The Top Free Local SEO Tools
You’ve got your optimization checklist ready to go. But whether you’re working on your own local business site or on behalf of a client, you might have realized that you need a little extra help. One question we’re often asked is:
“What are the best free local SEO tools and browser extensions to help me do the manual work?”
We all love a freebie, but when it comes to the complex and multi-location world of local SEO, the tool still has to be top-notch so that you can sit back and trust that it’s doing the job you want it to. There are a host of local SEO tools with advanced features that come at a cost, but we know how valuable it can be to perform some tasks for free.
In this reactive industry, you also want free local SEO tools to give you a quick and accurate answer as soon as you’ve thought of the question. That’s why we’ve compiled some of the industry’s top free local SEO tools and Chrome browser extensions so that you know where to turn. At the very least, we’ve made sure each of these tools offers a free trial.
Top Free Listings Management Tools for Local SEOs
Keeping on top of your listings manually could well feel like an impossible task. Listings management tools help to keep things organized and automate everyday tasks to free up time.
Postamatic
Postamatic allows you to easily create, schedule and publish Google Business Profile (GMB) Posts and Q&As through the GMB API. It’s perfect if you’re managing multiple locations and struggling to keep each place’s profile up to date.
There’s no technical know-how needed to use Postamatic: just fire up Google Sheets, and you’re ready to go. You can also use Postamatic to schedule posts in different languages if required.
Another helpful feature of this app is the ability to respond to Google Reviews. This is a must for local SEO success and can be accomplished easily with Postamatic. Couple it with one of our top keyword research tools to ensure your posts and review responses are optimized for local search.
Postamatic: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
It’s free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
N/A.
What makes it unique?
UTM tagging is included so you can track which posts are performing best via Google Analytics.
Website
https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/%F0%9F%A4%96_postamatic/460920737213
PlePer Local SEO Tools Chrome Extension
PlePer’s Chrome extension features a wide array of features that allow you to dive deep into your competitors’ Google Business Profile listings.
Stand-out options include shortcuts from the business listing to the Knowledge Panel (and back again) and quick links to speed and mobile-friendly tests. You can additionally use PlePer to see which Google Business Profile categories any Google Maps listing has selected. This will give you some insight into that business’ local search strategy and approach to GMB optimization.
PlePer’s a no-brainer for any local SEO looking to save time conducting GMB competitor research.
PlePer: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$10-$150/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
There is a free Demonstration version to trial PlePer.
What makes it unique?
It’s a simple way to scan for duplicate listings.
Website
Negative Review Removal
Negative Review Removal was developed by AI and software company Objection Co. It’s designed to enable users to check the legitimacy of online reviews. Simply copy and paste the review in question into the free tool, and you’ll receive a score generated by Objection Co’s algorithm. The score will tell you how likely it is that the review will qualify for removal.
According to Founder Curtis Boyd, the tool uses NLP data and AI/ML frameworks such as NLTK and BERT to identify illegitimate content, such as reviews left by a person with a pre-existing bias against the business. It will base its decision on the review syntax and sentiment.
Negative Review Removal: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$199.99/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
Yes. 7 days.
What makes it unique?
The use of AI and Machine Learning to calculate how likely you are to be successful in getting a review removed sets Negative Review Removal apart.
Website
https://objection.co/free-negative-review-removal-tool
Google ID and Link Generator
Whether you’re performing local SEO for your own business or acting as a local SEO consultant, acquiring fresh new reviews is likely to be a priority. Gathering Google reviews, in particular, can be a real boost to your search visibility.
BrightLocal’s Google ID & Link Generator allows you to quickly find Google IDs and links for any local business with a physical address. You can share these links with your customers to make it simple for them to find you and leave a review.
Google ID and Link Generator: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
It’s free to use, but you have a limited number of uses per day before a BrightLocal subscription is required for further use.
Does it have a free trial?
N/A.
What makes it unique?
There’s no easier or faster way to generate Google ID and review link to share with customers.
Website
https://www.brightlocal.com/free-local-seo-tools/google-id-and-review-link-generator
GMBspy Chrome Extension
GMBspy for Google Chrome could just as easily have been included in our list of top competitor analysis tools.
This handy extension focuses on unearthing and providing data about competitors’ Google Business categories. It’s easy to use with no tech expertise required. GMBspy provides data clearly, no matter where you are in Google Maps or Google Search so that you can get a better handle on any rival’s GMB optimization strategy.
Want to investigate further and gather even more intel? Use the ‘copy to clipboard’ function. This will allow you to compare and contrast multiple competitors across multiple categories.
If you don’t have a particular rival in mind, you can also use GMBspy to snoop on common categories for the top 20 search results. This can be useful if you’re auditing and refining your Google Business Profile.
GMBspy Chrome Extension: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
It’s free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
N/A.
What makes it unique?
GMBspy will show all current Google Business Profile categories for any business with just a click.
