Search Engine Marketing (SEM) encompasses both paid and organic strategies aimed at increasing a website’s visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs). Often misunderstood as solely referring to paid strategies, SEM is actually an umbrella term for ANY marketing effort conducted within search engines.
This includes search engine optimization (SEO), which focuses on improving organic rankings, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, where businesses bid on keywords to have their ads appear prominently in response to user searches.
SEM is a core digital marketing tactic that helps drive targeted traffic, generate leads, and boost sales. It’s a powerful way to reach your target audience and achieve impactful results. However, the key to its effectiveness highly depends on how well campaigns are managed and optimized.
SEM tools simplify the complexities of search engine marketing, offering features like keyword research, ad optimization, and performance tracking to help marketers make smarter decisions.
What Is An SEM Tool, And Why Should You Be Using Them?
An SEM tool is a platform or software designed to help marketers optimize and manage search engine marketing campaigns. These tools simplify tasks and provide insights that ensure campaigns are efficient and effective.
Using SEM tools is essential because they take the guesswork out of managing and optimizing search engine marketing campaigns. These tools help you identify the most effective keywords, monitor competitors, create high-performing ads, and track campaign results in real time.
They also provide valuable insights that allow you to refine your strategies, ensuring you reach the right audience while maximizing your return on investment. With SEM tools, you can save time, reduce costs, and achieve more precise and impactful results.
Based on competitor analysis and our own recommendations, let’s examine some of the best free and paid SEM tools for small businesses and brands.
9 Best SEM Tools (both Free and Paid)
1. Google Ads
Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is a powerful online advertising platform developed by Google. It allows businesses to create targeted ads that appear on Google search results pages, YouTube, and other websites and apps in the Google Display Network.
Why we love it
Google Ads empowers businesses with precise targeting options to connect with ideal customers based on demographics, interests, location, and more. It delivers measurable results by tracking ad performance in real time, showing exactly how much traffic and conversions your campaigns generate.
With full control over budget, targeting, and ad creative, you can tailor campaigns to your unique needs and adjust them effortlessly. Plus, its scalability ensures your advertising efforts can grow seamlessly alongside your business.
Pricing
Google Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. The cost per click (CPC) varies depending on a few factors, such as keyword competition, ad quality, and the maximum CPC you set.
Free or Paid? Google Ads is a paid advertising platform. However, there is no base-level plan or minimum spend requirement. You set your own budget and can start with as little as a few dollars per day.
Pros
- Fast Results: Ads can start appearing almost immediately after your campaign is approved.
- High Visibility: Ads can appear at the top of search results pages, increasing brand visibility.
- Cost-effective: You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective way to reach potential customers.
Cons
- Requires Ongoing Management: To get the best results, your campaigns need to be constantly monitored and optimized.
- Learning Curve: It can take time to learn how to use Google Ads effectively.
2. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free SEM tool used for monitoring your site’s presence in Google Search results. It provides insights into how Google views your site and helps you troubleshoot potential issues that could affect your search performance.
Why we love it
Google Search Console is a free and powerful tool that provides valuable data and insights to help you optimize your website. As a Google product, it offers the most accurate and up-to-date view of how your site is performing in search results.
With actionable insights, it enables you to identify and resolve technical issues, enhance your site’s content, and track your search performance over time, making it an essential resource for improving your online presence.
Pricing
Google Search Console is a completely free tool. There are no hidden costs or subscription fees.
Pros
- Free to use
- Comprehensive data on search performance
- Helps identify and fix technical issues
- Provides valuable insights for SEO and content strategy
Cons
- Has a learning curve for beginners
- Data can be complex to interpret
- Relies heavily on Google’s search algorithm
3. Moz
Moz is a suite of SEO and inbound marketing tools that help businesses improve their online visibility. Its flagship product, Moz Pro, offers a comprehensive set of tools for keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and more.
Why we love it
Moz Pro is a comprehensive SEO solution, offering a wide range of tools to cover every aspect of search engine optimization. It even includes free tools for quick, on-the-go use. With data-driven insights, Moz helps you analyze your site’s performance, uncover opportunities for improvement, and provides great SEO comparison tools to benchmark performance against competitors!
Designed with a user-friendly interface, it’s accessible even for beginners. Moz boasts a strong community and a wealth of educational resources, making it an invaluable partner for your SEO success.
Pricing
Moz Pro is a paid subscription service. The pricing is tiered based on the number of domains you want to track and the features you need. The base-level plan, Moz Pro Starter, for small businesses tracking one site starts at $49 per month.
Pros
- A comprehensive suite of tools
- Data-driven insights
- Great SEO comparison tools
- User-friendly interface
- Strong community and resources
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Steeper learning curve than some other tools
4. Semrush
Semrush is an all-in-one online visibility management platform that offers 55+ tools for SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media, and competitive research.
