Dan ShewanTo say that digital marketers have to be jacks-of-all-trades is a considerable understatement. Marketers don’t often get the recognition they deserve for having to master so many different software tools, but if there’s one profession that requires knowledge of more tools than a Swiss army knife, online marketing is it.
In this post, we’ll be rounding up our top 99 online marketing tools. In this list is (almost!) every tool you’ll ever need to master (almost!) every aspect of a digital marketing campaign, from PPC and SEO to social to content and email marketing. Some tools are very specific, whereas others offer robust, diverse functionality. Some are free, others are not. Either way, you can check out the whole list, or skip to the section you’re most interested in:
- PPC Tools
- SEO Tools
- Social Media Tools
- Content Marketing Tools
- Analytics and Conversion Rate Optimization Tools
PPC Tools
1. AdWords Editor
If you work on large campaigns or multiple campaigns in Google AdWords on a regular basis, you’ll need AdWords Editor.
The recently redesigned interface makes working in AdWords Editor much easier, and the new suite of tools has almost everything a PPC marketer needs for bulk editing. Essential.
2. Keyword Planner
Google’s Keyword Planner is a similarly essential tool. Although you need an AdWords account to use it, the Keyword Planner isn’t just for PPC; it can help identify a wide range of keywords and associated data for uses in your AdWords campaigns as well as content marketing and SEO.
3. Bing Ads Editor
With Bing Ads becoming an increasingly popular PPC platform, the Bing Ads Editor is your all-in-one companion for managing your Bing Ads campaigns.
4. AdWords Scripts
Many PPC marketers have discovered the power and flexibility of AdWords Scripts to help them automate tasks that would otherwise eat into their precious time. If you haven’t checked them out, maybe it’s time to give them a try!
5. AdWords Performance Grader
WordStream’s AdWords Performance Grader (which we recently improved!) performs a thorough PPC audit of your AdWords account in 60 seconds or less, completely free. See what you’re doing right, and where you could improve, and see a greater return on your AdWords investment.
6. Bing Ads Intelligence
Although Bing Ads has intentionally made its experience as similar to AdWords as possible to help advertisers make the transition or run complementary campaigns, one area Bing excels in is its reporting functionality. The Bing Ads Intelligence suite of tools offers some remarkable reporting, so if you’re serious about Bing Ads, be sure to explore Bing Ads Intelligence.
7. Bing Ads Grader
Like WordStream’s AdWords Performance Grader, but want to see how your Bing Ads account is doing? No problem. The WordStream Bing Ads Performance Grader will evaluate the strength of your Bing Ads account and provide step-by-step advice on how to improve.
8. Keyword Wrapper
SEO Book’s Keyword Wrapper may appear to be an SEO tool, but as with many such tools, it offers a great deal of value to PPC marketers. Simply enter one or more keywords, then “wrap” them into groups according to match types such as broad, phrase, and exact – or all three!
9. Google Trends
Search trend data can be incredibly valuable to PPC marketers – so you can adjust campaigns to match seasonal demand – and Google Trends is one of the best free sources of this information out there.
10. Phrase Builder
Need a ton of related keyword ideas in a hurry? Phrase Builder is a great tool for quickly generating related keyword lists based on your input criteria. Useful for building large lists of keywords.
11. Analysis Toolpak for Excel
Personally, I barely use Excel’s core functionality on any given day, but for power users, the Analysis Toolpak for Excel adds a whole bunch of additional features that are useful for PPC marketers hoping to wring even more out of their Excel workflow. Learn how to install it here, then check out what it can do here.
12. Soovle
Similar to Google Suggest – but with a lot more data – Soovle lets you see autocomplete suggestions instantly from not just Google, but several other sites including Wikipedia, Amazon, and YouTube. Very handy, but it’s worth noting that Google plans to cut off access to the autocomplete API in the near future, meaning Soovle will only be able to provide results for other search engines when this happens.
13. Convertable
One of the biggest challenges in lead generation campaigns is learning enough about your leads to qualify them. Convertable makes this easier, offering much more data than traditional forms allow, providing you with data on everything from the browser they used and their operating system to the traffic source and the keywords they entered, as you can see in the screenshot below:
14. UberSuggest
One of the most popular third-party tools for PPC marketers, UberSuggest works similarly to other suggestion-based tools, but also offers robust foreign language support and some other nifty functionality. Again, when Google sunsets access to the autocomplete API, this tool might disappear, but for now, it’s worth checking out.
