The content marketing landscape continues to evolve, with an ever-increasing focus on understanding consumer intent and delivering high-quality, relevant, and trustworthy content.
And in order to meet these needs and demands of your target audience, you need the right tools to properly plan, write, improve and promote your best work.
So what do writers, editors, SEO pros, content marketing managers, and more keep in their content toolkits now?
We asked our network of content experts what tools they use to improve content search, creation, optimization, and more.
Check out the 30+ content tools they recommend, how they use them, and why they each have a place in their toolkit.
Content research and strategy tools
There are three categories of tools for content strategy Alexis SandersDirector of SEO at Merkle Digital, is really helpful:
- Competitive search tools such as smrash And the Ahrefs.
- Keyword trackers like Advanced web ranking or Bright Edge.
- And reptiles including Frog screamAnd the OnCrawlAnd the BotifyAnd the Deep Crawl.
Each tool offers its own unique features and reports. Some of her favorite features include:
- Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool for content visualization.
- Advanced Web Ranking for its ability to seamlessly integrate into GDS for keyword-level reporting.
- OnCrawl duplicate content reporting and interpretation of primary vs non-canonical combos.
- Custom extraction and custom search options within Screaming Frog.
Kyle LarkinSEO strategist and owner of Larkin SEO, shared her favorite tools:
- Google Analyticsto see what type of content helps conversions (and conversion rate).
- Google Search Console To examine click-through rate and backlink patterns.
- Ahrefs To keep track of the organic share of the vote.
Miranda Millermanaging editor here at Search Engine Magazine, uses BuzzSumo To find out which content on any topic is already of great interest.
“The first thing I want to know when thinking about writing about any topic is what’s really out there. Who else is talking about this? Which is more popular?” she said.
Miller notes that she also uses the answer.
Content writing and optimization tools
Daniel Smullen, Head of SEO at Mediahuis Ireland, has shared the following list of tools content marketers should use when researching, writing, and managing content projects.
- Google docs to write with grammatical extension for editing.
- Project management software system like idea to plan content.
- Keyword research tool like Ahrefs To get keyword insights.
- All-in-one writing assistant for SEO like spooky text To search topics, identify similar entities used in top 10 ranked URLs, and search questions based on topic.
for text content, Laura HermanCEO of Mint Marketing Inc., recommends seo serverwhich is useful when knowing what content is needed or what you might be overusing.
“For video content, I will use almost any platform that can help me create captivating, professional-looking content,” Herrmann added.
Morgan FloresDirector of Content and SEO at Clutch, said that although she uses many tools in the course of her work, she has three favorites.
“I use Google Analytics To analyze overall traffic, user engagement and trends. Ahrefs It is my top choice for keyword tracking, keyword research, and competitor analysis. I also use the heck to get out of Chrome extension for GS Location Changer to spoof my search location in browsers,” Flores explained.
Cynthia Howea freelance SEO specialist and writer, told us she uses Hemingway application To pick up examples of the passive in their content and correct them. She added, “Now that I’ve improved my passive voice, I’m working on transitional lyrics.”
Miranda Miller shared her favorite writing tools online here. In addition to those listed above, those include:
- WebFX’s Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test Tool To improve the readability of the content.
- OneLook Thesaurus To find synonyms and similar terms that can make your writing richer, less repetitive, and more interesting to read.
- Frase.ioAnd the InLinksor MarketMuse To analyze SERPs, topics, related entities, competitive analysis and content insights with the help of other AI.
- Google Scholar To find trustworthy, reputable, and peer-reviewed information more often.
- Yost As a final on-page SEO test before hitting publish.
Content promotion
Alexandra Tachalova recommends repurposing your content as an excellent way to promote it.
Canva or VenngageFor example, two simple drag-and-drop design options let you quickly and easily create hero images, infographics, social graphics, and more to augment your written content.
Tachalova also recommends giving RawShorts Try to produce a quick and simple video using your existing content. (decideable is another video maker with stock footage, animations, and effects that you might want to try.)
from her side , Carrie DevillipsCEO of The Content Factory and Co-Founder of The Content Factory Sisters in SEO The Facebook group said, “I’m going to come out of the box here and say Mix MaxIt is an email tool.
DePhillips provided three reasons for recommending the platform:
First, at $12 a month, it’s the best bang for my buck for my investment.
Second, it allows me to keep track of all my open emails (yes, I can tell when clients open invoice emails they claim they missed…)
And third, their templates save a lot of time. I get at least 10 background/guest post requests a day, and some of those people follow through relentlessly.
I have a killer “We don’t allow this. Please remove me from your list,” she said. “The model that gets these people out of my hair with two mouse clicks,” she said.
For me, I still love Hootsuite for social scheduling. sendableAnd the loomingAnd the CoSchedule Good options for customizing and scheduling your content for various social platforms as well.
Each has advantages, disadvantages, and features that may be attractive to some users but not to others. Check them out, take a demo, and see which one fits your needs.
What matters most is that you go out and try new tools. You’ll find new ways to automate time-consuming processes, optimize content better to match the researcher’s intent, improve writing quality and tone of voice, and more.
Research is a fast-moving space where if you don’t try something new and find every advantage you can, competitors will likely ignore you.
Stock your arsenal with the content tools that will give you the edge.
More resources:
- 15 tips that will improve your writing today
- How to write content better and faster: 10 secrets to try now
- Content Marketing: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Featured image: breakermaximus / Shutterstock
