I’ve been trying out free tools like Google Keyword Planner and Google Analytics, but they don’t seem to be giving me the guidance I need.
What I’m looking for is something that can guide me step-by-step. I need a tool that will review my pages, suggest improvements, and even provide content I can add. Maybe something that could even recommend blog posts.
I have a budget of about $100 per month for software. Some options I’ve heard of include:
Localo
LocalID
SpyFu
SemRush
Moz Local
Ahrefs
Hike SEO
RivalFlo
SEOptimer
Clearscope
WooRank
BrightLocal
Screaming Frog
I’m talking to a few companies, but their prices are too high for our budget. I need a tool that can guide me, not just give me a bunch of analytics I have to figure out myself. Any recommendations?
Nathan Gotch’s videos on YouTube helped me a lot. I think it’s best to learn the basics yourself. With your budget, you could use Screaming Frog for free to fix technical SEO issues on your URLs.
For content-related SEO, Keywords Everywhere is a good, affordable tool.
Look up some YouTube tutorials to guide you along the way.
Is your site on WordPress? If it is, use an SEO plugin like All In One SEO and follow tutorials to set it up right. The plugin will guide you on optimizing each page.
Add local business schema, FAQ schema, and other relevant schemas to your pages.
Optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP) by filling out all the details: photos, services, hours, social links, and posts. Aim for a green profile strength.
After that, run a citation building campaign with Brightlocal to create around 100+ citations.
Wait a few months and check your ranking. If you’re not in the top 10, consider a press release or other local SEO methods like map stacking.
If you’re still not top 5, assess your competitors and see how much authority they have. You might need to pay for a small SEO audit to get further insights.
I was in a similar situation when I was growing a small business with a tight budget. I needed something simple and easy to follow.
I ended up going with LowFruits. It’s affordable and does a lot of what you’re asking for. It’s very user-friendly, and for your budget, you should be able to unlock most of the features you need.
Unfortunately, no program is going to be able to fully guide you step-by-step. Most tools are designed to give you data, not really show you how to act on it.
One tool you could try is SearchAtlas with its AI tool Otto. The $99/month plan allows you to use Otto on one site. You could try the one-click deployment for SEO recommendations and see how it works.
It’s probably the easiest, most affordable option I can think of right now.
For the closest thing to what you’re asking for, I’d recommend Ahrefs. It has a site audit feature that will highlight site errors, and its competitor analysis tool shows you what your competitors are ranking for.
However, there isn’t a perfect software that will do everything for you. In the end, you might need an SEO expert who knows how to identify what’s missing in your site.
Screaming Frog and SemRush are good tools for SEO audits. They give you clear suggestions for improvements, whether it’s technical fixes or content tweaks. They break tasks down into easy steps.
At $100/month, they are useful, but they’re not as hands-on as an agency would be. You might want to look into Seahawkmedia.com, which offers affordable SEO services and is geared towards smaller businesses with limited budgets.
Screaming Frog and SEMrush are great if you already know what you’re doing. If you’re new to SEO, the free versions could be helpful for a small site like yours.
For more streamlined, actionable SEO advice, consider hiring a freelancer or a small agency. There are plenty of SEO professionals on this forum who could help.