The best SEO tools for a startup: a stack for one founder

Pre traffic: Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse, Bing Webmaster Tools, one keyword tool with a free view. One monthly report you read.

First traffic: add a desktop crawler and a simple rank view. Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Sitebulb for crawls. Use Search Console for ranks or add a tracker if you need daily checks.

Growing: pick one suite. Ahrefs or Semrush for breadth, or SE Ranking or Mangools for lighter budgets and simpler needs. Do not buy two suites at once.

You are not ranking yet. Set your measurement and speed checks. You only need tools that tell you if Google can see you and if your pages load fast enough.

• Google Search Console: free, shows search performance, indexing, sitemaps, Core Web Vitals and enhancements. It is pre click truth on queries, pages and impressions.
• Google Analytics 4: free, event based, shows sessions, pages, events and conversions. It is post click. It never reconciles exactly with Search Console.
• Bing Webmaster Tools: free with backlinks, keyword research and IndexNow. Set it up for extra data and indexing help.
• PageSpeed Insights: free, shows field data from the Chrome UX Report and runs Lighthouse. Use it for LCP, CLS and INP. Aim for 2.5 seconds LCP, 0.1 CLS, 200 ms INP.
• Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools: run it locally when you ship. It is a lab test. Use it to catch regressions before you deploy.

Add one keyword view to shape your first pages. Use Google Trends for interest over time. Use autocomplete and People also ask on your seed terms. AlsoAsked maps People also ask trees by country. AnswerThePublic draws autocomplete questions and prepositions. Keywords Everywhere can show volumes on the results page.

1. 1

   Verify Search Console

   Add both www and non www if relevant. Submit your sitemap at /sitemap.xml. Check Coverage and the Performance report weekly.

2. 2

   Wire up GA4

   Create a web data stream. Add the tag. Mark signups as conversions. Keep a landing page report. Check bounce on /pricing and /guides.

3. 3

   Check speed on key pages

   Run PageSpeed Insights on /, /pricing and your top guide. Fix any LCP over 2.5 seconds. Move slow third party scripts last.

4. 4

   Shape your first topics

   List ten buyer questions from People also ask. Example: for an uptime tool, write “What is SLA uptime” and “Uptime calculator”.

You now see impressions and a few clicks. Your next constraint is site quality and intent coverage. You need to crawl your site and watch positions on a shortlist.

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux. The free version crawls up to 500 URLs. The licence unlocks unlimited crawls, custom extraction, scheduling and API connections. It outputs tables you interpret.
• Sitebulb: desktop for Windows and macOS, with a cloud version. Known for explained audit hints with priorities and visual crawl maps. Good if you want guidance with the data.
• Search Console Performance report: free rank view with real impressions and average positions. Filter by query, page and date. Use 28 days for steady trends.
• A rank tracker when you need daily checks: Ahrefs Rank Tracker, Semrush Position Tracking, SE Ranking, or Mangools SERPWatcher. Pick one. Start with ten to twenty terms that map to pages.

1. 1

   Run a crawl

   Crawl your domain. Export titles, meta descriptions, canonicals and status codes. Fix missing titles and wrong canonicals first on / and /pricing.

2. 2

   Fix internal links

   Find orphan pages and thin hubs. Add links from /guides/getting-started to your key feature pages. Keep click depth low for money pages.

3. 3

   Track striking distance

   From Search Console, find queries with average position between 8 and 20. Example: “status page template” to /templates/status-page. Improve that page and its links.

4. 4

   Watch your brand terms

   Track your brand and product names. Example: “yourproduct uptime”. Aim for rich sitelinks and a clean snippet. Update your Organization schema if missing.

A suite saves time when you have more pages, rivals and content to plan. Choose one that matches your jobs. Do not try to reconcile two suites’ numbers.

If you only care about links, Majestic is a focused option. It runs its own index and offers Trust Flow, Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow by category. It is link only, no keyword or audit.

Moz Pro is a steady choice for education and a balanced toolset. It holds Keyword Explorer, Link Explorer, Site Crawl, Rank Tracking and On Page Grader. Domain Authority is Moz’s score, 0 to 100, relative and logarithmic. The MozBar browser extension is free. Moz Local serves local businesses.

Ubersuggest is aimed at beginners. It offers keyword ideas, content ideas, a site audit, rank tracking and backlink data with a free daily allowance. Its data is smaller than the large suites.

• Two large suites. Pick one. Use it well for six months before you consider a switch.
• A cloud crawler built for enterprises. Lumar and Oncrawl are strong but for large sites and teams.
• A Similarweb plan for keyword research. Similarweb estimates traffic and is useful for market sizing, not for your own audits or keywords.
• A backlink spam cleaner. Focus on earning links. Use Search Console’s Links report and only use the Disavow tool if you have a clear manual action risk.

You need a fast site for users and for ranking resilience. Use field data to judge. Use lab tests to debug. Work on the pages that drive money.

