SEO tools are a must-have for any online marketer and website owner. I bet you’ve been using or testing at least a few of them. So that’s not a surprise that there are single tools that are focused on a specific core feature. And there are famous all-in-one SEO tools, like SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc. They are everywhere. Bloggers compare them, but I’ve never found an article about the pros and cons of two different options: toolkits and single SEO tools. So here is such a post. Let’s dive in and make things clear!
Functions of SEO tools
Marketers, SEO agencies and any website owners need accurate analytical data to grow online. That’s why we are here. There are a few essential functions of any SEO tools:
Keyword research
To give your visitors the best experience on your website, you have to utilize the right keywords to attract their attention. SEO tools will help you in analyzing the most common terms that are used on the internet, as well as those that other websites which offer the same services as you do use. This will help you know which content to create on your website to generate traffic. You may use tools like Ubersuggest, BuzzSumo, Ahrefs or SEMrush for that goal. I like less famous, but qualitative tools, mentioned by Brian Dean.
Site Audit
Do you want to identify what specifically holds your website back from my ranking? You do not have to worry anymore because SEO tools will help you audit your website’s on-page SEO performance. Many tools will perform a comprehensive analysis for your website and provide you with a score, and key data in a chart for you to find out about the activities related to your webpage. They also identify all potential SEO problems while providing recommendations for you to fix them. Most of the toolkits include this feature.
Rank tracking
It is possible for you to have the right keywords to use and a stellar content but still not know if that will work for you until you track your rankings in the SERP. It is futile to track your rankings manually. There are various tools that you can use to check your webpage rankings. When you track your rankings, you also get the opportunity to improve your SEO. If you might have run out of options, Wincher Rank Trackers is recommended for you. This is a rank tracker tool that is not only affordable but has simple features with insightful reports that would help you make the best out of your website. Alternatively, the SEMrush Rank tracker tool is one of its kind. The tool will help you track your position for any keyword, Identify your competitors in the market, and group all your keywords with the tanks through it and you can use the tool’s data to target various devices.
Competitor Tracking
As an online marketer, you have realized that there is no way one can run away from the competition. You do not have to fear your competitors anymore because SEO tools will help you know how you are faring against your competitors. There are categories of competitor tracking for SEO, content, social media etc. Computer analysis tools will spare you from digging into your competitors and give you more time to do marketing. For instance, Sprout Social Competitor analysis tool will help you sneak peek at the content of your competitors while still evaluating your page’s growth against various profiles under comparison. SEMRush all super forms of competitor analysis, and it is more efficient for starters. The tool will help you pull the bank lyrics of your competitors while closely monitoring any alterations in their ranking. The Ahrefs Explorer is also effective in competitor analysis because it offers the opportunity to check any URL’s top organic keywords.
Backlink Explorer
Link building is quite a complicated and long-lasted process, especially for beginners. So it’s great to get help from a backlink explorer. It will keep you updated about all your new and lost backlinks, show all the backlinks of any domain or URL, help with metrics to find the best places to place your link. That’s not news, that one of the best backlink explorer is Backlink Checker by Ahrefs. They have the largest indep of live backlinks – over 15 trillions!
Also let me mention a less famous single tool – Money Robot. Despite its old-fashioned interface, it has a large database and high quality of data.
Why do people use different SEO tools simultaneously?
Working a long time in the industry of SEO tools, I’ve met lots of situations when both small website owners and SEO agencies use several different tools simultaneously. You may be surprised: why do they need anything else if they are customers of Ahrefs, for instance? Here is an answer, based on my communication with customers of Ahrefs, Serpstat, Wincher etc.
There are various reasons why people prefer to use different SEO tools simultaneously. First, the prices across different tools differ, which make a marketer would go for those that meet their purchase power.
Secondly, different SEO tools offer various features, and it will definitely depend on what features the marketer wants, which would make them opt for specific tools. For instance, a customer will opt for Ahrefs because the tool provides the best links database and acquires Wincher more accurate rank tracking data.
Additionally, different tools come with a different user experience which will make marketers opt for easier UX, clear reports without overwhelming with data.
Accuracy is another issue that makes online marketers go for more than one SEO tool. That’s not a secret that SEO toolkits update ranking data less frequently than each 24 hours. So if you want to get the freshest data, you should try single and affordable rank trackers, like Wincher.
Pros & Cons of single SEO tools
The significant advantage of using a single SEO tool is that it has high data accuracy because it has fewer features which makes them uncompromised. Single tools are also simple to use compared to toolkits. And sure, they are more affordable for each website owner. I really like such tools, because they are not competing with giants in the SEO industry but do their job well.
Such an option works well for website owners and marketers who focus on data accuracy and don’t want to overpay for unused features and limits of toolkits. Also beginners can get more out of such tools that are not overwhelmed and provide clear insightful information.
Example of high quality single SEO tools:
Keyword Research – Jaaxy, SECockpit.
Rank Tracking – Wincher, Accuranker.
On-page SEO – Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Wincher free on-page SEO tool.
Some disadvantages that come with using single SEO tools is that sometimes they do not offer all the features that you want. And SEO specialists need to save your data on different platforms. This gives users fewer options which makes them opt to have a second or third tool in place.
Pros & Cons of toolkits
The main advantage of having toolkits such as SEMrush and Ahrefs is that they have diversified features that come as one package. That’s convenient. Another thing is that they save marketers money because they will not have to purchase more than one since one tool kit caters to all their needs, thus making it relatively cheaper. Also such toolkits have some very unique features, that are worth the money.
As to me, nowadays we overvalue those giants and close eyes on disadvantages. First, the data is not always fresh and accurate. I believe that we need analytics for accuracy, don’t we?
Another disadvantage of toolkits is that they are often too complicated for beginners because of its many features which make it difficult for new users to make the best out of them. And I think it’s not reasonable to pay 100$+ USD/m if you need only rank tracking and site audit from time to time. Lastly, the toolkit is relatively expensive because they offer more features. The price is still important.
Who should choose all-in-one SEO tools? SEO professionals, digital marketing agencies with a full cycle of services, professional marketers who use the tools on a daily basis and need lots of features and data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SEO tools are essential for any online business entrepreneur who wants to make it big in the niche. SEO tools help website owners to optimize their content, rank higher, get insightful information about their website and competitors. I’ve prepared a comparison of different SEO tools and, I’m sure, you have your own preferences. Share your thoughts with me! I’ll be happy to read more about your choice and suggestions.
About The Author
Julia is a professional business development manager with proven experience in customer acquisition, strategic partnerships, and outbound marketing. Now she takes care of customer success and business growth at Wincher rank tracker.