Why we love it
Semrush is a powerful all-in-one platform that offers a comprehensive suite of tools to support every aspect of online marketing. With data-driven insights and easy-to-generate reports, it helps you analyze your site’s performance and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible even for beginners, while its extensive database of educational resources—including blogs, guides, webinars, and free digital marketing courses—ensures you have everything you need to succeed in your marketing efforts.
Pricing
Semrush is a paid subscription service. Pricing is tiered based on the features you need and the number of projects you want to track. The base-level plan, Semrush Pro, starts at $139.95 per month.
Pros
- A comprehensive suite of tools
- Data-driven insights & reports
- User-friendly interface
- Strong community and resources
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Steeper learning curve than some other tools
5. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a powerful website crawler that helps you analyze your website’s technical SEO. It crawls your site, extracts data like page titles, meta descriptions, and broken links, and provides you with valuable insights to improve your site’s search engine rankings.
Why we love it
Screaming Frog is a powerful SEO tool that delivers comprehensive site audits to uncover issues like broken links, duplicate content, and thin content. It provides actionable insights that can be easily exported and used to prioritize improvements, helping you optimize your site efficiently.
Despite its robust capabilities, Screaming Frog features a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for SEOs at any skill level. With a free version ideal for small businesses and a paid version offering exceptional value, it’s a cost-effective solution for in-depth SEO analysis.
Pricing
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop application with a paid version. The yearly license costs $259, and the free version allows you to crawl 500 URLs. Luckily, the free version will handle most small sites just fine!
Pros
- Comprehensive site audits
- Actionable insights
- User-friendly interface
- Cost-effective
Cons
- It can be resource-intensive for large websites
- The free version has limited crawling capabilities
6. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that includes tools for keyword research, content exploration, rank tracking, site audits, and more. It’s known for running its own search engine, which provides a high-end infrastructure for its SEO services.
Why we love it
Ahrefs is a powerhouse SEO tool with a massive index of backlinks and web pages, offering comprehensive data for in-depth analysis. It even has its own search engine, ranked #12 globally and #1 among SEO/SEM tools.
With robust keyword research features like keyword suggestions, SEO comparison tools, SERP analysis, and difficulty scores, Ahrefs helps you target the right opportunities. Its site audit tool further enhances your SEO efforts by identifying and fixing technical issues, making Ahrefs an essential resource for optimizing your online presence.
Pricing
Ahrefs is a paid subscription service with a base-level plan that starts at $29 per month. There are several other tiers with varying features and pricing.
Pros
- Comprehensive data
- Powerful competitor analysis
- Robust keyword research tools
- In-depth site audit
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Steeper learning curve compared to some other tools
7. SpyFu
SpyFu is a competitive intelligence tool that helps you understand your competitors’ online marketing strategies. It specializes in PPC and SEO research, allowing you to see the keywords your competitors are bidding on, the ads they’re running, and their organic search rankings.
Why we love it
SpyFu is a powerful tool for gaining competitive intelligence. It offers deep insights into your competitors’ PPC and SEO strategies, including their keyword targeting, ad copy, and ranking positions.
With access to historical data, you can track your competitors’ campaigns over time to spot trends and shifts in their approach. SpyFu’s keyword research tools further enhance your marketing efforts by helping you uncover new keyword opportunities and optimize your campaigns for success.
Pricing
SpyFu is a paid subscription service. The base-level plan starts at $39 per month. There are other plans with varying features and pricing.
Pros
- Comprehensive competitive intelligence
- Historical data on competitor campaigns
- Robust keyword research tools
Cons
- Limited SEO features compared to some other tools
- It can be expensive for advanced features
8. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO platform tailored for agencies, although it has scalable solutions for SMBs. It offers a wide range of tools for keyword research, content marketing, backlink tracking, SERP tracking, and more.
Why we love it
SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO platform that offers a robust set of tools for competitor analysis, keyword research, search result tracking, and more, especially on the advanced plan. It provides in-depth data and insights to help you assess your site’s performance and uncover areas for improvement.
Designed with a user-friendly interface, SE Ranking is easy to navigate, even for beginners. With affordable pricing, it’s an excellent choice for small businesses seeking powerful SEO solutions without breaking the bank.
Pricing
SE Ranking is a paid subscription service. The pricing is tiered based on the features you need and the number of projects you want to track. The base-level plan starts at $65 per month.
Pros
- Data-driven insights
- User-friendly interface
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- Some features may be limited compared to more expensive tools
- Steeper learning curve than some other tools
9. Yoast
Yoast is a popular WordPress plugin that improves your website’s on-page SEO. It offers various features to optimize your content, including keyword analysis, readability analysis, and content structure suggestions.
Why we love it
Yoast is a user-friendly WordPress plugin that makes optimizing your website for SEO simple and effective. Packed with comprehensive features, it helps improve your on-page SEO with ease. The free version offers essential tools, perfect for beginners, while regular updates ensure you’re always benefiting from the latest features and improvements.
