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Free tools

This page explains each free SEO tool, how to use it, what its result means, and how many times you can run it each day.

All the tools are listed at /tools. Each tool page has a short "how to use it" list, and explains each result in plain words when it shows it. The data comes from live Google search data. A tool shows you what it found. It does not promise a ranking.

Daily runs

The limits below count runs in a rolling 24 hours. They are counted per person when you are signed in, and per your internet connection when you are not. A result that comes from a recent saved copy is free and does not count. When you hit a limit, the page tells you how long until your next run frees up.

Tool No account Free account
Keyword research 3 10
SERP snapshot 3 10
On-page auditor 3 10
Backlink overview 1 5
Backlink gap Account only 1
Keyword gap Account only 1
AI visibility 1 5
Content brief 1 3
Local pack check 1 5
Brand monitor 1 5
Content scorer 5 5

Paid plans get higher limits and more features. For example, CSV export, saved runs, longer lists and more competitors per run. See Credits and billing.

A free account needs no card. You create one at /register. Signed-in members also see their recent runs on each tool page.

Which tools need an account or a quick robot check

Tools marked "Account only" above ask you to sign in first (a free account, no card).

Five tools cost the most to run: Backlink overview, AI visibility, Content brief, Local pack check and Brand monitor. If you are not signed in, you first pass the site's spam check. It runs by itself in your browser (it is reCAPTCHA). If it asks for confirmation, press the button again. If the site does not offer that check, you go straight to the result. Signing in skips the check.

If the daily spend for free lookups on the site has run out, the tool tells you to come back tomorrow.

Keyword research

/tools/keyword-research

What it does. Shows how many people search a phrase each month, how hard it is to rank for, what searchers want, and related keywords and questions.

How to use it.

  1. Type the phrase a customer would search, such as "bookkeeper brisbane".
  2. Pick the country you sell in. Australia is the default.
  3. Read difficulty and intent first.
  4. Click any related keyword to look that one up.

What the result means.

  • Monthly searches: Google Ads volume for last month, for that country.
  • Keyword difficulty (0 to 100): how much competition the phrase has. Lower is easier. It is a guide to the competition, not a prediction.
  • Searcher wants (intent): for example learning, comparing or buying. It tells you what type of page suits the phrase.
  • Cost per click: what advertisers pay. A high number usually means the phrase has commercial value.
  • Best page type: the kind of article that matches what ranks now.
  • Google features: extras on the results page, such as an AI Overview or map pack, and what each means for you.

Visitors see up to 10 related ideas, free accounts see 20, and the Starter plan sees 50.

SERP snapshot

/tools/serp-snapshot

What it does. Shows the first page of Google for a search right now: who ranks, which Google features appear, and where your site sits.

How to use it.

  1. Type the search you care about.
  2. Add your domain to find your position. Leave it blank to just see who ranks.
  3. Phone results are the default, because most searches happen on a phone.
  4. Read the features list. An AI Overview or a map pack changes what kind of page can win.

What the result means. Your position is where your page appears in the top results. If your site is not found, it is not in the top 20. Features are things that take space above or beside the normal results. Visitors see 10 results and free accounts see 20.

On-page auditor

/tools/on-page-auditor

What it does. Checks one page the way Google loads it: title, description, headings, signs about whether the page can be indexed, speed and Core Web Vitals. It gives a plain fix for each problem.

How to use it.

  1. Paste the full address of the page. Use the actual page you want found, not just the home page.
  2. Phone is the default.
  3. You can add a competitor page to compare against.
  4. Do the "Fix first" items before anything else.
  5. Run it again after your changes. Signed-in members see how many problems were fixed since last time.

What the result means. The page shows the number of problems and checks passed, the page status (200 means it loads normally), and speed measures with a rating each. A problem marked "Fix first" can stop the page being found at all.

Pro plans can also crawl up to 100 pages of a site, and Agency up to 500.

Backlink overview

/tools/backlink-overview

What it does. Shows how many websites link to a domain, how strong its links are, the words used in the links, and whether anything looks spammy.

How to use it.

  1. Type a domain without https://, such as example.com.au. Subdomains are included.
  2. Check your own domain, then a competitor's.
  3. Compare the referring domains.

What the result means.

  • Domain rank (out of 100): a strength score on the data provider's scale.
  • Referring domains: how many different sites link. This matters more than the total number of links.
  • Spam score: lower is better.
  • Broken backlinks: links that point to pages that no longer load.