15. SplitTester
Calculating the CTR of two different ads is easy – predicting how they’ll perform over the long term is much harder without running a lengthy A/B test. SplitTester allows you to enter numerical CTR data to predict the ongoing performance of the two ads. Great for estimating statistical significance if you don’t have enough time for a full A/B test.
16. WordStream Landing Page Grader
Strong landing pages are essential to the success of any PPC campaign, and WordStream’s free Landing Page Grader will show you how you can improve your landing pages with a detailed, personalized report.
17. Keyword Competitor
Nothing like a little armchair industrial espionage to get your campaigns off on the right foot, eh? Keyword Competitor lets you check out what keywords your competitors are using, as well as how well they’re performing. Sly!
18. iSpionage
While we’re on the topic of espionage, give iSpionage a try (see what I did there?). This handy tool also lets you get the lowdown on what other businesses in your space are up to, allowing you to make informed decisions about your own campaigns.
19. SEMrush
You can never have too much competitive analysis, and the SEMrush suite of tools is definitely one of the best out there. Search for detailed keyword data by domain or keyword, and see what everyone else is up to.
20. SpyFu
SpyFu is another competitive analysis tool, but it offers some really cool features other tools lack, such as the ability to download CSV files of competitor keywords and reporting export functionality. It also has a really nice interface with plenty of important information easily available at a glance.
21. KeywordSpy
Another keyword research tool that can help you gain a valuable edge over the competition. KeywordSpy offers the data you’d expect from such a tool, as well as ad copy and keyword combination information, AdWords spend data for entire sites, and other cool information that can help PPC marketers.
22. WhatRunsWhere
WhatRunsWhere is a powerful tool that offers a wide range of data on display advertising campaigns. Covering 150,000 display advertisers across more than 90 ad networks in 15 countries, WhatRunsWhere is essential for companies hoping to get ahead in (display) advertising.
23. The Search Monitor
Of all the competitive intelligence tools we’ve looked at so far, The Search Monitor is one of the most useful. PPC marketers can use The Search Monitor to examine data on sponsored listings and PLAs across nine ad networks and 1,200 industry verticals, and also offers a ton of geotargeting and custom audience functionality. Well worth checking out.
24. AdGooroo
One thing we hear time and again about our own tools is how valuable the benchmark performance data is, and that’s one area where AdGooroo shines. As well as the usual ad spend estimate modeling and other tools, AdGooroo also lets you look at snapshots of specific brands in your vertical – very interesting if you’re looking to adjust your PPC strategy.
25. Typo Generator
If you’re targeting exact match types in your campaigns, give Typo Generator a shot. Google does offer variation matching within AdWords, but this tool is still useful for the hyper-control-freak PPCers out there.
26. Keyword Niche Finder
Our final PPC tool is WordStream’s own Keyword Niche Finder. This free tool lets you find keyword niches (as in, pre-organized keyword groups), which can be very useful when thinking about how to structure your campaigns. It’s pretty handy for SEO purposes, too.
SEO Tools
27. Google Suggest
Google Suggest is invaluable when you need keyword and content ideas. You might not have given much thought to how Google’s autocomplete functionality can help you, but with powerful modifiers and other tricks, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
28. Ahrefs
For SEOs, Ahrefs is a must. This tool offers a wide range of functionality that every SEO will find useful, from link profile data to content referral information. Essential.
29. Majestic
With more backlink data than you can shake a proverbial stick at, Majestic remains the go-to for many SEOs. This robust tool (which offers its own API for working with your own data sets) is extraordinarily powerful.
30. Compete
Ever wanted to know how much traffic your favorite blogs really get? Well, now you can. Compete offers estimated traffic data based on a range of metrics, and you can plot your results against primary and secondary metrics to customize your reports. Very handy.
31. DeepCrawl
Migrating to a new site is a worrisome time for any SEO. With DeepCrawl, you can test the impact of changes in a safe environment before pushing them to a live server, among many other awesome tools. DeepCrawl lets you check your redirects, ensure your hreflang tags are applied correctly, review canonicalized pages, and more.
32. Anchor Text Over Optimization Tool
Does exactly what it says on the tin. The Anchor Text Over Optimization Tool lets you search for and identify over-optimized anchor text links (which can look unnatural to Google) on external sites, and also allows you to submit change requests directly to site webmasters. If you’re worried about Google penalties, give it a try.
33. SEO Title Tag 3.0
Optimizing your title tags has never been easier. SEO Title Tag 3.0 lets you effortlessly optimize title tags in minutes.
