In the fast-evolving world of SEO, tracking performance is critical for staying ahead of the competition and driving meaningful results. With countless tools available, marketers rely on a select few to monitor rankings, uncover insights, and optimize strategies. To shed light on the best tools for the job, we asked 10 thought leaders to share their favorite SEO performance tracking tools and explain why they stand out. From technical audits to keyword tracking and conversion analysis, here’s what they had to say about the tools powering their success.
Three-Tool Stack Answers Core SEO Questions
My favorite stack combines Screaming Frog, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), and Google Search Console (GSC)—because they help answer three core SEO questions: Can Google access it? Are people finding it? And does it convert? Each tool plays a specific role across the SEO workflow. Screaming Frog simulates how search engines crawl a site. It reveals technical issues like broken links, redirect chains, missing tags, and poor site structure. It's the first place I look when we onboard new clients. I also use it when we see unexpected ranking drops. It gives a fast, reliable read on crawlability and overall health.
Once the technical foundation is solid, we shift focus to visibility. That's where GSC comes in. It tells us how Google perceives the site—what pages are indexed, which keywords are driving impressions and clicks, and how average position or CTR is trending over time. We use GSC heavily for content audits and monitoring post-launch performance. It also helps us catch early signs of indexing issues. It's essential for spotting query shifts and seasonal patterns. That allows us to keep pages aligned with search intent. For clients, this means we're not guessing. We're responding to real user search behavior.
Finally, GA4 helps us evaluate what happens after the click. We use it to track how SEO-driven users interact with the site. We can see which pages they land on, how they move through the funnel, and whether they complete meaningful goals like form submissions or purchases. With GA4's event-based tracking, we can connect organic traffic to revenue impact. This full-funnel view isn't just valuable for reporting. It directly informs optimization. If traffic is high but conversions lag, we know where to dig in. For both client campaigns and our own site, this toolset helps turn data into decisions. And those decisions are what actually move rankings and revenue.
Aaron Whittaker, VP of Demand Generation & Marketing, Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
GA4 Tracks SEO Intent Beyond Traffic Metrics
GA4 has been frustrating but ultimately useful once we restructured our tracking. We set up content groupings and engagement goals that reflect SEO intent. That lets us measure beyond traffic we track time, clicks and outcomes. It adds depth that keyword rankings alone can not capture.
Event tracking helps us monitor interactions that signal meaningful engagement. Things like scroll depth, PDF downloads or CTA clicks all get recorded. GA4's path analysis tool also highlights SEO driven user journeys. Once configured well it becomes an indispensable layer of insight.
Matt Woodley, Digital Marketing & Lead Generation Strategist, InternationalMoneyTransfer.com
Custom Dashboards Blend Data for Actionable Results
After 15+ years scaling businesses through digital marketing, I've developed a toolkit that goes beyond the standard options. My favorite underrated tool is actually Google Data Studio (now Looker Studio), which transformed how we track SEO at RankingCo by creating custom dashboards that blend data from multiple sources.
I'm a huge advocate for SEMrush's position tracking features because they provide competitive intelligence that's truly actionable. When working with a Brisbane retail client, we identified a gap in their local SEO strategy using SEMrush's local pack tracking, which resulted in a 28% increase in foot traffic after implementation.
For technical SEO tracking, nothing beats Sitebulb's visualizations. The crawl maps helped us diagnose complex indexing issues for an e-commerce client that other tools missed completely. We fixed their site architecture based on these insights and saw a 34% improvement in crawl efficiency within weeks.
I also rely heavily on Chrome's Lighthouse in combination with PageSpeed Insights for tracking Core Web Vitals performance. This combination helped us identify that one of our clients had JavaScript rendering issues killing their mobile rankings—after fixing, their conversion rate jumped 22% on mobile devices specifically.
Kerry Anderson, Co-Founder, RankingCo
Core Tools Deliver Actionable Insights Across Channels
After managing SEO for both B2B and DTC brands over the past 8 years, I've tested dozens of tools and landed on a core stack that consistently delivers actionable insights.
