As we move further into 2024, search engine optimization (SEO) remains a critical component of any successful B2B digital marketing strategy. With more businesses competing online than ever before, having the right SEO tools in your arsenal can make all the difference in driving qualified traffic, generating leads, and ultimately boosting sales.
As we move further into 2024, search engine optimization (SEO) remains a critical component of any successful B2B digital marketing strategy. With more businesses competing online than ever before, having the right SEO tools in your arsenal can make all the difference in driving qualified traffic, generating leads, and ultimately boosting sales.
For B2B companies, SEO is particularly important as business buyers conduct extensive online research before making purchasing decisions. In fact, studies show that B2B buyers are typically over 70% through the buying process before ever engaging with a sales representative. This means your website and online content need to be optimized to rank highly in search results and provide the information potential customers are seeking.
To achieve and maintain strong search engine visibility, savvy B2B marketers rely on a suite of specialized SEO tools. These tools help with everything from keyword research and on-page optimization to technical SEO audits, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and more.
In this article, we'll explore 15 of the top B2B SEO tools that should be on your radar in 2024. Some are comprehensive, all-in-one platforms while others are narrowly focused on specific SEO functions. But all of them can provide valuable data, insights and capabilities to level up your B2B SEO game.
1. Ahrefs [1]
Ahrefs is one of the most popular and powerful all-in-one SEO tools on the market, beloved by both agencies and in-house marketing teams. Its capabilities span keyword research, backlink analysis, content exploration, rank tracking, site audits, and more.
Some of Ahrefs' standout features include:
- Site Explorer for analyzing any website's backlink profile and organic search traffic
- Keywords Explorer for finding new keyword opportunities and analyzing their metrics
- Content Explorer for discovering top-performing content to inspire your own
- Rank Tracker for monitoring your keyword rankings across multiple locations
- Site Audit for identifying and fixing technical SEO issues
Ahrefs continually updates its massive database of live backlink and keyword data pulled from search engines, making it one of the most accurate and reliable SEO tools available. While not cheap with plans starting at $99/month, Ahrefs' comprehensive feature set makes it a worthwhile investment for B2B SEO.
2. SEMrush [2]
Like Ahrefs, SEMrush is an all-in-one marketing toolkit that covers the full SEO spectrum from keyword research and position tracking to on-page optimization, technical audits, backlink monitoring, and competitive intelligence.
Some of SEMrush's key capabilities for B2B SEO include:
- Keyword research and analysis tools to identify high-value keyword targets
- On-page SEO checker to optimize individual pages for target keywords
- Site audit tool for diagnosing and fixing technical and on-page issues
- Backlink audit and link building tools for boosting your backlink profile
- Position tracking to monitor your rankings for target keywords
- Competitive research tools to analyze your competitors' SEO strategies
SEMrush has both free and paid plans, with the pro plan starting at $119.95/month. It's a robust and user-friendly platform that provides all the data and tools needed to develop and execute a comprehensive B2B SEO strategy.
3. Moz Pro [3]
Moz is another veteran player in the SEO tools space, offering an all-in-one suite of software for SEO professionals. Its feature-rich platform covers keyword research, link building, site audits, page optimization, rank tracking, reporting, and more.
Some of Moz Pro's key features include:
- Keyword Explorer for finding new keyword opportunities based on metrics like volume, difficulty, and organic CTR
- Link Explorer for researching your own and your competitors' backlink profiles
- Site Crawl for performing deep technical SEO audits
- On-page Grader for optimizing individual pages for target keywords
- Rank Tracker for monitoring your keyword rankings across locations
- Custom reports and integrations with platforms like Google Analytics
Moz Pro plans start at $99/month, making it comparably priced to other leading all-in-one SEO tools. It's a solid choice for B2B companies looking for a comprehensive yet user-friendly SEO platform.
4. Google Search Console [4]
While not a traditional SEO tool per se, Google Search Console is an invaluable free resource provided directly by Google to help you monitor and troubleshoot your site's performance in search. It provides a wealth of data on how Google crawls, indexes and ranks your site.
Some of the key data and capabilities in Google Search Console include:
- Search performance data like clicks, impressions, CTR and average position
- Index coverage reports to identify indexing issues
- URL inspection tool to test how Google renders and indexes specific pages
- Core Web Vitals report to monitor page experience metrics
- Ability to submit new content for crawling and remove outdated content
- Data on internal and external links to your site
- Manual actions report to see if Google has penalized your site
For B2B SEO, Google Search Console is an essential tool for understanding how Google interacts with your site, diagnosing issues, and maximizing your visibility in organic search results.
5. Screaming Frog SEO Spider [5]
Screaming Frog is a desktop program that crawls websites' URLs and provides detailed reports on technical and on-page SEO elements. It's particularly useful for conducting comprehensive site audits and identifying areas for optimization.