34. Domain Hunter Plus
This free Chrome plugin lets you quickly check for broken links without leaving your browser. Domain Hunter Plus can crawl hundreds of links on a single page, provides error status codes for easy diagnosis, and lets you export results in .csv format. Very cool.
35. Keyword Map
Wordtracker’s Keyword Map is a handy tool for SEOs looking to build keyword maps for website architecture.
36. MozLocal
Moz is every SEO’s best friend, and having acquired GetListed in 2012, it’s no surprise that Moz is one of the best tools for local SEOs out there. MozLocal helps local businesses rank competitively in the search engines, making smaller sites as visible as possible.
37. Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool
It may not look pretty, but this Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool is actually pretty handy. It lets you mock up SERP snippets and URLs quickly and easily so you can see ahead of time what your content will look like in the search results. It also offers several display options, such as bold text, dates, and rich snippets.
38. Internet Marketing Ninjas SEO Tools
Our friends at Internet Marketing Ninjas offer several free SEO tools that might help you with your technical SEO work. Tools available include a broken link checker, an image and link analyzer, an on-page optimization tool, and a Greasemonkey add-on that helps you find URLs from search results.
39. Linkstant
Wondering where your new links are coming from and just can’t wait for a search engine report or your Analytics logs to catch up? Then check out Linkstant (as in links + instant), a link checking tool that offers immediate results.
40. MozCast
Keeping up with changes to Google’s algorithms can be hard work, which is why MozCast makes it easy and fun. MozCast compares Google algorithm updates to the weather, providing at-a-glance updates of how much the algos have changed over the past day or week.
41. Rank Checker for Firefox
No surprises with this tool. Rank Checker for Firefox is a free, open source add-on for Mozilla’s browser that lets you quickly check your rankings without handing all your data over to a third party.
42. Schema Creator
Schema can be an excellent addition to your site, but to the uninitiated, it’s not exactly easy to get started. That’s what makes Raven’s Schema Creator such a powerful tool. Start generating schema microdata for your site in minutes.
43. Seer SEO Toolbox
If you’re new to SEO or just want a simpler suite of tools to help you with your technical SEO work, check out Seer Interactive’s SEO Toolbox. Made with marketers, not technologists, in mind, these handy tools will help you get more done with less effort and technical know-how.
44. SEO Tools for Excel
Just like their PPC counterparts, SEOs almost certainly use Excel as part of their workflow. Why not make it more useful by adding SEO Tools for Excel? This software adds a range of SEO-centric functionality to Excel, making it easier to get more done in Excel.
45. SEOgadget Tools
Similar to SEO Tools for Excel, SEOgadget Tools extends the functionality of Excel to make it a more useful tool for SEOs.
46. Similar Page Checker
Having too much duplicate content on your site is a search engine no-no. Similar Page Checker is a free web-based tool that runs comparisons of your pages to a second page, highlighting areas of similarity that could get you in trouble with Google.
47. URI Valet
Need to check your server headers? Then use URI Valet, a free tool that allows you to check server headers according to a range of parameters, including by protocol and user agent.
48. Xenu’s Link Sleuth
This old-school tool Xenu’s Link Sleuth gets the job done and then some. Use this tool to find broken links on your site quickly and easily as well as to easily get a full list of all your indexed pages.
49. MozBar
Yet another awesome free tool from our pals at Moz. The MozBar browser extension lets you perform a range of SEO tasks from your browser, including keyword ranking data analysis, schema validation, and SEO metric reporting.
50. The Alexa Toolbar for Chrome
Alexa is one of the most trusted web metrics sites online, and with the Alexa Toolbar for Chrome, you can see at-a-glance information about the site you’re currently browsing, including traffic rankings, inbound links, and user reviews.
51. Mozscape API
Sometimes there’s just no substitute for rolling your sleeves up and working with the raw data yourself. If this sounds like your approach to SEO, you’re probably already using the Mozscape API – but if not, check it out right now.
52. Open Site Explorer
Seriously, when it comes to SEO tools, nobody does it better than Moz. Open Site Explorer is invaluable not just to SEOs, but digital marketers of all stripes. If you haven’t used it yet, you’re missing out.
53. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Offering an in-depth SEO audit of more than 30 metrics, Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider tool is one of the most comprehensive technical SEO analysis tools out there.
Social Media Tools
54. Hootsuite
Few social media management tools are as well-known or widely used as Hootsuite. This fully featured platform offers all the social media management functionality you could ever need, which is probably why it’s so popular.
55. TweetDeck
If you only want to focus on Twitter, TweetDeck will soon become your new best friend. Don’t waste time wrestling with the Twitter.com interface – get all the functionality Twitter should have built in the first place with TweetDeck.
