My Take: 5 SEO Tools & Software For Small Businesses in 2025
written by
Victoria Kurichenko
posted on
February 20, 2025
I’ve been in the SEO game since 2019.
Back then, I worked full-time as an SEO specialist at a UX design agency and later at a SaaS company, using tools like Semrush and Ahrefs daily.
But in July 2022, I decided to go solo—building my SEO writing business and growing my website (yep, the one you’re reading right now).
Since I keep my marketing budget lean, I’m always on the lookout for the best SEO tools for small businesses that are either inexpensive or free.
Luckily, with all the AI SEO tools and AI marketing tools popping up lately, prices for software have dropped quite a bit.
Below, I’m sharing my top five tools that help me run my site and assist my clients with their projects.
Some are paid, and many offer free plans or trials so you can test them out.
Hopefully, you’ll find the perfect fit for your business!
How I picked these SEO tools for small business owners
You’ll find plenty of SEO software comparisons and reviews on my website, all based on the same simple criteria I use to test these tools myself.
Here’s what I look at:
- Ease of use – Can you figure it out quickly, even if you’re brand new to SEO?
- Does it do what it promises? – I check if the tool actually helps you achieve what it claims on its homepage (spoiler: not all of them do).
- Pricing – I cover free, paid, and budget-friendly options so you can find the best fit for your needs.
That’s it. Just three things. No overcomplicated scoring systems.
If an SEO tool for small businesses checks these boxes, it earns a spot on my list below.
5 SEO tools & software for small businesses I’ve used
- Semrush — Equip your entire marketing team with an all-in-one digital marketing tool
- Search Atlas —A new all-in-one SEO toolkit for anyone looking for an alternative to Ahrefs or Semrush.
- Koala Writer — Customize outlines, tweak the tone of voice, generate SEO-friendly listicles and Amazon reviews in different languages
- Google Search Console — Track your website performance, indexability, and technical issues with this free tool developed by Google
- Indexly — Speed up your website indexability, enable bulk indexing, analyze technical issues, track keyword rankings, and more (works well for ecommerce)
1. Semrush
If your team needs an all-in-one SEO solution, Semrush is a go-to option.
It covers everything—keyword research, on-page SEO, link building, technical SEO, PPC, social media, and content marketing—all in one place.
The Pro plan starts at $139.95/month, while the more advanced Guru plan is $249.95/month. But if you’re just getting started, the free plan is a great way to test the waters, and you can upgrade to Pro when you need more features.
I’ve used both the free and paid versions of Semrush to grow my site and manage client projects, and some of my favorite features include:
My go-to Semrush features are
- Keyword Magic Tools to discover tons of keywords from one seed keyword in seconds
- Keyword Overview report for keyword analysis
- Position Tracking to check keyword rankings
- Keyword Gap Analysis to discover keywords and pages that help my competitors grow
- On-page SEO Checker to discover on-page optimization ideas
- To name a few
Semrush also lets you run 10 free searches per day, which is often enough for small business owners to do quick research.
For more details, you can read my in-depth Semrush review in a separate article, where I discuss the pros and cons of this tool. Besides, I compare its performance to Ahrefs and Ubersuggest.
2. Search Atlas
Search Atlas is a relatively new player on the market. It’s also an all-in-one SEO tool for small businesses and established companies powered by AI.
It was launched in 2024, and it’s already making waves as a solid alternative to big names like Semrush and Ahrefs.
With Search Atlas, you can:
- Check organic traffic, keywords, and backlinks for any website
- See which pages and keywords bring in the most traffic for your competitors
- Analyze competitor backlinks
- Find the best keywords to rank for
- Optimize content and track rankings
- Run a technical SEO audit
- Discover link-building opportunities and automate outreach
- Automate SEO tasks with a WordPress plugin and the OTTO SEO feature
- Speed up content creation and optimization with the SEO Content Assistant
- …and a lot more!
Basically, instead of juggling multiple SEO tools, you get everything in one place.
I’ve only had a quick look, but from what I’ve seen, Search Atlas seems like a strong alternative to Ahrefs and Semrush.
Oh, and if you’ve used Ahrefs before, the interface might look familiar. It also packs quite a few features that are similar to Semrush.
Here’s a sneak peek at the Site Explorer feature:
Now, let’s talk about what makes Search Atlas stand out—OTTO SEO.
OTTO SEO is an AI-powered assistant that keeps an eye on your site. Just add a small tracking pixel, and OTTO will start analyzing your data, flagging technical issues, and suggesting content improvements—all in one dashboard.
It’s like having an SEO expert on autopilot, helping you boost rankings and organic traffic without the usual headache.
Search Atlas is more affordable than Ahrefs and Semrush. Pricing starts at $99/month for two user seats and five website projects.
