Key Points

Here are the 8 best SEO tools for increased revenue generation:

  • Google Search Console
  • Google Analytics
  • Google Keyword Planner
  • Google Trends
  • Semrush
  • Surfer
  • Moz Pro
  • PageSpeed Insights

SEO is an essential element of any publisher or content creator's traffic-building strategy. But mastering this critical skill is easier said than done. From on-page prowess to technical SEO know-how, building up your SEO chops is a hefty chore.

If you can get it right, you’re on your way to the top of the search results in no time.

Fortunately, there are hundreds of SEO tools out there. Whether it’s helping with keyword research or the analysis of growth metrics, let's take a deep dive into several of the best SEO tools for publishers and content creators.

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SEO and Ad Revenue Pillar

Read the Complete Guide to Balancing SEO and Ad Revenue

Google Search Console

There’s no reason why even the most budget-strapped publishers should avoid mastering their SEO. Thus, we start our list of the best SEO tools with an oh-so-reliable, freebie. 

Up first? Google Search Console. 

Consider this the heartbeat of your website. Search Console is a free service from Google that gives you access to essential metrics so you can monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s online presence.

Insights into how Google views your site? Check. Reports on search traffic and popular queries? Absolutely. Performance stats and possible search engine ranking issues? It’s all there, and it’s all free.

Google Search Console

Google Analytics

Our next free SEO tool is Google Analytics, also known as GA4. 

This is another free tool from Google. It gives you deep insights into visitor behaviors, engagement, and demographics to help you understand your audience better and gauge the effectiveness of your quality content.

There is so much you can do with GA4, and it’s highly customizable.

It also has a lot packed under the hood. This latest version of Analytics offers machine learning assistance to fill in the gaps in user activity left behind when users opt out of cookies — which will soon become the norm.

Want to know where users are coming from? How about which pages are getting the most views? GA4 has you covered.

Google Analytics

Google Keyword Planner

Google’s Keyword Planner helps you research keywords — although I'm sure, that was obvious.

While it’s technically a PPC advertising tool, it can double as a keyword research tool for SEO. It might not have all the bells and whistles of some of our other keyword research tool options, but for a free service, there’s a lot you can do.

Within the tool, you can find new keywords and get search volume and forecasts. For keywords, you can start with a keyword related to your site, or you can work backward by searching your URL and seeing what relevant keywords the tool suggests.

With the volume and forecast tool, users are able to use a list of keywords to see search volumes and even see Google's prediction for the number of clicks and impressions you’ll get from each one.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Trends

While it might not seem like an SEO tool at first glance, Google Trends can be a welcomed addition to any publisher's digital toolkit.

This free tool analyzes Google search data and shows how often a keyword or phrase comes up in Google search results over time. It can also show you related topics and searches, as well as where those searches are coming from.

Here are a few ways this can help improve your SEO strategy:

  • Find trending topics
  • Improve keyword research
  • Plan niche content
  • Optimize your existing strategies

Consider this a bit of an add-on. You’ll still need to master other tools to find the right keywords, but Trends can help you get a bead on what’s popular so you can act fast.

Google Trends

Semrush

Now it’s time to get into the heavy hitters — the paid SEO tools.

Semrush is one such tool that offers features for keyword research, competitor analysis, website SEO audit, and much more. It can give you deep insights into your site’s performance and provides actionable tips that can supercharge your SEO strategies.

It really is an all-in-one SEO wonderland. Here’s a short list of included features:

  • Keyword research
  • On-page SEO
  • Content marketing
  • Local SEO
  • Position tracking
  • Link building
  • Content optimization 

There are probably a few dozen features all told. But all this value comes at a cost. For the Pro plan, which still doesn’t include the full feature package, expect to pay $129 per month.

Semrush

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Surfer

Surfer is another feature-packed SEO tool but with a specialty in on-page optimization.

It can help you research keywords, analyze SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), build relevant content, find LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords, go through natural language processing (NLP) analysis, and much more. It might not pack the SEO punch of Semrush, especially in terms of keyword analysis, but it makes up for it with AI integrations and content creation tools.

With just a few clicks and the right keywords, Surfer can spit out an optimized outline so you can get to crafting quality content fast. It uses NLP to uncover the right keywords to use and presents them in a neat list that gamifies the drafting process. 

It can even craft that content for you using the latest in generative AI. 

An “Essential” package from Surfer will set you back $69 a month. And, if you want to add AI integration, that will make the total monthly cost $119.

Surfer

Moz Pro

There are many flavors of SEO tools. In many cases, the right one comes down to preference. 

Moz Pro is another all-in-one paid suite of SEO tools. It offers site audits, keyword research, a rank tracker, link analysis; you name it. What Moz is known for, though, is its Domain Authority metric. This predicts how well a website will rank in the search results based on various factors.

If you’re looking to get started using Moz Pro, the lowest tier package will set you back $99 per month or $79 per month if you want to pay yearly. 

Moz Pro

PageSpeed Insights

Page load speed is an often overlooked aspect of search engine optimization. While it dives into the technical SEO side of things, which can turn many people away, it’s an essential part of keeping Google happy — especially if you’re dabbling in ad monetization.

PageSpeed Insights (PSI) is another free SEO tool from Google. It’s last on our list because it doesn’t really cover the same aspects of SEO as our other tools. Its role is to analyze the content of a webpage, give a speed analysis, and offer suggestions to make the site faster.

Faster page load speed means a better user experience, and a better user experience means you’ll get higher on the Search Engine Results Pages. 

PSI will give a web page a score out of 100. A higher score means better performance, and it's pretty easy to use. All you need to do is load up a URL, and PSI will shoot back a performance report based on what a desktop and mobile user will experience.

The core web vital report will cover things like the largest contentful paint (LCP), cumulative layout shift (CLS), first contentful paint (FCP), and much more. It can also give you insights into performance, accessibility, and even SEO best practices.

PageSpeed Insights

Start Your Monetization Journey with Playwire

So there it is, the best SEO tools available today. Now that you have the list in hand, it’s time to get out there, experiment, and master your chosen SEO equipment. Whether you want to go the free route, partner with an AI assistant, or just dive deep into a treasure trove of data, you’ve now got the tools for the job.

Once you’ve got the SEO strategy down and you're gaining users, you’ll probably want to turn your attention toward monetization strategies. 

Here at Playwire, our mission is to empower publishers of all shapes and sizes with the ad tech tools they need to not only maximize their revenue but keep their users happy. Get in touch with the team today to learn more about how a partnership with Playwire can propel your digital brand.

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