The Top 8 Website Traffic Analysis Tools
What exactly is sending traffic to your website? What country constitutes your largest user base? What keywords are you ranking highest for that are sending people to your site? What are your top-performing pages? When do you experience spikes and dips in traffic? And most importantly, how do you stack up against your competitors? These are the kinds of questions you need to be able to answer, and website traffic analysis tools can help you do just that.
Thanks to website traffic analysis tools, you don’t have to gather all of this information manually. They can do much of the heavy lifting for you.
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Here are the best website traffic analysis tools that we rounded up for this article:
- SE Ranking: A professional SEO platform that offers tools for all major SEO tasks. It allows you to analyze any website’s SEO and Google Ads traffic.
- Similarweb: This tool focuses on competitive intelligence and website traffic analysis, allowing to you analyze the strategies used by your rivals and use them as catalysts for your own growth.
- Ahrefs: This tool is known for its extensive backlink database, but it also offers organic and paid traffic analysis features to help you understand what drives users to websites.
- Semrush: An all-round platform for SEO, PPC, SMM, and other marketing initiatives. This tool lets you review traffic analytics from different angles.
- Ubersuggest: This is one of the most budget-friendly options for gaining insights into your competitors’ SEO strategies.
- Sitechecker: This platform lets you track your website health, optimize it for better performance, report on your efforts, and analyze traffic for multiple sites.
- WebCEO: This tool offers features for SEO and digital marketing and provides detailed insights into site traffic.
- Google Analytics + Search Console: These free tools by Google are a must-have for any SEO. They allow you to measure and track the traffic your website gets from different sources.
SE Ranking
Winner!
Similarweb
Ahrefs
Semrush
Ubersuggest
Sitechecker
WebCEO
SE Ranking
Winner!
Similarweb
Ahrefs
Semrush
Ubersuggest
Sitechecker
WebCEO
SE Ranking
Winner!
Similarweb
Ahrefs
Semrush
Ubersuggest
Sitechecker
WebCEO
SE Ranking
Winner!
5 – Unlimited
Similarweb
Dashboard-based tool, 100 to unlimited website results per table
Ahrefs
5-100 Unverified projects
Semrush
5-40
Ubersuggest
20-400
Sitechecker
2-unlimited
WebCEO
5-unlimited
SE Ranking
Winner!
- Organic and paid traffic research
- Traffic and keyword distribution by country
- Keywords driving the most organic and paid traffic
- Keywords that increased or decreased their positions
- SEO and Google Ads traffic cost
- SERP features you’re getting
- Traffic dynamics
Similarweb
- Traffic and engagement
- New vs returning users
- Marketing channels
- Traffic by device and country
- Traffic change
- SERP features
Ahrefs
- Organic and paid traffic metrics
- Top-performing pages
- Top organic keywords
- Backlinks
- Competitor performance analysis
Semrush
- Engagement metrics
- Traffic share by decive and country
- User journeys
Ubersuggest
- Organic keywords
- Organic traffic
- Backlinks
- Top-performing pages
- Distribution by country/language
Sitechecker
- Organic traffic data
- Traffic sources
- Behavioral metrics
- SERP visibility
- Top traffic-generating keywords
WebCEO
- Estimated organic traffic
- Top traffic sources
- Keyword ranking trends
- Backlink data
- Social metrics
SE Ranking
Winner!
Similarweb
✅, through API
Ahrefs
Semrush
Ubersuggest
Sitechecker
WebCEO
SE Ranking
Winner!
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Matomo Analytics
Similarweb
- Google Analytics
Ahrefs
- Google Search Console
Semrush
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
Ubersuggest
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
Sitechecker
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
WebCEO
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
SE Ranking
Winner!
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword & Competitive Research
- Website Audit
- On-Page SEO Checker
- Backlink Checker and Monitor
- Content Marketing Module
- Local Marketing Module
- Report Builder
Similarweb
- Keyword Research
- Backlink Analytics
- Competitive Analysis
- Rank Tracking
Ahrefs
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword Research Tool
- Website Audit
- Content Explorer
- Backlink Checker
Semrush
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword Research Tools
- Website Audit
- On-Page SEO Checker
- Competitive Research
- Backlink Analytics and Audit
- Content Marketing Tools
- Local SEO Tools
Ubersuggest
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword Research Tool
- Website Audit
- Competitive Analysis
- Backlink Analysis
Sitechecker
- On-page & off-page SEO audits
- Rank tracking
- Site monitoring
- Backlink Analysis
WebCEO
- Rank Tracking Tool
- Keyword Research Tool
- Technical Audit Tool
- Backlink Checker Tool
- SEO Content Assistant
SE Ranking
Winner!
