Taylor once sang in You Belong With Me about seeing potential others overlooked. That’s how I see small businesses in SEO. Even without huge budgets, you can still compete with bigger brands if you use the right free tools.
I’m Shrikant Bodke, a web developer and SEO-focused marketer. Over the last six years, I’ve helped small businesses in India and the UK grow online using smart, cost-effective strategies. In this post, I’ll walk you through the best free SEO tools for 2025 and how you can use them to improve your digital presence.
Google Search Console (GSC) is like the “Love Story” of SEO — simple, timeless, and powerful. It shows you how Google sees your site.
What it does:
👉 I use GSC regularly before optimizing blog posts like From Blank Space to Page One: Crafting SEO-Friendly Blogs.
GA4 helps you see who’s visiting, what they do, and where they drop off.
Why it matters:
👉 When paired with GSC, it’s like Folklore and Evermore — better together. For deeper strategy, see my blog on All Too Well (10-Minute Version) of Social Media Strategy That Still Works.
Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest offers a solid free version for keyword discovery.
👉 I recommend this for small businesses just starting SEO — simple but effective.
Want to know what people are actually asking? AnswerThePublic visualizes FAQs and search queries.
👉 Works perfectly with my guide on Speak Now: Voice Search SEO and the Future of Digital Marketing.
The free version lets you crawl up to 500 URLs.
👉 I use it for technical audits, which ties into my blog Why Web Performance Matters and How to Make Your Site Faster (Swift-ly!).
If you’re on WordPress, Yoast SEO is a must-have.
👉 See also my guest post: 5 Must-Have Plugins for Performance-First WordPress Development.
This extension shows keyword data directly inside Google search results.
👉 Ideal for quick checks while browsing.
Page speed matters. This tool checks Core Web Vitals and site performance.
👉 I use it alongside strategies shared in Shake It Off or Step It Up: The Future of SEO.
A free Chrome extension that shows domain authority and page authority at a glance.
👉 Useful for small businesses tracking competitor backlinks.
Enter your URL and get a performance + SEO grade.
👉 A great starting point if you’re new to audits.
You don’t need a big budget to win in SEO. With free tools, you can track performance, optimize content, and compete with bigger players.
Just like Taylor reminds us in her songs — small, consistent steps can lead to big wins. Start with a few of these tools, stay consistent, and watch your small business grow in 2025.
Next Read: From Blank Space to Page One: Crafting SEO-Friendly Blogs