Recently updated on May 10th, 2024 at 05:58 pm
So, you’ve got a business, you’ve got a product and you’ve got an audience–how do you make that all work online? Well, finding the right digital marketing tool is a great place to start.
Whether you’re an aspiring marketer or a seasoned pro, there’s an app or platform out there for you. Across SEO, productivity and social media management, using the right tool will help you to find your feet faster and start taking bigger strides towards your business goals.
Below, we break down 12 of the most popular tools used in digital marketing, looking at key features, suitability and the costs involved.
SEO tools
These digital marketing tools let you peek behind search engine algorithms, giving you insight into what topics are trending and how you can stay on top of search results.
Topic Ranker
Topic Ranker is a powerful SEO tool that identifies which keywords you should be targeting to see your content dominate the front page. It works by analysing search results, locating weaknesses within those results, and then pinpointing opportunities for keywords you can easily rank for.
To use it, you just input your website URL and specify your business’s niche. The tool then scrutinises related topics, revealing where issues like low-ranking sites, irrelevant title tags, readability concerns, word count deficiencies, and outdated content can be found on the search engine results page (SERP).
Key features
Target keywords
Pinpoint content keywords for easy ranking
Identify SERP weaknesses
Discover specific issues in search results
Optimise content
Improve your content based on current SERP weaknesses
Stay updated
Keep track of your own outdated SERP content
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | SEO beginners |
Basic | $47 | Individuals and startups |
Premium | $103 | Advanced users and businesses
|
*per month, billed annually
SEMRush
SEMrush is an all-in-one platform that manages content marketing, competitor research, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and social media marketing, all from a single location.
However, SEMRush is still best known as a platform for SEO–and with good reason. Its core offering contains a suite of user-friendly SEO tools designed around boosting organic traffic to your sites.
Key features
Keyword research
Access over 25 billion keywords in 130 countries
Website audits
Conduct in-depth audits based on 130+ checks
Content Recommendations
Receive guidance to enhance your content and rankings
Competitor Analysis
Track and analyse competitor websites and strategies
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Pro | $108.33 | Beginners and small teams |
Guru | $208.33 | Agencies and mid-size businesses |
Business | $416.66 | Large agencies and enterprises
|
*per month, billed annually
Free Account
SEMrush offers a free account that lets you get a taste of its capabilities. While there are limitations, including fewer daily requests and keyword tracking, the free version will let you explore enough to know if its various tools align with your marketing requirements.
Features:
- Access to basic tools
- 10 requests to Analytics reports per day (compared to 3,000+ for Pro users and above)
- Creation and management for one Project.
- Position tracking of up to 10 keywords
ahrefs
ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO platform that has a big focus on accessibility. It equips you with essential SEO tools and then provides guidance for how you can best use them to get results.
One of the key benefits of ahrefs is how it streamlines your SEO efforts through a single set of tools. Whether it’s competitor analysis, website optimisation, or tracking your search rankings, ahrefs puts the right tool in your hand to keep moving your marketing forward.
Key features
Site explorer
Dig deep into competitor strategies
Site audit
Ensure your website is optimised for success
Keywords explorer
Discover the search terms your customers want
Content explorer
Find new content ideas and linking opportunities
Rank tracker
Keep track of your SERP ranking progress
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Lite | $83 | Small businesses and hobby projects |
Standard | $166 | Freelance SEOs and marketing consultants |
Advanced | $333 | Lean, in-house marketing teams |
Enterprise | $833 | Marketing agencies and enterprises |
*per month, billed annually
Note: ahrefs typically does not provide discounts. Website owners can access limited free features of Site Explorer and Site Audit by signing up for ahrefs Webmaster Tools.
Meta Tags
Meta Tags is a free online tool for previewing how your content appears in search engine results and social media platforms. It lets you edit and experiment with your web content, and then see how it will be displayed on Google, Facebook, Twitter and more.
It’s a versatile platform that allows you to debug and generate meta tag code for any website. You can easily upload images, customise title and description tags, and generate optimal character counts. Using Meta Tags you can make real-time edits and immediately see how your content will be seen across your digital marketing channels.
Key features
Drag & drop editor
Easy to use and no knowledge of coding required
Real-time previews
See how your content looks across all platforms, instantly
Pricing
FREE
Meta Tags provides all of these handy features for free, making it an accessible tool for anyone looking to fine-tune their online content.
Productivity tools
Successful digital marketing campaigns need to involve copywriters, designers, marketing strategists and more. They also need to be deployed quickly. The tools below are designed to help you set up efficient and well-managed workflows.
Trello
Atlassian’s Trello is a flexible platform that “brings all your tasks, teammates, and tools together.”
Whether you’re working solo or with a team, what Trello offers is a single space to keep track of every little thing that needs to be done–and who’s meant to be doing it.
Key features
Boards
Trello boards keep tasks organised, providing a clear view of progress
Lists
Create custom lists to organise tasks and track their stages
Cards
Represent tasks and ideas, holding all the information needed to get the job done
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Individuals or teams |
Standard | $5 per user | Small teams managing multiple projects |
Premium | $10 per user | Teams requiring advanced project tracking and visualisation |
Enterprise | $17.50 per user** | Organisations with cross-team collaboration and robust security requirements |
*per month, billed annually
**This plan has a minimum requirement of 50 users. Pricing may change depending on the number of users.
Slack
Slack has been a go-to productivity platform for years now. It combines no-code automation and AI to make knowledge sharing effortless. Its features offer a digital playground for teams to stay connected and engaged with their projects.
