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You know by now, search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in driving organic traffic to your website.

Just how crucial? 90% of web search volume comes from Google kind of crucial.

However, optimizing your website for SEO can be a complex and time-consuming task. Or is it?

Introducing the latest and greatest DIY SEO software tools.

These AI-driven SEO tools have the power to handle every facet of your website optimization process with finesse and precision: keyword research, content enhancement, backlink analysis, competitor scrutiny – you name it.

An extra perk of using these tools? A steady stream of data-driven insights at your fingertips, 24/7. And that enables you to make smarter decisions when it comes to your marketing strategy.

Speaking of steady streams, let’s get on to attracting a steady stream of organic traffic, shall we?

What are the Best DIY SEO Software Tools?

The best DIY SEO software tools are SEMrush, Ahrefs and MOZ Local. I’ll cover each tool briefly, who it’s for, and what it can do for your business.

DIY SEO Software

Semrush

Semrush, the Swiss Army knife for marketers, brings you unparalleled insights into competitor strategies, keyword tracking capabilities, and content improvement suggestions all under one roof. Currently, this is the only platform of the three that includes a front-end AI tool, called AI Writing Assistant.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs, widely known as the leading tool for SEO specialists, gathers data from just about everywhere – Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing and more. It’s the better of the two if you need data from more than just Google.

Moz Local

Moz Local is your DIY SEO software tool of choice if you service or sell to the local community.

Next, let’s look at each of these SEO tools in detail.

Semrush: A Comprehensive SEO Tool for Small Businesses

Semrush

If you’re a small business owner, Semrush is an SEO tool that’s worth your attention. This platform is intended to make the intricate domain of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) simpler.

The beauty of Semrush lies in its comprehensiveness. It provides all-in-one functionality where you can conduct keyword research, track rankings, and analyze backlinks – just like how our favorite journal keeps everything neatly organized.

In addition, built right into this user-friendly interface are features that allow competitive analysis. You can monitor competitors’ site performance in terms of ranking and visibility, which informs strategic decisions about content creation and link building strategies.

Detailed Reporting Capabilities

Apart from being functional and easy to use, SEMrush sets itself apart with robust reporting capabilities. The reports provide detailed insights on various aspects such as organic search traffic or social media engagement rates, among others.

You have full control over customizing these reports based on specific metrics relevant to your goals. For instance, if data related to certain landing pages’ performances against specific keywords or campaigns is what you need; it’s possible with SEMrush’s advanced report customization options.

AI Writing Assistant

Never late to the AI revolution, Semrush offers its AI Writing Assistant. You’ll use it to:

  • Boost Productivity: AI Writing Assistant can draft text fragments swiftly, which speeds up your writing process. A user can produce more content in less time, significantly increasing productivity.
  • Improve Your Writing Quality: The tool comes with automated editing and proofing abilities that can refine your work. It checks grammar, punctuation, and spelling, ensuring you submit error-free work.
  • Optimize SEO: The cornerstone feature helps you create SEO-friendly content by suggesting improvements on keyword usage and readability.
  • Maintain Tone Consistency: The AI Writing Assistant ensures that your writing tone remains consistent throughout the document, hence enhancing the quality and readability of your work.
  • Get Multilingual Support: If you’re planning on working with texts in different languages, the AI Writing Assistant got you covered. It supports several languages, allowing you to cater to a global audience.
  • Pass Plagiarism Check: The AI Writing Assistant has a built-in plagiarism checker. This feature ensures the content is unique, supporting the creation of original pieces, essential for SEO and maintaining online reputation.

In a nutshell, Semrush’s AI Writing Assistant can support you in creating high-quality, SEO-optimized, and unique content swiftly and at scale.

User-Friendly Interface

Mastering new technology often presents a significant barrier for many small business owners, but thankfully, that isn’t the case when using Semrush. They make navigation through its dashboard easy – thanks to intuitive design elements, clear icons, descriptive labels, and more.

By streamlining and optimizing the system, Semrush has made it SEO accessible to users of any skill level or experience.

Semrush Pricing

Semrush pricing

Semrush offers a Pro plan at $129.95/mo and Guru at $249.95/mo which allows 3x the projects and keywords. 

Key Takeaway: Semrush passes the AI SEO tool test with flying colors. Despite its being Google-centric, (even if we do acknowledge that this is where the majority of search is happening) Semrush gets an A for its comprehensive features and robust reporting capabilities. Its user-friendly interface simplifies complex SEO tasks, making it accessible to users with varying digital marketing skills. With its AI Writing Assistant, SEMrush gives small business owners the best ROI in one SEO tool. Finally, its flexible pricing caters to different budgets.