- Additional client seats
- Lead Generator
- Agency Catalog
- White Label
- Unlimiter automated WL reports
Similarweb
- Analytics for agencies
- Report Builder
Ahrefs
- Reporting Tool
- SEO Agencies Directory
Semrush
- Agency directory
- Semrush CRM
- Client portal
Ubersuggest
- Reporting Tool
Sitechecker
- Reporting Tool
- Unlimited number of users
WebCEO
- Report Builder
- White Label
- Lead Generator
SE Ranking
Winner!
✅ 14 days
Similarweb
✅ 7 days
Ahrefs
Semrush
✅ 7 days
Ubersuggest
✅ 7 days
Sitechecker
✅ 14 days
WebCEO
✅ 14 days
SE Ranking
Winner!
Similarweb
Ahrefs
Semrush
Ubersuggest
Sitechecker
WebCEO
5 – Unlimited
Dashboard-based tool, 100 to unlimited website results per table
5-100 Unverified projects
5-40
20-400
2-unlimited
5-unlimited
- Organic and paid traffic research
- Traffic and keyword distribution by country
- Keywords driving the most organic and paid traffic
- Keywords that increased or decreased their positions
- SEO and Google Ads traffic cost
- SERP features you’re getting
- Traffic dynamics
- Traffic and engagement
- New vs returning users
- Marketing channels
- Traffic by device and country
- Traffic change
- SERP features
- Organic and paid traffic metrics
- Top-performing pages
- Top organic keywords
- Backlinks
- Competitor performance analysis
- Engagement metrics
- Traffic share by decive and country
- User journeys
- Organic keywords
- Organic traffic
- Backlinks
- Top-performing pages
- Distribution by country/language
- Organic traffic data
- Traffic sources
- Behavioral metrics
- SERP visibility
- Top traffic-generating keywords
- Estimated organic traffic
- Top traffic sources
- Keyword ranking trends
- Backlink data
- Social metrics
✅, through API
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Matomo Analytics
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword & Competitive Research
- Website Audit
- On-Page SEO Checker
- Backlink Checker and Monitor
- Content Marketing Module
- Local Marketing Module
- Report Builder
- Keyword Research
- Backlink Analytics
- Competitive Analysis
- Rank Tracking
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword Research Tool
- Website Audit
- Content Explorer
- Backlink Checker
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword Research Tools
- Website Audit
- On-Page SEO Checker
- Competitive Research
- Backlink Analytics and Audit
- Content Marketing Tools
- Local SEO Tools
- Keyword Rank Tracker
- Keyword Research Tool
- Website Audit
- Competitive Analysis
- Backlink Analysis
- On-page & off-page SEO audits
- Rank tracking
- Site monitoring
- Backlink Analysis
- Rank Tracking Tool
- Keyword Research Tool
- Technical Audit Tool
- Backlink Checker Tool
- SEO Content Assistant
- Additional client seats
- Lead Generator
- Agency Catalog
- White Label
- Unlimiter automated WL reports
- Analytics for agencies
- Report Builder
- Reporting Tool
- SEO Agencies Directory
- Agency directory
- Semrush CRM
- Client portal
- Reporting Tool
- Reporting Tool
- Unlimited number of users
- Report Builder
- White Label
- Lead Generator
✅ 14 days
✅ 7 days
✅ 7 days
✅ 7 days
✅ 14 days
✅ 14 days
How we ranked them
When selecting and reviewing these eight web traffic analysis tools, we looked at the following factors:
- Functionality: This includes features and metrics like overall website traffic analysis, organic traffic, paid traffic, and traffic distribution by country, keywords, competitors, and top pages. We also checked whether the tools analyzed have additional traffic analysis features.
- Database size: How much data is the tool working with? Where does it come from?