• PageSpeed Insights: start here for each key page. It shows field data from the Chrome UX Report and a Lighthouse run. Fix LCP and CLS first.
• WebPageTest: when you need a deep waterfall and filmstrip. Choose the device and location that matches your audience. Compare before and after a change.
• GTmetrix: built on Lighthouse with waterfalls. Useful for quick visual waterfalls and scheduled checks on paid plans.
• Chrome DevTools Performance panel: profile layout shifts and long tasks. Pair with the Web Vitals extension for live thresholds.

1. 1

   Pick three key URLs

   Use /, /pricing and your top converting guide. These are the pages that pay for fixes.

2. 2

   Measure field data first

   Check PageSpeed Insights. If LCP is over 2.5 seconds or CLS over 0.1, log the causes. Then run Lighthouse for lab clues.

3. 3

   Fix the largest asset

   Optimise or defer the LCP image. Inline critical CSS. Move third party scripts. Re test after each change.

4. 4

   Watch regressions

   Keep a monthly screenshot of PSI scores for these pages. Add a WebPageTest filmstrip before a big launch.

You do not need a hundred ideas. You need a set you can ship this quarter. One topic per page. Map each to intent and a URL.

• Use Search Console’s queries for what you already rank for. Expand striking distance terms into full pages or sections.
• Use one suite’s keyword tool: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Semrush Keyword Magic Tool, Moz Keyword Explorer or Mangools KWFinder. Note difficulty and SERP type.
• Use Bing Webmaster Tools’ keyword research for another view with volumes. Cross check intent in the live results.
• Use AlsoAsked to gather related questions. Turn a People also ask path into an FAQ on the page.
• SpyFu is useful to view a rival domain’s search and paid keyword history. It shows which themes they cared about over years.

1. 1

   Pick a comparison angle

   Example: “yourproduct vs rival”. Create /comparison/yourproduct-vs-rival. Use your suite to see terms and SERP features. Write what buyers weigh.

2. 2

   Cover a jobs to be done page

   Example: “uptime monitoring for Shopify”. Create /solutions/shopify-uptime. Use AlsoAsked to add FAQs a buyer asks.

3. 3

   Plan a hub and spokes

   Example hub: /guides/uptime-monitoring. Spokes: /guides/what-is-uptime, /guides/sla-uptime, /guides/uptime-calculator. Link between them.

Links still matter. You need to know who links to you, who links to rivals and where the gaps are. Start with your own data, then use an index.

• Search Console’s Links report: free and your truth for your own site. It is a sample but a good baseline.
• Ahrefs Site Explorer: strong backlink index with Domain Rating to compare. Use it for link gap checks against rivals.
• Semrush Backlink Analytics: useful alongside its competitive research modules when you choose Semrush as your suite.
• Moz Link Explorer: pairs with Domain Authority, long standing. Good for a second view.
• Majestic: focused on links with Trust Flow, Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow. Use it when you need topical analysis.

1. 1

   Check your referring domains

   Export your list from Search Console. Compare month on month. Aim for steady growth and no sudden spam bursts.

2. 2

   Run a link gap

   In your suite, list domains linking to rivalA.com and rivalB.com but not to yourproduct.com. Pitch three relevant pieces. Example: your uptime study.

3. 3

   Fix broken backlinks

   Find 404s with links. Create redirects to the closest page. Example: /blog/uptime-study-2024 to /blog/uptime-study-2026.

4. 4

   Earn listings that buyers read

   Target Show HN, BetaList, Indie Hackers, Uneed, MicroLaunch, Dev Hunt and Launching Next. These bring brand mentions that can turn into links.

AI overviews and assistants now cite sources on some queries. Track if they quote you on your buyer terms. Do not chase every tool yet. Keep it simple.

• Manual method: keep a list of ten buyer questions. Ask the main assistants monthly. Note if you appear and which page they cite.
• Tools that track AI visibility: Profound, Peec AI, Otterly, Scrunch, Semrush’s AI toolkit, Ahrefs Brand Radar. Choose one if AI is a material channel for you.
• Keep writing pages an assistant can cite. Clear claims, sources, dates and concise answers high on the page.

Your report should guide the next two weeks, not fill a dashboard. Keep three charts and three actions. Automate the pulls. Write the actions by hand.

• Search Console: Performance by page over 28 days. Add a filter for non brand. Note any page with rising impressions and flat clicks.
• GA4: Landing pages with conversions. Check /pricing, /signup and top guides. Mark any page with high traffic and low conversion.
• Looker Studio: connect Search Console and GA4 for one page you can open in a meeting. Add a notes box for actions.

We make Porteur. It is a growth report you buy once. It reads your site, the searches around it and the rivals on them from a URL, in about thirty seconds, free, and shows three findings whole. Connect Search Console and product analytics later if you want deeper analysis. It is not a rank tracker, not a crawler you run yourself, not a subscription.