The Best Free SEO Tools for eCommerce
The only thing better than an awesome SEO tool is an awesome SEO tool that’s free.
Having the right set of tools is key to successful SEO campaigns. From conducting keyword research to monitoring analytics and identifying technical issues, this list of free SEO tools will help you work smarter – not harder – and accomplish your eCommerce SEO goals with ease.
When it comes to free SEO tools, there isn’t much you can’t accomplish within Google’s slate of services. Here are some key services the search giant offers that will optimize your SEO without putting a dent into your budget.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is the top keyword research tool out there right now. Why? Its data comes straight from the source: Google. Keyword Planner is a must-have for anything keyword research related; including searching for new keywords or ideas, finding search volume for a list of keywords, analyzing traffic estimates for keywords, and parsing keyword data by country.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console (previously Google Webmaster Tools) allows SEO professionals to monitor search appearance, search traffic, crawl stats, and indexing issues. Here are some things you can do in GSC: submit sitemaps, check robots.txt files, and see clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position for top queries or pages. Also, users can monitor internal and external links, find 404 error pages, and utilize the Data Highlighter tool to draw attention to certain elements of structured data.
Google Search
Google itself can always serve as a very useful SEO tool. Users can examine how many pages from their site are indexed, discover duplicate pages, scope the competitive keyword landscape, and find related search terms. Utilizing site command searches on Google is a must-do for eCommerce SEO management. Here are some useful site command searches to try.
- “site:example.com” to see indexed pages only within a given domain.
- “site:example.com inurl:example” to search specific text in the indexed URL’s.
- “site:example.com inurl:https” allows you to see secure pages indexed by Google.
- “site:example.com –inurl:example” allows one to search anything besides that specific text.
- “site:example.com example text goes here” will search all content of a page within that site.
Site command searching on Google helps SEO analysts learn how to handle sites and pages based on the type of content Google delivers. Specific search results inform users on the customer journey: what are shoppers typically searching for? Site commands can provide some great insights and content ideas, especially if your goal is trying to appear for that keyword term.
Google Trends
Google Trends is a versatile tool that uses real-time data to help search marketers analyze search behaviors over time. Users can research topics and keyword terms to discover useful information like interest over time, interest by region, related topics, and related queries. This tool also helps users explore trends within web, image, Google shopping, or YouTube searches as well.
Google Structured Data Testing Tool
This handy tool allows users to diagnose, test, and validate new or existing structure data pages. Enter a URL, and the tool verifies schema or any other type of structured data markup.
Non-Google Free Tools
Google can provide almost anything an SEO analyst would need to optimize eCommerce search operations. That being said, there are a number of third-party tools that can take your SEO practices to the next level, at no cost to you.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider Crawling Tool
The Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool is one of the top site crawlers out there, especially for larger eCommerce sites. The tool uncovers critical SEO data for each page and presents it in an organized, downloadable spreadsheet.
The free version limits crawls to 500 URL’s, but includes valuable SEO information such as broken links, errors, redirects, page titles, meta descriptions, hreflang attributes, duplicate pages, and XML sitemap generation.
SERP Snippet Optimization Tool
A personal favorite is the SEOmofo Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool. Craft your metadata within this tool, and it will predict how your page will show in Google’s Search Results. Some handy features include adding rich snippet text along with review stars, configuring URLs, bolding selected keywords, and featuring sponsored links.
Free MOZ Tools
Last but not least are the free tools from MOZ. Keyword Explorer provides monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, keyword opportunity, and keyword priority information. Use Open Site Explorer to research backlinks and find link-building opportunities.
MozBar is a free toolbar that provides you with instant on-page metrics including keyword highlighter, page elements, HTTP status, domain authority, and SERP analysis export capabilities.
