18 Must Have FREE SEO Tools/Extensions (2018 Update)

If you’re looking for a selection of the best FREE SEO tools/extensions in the business compiled in a single place, then this post is for you.

At Edge45® we have personally tested all these tools and can vouch for the usefulness.

We have split the tools out into Chrome extensions and actual tools, so you can filter through and find the best SEO software for you.

Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools

Whilst Google search console is undeniably better, if ranking in Bing is important to you then you will want to explore this free tool. It outlines everything you need to know about your site’s presence in the Bing search results and provides insights that can be turned into action.

Link – https://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster

Google Analytics

This tool needs no explanation. Use it.

Link: https://www.google.com/analytics/

Google Tag Manager

The perfect tool that allows you to install various types of code (tags) to your website without having to take a deep dive into your websites code! No longer do you have to call upon your developer to install the Facebook Pixel code or that Adwords remarketing tag, easily do it yourself with Google Tag Manager!

Link: https://developers.google.com/tag-manager/

Google Mobile-Friendly Test

What better way to get ready for the mobile first index than checking if your site is mobile-friendly with this free tool from Google. Simply enter your URL and hit Go. You’ll get a simple yes or no answer and feedback on what to do if the answer is no.

Link: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

Google Speed Insights

Site speed is a ranking factor. So why hamstring your site by having a slow page speed. Use this free tool from Google to gain an understanding on your sites current speed and what to do to improve it.

Link: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

Google Search Console

Google search console is the mother of all free SEO tools. With a plethora of useful tools and insights straight from Daddy G himself, you can’t go wrong with this tool. At a glance you can identify any duplicate title tags, which search terms are resulting in the most organic visits or if there are any security issues with your site.

Link: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home?hl=en

GTmetrix

Whilst Google page speed gives a snapshot, GTmetrix gives the complete picture when it comes to site speed. Its super easy to use and gives valuable insights that will take your sites speed to the next level.

Link: https://gtmetrix.com/

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Our go-to technical SEO tool. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the industry benchmark for all website crawlers and the level of insights your can obtain is unlike any other tool we have used. You can find technical site issues that are holding back your site quickly and efficiently.

Whilst there is a free version available, we would recommend go premium for maximum usage.

Link: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/

Varvy SEO Tool

The clean looking free Technical SEO audit tool is a good method of understanding how your site comes up against the Google Guidelines. Once you’ve ran the audit it will give you the recommendations required to conform to the guidelines.

Link: https://varvy.com/

Chrome Extensions

Check My Links

This nifty chrome extension is perfect for quickly crawling through a specific webpage and finding any broken links. We normally use this right before we publish a blog post to ensure all the links are working!

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/link-klipper-extract-all/fahollcgofmpnehocdgofnhkkchiekoo

Built With Extension

Want to know what CMS a site is using without having to leave the web page? Then the built with chrome extension is for you! Quickly learn what CMS a site is using, the plugins that they have installed, if they are using a CDN and much much more.  This really is a must-have tool.

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/builtwith-technology-prof/dapjbgnjinbpoindlpdmhochffioedbn

Nightwatch – Search Simulator

Nightwatch is the perfect tool for conducting a search in a different country. For example, say you wanted to see how your site was ranking for a keyword in France as you appear to be getting a decent amount of traffic from this country. This tool will allow you to emulate the French SERPs and identify your site.

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/seo-search-simulator-by-n/edfjfgjklednkencfhnokmkajbgfhpon

Siteimprove

Think your site is suffering from accessibility issues? This nifty little plugin will carry out a full accessibility check of your website and let you know if you have any errors or warnings and inform you of the things you should review. This tool is a must-have for anyone looking to improve the overall user experience of their site.

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/siteimprove-accessibility/efcfolpjihicnikpmhnmphjhhpiclljc

Google Tag Assistant

Google back at it again with those damn helpful plugins. The Google Tag Assistant allows you to see at a glance what Google tools a site has installed and if they are installed correctly (it does do a hell of a lot more, but this is the basic use). Just installed Google Tag manager and want to check its installed correctly? Simply download and enable this extension and you will be able to find out in a heartbeat!

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tag-assistant-by-google/kejbdjndbnbjgmefkgdddjlbokphdefk

aXe

Another brilliant extension for checking accessibility is aXe. Simply download the extension, open the chrome developer tools and navigate over to aXe. It will analyse the webpage and identify any accessibility violations that are present on the current page. aXe also identifies the exact location of the violation and its impact level!

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/axe/lhdoppojpmngadmnindnejefpokejbdd

Google Lighthouse Audit

The new kid on the block. Google recently released a free chrome extension of Lighthouse and we have to say, it’s pretty incredible. It gives you a complete overview of your site speed (on a throttled mobile connection), your sites accessibility level, whether or not your site conforms to best practices and the all-important SEO of your site. We are pretty good at understanding the data that Lighthouse spits out, so if you need a hand with this just let us know!

Links: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lighthouse/blipmdconlkpinefehnmjammfjpmpbjk?hl=en

Checkbot

This free Google Chrome extension is a great way to get a quick overview of any potential SEO, site speed and security issues that may be affecting your site. The software is currently in a free BETA state with both paid & free plans in the pipeline for the full release.

Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/checkbot-seo-web-speed-se/dagohlmlhagincbfilmkadjgmdnkjinl?hl=en

Whilst there are a host of other tools that we use on a daily basis that are incredibly useful, many of them are paid tools. We wanted to keep the tools in this list mostly free tools that anyone can access but stay tuned for a list of the best-paid SEO tools in the coming months!

Got a favourite free SEO tool that you like to use? Leave a comment below or get in contact with us

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