- Flexibility in the pricing policy: While there are some free web traffic analysis tools (or tools with free trials), what kind of money can you expect to invest?
- The benefits for agencies (integrations, API, reporting): Is the tool a good fit for agencies with several clients?
- User reviews: What are current customers saying?
The 8 best website traffic analysis tools
Without further ado, let’s get into the top website traffic analysis tools, their features, pros and cons, and more. We’ll also look at optimal uses for each tool, how to use them, and see if any free traffic analysis tools exist that are worth your while.
1. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is a robust SEO platform for agencies and in-house teams. It offers an entire suite of tools dedicated to tracking keyword rankings, monitoring competitors, researching keywords, checking backlinks, auditing websites and webpages, creating content, doing local SEO, and much more. It’s a scalable solution with reliable datasets, generous subscription limits, and a flexible pricing model. It’s also one of the best competitor traffic analysis tools on the market.
Overview of traffic analysis features
SE Ranking’s Website Traffic Checker lets you input any domain or URL and provides quick but useful insights into its organic and paid traffic. The tool also allows you to:
- Segment traffic and keywords by country.
- Discover keywords driving the most organic and paid traffic.
- Research keywords that increased or decreased their positions.
- Assess SEO and Google Ads traffic cost.
- See what SERP features you’re getting.
The tool also has a Historical data feature. This means you can access detailed research reports for any past month going back to February 2020. Keep in mind though that this feature comes with more advanced plans:
- The Pro subscription plan gives you access to 3 previous months
- The Business subscription plan lets you check data for any available month.
You can also compare several competitors to see their websites’ organic and paid traffic performance. This will help you identify any unique keywords and opportunities that you may have missed.
Connecting your Google Search Console and Google Analytics accounts to SE Ranking gives you the opportunity to analyze your website traffic on a single dashboard. Integration with GA4 lets you view metrics like sessions and users, average engagement time, your conversion rate, and more. This also applies to Matomo Analytics, as SE Ranking integrates with it as well.
One more feature worth your attention is Insights. This module provides important data quickly, saving you the time you would otherwise spend searching for it. For instance, you can use it to check traffic dynamics for specific keywords and pages from GSC. The tool shows the search queries and pages that started to get more (or less) traffic and impressions.
And last but not least, you can go to SE Ranking’s Rank Tracker to get the most accurate data on keywords that are bringing traffic to your website. Along with daily updates of keyword positions, it lets you analyze search volume, SERP features, traffic forecast, content score, and much more.
How to use SE Ranking
You can get started with this traffic analysis software for free by signing up for a free trial. Once you do this, enter the domain you want to analyze. This will take you directly to the dashboard, where you’ll immediately see data like organic and paid traffic, traffic cost, and keywords, the breakdown of traffic by country (easily flip between them), and even brief backlink data.
Learn more about the SERP features you currently dominate.
And get a detailed report on your organic competitors and how you compare.
Discover what your top pages are in SERPs, the intent behind your keywords, and even your ranking distributions.
SE Ranking is on a continual quest to optimize its analysis tool to have the biggest and most accurate database on the market. In addition, SE Ranking’s AI-powered algorithm estimates organic traffic and uses an enhanced CTR calculation process.
Pricing
You can take advantage of SE Ranking’s 14-day free trial without adding your credit card details. After that, its paid plans include Essential ($65/month), Pro ($119/month), and Business ($259/month). All plans include a traffic analysis feature. The Pro and Business plans offer further flexibility by allowing you to decide roughly how many keywords you want to track.
Pros and cons
SE Ranking’s traffic analytics software is incredibly broad, with thorough, accurate, up-to-date data. It offers a wealth of features and flexible pricing, making it scalable for solopreneurs and agencies alike. It’s one of the best competitor analysis tools available, giving you a sneak peek into why some of your competitors are so successful online.
As far as agency SEO tools are concerned, the Agency Pack offers a White Label feature, unlimited automated WL reports, a Lead Generator, additional client seats, and an Agency catalog. You can also combine SE Ranking with tools beyond Google (Zapier, Reportx, Wix, etc..), or use SE Ranking’s API for seamless data flow. It’s also one of the best SEO reporting tools on this list, as it lets you make sleek, customized reports for clients.
