Rapid-Fire SEO Software Buying Guide

Search engine optimization is the process of influencing a brand's position (specifically its digital presence including and most commonly website pages) within the results of search engines.

The popularity of the practice is immense and as a result there is immense competition - the draw being that brands/companies do not have to pay for placement as they might with digital advertising, and do not have to actively (and continually) push their messages and offers to prospects (but rather pull them from these channels with content and experience) as they might with email or social media. 

There are today an abundance of software solutions catering to those companies and marketers looking to employ search engine optimization best practices into their current digital promotion initiatives. The providers, including those listed below, typically offer a range of technical and content-related features such as keyword analysis, backlink identification and tracking, general trend analysis, and include numerous other capabilities designed to help their clients improve relevance and value to users' queries. 

The focus and features of each solution varies greatly by provider, of course, so it benefits brands considering the use of these offerings to explore what makes each unique, the cost to value proposition, and more, in order to determine optimal fit for their enterprise. 

BASIC SEO Software Selection Criteria

+ FEATURES: Does the software solution provide a comprehensive set of features capable of supporting your brand through the various steps of its SEO campaign, including keyword research, on-site SEO, link building, rank tracking and auditing/analysis? Understand your expectations and identify goals and how the available solutions lead marketers to that end. 

+ COST: Since SEO software solutions vary widely in terms of their functionality, so does the pricing. The cost of such offerings depends not only on the range of features provided, but also the data that is being consumed in some cases. The number of keywords tracked and the number of reports generated, for example, might influence the monthly expenditure as most offerings are offered on a subscription basis. 

+ SUPPORT: Search engine optimization is not an easy initiative to undertake – it requires collaboration between departments, a rigorous dedication to content development and experience design, and ongoing analysis. Any way that an SEO software solution that offers educational guidance, direct product support or an active community in order to provide support should be an imperative.