Visitors see 5 link-text rows and free accounts see 10. The full list of referring domains starts on the Starter plan.

Backlink gap

/tools/backlink-gap

What it does. Lists sites that link to your competitors but not to you. It gives you a starting list for asking for links.

How to use it.

  1. Enter your domain and one competitor that ranks above you.
  2. Work down the list from the highest rank. Directories, associations and suppliers are usually the easiest.

What the result means. Each site on the list already links to businesses like yours. A free account compares one competitor. Plans compare more: up to 2 on Starter, 5 on Pro, 10 on Agency. With more than one competitor, the list shows the sites that link to all of them. These are the strongest prospects.

Keyword gap

/tools/keyword-gap

What it does. Shows the searches your competitors rank for that you do not, with volume and difficulty. Each one is a page you could write.

How to use it.

  1. Enter your domain and a competitor that wins the customers you want.
  2. Pick the country you sell in.
  3. Start with keywords that have some volume, a difficulty under 30 and a buying or comparing intent.
  4. Press "Write" to start an article for that keyword.

What the result means. A keyword in the list is one the competitor ranks for and you do not. Volume tells you how many people search it. Difficulty tells you how hard it is.

AI visibility

/tools/ai-visibility

What it does. Checks whether Google's AI answers and ChatGPT cite your website, for which questions, and whether they name your business.

How to use it.

  1. Enter your website's domain.
  2. Add your business name to also check whether AI answers name you.
  3. Read the questions where you are cited.

What the result means. A citation count shows how often an AI answer linked to your site. The pages that are cited are working for AI search, so keep them accurate. No citations is common for small sites. The result page explains what usually changes that.

Content brief

/tools/content-brief

What it does. Builds a writing brief from the pages that rank right now: how long to write, which topics they all cover, the questions to answer, and an outline.

How to use it.

  1. Type the keyword.
  2. Pick the country you sell in. The brief reads the pages that rank there.
  3. Wait 20 to 40 seconds. The tool reads the top pages themselves.
  4. Use the outline as a starting point and add what only you know: examples, prices, local detail.

What the result means. The brief tells you what the current top pages cover. It does not tell you what will rank. SEO-AI's paid article writing goes further. See Writing an article.

Local pack check

/tools/local-pack

What it does. Shows where your business appears in Google Maps for a search made in a particular suburb or postcode.

How to use it.

  1. Type the search a local customer would use, such as "electrician".
  2. Enter the suburb or postcode they search from. Add the state if the name is common, for example Richmond VIC.
  3. Enter your business name exactly as it appears on Google, or your website domain.

What the result means. "Your Maps position" is where you appear in the Maps results. A position of 1 to 3 is in the map pack. "Not in top 20" means you are not in the first 20 Maps results from that point. Your rating and review count are shown beside the top result's review count.

The free check looks at a single point. Pro runs a grid of 3 by 3 points around you, and Agency a grid of 5 by 5, to show how your position changes across the area.

Brand monitor

/tools/brand-monitor

What it does. Shows what people find when they search your business name: your site, your profiles, or someone else.

How to use it.

  1. Type your business name the way customers search it.
  2. Add your domain so the tool can recognise your own site.
  3. Look at anything marked "Someone else". It might be a competitor, a business with the same name, or press.

What the result means. The results are grouped as your site, your profiles, or someone else. On a plan, you can track your brand search every night in the rank tracker and get an alert if you slip.

Content scorer

/tools/content-scorer

What it does. Scores text you paste in, from 0 to 100, with a fix for each failed check. It uses the same scoring engine as SEO-AI articles. See How scoring works.

How to use it.

  1. Enter your focus keyword.
  2. Paste your article. It needs at least 100 words.
  3. Optionally enter your email address to get the full list of checks.
  4. Press "Score my content".

What the result means.

  • The big number is the overall score. The label beside it is a band: Elite (90 or more), Ranking-ready (75 or more), Needs work (60 or more) and Draft (under 60). The label describes the checks. It does not predict how a page will rank.
  • Each check shows a score and a pass or fail, and a fix when it fails.
  • A check marked "n/a" could not be worked out for your text. It is left out of the score.
  • Without an email address, you see the top line and 5 checks. With an email address, you see them all.
  • Below the checks, you see readability formulas and signs of human writing for your text.

Scoring from the public page is limited to 5 a day. A request made from inside a signed-in workspace is allowed 30 a day.

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