15 Free SEO Tools That Replace a $100+/Month Subscription

Free keyword research

You don't need exact volumes to start. You need to know what people type and whether interest is rising.

1. Google TrendsFree · no account needed · compare up to 8 groups of terms (5 on the Classic page)

   Shows how interest in a search changes over time and by region, scaled 0 to 100 (relative, not raw searches).

   Best for: Comparing two ways of saying the same thing and spotting seasons.

   Ritik's note: Compare two or three ways of saying the same thing and set the region to your country. More than three lines gets hard to read.

2. Google Keyword PlannerFree to use · Google says you must finish account setup, including billing details

   Google Ads' keyword tool: keyword ideas and monthly search estimates straight from Google.

   Best for: Rough search volume and new keyword ideas from a seed word or a competitor URL.

   Ritik's note: You don't have to run an ad. Many people report seeing ranges (like 1K to 10K) instead of exact numbers on accounts that don't spend. Google's help page doesn't confirm this, so check your own account. Ranges are fine for picking topics.

3. Ahrefs Free Keyword GeneratorFree · no account · shows a limited set of ideas per search

   Type one word, get keyword ideas and questions for Google, Bing, YouTube or Amazon.

   Best for: Fast question ideas for blog posts and FAQs.

   Ritik's note: Switch to the 'Questions' tab. Those make the best FAQ sections.

4. Semrush Free planFree · 10 reports per day · 1 project · no card needed

   The free tier of Semrush: keyword, domain and site audit reports with caps.

   Best for: A quick look at a competitor's top keywords once in a while.

   Ritik's note: 10 reports a day is plenty if you plan what you'll check before you log in.

Free speed and mobile checks

1. PageSpeed InsightsFree · no account

   Paste any URL and get real-user Core Web Vitals (when Google has enough data) plus a lab test with fixes.

   Best for: Checking LCP (good under 2.5s), INP (under 200ms) and CLS (under 0.1) on your key pages.

   Ritik's note: Look at the Mobile tab first. Most local customers find you on a phone.

2. Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools)Free · built into desktop Chrome

   Built into Chrome. Audits performance, accessibility, SEO and more for any page you open.

   Best for: Testing pages before they go live, including staging sites PageSpeed can't reach.

   Ritik's note: Right-click > Inspect > Lighthouse tab > Analyze page load. Takes about a minute.

3. Microsoft ClarityFree · Microsoft says no traffic limits

   Heatmaps and session recordings that show where people click, scroll and leave.

   Best for: Finding out why a page that ranks doesn't convert.

   Ritik's note: Watch 10 recordings of your money page. You'll find a problem in the first five.

Free technical audits

1. Screaming Frog SEO SpiderFree · up to 500 URLs per crawl (paid licence £199/year)

   Desktop crawler that finds broken links, missing titles, duplicate pages, redirects and noindex tags.

   Best for: Small sites. 500 URLs covers most local business and early SaaS sites.

   Ritik's note: Sort the 'Page Titles' tab by 'Missing' and 'Duplicate'. Fix those first.

2. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (now "Ahrefs Free")Free for verified sites · 5,000 crawl credits per project per month · up to 1,000 backlinks/keywords shown

   Free Site Audit (170+ checks), Site Explorer for your own backlinks and keywords, and cookie-free web analytics.

   Best for: Seeing your own backlinks and a monthly health score.

   Ritik's note: Connect it with Search Console to verify fast.

Free schema and rich results checks

1. Rich Results TestFree · test a live URL or paste code

   Google's test for which rich results (stars, FAQs, products and so on) your structured data can earn.

   Best for: Checking schema after any template change.

   Ritik's note: Run it on smartphone mode, which is the default Google crawls with.

2. Schema Markup ValidatorFree · no account

   Schema.org's own validator. Checks all schema types, not only the ones Google uses for rich results.

   Best for: Catching errors in Organization, LocalBusiness or Person markup that the Rich Results Test ignores.