Some of Screaming Frog's key capabilities include:
- Finding broken links, redirects, and duplicate content issues
- Analyzing page titles, meta descriptions, word counts, and keyword usage
- Generating XML sitemaps to submit to search engines
- Extracting data on page load speed, response codes, and directives
- Integrating with Google Analytics for deeper insights
- Crawling JavaScript rendered websites
While Screaming Frog has a free version, the paid licenses (starting at £149/year) offer more configuration options, faster crawl speeds, and unlimited URLs. It's an essential technical SEO tool for any B2B marketer.
6. Clearscope [6]
Clearscope is a content optimization tool powered by natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning. It analyzes the top-ranking content for your target keywords and provides a detailed report on what concepts and semantically related terms you need to cover in your own content.
Some of Clearscope's standout features include:
- Content grader to score your draft content against competitors
- Automated content briefs with word counts, related terms, and more
- Integrations with Google Docs, WordPress and other writing apps
- Reporting on search volume, keyword difficulty, and SERP features
- Ability to prioritize keywords based on traffic potential
Clearscope plans start at $170/month, making it a higher-end tool. But for B2B companies who rely heavily on content marketing and want to maximize their search visibility, it can be a valuable investment.
7. Semrush Writing Assistant [7]
Semrush's Writing Assistant is an AI-powered tool that provides real-time content optimization recommendations as you write. It analyzes your text against the top-ranking results for your target keyword and suggests ways to improve your content's quality and search potential.
Key features of the Semrush Writing Assistant include:
- Optimization score and recommendations for improving content quality
- Suggestions for adding relevant semantically related keywords
- Readability analysis and grammar/spelling checks
- Tone detection to ensure your writing matches the desired style
- Plagiarism checker to ensure your content is original
The Writing Assistant is included in Semrush's Guru plan starting at $229.95/month. It can be a huge time-saver for creating SEO-optimized content at scale for a B2B content marketing strategy.
8. Ubersuggest [8]
Ubersuggest is a freemium keyword research tool from Neil Patel that provides data on search volumes, keyword difficulty, paid/organic search traffic, and more. While not as robust as an Ahrefs or SEMrush, it offers a good amount of functionality for the free version.
Some of Ubersuggest's key features include:
- Keyword suggestions based on auto-suggestions and related searches
- Search volume and cost-per-click data for keywords
- Ability to look at keywords by country, language, and web or image results
- Site audit functionality to analyze on-page optimization
- Backlink data and monitoring of your link profile
Ubersuggest has both free and paid plans starting at $29/month. It can be a good option for B2B companies on a tight budget who still need basic keyword research and SEO optimization capabilities.
9. SpyFu [9]
SpyFu is a competitive research tool that provides data on your competitors' SEO and PPC strategies. This includes insights into their top keywords, ad copy, best ranking pages, and more. It can be an invaluable tool for uncovering opportunities in the B2B space.
Key features of SpyFu include:
- Organic and paid keyword research for any domain
- Competitive SEO data like keyword rankings and estimated traffic
- PPC data like ad variations, budget estimates, and top PPC competitors
- Backlink analysis to see your competitors' link profiles
- Rank tracking and reporting to monitor your SEO performance
SpyFu plans start at $39/month, making it relatively affordable compared to some other competitive research tools. For B2B companies looking to reverse engineer their competitors' SEO and PPC strategies, it can provide a significant edge.
10. Botify [10]
Botify is an enterprise-grade technical SEO platform that provides in-depth site crawls, log file analysis, and optimization recommendations. It uses the same rendering technology as search engines to provide accurate data on how they view and interact with your site.
Some of Botify's standout capabilities include:
- JavaScript rendering to analyze client-side interactions
- Crawl budget optimization to ensure search engines can access all content
- Hreflang tag implementation for multilingual/multinational sites
- Core Web Vitals monitoring and optimization recommendations
- Integrations with analytics platforms, CMS systems, and more
Botify doesn't publicly list pricing, as its plans are customized for enterprise clients. But it can be an invaluable tool for large, complex B2B websites looking to maximize their technical SEO and crawlability.
11. Majestic [11]
Majestic is a link intelligence tool that provides one of the largest databases of live backlink data on the web. It allows you to analyze your own link profile as well as research your competitors' backlink strategies.
Key features of Majestic include:
- Backlink history and anchor text data for any site
- Topical trust flow analysis to identify niche-relevant link opportunities
- Bulk backlink checking and monitoring
- Integrations with other SEO tools like Screaming Frog
- Customizable reports and data exports
Majestic has a free plan as well as paid options starting at $49.99/month. It's an affordable yet powerful tool for any B2B link building and off-page SEO efforts.
12. Mangools [12]
Mangools is an all-in-one SEO toolkit that includes tools for keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, SERP analysis, and more. While not as well-known as some other platforms, it provides a robust and cost-effective set of capabilities.