Website
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gmbspy/hijfnlgdhfpmnckieikhinolopcolofe?hl=en
GMB Everywhere Chrome Extension
Another handy Chrome extension to spy on the competition, GMB Everywhere Chrome is packed with helpful features.
Once installed in your browser, you can use it to dig deep into Google Business Profile strategies. Whether browsing maps or local search results, it will show you the selected business category for every business listed. Category selection is crucial to local search success, so seeing what competitors specify can help you refine your approach.
GMB Everywhere also has several audit options. Use it to analyze how frequently any listing shares new Posts and what content they focus on. You can use this information to review your Post strategy. Reviews auditing allows you to analyze review content and quality and calculate review ratings.
GMB Everywhere: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
It’s free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
This Chrome extension is already free to use.
What makes it unique?
The Teleport feature allows you to perform a search from any simulated location to see search results for other areas.
Website
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gmb-everywhere-gbp-audit/oibcaeeplepnjfjhokfcabnaafodppik
Top Free Rank Tracking Tools for Local SEOs
Measure the impact of your local search strategy on your rankings with these free rank tracking tools. If you want something a little more advanced, BrightLocal offers local rank solutions like Local Rank Tracker and a geo-location rank tracker.
SERPTrends for Chrome
SEO Extension SERPTrends for Google Chrome is a lightweight SEO tool that shows dynamics for the search results within the search page. This means that when you perform a search on Google, you’ll see additional information to the left of the listing. The SERPTrends information will record whether the website has gained rankings, slid down the search results, has just been ranked, or retained the same ranking.
In addition, you can see how many positions the website has gained or lost since your previous search. This information can be helpful to local SEOs who want to keep a close eye on rival businesses and how they are performing daily.
SERPTrends: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
It’s free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
It’s free to use.
What makes it unique?
For any searches you have performed previously, you can see changes to search results pages across Google, Yahoo and Bing.
Website
Local RankFlux
BrightLocal’s own Local RankFlux is the only ranking fluctuation monitoring tool for local search. We track daily ranking movements across 14,000+ keywords to measure volatility and identify suspected algorithm updates.
As a user, you can choose whether you receive daily, weekly, or urgent-only alerts. This is especially useful after making changes to your site or when a new Google algorithm update is rolled out. Local RankFlux ensures that you’re in the loop when volatility hits local search results.
Local RankFlux: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
Local RankFlux is completely free to use, and there are no limits on usage.
Does it have a free trial?
N/A.
What makes it unique?
You can view search ranking volatility per industry if you wish to zero in on changes within your niche only.
Website
https://www.brightlocal.com/free-local-seo-tools/local-rankflux
GS Location Changer Firefox Add-On and Chrome Extension
The GS Location Changer, available for Firefox and Chrome, does one thing and does it well: it changes your location in Google Search.
Changing your search location without traveling can be very useful for local SEOs. This allows you to emulate the search experience from your chosen location rather than your actual location. When search results are returned, you’re able to see the search results specific to that area, with localized advertising and more.
It’s no secret that local search results are determined in part by your location. So, simulating a different location is vital if you want to get an accurate picture of what local consumers really see elsewhere.
GS Location Changer: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
GS Location Changer is free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
It’s free to use.
What makes it unique?
You can change where Google thinks you are located just by typing a different place into GS Location Changer. This allows you to pull up hyper-local results without being physically present at that location.
Website
https://valentin.app/gs-location-changer.html
MobileMoxie SERPerator: Google Mobile Rank Checker
Available for free use three times per month, MobileMoxie’s SERPerator lets you understand the messy world of mobile rankings. It even allows you to select the handset you want to emulate.
You can also check mobile rankings from a specific address rather than the broader city, state, or zip code. This means you can be very granular with your search results reports.
It’s also “the only SEO tool that lets you go back in time to see what real SERPs looked like” This is useful if you need to answer questions about historical mobile search rankings. There’s also a paid version if you need to perform more than three daily searches.
MobileMoxie: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$29 – $399/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
You can conduct three searches per day at no cost.
What makes it unique?
This rank tracker allows you to turn back the clock to see what search positions were like previously.
Website
https://mobilemoxie.com/tools/mobile-serp-test/
Top Free On-Site SEO Tools for Local SEOs
Conducting on-site SEO can be a tall order without the support of specialist tools. Browse our selection for the best free offerings, whether you want to audit your content or check schema markup.
Siteliner
Do you need a helping hand identifying key issues that affect your business website and rankings? Use Siteliner to flag up problems such as duplicate content and broken links.
The great thing about Siteliner is that it’s so quick and easy to use. Simply add the URL for the page you want to check and wait as Siteliner gets to work. It will scan the domain and then present a series of graphs and charts.
In addition to identifying pages with duplicate content, your chart will show the percentage of content that’s problematic, so you know how much work you must do. Reports can be downloaded to refer to later.
Siteliner: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$0.01 per page.
Does it have a free trial?
There is a free version of this tool.
What makes it unique?
As well as sniffing out duplicate content and broken links, its Page Power metric makes it easy to recognize which pages are most prominent to search engines.