Still, no tool is perfect, and SE Ranking is no exception. It has some minor drawbacks. For example, its Website Traffic Analysis feature is only available with subscriptions. This means you can’t buy it separately. However, buying an SE Ranking subscription is worth it because you get access to an entire ecosystem of SEO tools to cover all major SEO tasks.
The verdict
SE Ranking is the top web traffic analysis software on our list. In fact, many of its customers agree, saying that it’s user-friendly with a manageable learning curve, affordable with flexible pricing, and offers in-depth website analysis. One user even called it a “game-changer.” Out of all of the web traffic analysis tools on this list, we believe SE Ranking gives you the most bang for your buck.
2. Similarweb
Whatever department you work in, whether it’s sales, marketing, ecommerce, research, or even stocks/trading, Similarweb has something for you. Research your audience and industry to better understand the competitive landscape, optimize your products, learn more about the customer journey, and get ahead in lead generation and account monitoring.
Overview of traffic analysis features
You can segment and research keywords by country, paid vs organic, search engine, difficulty, intent, and more.
Learn how your top keywords are performing and how much traffic they’re bringing to your site. Quickly identify their intent, traffic change, difficulty, volume, your current position, whether you’ve got any SERP features for a key term, and more.
You can also see traffic by device and country, identify your top-performing pages, and see how you stack up against your competitors.
How to use Similarweb
You can sign up for free and enjoy a seven-day trial with no credit card required. Even with a free account, you’ll gain substantial access to Similarweb’s many features, although certain ones will require an upgrade.
Pricing
Once your free trial runs out, you can choose between the Starter plan ($149 a month), Professional ($399 a month), or get a custom package. Each of these plans provides you with access to the same features, but the bigger the plan, the more you get. For example, in the Starter plan, you get up to 1,000 results per keyword list and no option to see the countries the traffic comes from. The Professional plan offers a maximum of 5,000 search results. With the Professional plan, you also get more historical data (six months versus three months).
Getting a custom package gives you more customer support, including a dedicated account manager and a full-service onboarding experience.
There isn’t much flexibility beyond the pricing on their website, and it doesn’t look like Similarweb will prorate you based on your usage.
Pros and cons
Similarweb is user-friendly and data-rich. If you’re an agency, you might find the custom package to be an appealing option because you can add API access to your plan. You can also integrate your account with other tools, including Salesforce and HubSpot (although the website doesn’t specify if this is limited to any particular plan). If you want to share insights with your clients, you can create a custom dashboard for them or choose from one of the included templates.
White-label PDF reports are included in every package.
Plus, Similarweb claims to analyze billions of data signals daily, spanning millions of websites and apps. These data are meticulously cleaned, synthesized, and calibrated to be suitable for usage.
However, user reviews say that the features are limited and the data isn’t accurate. This might discourage you from taking on Similarweb’s hefty price tag.
The verdict
While Similarweb’s user interface is impressive and easy on the eyes, concerns about data accuracy (especially when considering the price tag) introduce a moderate amount of uncertainty. Start with the free trial and explore it in depth before committing to a paid plan.
3. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is best known for its backlink feature, as well as the opportunities it offers for growing your linking profile. But this platform also contains several SEO tools for competitor research, keyword position tracking (across desktop and mobile), site audits, and traffic analysis.
Overview of traffic analysis features
Ahrefs’ Website Traffic Checker lets you explore organic and paid traffic metrics locally and globally across 171 countries. It enables you to discover your competitors’ top pages, spy on their paid traffic, and see which keywords and pages are driving the most users, both to your and your competitors’ sites.
How to use Ahrefs
You can get started for free, although the data included is very brief and provides far less than the other web traffic analytics tools on this list.
After creating an account and signing in, you’ll notice that the traffic checker already exists under Site Explorer. Navigate to that tab and enter the domain that you want to check.
While you can access some basic traffic metrics for free, as shown in the previous section, detailed information will only be visible with a paid account. Upon upgrading, you’ll be able to explore insights such as your top organic keywords, backlinks (including broken ones), competitor performance analysis, any gaps between you and competitors, your top-performing pages, and more.
