Cheaper Tools for SEO than Semrush? Any Suggestions?

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Hey all,

I’ve been using Semrush for SEO but find the pricing a bit high, especially for smaller projects. I’m looking for more affordable alternatives or even free tools that still give solid results in keyword research, backlink analysis, and site audits.

Here are some things I need:

  • Keyword Research: Accurate search volume and competition data.
  • Site Audits: Tools that can help me spot and fix technical SEO issues.
  • Backlink Analysis: Insight into backlink profiles and competitors.

I know tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and Ubersuggest exist but they’re still expensive for the features. Are there any hidden gems or creative solutions out there for doing SEO on a budget?

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Keywords Everywhere offers a $27 yearly plan (Bronze plan) that lets you look up 100,000 keywords.

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Honestly, I don’t think much of SEMrush’s SEO Audit tool. I’ve done tons of technical audits, and SEMrush’s audit tool isn’t very useful. Often, web hosts block the crawler, which messes up the data. Plus, it reports issues that aren’t even real problems. I do love SEMrush for keyword research but not for audits or backlink data.

For keyword tracking, check out SEranking.com. For audits, try Sitebulb or Screaming Frog SEO Spider. If you can stretch your budget, Oncrawl and Deep Crawl are top-tier options.

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@NickParkerson
SERanking looks like a great option. It’s affordable and something I’ve wanted to try. Thanks for the recommendation .

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Benaiah said:
@NickParkerson
SERanking looks like a great option. It’s affordable and something I’ve wanted to try. Thanks for the recommendation!

+1 on this. I work for an agency that uses Semrush, but recently I’ve started working with my own clients. Semrush is super pricey, so I switched to SE Ranking, got the pro plan, and it’s been perfect so far. I’m still waiting a couple of months to see real results though.

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@NickParkerson
I’ve got Semrush, but I only use it for keyword research. Is SE Ranking just as accurate for keywords?

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SE Ranking is solid.

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I see a lot of people looking for alternatives to SEMrush, but honestly, this tool has excellent features. Use it to grow your website traffic and reinvest the revenue into renewing the software. A lot of people pay for renewal out of pocket, which causes the frustration.

9

For keyword research, try keysearch dot co. It’s much cheaper and I’ve used it for years.

As for site audits, I’m not sure why you need them, but seoptimer could work.

Backlink analysis is tricky, as most tools are expensive.

You didn’t mention SERP tracking, so check out serpfox if you need that.

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@Lilly
I’ve never heard of keysearch, but I’ll definitely check it out. Regarding site audits, I was mainly thinking about keyword ideas and things like that.

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@Lilly
Unethical hack: instead of paying for audit tools, you could always look for agencies offering free audits.

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WriteWandererWes said:
@Lilly
Unethical hack: instead of paying for audit tools, you could always look for agencies offering free audits.

Protip: free audits aren’t very reliable.

13

I’ve tried SEO Powersuite before and found it affordable for most of these tasks.

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For technical SEO, you can’t beat Screaming Frog for value. It’s a powerful tool that offers insane value.

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Rowen said:
For technical SEO, you can’t beat Screaming Frog for value. It’s a powerful tool that offers insane value.

Can you use it on multiple websites or is the license only for one?

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Check out SearchAtlas.

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You could try Mangools. It offers a free trial, and after that, the basics package costs about 50 bucks a month. It includes KWFinder for keyword research, LinkMiner for backlinks, and SERPChecker for audits.

Ahrefs is another good alternative, but it’s more expensive at 100 bucks a month. Still, it’s cheaper than Semrush.

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Honestly, we might create something custom, like a Google Looker Studio with data from GSC and Screaming Frog, replacing keyword rankings with search term insights and measuring off-page with GSC link data.

BigQuery might be ideal for this setup. We’ll see how it goes.

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Try going through SEO groups on Facebook. You can often find a good deal on tools there. You can message me if you want any SEO tips or details.

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Has anyone tried a tool called seo-stuff? It’s literally the name of the product. I’m currently using Google Keyword Planner but looking for something with more insights into how competitors do their SEO.

I’m also unsure about AHREFs’ starter plan… How fast do you really run out of the 100 credits? SEMRush seems pricey, and I don’t want to spend $150 just on research.