56. Buffer
Yes, other social media tools offer scheduling functionality, but Buffer is among the simplest and most elegant platforms for managing social media accounts. Bonus points to the Buffer team for running one of the best blogs in the business.
57. IFTTT
Although not a social media tool in the strictest sense, IFTTT (short for If This, Then That) lets you connect the apps you use on a regular basis and create logic-driven workflows for automating routine tasks. An interesting way to create social media updates and dozens of other nifty uses.
58. BuzzSumo
Another app that falls into several categories, BuzzSumo is just pure awesomeness. Find out which content is being shared across which networks and by who. Brilliant.
59. SocialOomph
Social media management platform SocialOomph does a little bit of everything – post scheduling, keyword tracking, draft management, multiple account connectivity, and mentions/retweet monitoring. I haven’t used it myself, but a lot of digital marketers recommend it.
60. Tweepi
Another great Twitter management tool Tweepi makes it easy to get your Twitter account under control. See who’s not following you back (and unfollow en masse), clean up your follower list, and even force undesirable accounts to unfollow you.
61. Save Publishing
A very nifty tool, Save Publishing lets you quickly identify passages of 140 characters on any web page, making it easy to find – and tweet – quotes and quick takeaways from your content and other sources.
62. SocialFlow
SocialFlow doesn’t manage your accounts or make it easier to handle everyday social media management, but it does analyze millions of data points to determine the precise moments when to publish on social to create maximum visibility and engagement with your content.
63. LikeAlyzer
Don’t let the awkward name fool you – LikeAlyzer is really cool. This tool evaluates the strength of your Facebook page to give you additional insight into areas you can improve when engaging with followers and fans on Facebook.
64. Sprout Social
Sprout Social makes it easy to keep on top of your social media management. Offers agency-specific tools as well as functionality to handle social customer service (very important).
65. Social Bro
I haven’t used this platform myself, but terrible name notwithstanding, SocialBro seems to offer some useful Twitter management features. Free plans are available if you fancy giving it a try for yourself.
66. Crowdbooster
Social media analytics platform Crowdbooster offers some nice-looking reporting features, export functionality, as well as the scheduling and general-purpose management functions you’d expect from a social media tool.
67. Happy Cyborg
What if you could entrust your Twitter account to a machine? This isn’t dystopian science fiction but a reality thanks to Happy Cyborg, a fun tool that’s still in beta. Happy Cyborg assumes control of your Twitter handle and behaves as you would based on common responses to Twitter interactions. Probably not recommended for corporate accounts, but it could be ideal for busy entrepreneurs who find themselves tweeting the same stuff frequently.
68. Openr
Openr is a really nifty tool that lets you add a call to action to anything you post on social media, allowing you to harness the power of social’s reach and make it even easier for your audience to take action.
69. Bitly
Where would Twitter be without Bitly? The original link shortening tool is still highly useful as a standalone tool, even after Twitter incorporated Bit.ly functionality into TweetDeck.
70. Mediatoolkit
Keeping track of what people are saying about you online is crucial for effective brand management, and Mediatoolkit makes it easy.
71. Everypost
Social management tool Everypost does, of course, offer scheduling and publishing functionality, but its greatest strength is its very cool content curation tools. Curate content from virtually anywhere, then publish across your social accounts. Very cool.
72. Discover.ly
Chrome extension Discover.ly lets you explore relationships with influential people on social media. It provides additional information about people, including previously unconnected accounts, such as a person’s Facebook or LinkedIn profiles from their Gmail account, and helps you form stronger relationships with industry power users.
Content Marketing Tools
73. Prezi
Let’s be honest – most slideshow presentations suck, but Prezi helps you make presentations people will actually want to watch.
74. Powtoon
Powtoon lets you create animated elements for your slideshows quickly and easily, bringing a touch of finesse that most PowerPoints lack.
75. Blog Topic Generator
Stuck for ideas on what to blog about? Then try HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator, which does pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to do.
76. Content Idea Generator
Similar to HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator, Portent’s Content Idea Generator helps you quickly come up with ideas for new content projects simply by plugging in a general topic.
77. Trello
Trello is a godsend for large or distributed content teams working to a shared editorial calendar by simplifying the editorial workflow process into nice easy boards. Seriously, check it out.
78. Feedly
Many a marketer mourned the loss of Google Reader (RIP), but Feedly is just as good – if not better. Stay on top of the day’s news and must-read content with this awesome RSS app.