Pricing
Ahrefs’ pricing ranges from $129 to $449 per month. It also offers add-ons that you can pay for. For example, you can add users to your account for $20-80 per month per user. You can also purchase 500 additional credits for an extra $50 a month, should you start to run low. So, this does offer some flexibility, but you’ll be paying a minimum of about $100 a month.
Pros and cons
Ahrefs’ plethora of features and tools is its superpower. User reviews applaud the tool’s backlink analysis, keyword research, competitor analysis, and website analysis capabilities. You can even broaden its functionality by integrating it with other tools you might use, like Agility CMS or Databox.
However, the high cost is prohibitive. Some users have even expressed that, given the price, they wish the tool had even more features. For agencies, Ahrefs has the Advanced plan, which starts at $449 a month. However, you can’t get access to their API unless you opt for the Enterprise plan, which starts at a whopping $14,990 a year (with no option to pay monthly)! Ahrefs also doesn’t provide a white-labeling option for their reporting.
Users should consider where Ahrefs gets its data from, as the platform has its own search crawlers that continually scan an independent database around the clock. Ahrefs does not have any affiliation with other search engines, not even Google.
The verdict
Ahrefs is a powerful website traffic analysis software but doubts about data accuracy, paired with the cost, create uncertainty among its current and prospective users.
4. Semrush
Semrush makes online marketing easier with its suite of SEO, PPC, and social media marketing tools. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an online-only company a local brick-and-mortar shop, Semrush almost certainly has what you’re looking for. Semrush can help you generate content marketing ideas, look for new opportunities to rank higher, and see how you perform relative to your competitors.
Overview of traffic analysis features
Semrush’s Traffic Analytics section is where you can go to see what your competitors are up to, better understand your users’ journeys, and discover top-performing pages (and how you can surpass them). Compare by country/region to gain insights into specific subdomains.
How to use Semrush
Locate the Traffic Analytics tool under Competitive Research in the lefthand navigation bar.
Enter any domain and instantly see the top pages. View traffic by channel, source, country, paid vs organic means, and device distribution.
One of the best things you can do is enter some of your competitors so that you can compare your metrics.
This just scratches the surface. Semrush has tons of features that you can use to “spy” on your competitors. You’ll find all kinds of opportunities to create compelling content and outrank your competition in SERPs.
Pricing
Semrush is one of the pricier options, ranging from $129.95 per month to $499.95 per month. They do offer flexibility in the form of add-ons. For example, you can add users for $45 per month per user to $100 per month per user, depending on the plan you have. They also have add-ons to help you keep up with trends and also be more competitive locally.
Pros and cons
Users agree that Semrush excels when it comes to SEO. The analytics are superb and the tool has so many nooks and crannies to explore, so you will never run out of data to dive into. As of 2023, the database is broad, with 25.3 billion keywords, 808 million domains, and 500TB worth of raw traffic data across 190 countries and regions.
Additionally, if you’re an agency, Semrush has features specific to you. You can integrate with your HubSpot CRM, access your client portal to automate your reporting (and even white-label it), segment your client dashboards, and leverage the API.
However, the cost is the biggest pain point, by far. In addition to being one of the most expensive tools on the market, you also need to purchase Semrush.Trends for $200/month to get full access to its Traffic Analytics feature.
Also, there is a learning curve, but those who are familiar with SEO and can leverage the educational material Semrush provides should be able to navigate it.
The verdict
Semrush has a good track record but the cost can be prohibitive for solopreneurs and smaller companies.
5. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest makes it simpler to reverse engineer your competitors’ SEO and content marketing initiatives. These insights can help you revise your own strategies to keep up with and surpass the competition. Learn more about top-performing pages and get keyword suggestions, content ideas, and backlink data.
Overview of traffic analysis features
You can use Ubersuggest’s Website Traffic Checker for free (although you do need to create an account). It lets you enter any domain, and provides metrics like organic keywords, traffic, and the number of backlinks to that site.
How to use
Once the dashboard loads, you have plenty of insights to explore. View the organic keywords that are driving traffic to your site. If you want to switch between countries and languages, you can do so in the top right and also where it says “Locations.”
View your top-performing pages, which you can also view by country/language.
