Free SEO tools that cover most of what Semrush does

Quick answer

For a small business site, free tools cover most of what you would use Semrush for: Google Search Console for rankings and clicks, Bing Webmaster Tools for keyword volumes and a site scan, Google Keyword Planner for ideas, PageSpeed Insights for speed and Google Analytics for visitors. What you give up is competitor spying and convenience.

Paid SEO suites are built for agencies and marketers who track hundreds of keywords across many sites. A plumber, a salon or a local accountant usually needs to answer five questions: are we showing up, for what, is the site healthy, is it fast, and are visitors turning into enquiries? Free tools answer all five. Use this checklist to set them up once and know which one does which job.

The swap list: Semrush job, free tool

Set these up first

• Google Search Console. Verify your domain at Search Console. The Performance report shows the searches you appear for, your average position, impressions and clicks. This alone replaces the rank tracker most small firms think they need.
• Submit your sitemap in Search Console so Google finds every page, and check the Pages report for anything not indexed.
• Bing Webmaster Tools. Sign up at Bing Webmaster Tools; you can import your site straight from Search Console. Bing describes its keyword research tool as showing the phrases people search and their volumes, and it adds a Site Scan for technical errors and a backlinks report. Bing traffic is smaller, but the tools are useful for any site.
• Google Analytics. Install it, set up a consent banner, and mark enquiry form submissions and phone clicks as key events. Our guide to website analytics for beginners explains which reports matter.
• Google Business Profile. If you serve a local area, its performance figures show calls, direction requests and the searches that found you. Our free Business Profile checklist helps you improve it.

Find keywords without a paid tool

• Start in Search Console: sort the Performance report by impressions and look for searches where you appear on page two. Those are your quickest wins.
• Use Google Keyword Planner inside a Google Ads account for ideas. Without active ad spend it shows broad volume ranges, which is still enough to compare options.
• Check Bing’s keyword research for volumes on the same phrases.
• Type your main service into Google and note the “People also ask” questions and the related searches at the bottom of the page.
• Write the phrases your customers actually use on the phone. They are often better than anything a tool suggests.

Our guide to keyword research for beginners turns that list into a plan of which page targets which search.

Keep the list short. A small business site usually needs one page per main service and, if you cover several towns, a clear section on the areas you serve. Twenty well-chosen searches you can actually win are worth more than a spreadsheet of two thousand you never act on.

Check the site’s health

• Run your home page and main service pages through PageSpeed Insights and test the mobile result, not just desktop.
• Review Search Console’s Core Web Vitals and page indexing reports monthly.
• Run Bing’s Site Scan every quarter for broken links, missing titles and duplicate descriptions.
• Use our free SEO audit for a plain-English summary of the main issues on any page.

If speed is the problem, our guide to website speed for small businesses lists the usual fixes.

A monthly routine that takes an hour

1. Search Console: note clicks, impressions and any new searches you appear for.
2. Pick one page-two search and improve the page that targets it.
3. Check the indexing report for errors and fix any you find.
4. Analytics: count enquiries from organic search and compare with last month.
5. Business Profile: add photos, reply to reviews, post an update.

Free tools to treat with caution

• “Instant SEO score” sites. A single number out of 100 tells you little. Read the individual issues and ignore the score.
• Free trials that need a card. Diary the cancellation date the day you sign up, or you will be paying for a suite you used once.
• Browser extensions that estimate traffic. Third-party traffic estimates for small sites are often far from reality. Your own Search Console and Analytics figures are the truth.
• Anything promising guaranteed rankings or cheap backlinks. Those are sales pitches, not tools, and bought links can do lasting harm.

When free stops being enough

• You need to see competitors’ rankings and links in detail, which free tools cannot show.
• You are tracking many locations or hundreds of keywords.
• You are spending more time compiling reports than improving pages.

At that point the question is less “which tool?” and more “who does the work?”. Our comparison of DIY SEO and hiring an agency helps you decide. If you want it handled, our monthly SEO service is £249 a month and covers rankings, content, technical health, link building and clear reports. Every price is listed on our pricing page.