Pricing
Yoast offers both free and paid versions. The free version provides basic SEO features, while the premium version offers more advanced features like keyword research and content optimization suggestions. The premium version starts at $79 per year for a single site.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Comprehensive features
- Free version available
- Regular updates
Cons
- The premium version can be expensive
- It may not be as powerful as dedicated SEO tools
Types of Search Engine Marketing
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
PPC advertising is a paid strategy that allows you to rank your brand/services over organic results in search engines. Depending on your business and objectives, you can leverage different campaign types, such as search campaigns, display campaigns, and shopping campaigns.
PPC involves paying a fee each time someone interacts with your ad, which appears in sponsored sections of SERPs. As an advertiser, you can take advantage of Google Ads’ precise targeting features to bid on specific keywords, demographics, geography, interests, age, and more to achieve the best results for your campaigns.
Benefits:
- Fast Results: Ads go live almost immediately, providing quick traffic and visibility. Typically, PPC campaigns will yield quicker results than organic SEO strategies.
- Precise Targeting: Target specific keywords, demographics, locations, user interests, and much more to reach the right audience.
- Measurable ROI: Detailed analytics help track performance, such as conversions, click-through rates (CTR), and cost-per-click (CPC), ensuring campaigns deliver value.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO focuses on improving your website’s structure, content, and technical elements to increase its ranking in organic (non-paid) search results. Tactics include keyword optimization, link building, enhancing page load speeds, and creating high-quality content, to name a few.
Benefits:
- Long-Term Results: While it takes time to build momentum, SEO generates sustainable traffic and rankings over time.
- Credibility and Trust: Users often consider websites that rank highly in organic search results more credible.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Unlike PPC, SEO doesn’t require ongoing ad spend, making it an efficient long-term investment.
Local SEO
Local SEO focuses on optimizing your business’s online presence for location-based searches, such as “best coffee shop near me.” Strategies include claiming and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) profile, gathering online reviews, and using local keywords in your website content.
Benefits:
- Essential for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses: Helps attract nearby customers actively searching for your services.
- Improved Visibility: Increases your presence on Google Maps and localized SERPs, especially for mobile users.
- Customer Connection: Features like reviews, business hours, and contact information directly in search results enhance trust and engagement.
Best SEO Software for Small Businesses
Ahrefs stands out as the premier SEO tool for small businesses due to its powerful features and competitive pricing. It has an intuitive interface and comprehensive data, making it especially easy for small businesses to identify opportunities, optimize their online presence, and gain a competitive edge.
If you’re not quite willing to make the investment and you’re looking for a free alternative, Google Search Console will be the tool for you! While you won’t have quite as much data or the tools that come with some of the paid options available, Google Search Console will provide you with fantastic insights related to your website’s organic search performance.
Combine Google Search Console with other free tools like Google Analytics 4 and the free version of Screaming Frog SEO Spider, and you have nearly all the fundamental tools you need to get your website ranking in the SERPs!
Final Thoughts
Search Engine Marketing remains one of the most powerful ways to boost your online visibility, drive targeted traffic, and achieve measurable results. However, as we’ve seen, success in SEM doesn’t come without the right tools to guide your strategy.
The 9 SEM tools discussed in this article each offer unique features that can simplify keyword research, optimize campaigns, track performance, and ultimately maximize your return on investment.
Choosing the best SEM tool depends on your specific goals, budget, and the challenges you’re looking to solve. While SEM can be complex, the right tools—combined with a solid strategy and a trusted partner—can make all the difference.
At Brandmark Studios, we specialize in helping businesses like yours navigate the intricacies of SEM. Whether you’re new to paid search or looking to refine your campaigns, our team can help you craft an effective strategy, leverage the right tools, and achieve real, measurable success. Partner with us today, and let’s drive your SEM strategy forward together.
FAQs
Which SEM tool is the best?
The best SEM tool depends on your goals, budget, and specific needs. Google Ads is the most widely used and versatile for paid search campaigns, offering robust tools for keyword targeting, ad creation, and analytics. For an all-in-one solution that combines paid and organic strategies, SEMrush and Ahrefs are highly regarded, and tools we’d recommend due to their powerful keyword research, competitor analysis, and campaign optimization features.
What is an SEM tool?
An SEM tool is software or a platform that helps marketers manage, optimize, and track search engine marketing campaigns. These tools simplify tasks like keyword research, ad creation, budget management, and performance tracking. By providing insights and automating processes, SEM tools enable businesses to improve their visibility in search engine results, target the right audiences, and maximize return on investment (ROI).
What are the best SEM tools for beginners?
For beginners, the best SEM tools will depend on your goal and required functionality. If you’re new to SEM, it’s highly likely that you won’t need all of the bells and whistles that come with many high-end, paid SEM tools. Free tools like Google Search Console, Google Ads, and Screaming Frog (free version), will provide beginners all you’d need to run successful search marketing campaigns. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals and begin to need more functionality, that’s when you should take the next step to purchasing a paid SEM tool that works for you!