With a library of 2,500+ apps and integrations, Slack is very likely to have the perfect answer to solve your workflow pain points. It promises to streamline your work, automate routine tasks, and keep the context in your communications.
Key features
3rd party integration
Huge app library
Team channels
Interactive boards
Video meetings
Screen recording
Instant messaging
User accessibility
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 per user | Project management beginners |
Pro | $7.25 per user | Small teams aiming for improved collaboration |
Business+ | $12.50 per user | Scaling businesses looking to enhance productivity and maintain strong team connections |
Enterprise Grid | As quoted | Enterprises with specific regulatory requirements and a need for powerful tools to facilitate growth |
*per month, billed annually
ClickUp
ClickUp is a comprehensive platform designed to manage tasks, workflows, and goals efficiently. It empowers collaboration through shared documents and enhances productivity with no-code automation.
ClickUp allows you to handle projects from start to finish, offering highly customisable dashboards to simplify your project planning.
Key Features
Gantt Charts
Dashboards
Time tracking
Mind maps
Automations
Notepads
App integration
Email integration
To-do lists
Kanban boards
Sprint management
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Free Forever | $0 per user | Personal use |
Unlimited | $7 per user | Small teams |
Business | $12 per user | Mid-sized teams |
Enterprise | As quoted | Large teams |
*per month, billed annually
Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a suite of cloud computing, software, productivity and collaboration tools developed and marketed by Google. It offers a range of targeted services that can be used to complete all kinds of tasks.
Key Features
Communication
Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Meet
Collaboration
Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites
Productivity
Keep, Tasks, Forms
Management
Admin console, Vault, Cloud Search
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Business Starter | $5.40 per user | Small to medium teams |
Business Standard | $10.80 per user | medium to large teams |
Business Plus | $18 per user | Large teams |
Enterprise | As quoted | Custom enterprise needs |
*per month, billed annually
Note: Business Starter, Business Standard, and Business Plus plans can accommodate up to 300 users. However, there are no minimum or maximum user limits for Enterprise plans. Google Workspace customers may have access to additional features for a limited promotional period.
Social Media tools
In digital marketing, managing your social media presence is a whole separate challenge. Each platform has its own quirks, but there are tools out there that can simplify how you push out your content.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a one-stop solution for managing all of your social media content. It allows you to schedule and publish content across multiple profiles, providing real-time tracking of performance metrics and highlighting your top-performing content.
Key Features
Content scheduling
Content curation
Campaign management
Customer messaging
Social media ads
Performance analytics
Secure access
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Professional | $99 per user (10 accounts) | Individuals and small teams |
Team | $249 for 3 users (20 accounts) | Medium-sized teams |
Enterprise | As quoted, starting at 5 users and 50 accounts | Large enterprises |
*per month, billed annually. Starts with a 30-day free trial.
Buffer
Buffer is a digital marketing tool tailor-fit for your professional needs. It’s designed to give you faster audience growth, easier content scheduling and deeper analytic insights. It even helps you share your content on the right channels, recommending the best hashtags to pitch your content.
Buffer provides guidance on when and what to publish to make your content stand out. With Buffer’s permission levels and approval workflows, teams can work autonomously, avoiding excessive micro-management.
Key Features
Content scheduling
Performance analytics
Engagement tools
Dashboards
App integrations
AI Assistant
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Social media beginners |
Essentials | $5 per channel | Professionals using publishing analytics and engagement tools |
Team | $10 per channel | Teams needing unlimited users, collaboration and reporting |
Agency | $100 per 10 channels | Marketing agencies with multiple clients |
*per month, billed annually.
Loomly
Loomly simplifies how you build your online brand. Its features help to expand your online reach through an easy-to-use social media management platform.
Serving as a single platform for all your social media marketing requirements, Loomly saves time, enhances content quality and unlocks more effective collaboration. Using its simple content calendar, teams can schedule posts across all social media channels and keep all users in the loop.
Key Features
Post inspiration
Content libraries
Optimisation tips
Post Previews
Approval processes
Content scheduling
Interaction tracking
Advanced analytics
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
Base | $26 (2 Users, 10 Accounts) | Small teams and startups |
Standard | $59 (6 Users, 20 Accounts) | Growing teams and mid-sized businesses |
Advanced | $129 (14 Users, 35 Accounts) | Marketing agencies with multiple clients |
Premium | $269 (30 Users, 50 Accounts) | Large teams and enterprise-level users |
Enterprise | As quoted | Organisations requiring customised solutions |
*per month, billed annually.
Note: Loomly offers a free trial period for users to explore and test its features.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management solution that aims to revolutionise how your business approaches social media.
It’s a unified platform that promises to empower your teams to derive real business value, strengthen market positioning and quickly drive revenue.
Key Features
Engagement tools
Content scheduling
Performance analytics
Social listening
Brand advocacy tools
Pricing
Plan | Price (USD)* | Price per additional user (USD)* |
|---|---|---|
Standard | $249 | +$199 |
Professional | $399 | +$299 |
Advanced | $499 | +$349 |
Enterprise | As quoted | custom-built plan |
*per month
Note: Sprout Social offers a 30-day free trial for you to explore its full capabilities.
Which digital marketing tool is the right one for you?
We’ve looked over a range of options across all aspects of digital marketing, from SEO to project management to social media.
Still, after all this, you might be left wondering: which tool is the right fit for my business?
To answer this, you really need to think about your goals. Each tool can be a flashlight to shed light on the path ahead, but you still need to know where you’re going! Take your time, weigh your options and select the tools that align with your budget and your objectives. And, if you ever need any more guidance, there’s always a marketing expert at Spark who can talk you through your options!