Ubersuggest only focuses on organic traffic — not traffic from paid ads — although you can find a little more on this (like the PPC cost for a keyword) in other areas of Ubersuggest. The same goes for competitor research.
Pricing
You can start using Ubersuggest for free once you create an account, although you’re limited to three free searches a day. There’s also a seven-day free trial. After that, monthly plans range from $12 a month to $40 a month, or you can pay once for lifetime access ($120-$400). Additionally, there are add-ons for $5.
Pros and cons
Users say that Ubersuggest excels with its ease of use. It’s also one of the more affordable options, making it a great choice for beginners.
However, it’s affordable because it’s not as powerful as the other tools on this list. The features aren’t as broad in comparison, and neither is the data. Also, it’s a newer tool, so it doesn’t have the same kind of track record as some of its competitors. Furthermore, while we know Ubersuggest gets its data through Google’s API, there’s very little information on the breadth of the database.
In particular, it’s not a great fit for agencies, as they don’t provide API access, the integrations aren’t very robust (although you can integrate with Google Analytics), and you can’t currently white-label your reports.
The verdict
If you’re on a strict budget or you’re new to SEO, Ubersuggest might be a good place to start, especially since this is one of the few free website traffic analysis tools on this list (meaning there’s a forever-free version). But if you plan to invest in your website traffic strategies long-term, you will outgrow this tool eventually.
6. Sitechecker
Sitechecker’s claim to fame is that you can monitor metrics for dozens of sites in one dashboard. This makes it a great fit for agencies and companies that have multiple products/services. It’s home to a suite of tools that allow you to monitor, analyze, optimize, and report on your website’s health.
Overview of traffic analysis features
Use Traffic Checker to gain valuable insights into your own traffic, learn more about what is driving traffic to your competitors’ sites, and better understand how to improve your organic SERP positions.
How to use Sitechecker
To use the tool, you need to sign up for the free 14-day trial, which does not require you to enter your credit card details. After that, you’ll be prompted to create your first project.
You’ll need to answer a few simple set-up questions.
Once you’re all set up, you’ll be able to connect your project to Google Analytics and Search Console to gain even more insight into your website’s traffic.
If you want to use any of the keyword research tools, you have to upgrade. But if you do, you’ll get information about the intent behind relevant keywords, cost per click, and the keywords driving traffic to your competitors. You can even use their templates to keep track of your top pages, changes in metrics by country, and more.
Pricing
Sitechecker offers monthly plans that range from $49 a month to $399 a month. They don’t appear to have any add-ons, so the pricing has little flexibility compared to the other tools on this list that have optional add-ons.
Pros and cons
This is a lesser-known tool, so the customer reviews are limited. However, users are a fan of the tool’s ease of use — which is believable considering the user interface, which looks to be on the simpler side. Sitechecker could be good for people who are new to SEO and site traffic analysis.
However, this means that the biggest complaint is the limited features. This is a huge drawback, especially since the tool isn’t cheap — particularly for agencies. If you want to track more than two websites, you must purchase the Standard plan (at least), which is $199 per month and gives you 10 websites. And if you want to use the Site Audit API, you need the Premium plan ($399 a month).
On the upside, they do allow white-labeling.
The verdict
While Sitechecker does offer some cool features, the lack of options coupled with the high cost (especially for agencies) don’t exactly make it a top contender. If you’re a solopreneur, the Basic plan ($49 a month) could potentially suffice.
7. WebCEO
WebCEO is a suite of SEO and digital marketing features that caters to agencies. Analyze and report on your efforts, and more effectively manage your lead generation. It offers tools that can support you in your rank tracking, keyword research, social analytics, and competitor monitoring efforts.
Overview of traffic analysis features
With Traffic Analysis Reporting, you can integrate Google Analytics into your account to gain better insight into performance metrics like keyword ranking trends, backlink data, social metrics, and more. Keep a closer eye on your overall website performance and make adjustments to your strategy as needed.
How to use WebCEO
You can sign up for the free 14-day trial without adding your credit card information. You’ll be prompted to create a project by entering a domain name.
As part of the setup, you can select which search engines you want to track, and there are many options. It limited us to three. You can also choose to select a location, if you’d like, but we deleted this.
Based on the domain, it offers a list of keywords that you can opt to track.
