Google’s algorithm is getting more complex every day. It’s not just a simple game of keywords, it’s now maintaining your website and matching all the essential facts to keep the Search Engines happy. It takes considerable time for a site owner. In this circumstance, only the perfect SEO audit tools can reduce your time and share reports within a few minutes.
In this article, we are presenting an SEO audit tools comparison.
- Top 3 SEO Audit Tools for the Battle
- SEMrush Vs Ahrefs
- SEMrush Vs Screaming Frog
- Ahrefs Vs Screaming Frog
- 6 Crucial Considerations Before Choosing Any of These SEO Audit Tools
- FAQ
Top 3 SEO Audit Tools for the Battle
In this arena, we got SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog for the ultimate showdown for the crown.
#1 SEMrush (Most simple interface)
SEMrush is like the Swiss Army Knife of SEO tools. Imagine having competitive intelligence, keyword research, and SEO audit capabilities all in one place. That’s SEMrush for you. With over 471,000+ active users worldwide, it’s trusted by many.
The user-friendly interface and seamless integration with Google services are bonus points. It’s slightly pricier than Ahrefs, with plans starting from $119.95/month, but its extensive feature’s kit justifies the cost.
#2 Ahrefs (Best all-rounded SEO audit tool)
Picture yourself in a world where all your backlink analysis needs are handled. That’s what Ahrefs offers. With a database of over 16 trillion known links as of 2021, it’s like a gold mine for uncovering backlink opportunities.
It’s a well-rounded tool that provides comprehensive keyword research and rank tracking. The user interface? Clear and intuitive. But remember, quality comes at a price. Plans start at $99/month, but the insights gained could make the investment worthwhile.
#3 Screaming Frog (SEO software)
Screaming Frog will be your ultimate workhorse for your technical SEO. It excels in crawling and auditing websites, identifying issues like broken links or duplicate content. It’s not a web-based service like Ahrefs or SEMrush, but the software you install on your device.
This may seem complex initially, but in-depth analysis pays off. Pricing? Around $200 for a yearly license. Screaming Frog could be your perfect companion if you’re into the nitty-gritty of technical SEO.
SEMrush Vs Ahrefs: Which One is Better?
| Features | Ahrefs | SEMrush |
| Content Explorer | Good (Lets you explore trends within your niche) | Best (One of the most intuitive interfaces) |
| Rank Tracking | Good (Visibility percentage) | Good (Visibility score) |
| Social Media Integration | Good | Good (Lets you explore trends within your niche) |
| PPC Data | Excellent | Excellent |
| User Interface | Best (One of the most intuitive interface) | Good |
| Training and Resources | Neutral (Offer exclusive curses) | Good (Offer good courses with certification) |
The intense comparison battle between Ahrefs and SEMrush is based on 6 of their finest features.
i) Content explorer
Ahrefs offers Content Explorer, a tool for discovering popular content in your niche. You can analyze these contents and make better versions yourself.
On the other hand, SEMrush’s Market Explorer gives you broad industry trends and top players, giving SEMrush an edge in market insights.
ii) Rank tracking
Both tools offer robust rank-tracking features. Ahrefs shows the percentage of exactly how many clicks your website got based on a specific tracked keyword.
For SEMrush, it includes a visibility score that gives you a snapshot of your search engine performance.
iii) Social media integration
In today’s digital world, SEO and social media often intersect. Here, SEMrush shines with its social media tool. It allows you to post directly to your social media accounts from within the platform and tracks your social media performance.
This integrated approach saves you time and provides a more practical view of your online presence.
iv) PPC data
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and SEO often go hand in hand, and understanding PPC data can inform your SEO strategy. While Ahrefs provides some PPC data, SEMrush stands out with its in-depth PPC analysis.
It provides comprehensive data on various keywords’ cost-per-click (CPC) values and competition levels. This information can guide both your organic and paid search strategies.
v) User interface
A tool can have all the features in the world, but it’s not much use if it’s difficult to navigate. Ahrefs is recognized for its clean and intuitive interface. Its tools and reports are easy to find and understand, making it easy for beginners to dive into the world of SEO.
vi) Training and resources
Both offer robust resources because SEMrush and Ahrefs have learning academies offering comprehensive SEO training courses and certifications.
