SEO with AI tools as a key part of the game is moving faster than ever. Google’s AI Overviews, Bing’s Copilot, and new privacy rules are reshaping search. Budgets are tight, but free tools can still handle most tasks. This stretches from audits to research.
So, here is an updated list of tools that offer real value without hidden costs.
Google Search Console is still the top free tool for SEO. It is the main data source for tracking organic performance, and two new updates make it even better. Search Console Insights now includes GA4 metrics like engagement rate, average time, and event conversions. You can now see which search queries bring in visitors who stay or convert, without switching reports.
Google also added Interaction to Next Paint (INP) to Core Web Vitals. Pages near the 200ms mark now show amber warnings before rankings drop. You can use the API with Looker Studio to flag slow pages. You can also use the Compare filter to track changes and find posts losing clicks after AI Overviews.
Ahrefs’ free tier still lets you verify up to three domains and crawl 5,000 URLs, which is pretty generous. A new feature is the Lite Content Gap tool that shows keywords your competitors rank for that you do not, along with search volume and difficulty. You can add up to three competitor domains, making it easy to plan blog topics for the next few months without paying for the full version. Another useful tool is the Link Opportunities report, which finds unlinked mentions of your brand or partners online. A quick follow-up email can turn those mentions into backlinks with very little effort.
Bing's market share is smaller than Google's, but its users often have stronger buying intent, especially in B2B, finance, and older age groups. Bing Webmaster Tools now includes Copilot, an AI assistant that reviews your crawl, backlink, and keyword data, and then suggests clear fixes like "15 blocked resources slowing CLS on product pages." You can even ask follow-up questions, which helps when explaining results to others. Performance data now covers 16 months and matches Google Search Console. So, seasonal patterns are easier to compare. Bing also links with Microsoft Clarity, letting you view heatmaps and session replays just for Bing traffic. It is great for checking behavior after Copilot SERP summaries.
Clarity gives you unlimited heat maps, scroll maps, funnel views, and session recordings with no limits per site. A recent update added rage-tap detection on mobile that flags when users rapidly tap the same spot. It highlights the session and counts taps so you can fix UX issues faster. With the Insights beta, Clarity's AI groups similar sessions and creates weekly summaries. You can copy these straight into dev tickets, making it much easier to share problems and save time.
Screaming Frog is still a go-to tool for technical SEO. The free version crawls up to 500 URLs, which is plenty for small sites or for spot-checking larger ones. With GA4 now required, Screaming Frog’s validator checks for the right gtag or GTM container ID and flags any pages missing event data. This is a huge help if you’re dealing with a partial GA4 setup. For smaller sites, try using “list” mode. Pull your top URLs from Google Search Console and crawl only those. This keeps you under the 500 URL limit while focusing on your most important pages, saving time and giving the best insights.
Semrush's free plan may seem limited with just one project and five keyword searches a day, but it still packs value. If you pair this new AI Content Outline Builder with the Keyword Gap tool, it becomes a strong content tool. Just drop in three competitor URLs, and you will get topic clusters and a rough H2/H3 outline. It will be perfect for building a blog briefly. You can switch to a new project again next month and repeat the process. The free Backlink Audit is also helpful, showing toxic links and your top 100 referring domains by authority. It is a simple way to build a solid outreach list without spending on extra link-building tools.
AnswerThePublic gives you two free searches daily. Now it is available with a cleaner layout that sorts results by intent groups like “why,” “where,” and “can I.” It also shows keyword difficulty scores pulled from UberSuggest. You can export the data into a spreadsheet, filter out anything over 30 KD, and you will have a clear list of easy-to-target keywords. To go further, pair this with AlsoAsked’s visual layout. It helps you decide which questions should become separate blog posts and which ones work better as FAQs or H2 sections on current pages. These tools together make content planning faster and more focused without extra cost.
AlsoAsked pulls questions from Google’s People Also Ask and turns them into a visual tree, three levels deep. With three free searches daily, you can map out full product lines in a week. A key new feature is scheduled queries. You can set weekly runs for your main keywords and get updates by email. It acts like a content-gap alert. If new questions like “How much does X cost in 2025?” show up, you will know it is time to refresh your content fast.
SEOquake is a powerful browser extension that offers quick access to useful SEO metrics. It includes on-page audits, keyword density checks, and social data. You can also link it with Google Search Console and Google Analytics for deeper insights. It is a handy tool for fast SEO reviews without switching platforms. This makes the tool one of the most useful free tools around.
Local SEO is growing in importance as Google shifts toward more personalized results. Even B2B companies in shared offices can benefit from local tools now. Map packs dominate the top of search results, and Google Business Profile Insights now tracks calls, chats, and direction requests in updated GA4-style graphs. You can also access 18 months of data instead of just six. Add your social media links and post updates to share offers or news directly in search and boost your local presence.
With GA4 being the standard now, these free tools will make it easy to track SEO performance. INP also replaces FID, which makes real user interaction a priority. As AI features reshape Search Engine Result Pages and cookies fade, these first-party tools keep the insights strong. When you use them in the right way, these free tools can deliver big results.
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March 14,2022