Some of Mangools' key tools include:
- KWFinder for keyword research and analysis
- SERPWatcher for tracking your keyword rankings
- SERPChecker for analyzing the search landscape for any keyword
- LinkMiner for prospecting new backlink opportunities
- SiteProfiler for conducting on-page audits and optimizations
Mangools offers both free and paid plans, with the premium plan starting at $49.90/month. It can be a good value option for B2B companies looking for an all-in-one SEO toolkit at a lower price point.
13. Frase [13]
Frase is an AI-powered content optimization platform designed specifically for B2B companies. It uses natural language processing and machine learning to analyze the top-ranking content and provide detailed briefs on what to include in your content.
Key features of Frase include:
- Automated content briefs with word counts, headers, FAQs, and more
- Content scoring based on how well it covers key topics
- Competitive content analysis to see how you stack up
- Integrations with tools like Google Docs, WordPress, and Surfer SEO
- Reporting on search metrics like volume, intent, and SERP features
Frase plans are customized based on factors like content volume and data requirements. While potentially pricey, it can be a valuable investment for B2B companies looking to scale their content creation while maintaining quality.
14. Surfer SEO [14]
Surfer SEO is a content optimization tool that uses AI and data analysis to provide recommendations for creating content that can outrank your competitors. It integrates with Google Docs and WordPress to streamline the optimization process.
Some of Surfer's key capabilities include:
- Content Editor with real-time optimization suggestions as you write
- Audit of the top-ranking content to identify gaps and opportunities
- Keyword research and clustering tools
- SERP analyzer to understand the search landscape
- Integrations with analytics platforms to measure content performance
Surfer SEO plans start at $59/month, making it relatively affordable compared to some other AI content optimization tools. It can be a good fit for B2B companies focused on creating high-quality content at scale.
15. Conductor [15]
Conductor is a comprehensive SEO platform designed with enterprise companies and large marketing teams in mind. It provides a suite of tools for technical SEO, content optimization, data integration, workflow management, and more.
Key features of Conductor include:
- InSite tool for technical audits and optimization recommendations
- Content mapping to align content with the customer journey
- Automated content briefs and optimization suggestions
- Rank tracking and visibility monitoring across search engines
- Integrations with analytics platforms, CMS systems, and more
- Customizable dashboards and reporting
Conductor doesn't publicly list pricing, as plans are customized for enterprise clients. But it can be an invaluable platform for large B2B organizations looking for a centralized SEO solution.
With the right combination of SEO tools in your arsenal, you'll be well-equipped to drive more qualified traffic, generate more leads, and grow your B2B business through organic search. The key is understanding your specific needs and goals, then investing in the tools that best align with your strategy and budget.
Whether you opt for an all-in-one platform like Ahrefs or SEMrush, or piece together a toolkit with individual tools for keyword research, technical SEO, content optimization, and more, having access to accurate data and optimization capabilities is essential. Prioritize tools that integrate with your existing marketing technology stack and provide scalable solutions as your SEO efforts grow.
And remember, while tools are critical, they are only as valuable as the strategy behind them. Pair your investment in SEO software with a well-defined plan, dedicated resources, and a commitment to continually adapting your approach based on results and industry changes.
With discipline and the right tools at your disposal, you'll be able to navigate the ever-evolving world of SEO and drive sustainable organic growth for your B2B business.
Citations:
[1] https://morningscore.io/best-seo-tools/
[2] https://targetinternet.com/resources/seo-tools-comparison-raven-seomoz-buzzstream/
[3] https://www.webconfs.com/5487/breaking-down-the-top-b2b-seo-tools-how-to-choose-the-right-one-for-your-business/
[4] https://www.semrush.com/blog/b2b-seo-tools/
[5] https://growfusely.com/blog/b2b-seo-tools/
[6] https://deck7.com/blog/7-favorite-seo-tools-of-b2b-marketers
[7] https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/b2b-seo/
[8] https://skale.so/b2b-seo/tools/
[9] https://elkhq.com/blog/b2b-seo-services
[10] https://www.gotchseo.com/best-seo-tools-for-agencies/
[11] https://searchengineland.com/top-enterprise-seo-tools-comparison-427350
[12] https://community.hubspot.com/t5/Content-Strategy-SEO/How-to-design-B2B-SEO-content-strategy-when-search-volumes-are/m-p/438629
[13] https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/192bkc7/best_seo_tools_and_other_marketing_tools_to_use/
[14] https://www.poweredbysearch.com/learn/b2b-saas-seo-tools/
[15] https://www.saffronedge.com/blog/tools-seo-b2b-marketing/
[16] https://www.wordstream.com/blog/best-seo-tools
[17] https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1269zj7/whats_the_best_seo_tools_right_now_in_the_market/
[18] https://zapier.com/blog/best-seo-tools/
[19] https://newnorth.com/the-top-5-seo-software-tools-for-b2b-tech-firms/
[20] https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/19cotre/can_any_one_suggest_best_free_seo_tool_in_2024/