If you have 1,000+ pages, Screaming Frog's free version isn't enough. If you need daily keyword data, free tools don't provide it.
Time is more valuable than money
Paid tools are faster. If you bill $200/hour, spending 5 hours on something a $100/month tool does in 30 minutes is inefficient.
You're investing seriously in SEO
If you're spending $2,000+/month on content, a $200/month tool to guide that investment makes sense.
The recommended progression
Stage 1: Testing SEO ($0/month)
Tools:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics 4
- Google Keyword Planner
- Screaming Frog free
When to use: Starting out, validating SEO as a channel, limited budget
Stage 2: Committed to SEO ($100-200/month)
Add:
- Ahrefs Lite or SEMrush Pro
- OR dedicated keyword tool
- OR content automation like Soro
When to use: SEO is a growth channel, need competitive insights, content volume increasing
Stage 3: SEO as primary channel ($300-500/month)
Full stack:
- Comprehensive SEO platform (Ahrefs Standard, SEMrush Guru)
- Content production solution
- Rank tracking tool (if needed beyond SEO platform)
When to use: Agency, multiple sites, or SEO driving significant revenue
The tool spending trap
I've seen businesses spend $500/month on SEO tools while publishing one blog post every few weeks.
That's backwards.
The hierarchy:
- Content production (what actually ranks)
- Technical foundations (don't break things)
- Basic tracking (Search Console, GA)
- Advanced analytics (paid tools)
If you're not producing content consistently, advanced tools just show you're not ranking in more detail.
Better to spend $0 on analytics tools and $300 on content production than vice versa.
Getting started with free tools
Today (1 hour):
- Set up Google Search Console (15 min)
- Set up Google Analytics 4 (15 min)
- Run PageSpeed Insights on your homepage (5 min)
- Run Screaming Frog crawl on your site (25 min)
This week (2-3 hours):
- Review Search Console performance data
- Identify technical issues from Screaming Frog
- Do basic keyword research in Keyword Planner
- Create a list of 10 target keywords
Ongoing:
- Check Search Console weekly (15 min)
- Run Screaming Frog monthly (30 min)
- Monitor PageSpeed quarterly (10 min)
This free stack, used consistently, beats expensive tools used sporadically.
The bottom line on free SEO tools
You can do real SEO with $0 in tools:
- Google Search Console for data
- Google Analytics for behavior
- Keyword Planner for research
- Screaming Frog for technical audits
You'll eventually want paid tools for:
- Competitive analysis
- More comprehensive data
- Time efficiency
- Scale
But tools aren't the bottleneck:
Most businesses fail at SEO not because they lack data — they fail because they don't produce enough content consistently.
Fix the execution bottleneck first. Add tools as you scale.
Related reading:
- Affordable SEO for Small Business — Budget strategies
- How to Do SEO Yourself — Complete DIY guide
- Content Automation — Solving the production bottleneck