Google Search Console remains my daily go-to for real-time performance data. It's free and provides unmatched accuracy for tracking search queries, click-through rates, and indexing issues. I particularly value its ability to show how specific pages perform across different geographic regions – crucial for our global fashion retail presence.
For comprehensive keyword tracking and competitor analysis, Ahrefs is my power tool of choice. While it's one of the pricier options at $99/month, its backlink analysis capabilities are unmatched. Last quarter, we identified a 23% increase in referring domains using their backlink comparison feature, which helped us refine our outreach strategy.
SEMrush has become indispensable for content gap analysis and keyword research. Its 'Topic Research' feature helped us discover that 'sustainable fashion wholesale' was an underserved topic in our niche, leading to a content series that now ranks in the top 3 for related keywords.
For technical SEO audits, Screaming Frog SEO Spider is my secret weapon. Despite its basic interface, it catches critical issues that fancier tools miss. Recently, it helped us identify and fix a pagination issue that was affecting the indexing of our product categories.
Happy to provide more specific examples of how we've used these tools to drive organic growth or discuss other tools in our extended stack.
Jazz Su, Digital Marketing Manager, Shewin
GSC Data Reveals True SEO Performance Metrics
I've been tracking SEO performance since the late 90s, and I'm a bit old-school with my approach. I rely heavily on Google Search Console for the raw truth - it shows exactly what Google sees, and the "Performance" tab reveals which queries actually bring visitors. Nothing beats this direct-from-Google data.
For tracking local SEO specifically, I use a combination of BrightLocal and manual checks of my Google Business Profile insights. When I worked with small businesses, I found tracking their position in the Map Pack was often more valuable than traditional rankings. Citation consistency matters enormously here.
Beyond the common tools, I've built custom Google Data Studio (now Looker Studio) dashboards that combine GSC data with Analytics to show which keywords actually convert. For one client, we finded their top traffic keyword had a 0.2% conversion rate while a keyword bringing just 50 visits monthly was converting at 12%.
My secret weapon is actually Google Search Console's "Coverage" report - when pages suddenly drop from index, it's often the first sign of bigger issues. I once saved a client from a 40% traffic drop by catching a robots.txt change that was accidentally blocking their product pages before the damage spread.
Tony Herman TH, Owner, Tony Herman
Ahrefs Provides Clear, Actionable Keyword Movement Data
I have tried a bunch of SEO tools, but if tracking is the goal, I stick with Ahrefs because it shows exactly how keywords move week to week without clutter. When I was growing Valor's ecommerce reach, I needed a way to cut through noise and see what pages were actually pulling in organic clicks. Ahrefs gave me that in clean lists and line graphs. I could check rank shifts on target phrases like "light roast coffee" or "best coffee subscription" in seconds, then compare those movements to changes we made in product descriptions or blog posts.
I spent over 40 hours optimizing the written content across our shop pages, and I used Ahrefs to watch how those changes played out over a 30-day window. It gave me hard numbers, not just guesswork. I could say with confidence that a certain page jumped from position 18 to 5, and tie that shift to a single edit. That clarity made planning next steps easier and gave me a better read on what content to invest in next. It kept the work grounded and measurable. No fluff. Just results I could act on.
Riley Westbrook, Creative Director & Co-founder, Valor Coffee
Backlink Monitoring Drives Measurable Business Results
My go-to tool for tracking SEO performance is Ahrefs, and the main reason is its backlink monitoring. In the electrical services space, where trust and authority mean everything, backlinks from the right sites move the needle. Ahrefs gives me that clear breakdown of which domains are linking, how often, and where the links point. This helps me spot patterns quickly, especially when a supplier, local council, or construction blog links to one of our project pages.