3. Koala Writer
Koala AI is a helpful SEO content writing tool for marketers, site owners, and content creators who need long-form content, like blog posts, that’s already optimized for rankings.
Koala can help you optimize and speed up your content writing process.
Before generating content, you can tweak a bunch of settings to make sure the content fits your style and goals.
Here’s what you can customize:
- Outline (my personal favorite)
- Tone of voice
- Article length
- Language (it supports 97 languages!)
You can also set a target keyword, ask it to add an FAQ section, and even pull in real-time data.
As an SEO writer and a website owner, I mostly use Koala AI for blog post writing. But it can also be helpful for social media content, images, and even Amazon affiliate posts.
I published a Koala AI review, where I share my experience and examples of content I’ve created.
Fun fact: that review itself was generated with Koala AI. I just added a few personal touches to make it even better.
And according to Ubersuggest, it’s one of my top-ranking posts!
I’m not the only one who’s noticed this!
Semrush’s AI content marketing study found that over 76% of respondents said their AI-generated content ranked in two months or less.
This proves that small businesses can rely on AI to speed up their processes but ensure you do it wisely without compromising your content quality and long-term sustainable growth.
4. Indexly
Many site owners believe their content is instantly searchable the moment they hit “Publish.”
But that’s not how it works.
If you’ve just launched a website or run an online store with tons of product pages, you’ve probably seen these messages in Google Search Console, like “Crawled – Not Indexed” or “Discovered – Not Indexed.”
Annoying, right?
That’s why some pages just sit there unnoticed.
To stay on top of your site’s indexing status without the headache, I use Indexly.
It helps get my pages discovered, indexed, and ranked faster, which is especially helpful for new websites and ecommerce stores with lots of pages. It has an Instant Indexing report that flags any pages stuck unindexed, and with Bulk Index, you can submit them all at once if you think they deserve to rank.
Indexly now offers tools for rank tracking and keyword analysis, too.
While ranking updates take some time, you can still monitor impressions, clicks, CTR, and keyword positions—all in one place.
It’s incredibly useful!
5. Google Search Console
This is one of the best SEO tools for small and established online business owners, which is free.
Google Search Console is a web service created by Google that helps website owners measure and track their sites’ online performance.
Once set and verified, Google Search Console gives an extensive overview of your website performance, including
- Daily impressions change (drop or grow)
- Daily traffic changes (increases or decreases)
- Average CTR (click-through-rate)
- Whether your website pages have any technical issues
- Whether your website pages are indexed (if not, why)
- Whether your website has mobile usability issues
- If your website has any penalty from Google
The data comes from Google. Therefore, it’s more accurate than anything else.
Here’s what a GSC account looks for my website.
I recommend setting up Google Search Console right after you create your website.
It will help you track and understand many processes that happen to your website behind the scenes. In particular, you’ll be able to see how long it takes for Googe to index new pages (usually two weeks) and whether your new web pages are indexed.
If you experience any issues, you can check the Google Index Coverage report for more details. I also have an in-depth guide on how to do SEO for new websites that will help you avoid common SEO mistakes.
If your website is new, ensure to check Google Search Console data daily. This way, you’ll be able to spot any issues right away and ensure smooth website growth.
How much does SEO for small business cost?
SEO costs may vary depending on who you work with, whether it is an agency or an individual contractor.
According to Backlinko, the average monthly SEO services for small businesses cost on average $497.16.
Backlinko’s research found that SEO agencies make a lot more money than freelancers.
Agencies are twice as likely to charge $1,000–$2,000 per month, while most freelancers fall in the $500–$1,000 range.
It makes sense since agencies cost more because you pay for a team’s collective expertise. Even if you work with just one SEO specialist, they have an entire team behind them to brainstorm ideas, troubleshoot issues, and refine strategies. This can be a big advantage if you deal with complex SEO challenges.
Freelancers, on the other hand, usually charge less unless they’re well-known experts in the industry.
A skilled freelancer can sometimes outperform an agency. The real challenge? Finding the right person.
In my opinion, the following are vital SEO skills to look for:
- Have a portfolio of work or case studies
- Be able to demonstrate the impact of their work
- Have worked on at least 2-3 different projects
- Have experience in your niche
That last point is super important.
Someone who has worked in your industry before will already know what works and what doesn’t.
They’ll bring valuable insights from past projects, which makes them worth the investment, even if they charge a little more.
Have you tried any of the tools mentioned in this article? Or do you have a go-to SEO tool or software for small businesses that you swear by?
Drop your thoughts in the comments, and if you want more insights like this, join my newsletter!
Hello there!
My name is Victoria.
I am an SEO expert, Medium top writer, solopreneur, and the founder of Self Made Millennials. I help companies create optimized content and attract potential customers through organic search results. In addition, I share how content creators can monetize their writing skills.
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