Ahrefs: An SEO Tool for the Pros

Ahrefs

For SEO strategists or business owners who want to level up their SEO skills, Ahrefs is the #1 choice. It’s what I use, and I don’t even use half the features.

The Power of Ahrefs: An Overview

Picture this – an all-encompassing SEO toolkit designed to catapult your website rankings on search engines while driving increased traffic. That’s what Ahrefs brings to the table. Its platform harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for accurate data analysis that makes sense.

This software comes packed with functionalities like keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink checking, content research, and rank tracking among others – everything you need to construct an effective SEO strategy. 

While Ahrefs utilizes sophisticated algorithms and data analysis techniques to power your SEO insights, they have yet to launch a front-end AI tool. Stay tuned, as this may change.

Keyword Research with Ahrefs

In the vast world of SEO where keywords are king, understanding which terms resonate most strongly within your target audience can be game-changing. Enter the Keyword Explorer feature from Ahrefs.

You’re now privy to thousands upon thousands of potential keyword ideas culled from a database exceeding 7 billion keywords updated monthly. The AI-powered system offers precise difficulty scores for each keyword so you know exactly which ones hold high-potential success rates for your campaigns.

Competitor Analysis Using Ahrefs

To maintain that competitive edge in today’s fast-paced market landscape requires more than just offering quality products or services – it means knowing how competitors operate too.

Say hello to the Site Explorer function offered by Ahrefs, allowing users to delve deep into their rivals’ backlink profiles and uncover link-building techniques they might be employing, alongside less obvious marketing tactics such as paid promotions and guest blogging opportunities.

Riding High Rank Tracking

This couldn’t be truer when talking about tracking website rankings across different search engines. A specific set of key phrases and words gives insight into the effectiveness of overall efforts in achieving desired visibility goals.

One particularly notable feature here is SERPs history, showing changes over time, which allows businesses to monitor progress effectively and make necessary adjustments based on trends revealed by these powerful analytics-driven data.

Key Takeaway:  While the interface can be a bit daunting for the SEO do-it-yourselfer, Ahrefs is a true power tool that can skyrocket your online presence. With features like keyword research, competitor analysis, and rank tracking at your fingertips, you can craft a killer SEO strategy that outshines competitors and drives traffic.

Ahrefs Pricing

Ahrefs pricing

Pricing starts at $99/mo for the Lite plan, and this often plenty for most small business needs. To access a few more features, bump up to the Standard plan at $199/mo.

Moz Local: DIY SEO Tool for Local Business

Moz Local

While Ahrefs and SEMrush are powerful tools for comprehensive SEO strategies, link-building, and content marketing, they’re broad-based and don’t have the same local focus as Moz Local.

Moz Local’s powerful suite of features include:

  • Data Cleaning: It offers robust data cleaning services by distributing your business information across trusted sites, directories, and apps, making it easier for local customers to find you.
  • Listing Management: Moz Local constantly monitors your listings for any changes and guarantees the accuracy of your online information.
  • Review Management: You can explore and respond to customer reviews directly from the dashboard, which is a great way to manage and improve your online reputation and visibility.

These features combine to enable businesses to have increased control over their online visibility, ensuring a consistent and accurate online presence.

Key Takeaway: As a local business owner, your potential customers are typically searching “best [your service or product] near me.” Moz Local ensures your business information is correct, consistent, and visible across the web. Along with its reputation management tools, Moz Local is the best tool of the three to improve your local search engine rankings. 

Moz Local Pricing

Moz Local Pricing

Locally-based business owners will be pleased to learn Moz Local is a steal at $20/mo for their most popular plan.

FAQs

What is an SEO tool?

Today’s SEO tools are powered by artificial intelligence to optimize website content, analyze competition, track keywords, and increase organic traffic.

What are the best resources for learning SEO?

I recommend going straight to the source: Semrush, Ahrefs and Moz each offer exhaustive tutorials and guides, 100% free.

Can AI write SEO articles?

Absolutely. Advanced AI tools can generate high-quality, optimized content that aligns with search engine guidelines and user intent. I recommend trying out a few: Scalenut, Jasper, Moonbeam and Writesonic are some excellent AI writing tools.

Conclusion

Positioning your website at the top of search engine results isn’t effortless, but these SEO tools can simplify the process, optimize your efforts, and help improve your organic rankings. They’re your secret weapon to boost website traffic, giving you a competitive edge.

Looking for more tools to give you that competitive edge? Check out my list of top AI-driven marketing tools.