   Ritik's note: Use both tools. They answer different questions.

Free local and AI visibility

1. Google Business ProfileFree · only for businesses with face-to-face customer contact (not online-only)

   Your free listing on Google Maps and the local map pack: hours, reviews, photos, posts.

   Best for: Local businesses. Often the fastest way onto page one for 'near me' searches.

   Ritik's note: Use the exact same name, address and phone number as on your website.

If you only have 10 minutes: my starter setup

Do this once. It connects the two free tools that show your real data, then gives you a speed and schema baseline.

1. Minute 0 to 4: Search Console

   Add a Domain property, add the DNS TXT record at your domain provider, then submit /sitemap.xml under Sitemaps. DNS can take time to update, so come back later if verification fails.

2. Minute 4 to 6: Bing Webmaster Tools

   Sign in, choose Import from Google Search Console, pick your site. Done.

3. Minute 6 to 8: PageSpeed Insights

   Test your homepage and your main service page on mobile. Write down the three Core Web Vitals.

4. Minute 8 to 10: Rich Results Test

   Test your homepage. If no structured data is found, that goes on your to-do list.

The 20-minute free SEO workflow (every Monday)

Same order every week. You'll spot drops early and always have one thing to fix.

1. Minute 0 to 5: Search Console Performance

   Compare the last 28 days with the 28 days before. Write down total clicks. Sort queries by impressions. Copy 3 queries where you sit in positions 8 to 20. Those are this week's easiest wins.

2. Minute 5 to 8: Search Console Pages report

   Look only at "Not indexed" reasons for pages you want in Google. If a money page is missing, run URL Inspection on it and click Request indexing after you fix the cause.

3. Minute 8 to 11: PageSpeed Insights

   Test the one page that makes you the most money, Mobile tab. Write down LCP, INP and CLS. If one turned orange or red since last week, that's your fix.

4. Minute 11 to 14: Clarity

   Watch 3 recordings of visitors who landed on that same page from search. Note the spot where they stop scrolling or rage-click.

5. Minute 14 to 17: Bing Webmaster Tools

   Open Search Performance, then AI Performance. Note any page Copilot cited this week. That page is a model for the next one you write.

6. Minute 17 to 20: Pick one fix

   Choose ONE thing from the notes above: rewrite a title for a position 8 to 20 query, fix a slow image, or add a section that answers a question. Put it in your calendar for this week.

Weekly SEO log (copy into a sheet)

DATE: ____

SEARCH CONSOLE (last 28 days)
Clicks: ____ (last time: ____)
Impressions: ____
3 queries in positions 8-20:
  1. ____________  page: ____
  2. ____________  page: ____
  3. ____________  page: ____
Money pages not indexed: ____

SPEED (money page, mobile)
LCP: ____ s   INP: ____ ms   CLS: ____

CLARITY (3 recordings)
Where people stop or get stuck: ____________

BING
Pages cited by Copilot this week: ____

THE ONE FIX THIS WEEK
What: ____________  Page: ____  Done by: ____
Result next week: ____________

Worked example: one Monday on a small site (illustrative)

Made-up numbers for a made-up dental clinic, to show how the 20 minutes turns into one decision.

When free stops being enough

Common mistakes with free SEO tools

• Paying for a suite before Search Console is set up.

  Search Console shows real clicks. A paid tool shows estimates of the same thing.

• Reading Trends numbers as search counts.

  Google Trends shows relative interest on a 0 to 100 scale, not how many people searched.

• Chasing a 100 Lighthouse score.

  Google ranks with real-user Core Web Vitals. Pass LCP, INP and CLS on mobile and move on.

• Testing schema only in the Rich Results Test.

  It checks only Google rich result types. Use the Schema Markup Validator for the rest.

• Fixing every Search Console "not indexed" reason.

  Google says many of them are normal. Only act on pages you want in search.

• Opening ten tools every week.

  Use the 20-minute workflow. One fix a week beats a long report nobody acts on.