Tools We Actually Use.
No sponsored placements, no "best of" lists padded for SEO. These are the tools we’ve personally tested and would recommend to a business owner asking us directly — organized by what they help you do.
Browse by Category
AI Marketing Tools
ChatGPT Plus
A general-purpose AI assistant for drafting content, brainstorming campaign angles, and speeding up research — the most flexible tool in this category, if you’re willing to do the editing.
Best for: Solo marketers and small teams who need a fast first draft on almost anything — copy, outlines, research summaries.
Pricing: Paid (subscription)
Jasper
A marketing-focused AI writing platform built around brand voice, templates, and team workflows — more structured (and more expensive) than a general assistant, but built specifically for content production at scale.
Best for: Teams producing content regularly who need consistent brand voice across multiple writers.
Pricing: Paid (subscription, higher tier than general AI assistants)
Surfer SEO
A content optimization tool that analyzes top-ranking pages for your target keyword and shows you the gaps — subtopics, structure, length — your draft is missing. Used in our content refresh playbook.
Best for: Anyone publishing or refreshing SEO-driven content who wants data-backed guidance instead of guesswork.
Pricing: Paid (subscription)
SEO Tools
Ahrefs
A comprehensive SEO research platform — keyword research, competitor backlink analysis, site audits, and rank tracking in one place. The learning curve is real, but so is the depth of data.
Best for: Businesses serious about organic search who are ready to invest time in learning a more advanced tool.
Pricing: Paid (subscription, higher tier)
Google Search Console
Google’s own free tool for seeing exactly how your site performs in search — what queries bring you traffic, what pages get indexed, and what technical issues need attention. Non-negotiable baseline for any site doing SEO.
Best for: Every website owner — there’s no good reason not to have this connected.
Pricing: Free
Set up Google Search Console →
RankMath
A WordPress SEO plugin that handles on-page optimization, schema markup, and technical SEO basics directly inside the editor — a practical, lighter-weight alternative to juggling multiple tools for the fundamentals.
Best for: WordPress site owners who want solid on-page SEO guidance without a steep learning curve.
Pricing: Free tier available; paid tiers unlock advanced features
Analytics
Google Analytics 4
Google’s free web analytics platform — tracks visitor behavior, traffic sources, and conversion events across your site. The standard starting point for understanding who’s visiting and what they do once they arrive.
Best for: Every website owner who wants to know where traffic comes from and whether it’s converting.
Pricing: Free
Hotjar
Behavior analytics that goes beyond numbers — heatmaps and session recordings that show you exactly how visitors interact with (or get stuck on) your pages. Pairs well with GA4’s “what happened” data by showing you “why.”
Best for: Anyone trying to improve a specific page’s conversion rate and needs to see why visitors aren’t converting, not just that they aren’t.
Pricing: Free tier available; paid tiers for higher traffic/more features
Email Marketing
Kit (ConvertKit)
An email marketing platform built around creators and small businesses — simple automation, clean signup forms, and a more approachable interface than most enterprise-style email tools. This is the platform powering our own newsletter signup.
Best for: Solo marketers and small teams who want to start building an email list without a steep setup curve.
Pricing: Free tier available; paid tiers scale with subscriber count
Landing Pages
Carrd
A simple, lightweight landing-page builder for one-off pages — lead magnets, link-in-bio pages, simple opt-ins — without needing a full website builder or developer.
Best for: Quick, single-purpose pages where simplicity and speed matter more than advanced features.
Pricing: Free tier available; low-cost paid tiers
Leadpages
A more full-featured landing page and conversion tool — built-in templates, A/B testing, and integrations aimed at businesses running ongoing campaigns rather than one-off pages.
Best for: Businesses running regular campaigns who need testing and integration features beyond a single simple page.
Pricing: Paid (subscription)
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