Also interesting is that right off the bat, they recommend competitors that you might be interested in monitoring.
Once your project is created, you can use the Traffic Analysis section to see the estimated organic traffic for your competitors.
Outside of this, WebCEO completely relies on Google’s tools to provide information.
View your top traffic sources, including organic/paid, direct, and social.
The Rank Tracking section will give you more information on the keywords your website is ranking for. You can also choose the countries you are interested in and see how your website performs in those locations.
Pricing
The pricing is a bit complex. If you want the Solo subscription, which is the cheapest, you have to commit to a minimum of three months, which costs $37 a month. The Startup plan (which they say is also for mid sized businesses), is $99 a month. Corporate (for in-house SEO teams) is $299 a month. And Agency Unlimited, the most robust, is $99 a month and up, based on how you scale.
So, there is a little bit of flexibility in WebCEO’s pricing.
Pros and cons
WebCEO’s user reviews say that generally, people like the tool. Interestingly, its biggest strength is its ease of use — something we didn’t personally experience. We found that the tool was difficult to navigate and not very intuitive.
Also, it’s a bit on the pricier side, but its white labeling and API access may be particularly attractive to agencies. Additionally, outside of Google’s tools, WebCEO integrates with other SEO tools like Moz and Majestic (which, admittedly, feels a little redundant).
The most robust plan (Agency Unlimited) may or may not be the cheapest, depending on how big you scale. Corporate is also the most expensive despite not being all that robust.
The verdict
Between the difficulty in navigating WebCEO, the lack of clarity around pricing, and the cost to invest, we’re not ranking this one at the top of our list.
Let’s move on to the toolset that every SEO professional should use. Now, Google’s tools aren’t intended to compete with or replace the tools mentioned previously, but rather complement them with traffic data and Google insights.
8. Google Analytics and Search Console
Overview
Google Analytics is a free tool directly from the search engine giant. It tracks and reports on your website and mobile traffic and events. Learn about which keywords are sending you the most traffic, your most popular pages, how much time people are spending on your site, what your bounce rate is, and more.
With Google Search Console, you can measure the search traffic your site is receiving, monitor your performance, identify and fix issues (like crawling issues), discover the queries bringing the most people to your site, and better understand your impressions, clicks, and SERP rankings.
They might sound similar, and indeed, there is some overlap. However, Google Analytics is better for learning more about who your users are, how they behave, and how they found you. On the flip side, Search Console is a good fit for learning more about the search queries people use to find you. It’s also great for monitoring the health of your website as a whole.
How to use them
These tools deserve separate coverage. And we have dedicated posts explaining how to use them for different SEO purposes.
For more insights into GA4, read the following articles:
- How to use GA4 for SEO: This blog post answers the most frequently asked GA4-related SEO questions.
- GA4 for ecommerce: Here, you’ll find tips and tricks for setting up GA4 ecommerce tracking to collect insights for your online store.
- Custom dimensions in GA4: In this article, we collected instructions on how to create, use, and edit custom dimensions to enrich your reports.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on how to use GSC for SEO, we have one for you as well. Read it to learn how to work with the reports it provides.
The verdict
Both of Google’s tools complement each other beautifully, and being able to get search engine data straight from the source is a huge plus. Not only that, they are both free website traffic analysis tools! With Google Analytics in particular, be prepared for a learning curve. Depending on your site’s size and what you’re trying to achieve, setting up Google Analytics and learning how to navigate it can be tricky. However, it’s worth the investment of your time.
Free traffic analysis tools can be hard to come by, and information stemming directly from Google is going to be as accurate as it gets. That’s why we recommend using this in conjunction with one of the other tools on this list.
Wrapping up
Feeling overwhelmed? We understand! With so many options, it can be hard to choose. You want a versatile tool that covers all bases, one that strikes a great balance.
Speaking of versatile tools, SE Ranking gives you the most bang for your buck. It’s affordable and can scale alongside your business, whether you’re a freelancer or an agency. Plus, it offers tons of helpful add-ons so that allow you to customize your account to fit your specific needs. Its data is vast, accurate, and always up-to-date. It provides you with endless information while still having an easy-to-navigate user interface. You can get started with SE Ranking’s free 14-day trial to experience it for yourself!