There was a case last year where one commercial install we handled in the Inner West got picked up by an industry blog. That single backlink drove 230 new visitors in a week and turned into three job requests by the end of the month. Ahrefs caught the link right after it went live, and I could track the traffic spike almost instantly. That is the kind of direct result I want to see. No guessing. Just a name, a source, and an outcome I can trace back to the job. That is why I stick with it. I do not need to be flooded with generic keyword fluff. I want to see how the outside world is validating our work. Ahrefs lets me do that without wasting time.
Daniel Vasilevski, Director/Owner, Pro Electrical
Ubersuggest Uncovers Competitor Gaps for Local Success
Ubersuggest has really become a go-to for me because of how simple yet powerful it is when digging into both keyword strategy and competition. I like to use it for a blend of keyword research, tracking, and content ideas. What stands out is its competitive analysis feature. You can easily plug in a competitor's domain and see what keywords they're ranking for, where their traffic is coming from, and what gaps exist in their content strategy. This helps me fine-tune my approach and identify areas I might have missed.
A recent project for a local plumbing service showed Ubersuggest's effectiveness. The client had been ranking decently for general terms but wasn't targeting long-tail keywords that could bring in more qualified leads. I used the tool to analyze the local search space, and it quickly pointed out a handful of long-tail keywords like "emergency plumber near me" and "affordable plumber Brisbane." These were low-hanging fruit that their competitors weren't fully capitalizing on.
I integrated these terms into their content and optimized the pages, and over the next few weeks, their organic traffic grew significantly. Ubersuggest's keyword tracking made it easy to monitor progress and adjust the strategy without getting bogged down in too many complex metrics. It's a practical tool that brings real results, especially when you need to stay on top of changes quickly.
Sean Clancy, SEO Specialist/Managing Director, SEO Gold Coast
Multi-Tool Approach Creates 360-Degree Law Firm View
When tracking SEO performance, I lean on a mix of tried-and-true platforms and a few specialized tools tailored for law firm marketing. Google Search Console is indispensable for monitoring how Google views your site, tracking keyword rankings, and identifying technical issues. For more granular keyword and competitor analysis, I rely on SEMrush—its comprehensive reporting, robust site audit tools, and competitor gap analysis features are invaluable for shaping winning SEO strategies.
Google Analytics, especially with GA4, is critical for understanding user behavior and conversion paths, allowing a deeper dive into which pages drive leads or case inquiries. For local SEO, paramount for law firms, BrightLocal stands out. It makes managing and tracking local citations, reviews, and Google Business Profile performance more streamlined.
Screaming Frog is my go-to crawler for on-site audits—it's thorough and customizable, helping to uncover technical SEO issues that can impact rankings. For link tracking and competitive backlink research, Ahrefs is a favorite due to its massive link index and intuitive interface.
I also use custom dashboards in Google Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) to bring all these data points together for clients. This allows for transparent, real-time reporting that's easy for attorneys and marketing teams to digest.
It's about combining these tools to get a 360-degree view—ranking data, site health, user behavior, and local visibility. No single platform does it all, but together, they create a powerful ecosystem for tracking, diagnosing, and improving SEO performance for law firms.
Jason Bland, Co-Founder, Custom Legal Marketing
Budget-Friendly Tools Monitor Essential SEO Metrics
SE Ranking and SEMrush are my primary SEO tools for tracking and monitoring. In the past, I also used Ahrefs. All of these tools provide a ton of valuable information about website's SEO performance and rankings. If you're on a budget, both SEMrush and Ahrefs offer free accounts that let you monitor your rankings, traffic, and overall SEO performance.
Ali Hassan, Founder / Construction & Project Consultant, Rabbit Roofing
From the technical precision of Screaming Frog to the backlink prowess of Ahrefs and the actionable insights of Google Search Console, these thought leaders showcase a diverse range of tools tailored to specific SEO needs. Whether you're optimizing for local visibility, tracking conversions, or uncovering competitor gaps, the right combination of tools can transform data into measurable success. By leveraging these platforms, marketers can make informed decisions that drive rankings, traffic, and revenue. Which of these tools will you add to your SEO arsenal to elevate your strategy?
