SEMrush vs Ahrefs vs The Rest: Which SEO Supertool Is Best for Your Small Business?

If you’re growing a business, blog, or freelance brand online you need an SEO supertool. These tools are your digital crystal balls for uncovering what people search for and how to rank higher in Google.

Why Every Small Business Owner and Freelancer Needs an SEO Tool

Learning how to use SEMrush for keyword research or how to use Ahrefs for backlink growth gives you real control over your online visibility:

Discover keywords people actually search for instead of guessing.

Spy on your competition’s traffic and strategy: see what works for others and use those insights to your advantage.

Fix technical site issues before they damage your rankings.

Grow organic traffic without relying on paid ads.

Paid SEO Tools

SEMrush

SEMrush is a powerful all-in-one SEO tool that offers keyword research, competitor analysis, and content planning features. It also provides valuable insights for paid search campaigns, including PPC tracking and ad performance. SEMrush is best suited for agencies, ecommerce businesses, and advanced users who want both organic SEO and paid advertising data in one platform. However, it may seem overkill for solo freelancers with simple websites, and the monthly price adds up.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is widely known for having one of the best backlink explorers in the SEO industry. It also excels at organic keyword research and content gap analysis, making it a favorite among SEO professionals. In addition to its data tools, Ahrefs offers extensive tutorials and learning resources that help users sharpen their SEO skills. It is best suited for those focused on building organic search strategies, link building, and developing effective content plans. Unfortunately, it offers no PPC or social insights and is less intuitive than competitors for beginners.

Moz Pro

Moz is a solid SEO tool that offers keyword tracking, site audits, and link-building suggestions, making it especially useful for local SEO and businesses targeting specific regions. It features a clean, user-friendly interface with helpful tutorials, and includes a proprietary metric called Domain Authority (DA) to help evaluate a site’s overall strength. However, it does have limitations, such as providing less comprehensive data than competitors like SEMrush or Ahrefs, and its keyword data can feel outdated if you’re relying on real-time trends.

Serpstat

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO platform that’s more affordable than SEMrush or Ahrefs but still powerful. It’s ideal for startups, agencies, or anyone needing budget SEO software with bulk tools. It offers keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and site audits. For teams, it includes project-based collaboration features and can track visibility across multiple search engines.

However, the interface isn’t as intuitive as others, and the user experience can feel clunky. Its UI is less polished, and updates tend to roll out more slowly than competitors.

Ubersuggest

Created by Neil Patel, Ubersuggest is known for being beginner-friendly and affordable. It offers a free tier, making it a great entry point for users just starting to learn how to do keyword research for blog traffic or product pages. Its features include simple keyword research, traffic estimates, backlink insights, content ideas, and SEO difficulty scores. It’s well-suited for freelancers or bloggers learning the ropes.

The downsides are its limited depth and accuracy compared to premium tools. The free plan also restricts daily searches, which can be frustrating if you’re running multiple projects.

Free SEO Supertools for the Low Budget Marketer!

Google Search Console (Free)

This is a must-have if you own a website. Google Search Console shows how your site appears in search results and reports important metrics like search queries, click-through rates, indexing issues, and mobile usability. It also helps monitor and fix SEO issues directly from Google’s perspective.

It’s an essential free tool for content creators and freelancers who want to see which keywords they already rank for and improve visibility without spending money.

Google Keyword Planner (Free)

Part of Google Ads, Google Keyword Planner helps you find keyword ideas based on real search data. You can use it to plan content around demand, explore keyword volume and trends, and even create PPC campaigns or plan broader SEO strategies.

For small business owners, this remains one of the top free keyword research tools thanks to its connection to Google’s real-time data.

AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic visualizes search questions and keyword variations people ask online. It offers a free tier and is best used alongside your primary SEO tool to shape content around real user intent.

It’s perfect for discovering content gaps and identifying longtail keyword opportunities. This tool is especially useful for brainstorming blog post ideas, writing FAQ sections, and building niche authority. It’s ideal for small business SEO strategies that aim to solve customer problems directly.

How to Choose the Right Tool

Think about your goals. Are you focused on organic growth or PPC? SEMrush has both, Ahrefs excels at link research.

Consider your budget. Freelancers may prefer Ubersuggest or the free layers of Google tools.

Learn as you go. Tools like Ahrefs and Moz include training webinars and guides.

Switch when you grow. Start small and upgrade once your traffic or budget scales.

If you’re a small business owner or freelancer serious about boosting search visibility then choose one SEO tool this week. Try a free option, and start a paid plan when you’re ready and convinced of the benefits. Drop a comment if you already use one of these or want help picking out the best SEO supertool for your small business!