SEMrush goes a step further with its SEMrush Academy. This platform offers comprehensive SEO training courses and even provides certifications. Whether you’re new to SEO or an experienced professional looking to stay on top of the latest trends, it’s a fantastic resource.
Screaming Frog Vs SEMrush: Do You Have Any Preference?
| Features | Screaming Frog | Excellent (Most of the time emails) |
| SEO Ideas and Recommendations | Neutral | Excellent (With good states SEMrush also gives you ideas) |
| Traffic Analytics | Good | Excellent (It has an entire traffic analysis tool) |
| Reporting | Excellent (Good key indicators) | Good (Schedule reports features) |
| Customer support | Excellent (Most of the time mails) | Excellent (Phone call, email, live chat system) |
| Mobile SEO | Excellent (Has a mobile responsive design) | Excellent (Mobile compatible) |
| SERP Features | Good | Excellent (Offers exclusive SERP features) |
i) SEO ideas and recommendations
SEMrush has the advantage in this area with its on-page SEO checker, offering specific ideas to improve your SEO based on data from your top 10 rivals. Screaming Frog doesn’t have an equivalent feature.
ii) Traffic analytics
SEMrush provides a Traffic Analytics tool that can give insights into your competitors’ website performance, including visitor behavior and traffic sources.
But, in Screaming Frog’s case, they don’t offer such features.
iii) Reporting
SEMrush has excellent reporting capabilities, allowing you to customize and schedule reports.
Screaming Frog, while it offers data export capabilities, lacks the in-depth, automated reporting of SEMrush. Still, it has some vital indicators that make the report more exclusive.
iv) Customer support
Screaming Frog has an online user guide and an FAQ section on their website that provides comprehensive information about their tool. Direct customer support is provided mainly through email, which is reportedly quite responsive and helpful.
SEMrush has a reputation for excellent customer service. They offer 24/5 phone and email support, plus live chat functionality on their site. They also provide a comprehensive knowledge base with valuable articles, video tutorials, and regular webinars.
v) Mobile SEO
SEMrush provides a mobile compatibility check as part of its Site Audit feature, helping you ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Screaming Frog also offers mobile and responsive design checks in its audit.
vi) SERP features
SEMrush offers advanced SERP features analysis, allowing you to identify opportunities beyond the organic listings, like featured snippets, local packs, and more. Screaming Frog doesn’t provide an equivalent feature.
Ahrefs Vs Screaming Frog : What’s Your Opinion on Your Preferred One?
| Features | Ahrefs | Screaming Frog |
| Internal Linking Analysis | Excellent (Provide detailed insights on broken links) | Excellent (has automatic measurements) |
| Broken Link Identification | Good (site audit feature for broken links) | Excellent (has excellent ability to identify broken links) |
| Page Speed Analysis | Excellent (dedicated page speed tool) | Netural (doesn’t have a page speed analysis feature) |
| Technical SEO Audit | Excellent (Good site audit tools) | Good |
| Internal Link Building | Good (detailed backlink report) | Good (issue identification for broken links) |
| Broken Link Check | Good (Can find both internal and external link) | Good (Focuses on outbound and inbound link) |
i) Internal linking analysis
Both tools offer robust internal linking analysis. Screaming Frog excels in providing detailed insights into your website’s internal linking structure. Ahrefs also offers internal linking suggestions and other automatic measurements to fix issues.
ii) Broken link identification
Screaming Frog is known for its excellent ability to identify broken links. Ahrefs does provide a site audit feature that identifies broken links, but Screaming Frog is faster and more efficient.
iii) Page speed analysis
Ahrefs incorporates page speed data in its site audit. Screaming Frog, while not offering a dedicated page speed tool, allows you to integrate Google’s PageSpeed Insights for analysis.
iv) Technical SEO audit
Ahrefs is known for its thorough technical SEO audits. Its SEO Spider tool can crawl your website and identify technical issues, including broken links and duplicate content. Screaming Frog also offers a Site Audit feature, but the level of detail that Ahrefs provides is unmatched.
v) Internal link building
Both tools can help you optimize your internal link structure but in different ways. Screaming Frog is excellent for identifying issues like broken internal links, whereas Ahrefs’ Internal Backlinks report shows you which internal links a page has.
vi) Broken link check
Both tools can check for broken links, but Screaming Frog does it more comprehensively. It crawls your entire site to find broken internal and external links, whereas Ahrefs checks for broken backlinks and outbound links.
vii) The Result
Overall, Ahrefs provides a much broader feature set, particularly regarding backlink analysis, keyword research, competitor analysis, and proprietary metrics. Ahrefs wins this round!