79. CoSchedule
Another scheduling/editorial calendar tool, CoSchedule also offers some nifty free content tools like its Headline Analyzer. Well worth a look for small teams.
80. After the Deadline
Not all content teams can afford the luxury of hiring a dedicated copyeditor, which is what makes After the Deadline so awesome. This free Chrome plugin checks your grammar, spelling, and everything else you need to keep an eye on before hitting “Publish.”
81. Polar
Adding interactive elements like online polls can be a great way to make your content more engaging. Polar makes adding polls to your content a snap, and it has a really intuitive interface, so you don’t need mad coding skills to get started.
82. SlideShare
For marketers who do a lot of conference presentations or webinars, SlideShare is the other social network. Create awesome slide decks, then share them on SlideShare with your audience – simple.
83. PlaceIt
Ever wanted to put screenshots of your product into stock imagery, but lack Photoshop skills? Now you can with PlaceIt, an easy way to customize images with your own branding and product stills. It also features video integration, which looks awesome.
84. Canva
Canva lets you create stylish, striking visuals for social media posts and content projects with an effortless drag-and-drop interface. You can upload your own assets to work with (for free), or pay a small fee to use Canva’s own library of visual materials.
85. Share As Image
A really nifty tool for content marketers, Share As Image lets you add text to any image on the web for fast, easy social sharing of visual content. Just be sure to get permission to use images you find online before including them in your campaigns.
86. Piktochart
Long gone are the days when you needed to hire an expensive graphic design specialist to create beautiful infographics. Piktochart is an awesome free tool that lets you start designing infographics, presentations and more in minutes. Well worth bookmarking.
87. Tableau Public
Incorporating data visualization into your content projects is a near-guaranteed way to make them stickier and really pop when it comes to illustrating complex topics. Tableau Public is an amazingly powerful, completely free data visualization tool that lets you create incredible interactive visualizations. Amazing.
88. The Readability Test Tool
Nailing the style and tone of your content is crucial. To check if your latest post is a little on the wordy side, check out The Readability Test Tool, which evaluates web pages according to the Flesch Kincaid Reading Scale.
89. Quora
It might not seem like a content marketing tool, but Quora can be invaluable for crowdsourcing answers to your questions. Many content marketers use Quora to find quotes, explain complex topics, and other ways to make their content more accessible.
90. OmmWriter
Hate drafting in Word? Need to eliminate distractions while you’re blogging? Then give OmmWriter a try. This minimalist writing environment strips away everything between you and that all-important first draft, giving you the time and space to get more done.
91. Evernote
Personally, I favor the hundreds-of-bookmarks-organized-into-folders approach to research, but if this sounds like too much hassle, give Evernote a try. This powerful free app lets you save virtually anything you find online to a personalized folder system synced across all your devices – awesome.
Analytics and Optimization Tools
92. Google Analytics
The granddaddy of analytics tools, Google Analytics offers everything you need to track the effectiveness of your campaigns and monitor the performance of your site. For such a complex tool, Google Analytics is surprisingly user-friendly.
93. CrazyEgg
Heatmaps are immensely useful tools to see how your visitors are really interacting with your site, and nobody does heatmaps better than CrazyEgg.
A heatmap showing audience eye movement and points of interest on a web page.
94. ClickTale
ClickTale lets you review video recordings of real website visitor sessions, revealing their mouse movements, what they click, and most importantly, where you’re losing them.
95. SubjectLine
Worried your email subject lines aren’t as compelling as they could be? Then test them to see how they measure up with SubjectLine. For example, I entered the subject line “Want to get more out of your PPC campaigns?” which gave me the score and breakdown below:
96. MixPanel
MixPanel is a powerful analytics tool that lets you work with large datasets without writing a single line of SQL code. It also boasts a clean, intuitive interface, making advanced analytics analysis easier than ever.
97. Formisimo
Analytics tools are all well and good, but finding out why visitors abandon web forms and checkouts is hard using traditional platforms. That’s what makes Formisimo such a valuable tool for digital marketers. Find out exactly what visitors are doing – or not doing – with your web forms.
98. Visual Website Optimizer
Another A/B testing and optimization tool, Visual Website Optimizer (or VWO) is remarkably easy to use. Dive in and get started with testing virtually immediately.
99. FiveSecondTest
In-depth A/B tests are all well and good, but sometimes, a person’s gut reaction to what they see immediately upon landing on your page can yield surprising insights. That’s the idea behind FiveSecondTest, a testing platform that shows you what people see within five seconds of arriving on your page – and what they miss.
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