6 Crucial Considerations Before Choosing Any of These SEO Audit Tools
Before selecting any audit tool, consider some points because most SEO tools are expensive and may cost you 100 dollars. And later, if you want to change, it becomes another hassle.
1. Consider their functionality
Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog all offer extensive SEO functionality. Ahrefs provides excellent backlink analysis and keyword research. SEMrush is known for its competitive intelligence features, with over 5 million users as of 2021.
Screaming Frog is excellent for technical SEO audits, crawling up to 500 URLs for free. Evaluate which features are crucial for your website and decide accordingly.
2. How much are they usable?
Usability differs between these tools. Ahrefs and SEMrush have intuitive interfaces, while Screaming Frog, with its software-based platform, might seem complex initially but offers excellent in-depth analysis.
3. Your selected tool should finely integrate with other SEO tools
SEMrush and Ahrefs can integrate with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, making your workflow smoother. Screaming Frog, while it can also connect with GA and GSC, excels in integrating with other technical SEO tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix.
4. Is the price considerable?
Consider your budget. Ahrefs starts at $99/month, SEMrush at $119.95/month, and Screaming Frog offers a yearly license at approximately $200. Always consider the return on investment these tools can offer.
5. Good customer support is a must
SEMrush is known for good customer support, for responding to issues promptly. Ahrefs also has a decent reputation in this regard. Screaming Frog, however, needs more support as per user reviews, primarily through email.
6. Reputation and reviews
SEMrush, with a score of 4.3/5 on G2, and Ahrefs, with 4.4/5 on TrustRadius, are highly rated by users. Screaming Frog also has high ratings, particularly for its technical SEO capabilities, though it caters to a somewhat more specialized audience.
Also Read: Latest Tools for Auditing Your Website SEO (Handpicked By SEO Experts)
FAQ
What are the top SEO audit tools on the market?
There are many high-quality SEO audit tools on the market such as Moz Pro, Majestic SEO, SpyFu, and KWFinder. Each tool offers unique features and they vary in price and user-friendliness.
Which SEO tool is best for backlink analysis?
Ahrefs stands out for backlink analysis. With an extensive backlink database, it offers in-depth backlink profiles. SEMrush also provides substantial backlink analysis.
What tool should I choose for detailed backlink analysis?
Majestic SEO is highly regarded for its backlink analysis capabilities. It provides comprehensive data about a site’s backlink profile, including referring domains and anchor text distribution.
What are keywords in SEO?
Keywords in SEO are the words or phrases people type into search engines. When you optimize your content around relevant keywords, it increases the chances of your website showing up in search results for those terms.
What's a Google penalty in SEO?
A Google penalty is a punishment imposed on a website whose content conflicts with Google’s guidelines. This can lead to decreased search rankings, or the site being removed from the search index entirely.
So, Which SEO Audit Tool is the Winner?
After seeing the features, we can say SEMrush has all the crucial features to be number 1 in this comparison battle. Along with the features, SEMrush has legit deals, quality customer service, and quality resources to give knowledge about their program to the general audience.
That doesn’t mean Ahrefs and Screaming Frog Spider SEO Audit tools are bad. In comparison, Ahrefs and Screaming Frog demonstrate their diverse yet critical capabilities.
Ahrefs, with its extensive database, excels in backlink analysis and keyword research, making it a preferred tool for comprehensive SEO tasks. Screaming Frog, on the other hand, is a specialist in technical SEO audits, swiftly identifying issues like broken links, duplicate content, and poor metadata. Remember, the tool choice should align with your specific needs.
So, you can select any of these tools for your website because all of these tools can meet your expectations.
Good luck improving your site’s SEO!