Website
Microdata Generator
Helping Google to better understand the purpose of your web pages by adding structured data can lead to improved search visibility. However, the thought of having to write Scheme code from scratch may seem daunting.
Luckily, Microdata Generator removes the requirement for coding knowledge. It enables you to generate Schema code with ease by inputting some basic information.
Microdata Generator uses Google’s preferred Schema markup; JSON-LD. The older MicroData format is also available. Simply fill in the table, and Microdata Generator will build the code for you. Then, copy and paste it to your website.
Microdata Generator: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
Microdata Generator is free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
It is free to use.
What makes it unique?
This tool couldn’t be easier to use – just input some basic business information and wait while your Schema code is written for you.
Website
https://microdatagenerator.org
Da Vinci Tools Extension for Chrome
Da Vinci Tools for Chrome combines a series of useful tools for four fundamental Google properties: Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, and Data Studio.
The toolset makes Google Analytics easier to understand at a glance and more powerful to use. Once installed on your browser, you can bring a layer of color to your Analytics reports with just a few clicks. Get insights into your search performance quicker by creating heat maps on tables, highlighting high and low points in overview graphs, and more.
You can also create heat map tables in Google Ads to highlight the most important data and create new tags in Google Tag Manager. When using Da Vinci with Data Studio, you’ll be able to automatically see sampling and auto-refresh your dashboard at your preferred interval.
Da Vinci Tools: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
Da Vinci Tools is free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
It’s free to use.
What makes it unique?
The ability to create heatmaps directly within Google Analytics can make complex data easier to understand.
Website
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/da-vinci-tools/pekljbkpgnpphbkgjbfgiiclemodfpen
Top Free Keyword Research Tools for Local SEOs
Solid keyword research is the backbone of any good local search strategy. But it’s almost impossible to brainstorm relevant keywords manually. Keyword research tools make it easier to spot missed opportunities and identify potentially lucrative new keywords to target.
Answer the Public
If you’re stuck for content and research ideas, Answer the Public is where you want to be. Add any keyword into the search bar, and the tool will list all the questions customers have asked search engines such as Google and Bing using that phrase.
The list of questions returned is a treasure trove of inspiration and can make a notable difference to your local SEO strategy. You can tailor your content to what your customers want to know by reviewing the questions asked. In addition, the spider diagram format can be saved or printed, so you have all the content ideas you need, grouped by query type, ready to increase traffic to your website.
Answer The Public: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$99-$199/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
There is a free version of this tool with a limited number of uses a day.
What makes it unique?
Answer The Public doesn’t just provide keywords. It helps you to identify new opportunities to rank for ‘people also ask’ snippets as well as generate relevant content ideas.
Website
Also Asked
The ‘People Also Ask’ space is an essential part of any SERP as it provides high-level exposure at the top of the page. AlsoAsked is a tool created specifically to identify those questions. It could just as easily have been included in our list of top content marketing tools.
For any keyword, you can easily map out what’s ranking for which questions. In addition, the detailed report will tell you which other key search terms those questions are associated with. This allows you to see how topics are linked together and build a much broader plan of attack.
You can use the attractive tree image for an overview or, in the paid version, export it to CSV for further analysis. This works to give you a whole host of great keyword ideas for your local content.
Also Asked: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$15 – $59/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
It’s free for up to three searches per month.
What makes it unique?
It provides extensive search intent information in real-time with topic mapping for additional context.
Website
Other Top Free Tools for Local SEOs
Local-Pack-O-Meter
Local-Pack-O-Meter is a brilliant free tool from Local SEO Guide. It uses SERP data from Traject to show how the makeup of SERPs is changing over time. It does this by tracking the appearance of features like People Also Ask, knowledge graphs, images, shopping boxes, news, ads, job packs and, of course, the Local Pack.
This isn’t just a great tool for local SEOs, but for anyone who is looking to understand a potential drop in rankings. It’s also possible to use this tool to identify the SEO opportunities presented by features which are gaining visibility that may otherwise have been overlooked.
Local-Pack-O-Meter: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
It’s free to use.
Does it have a free trial?
The tool is free to use.
What makes it unique?
It will show the percentage of US search results showing specific SERP features.
Website
https://www.localseoguide.com/local-pack-o-meter
USPS
That’s right, the US Postal Service has a great free tool that’s perfect for local SEO research. USPS allows you to search by street address, city, or state if you’re looking for a simple way to find a ZIP code. You can also search using a ZIP code to find out which cities that code covers.
Are you wondering how or if you’d use a zip code checker when performing your local SEO activities? If so, you should know that this tool comes in very handy.
You can use it when analyzing how well businesses are ranking in particular neighborhoods. Get the ZIP code from USPS, and then it can be used in tools like BrightLocal’s Local Search Results Checker to view localized search results for that area.
USPS: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
There’s no cost to use USPS’ ZIP Code™ lookup.
Does it have a free trial?
N/A.
What makes it unique?
You can look up the ZIP code in three different ways, so it should be easy to find even if you are working with an incomplete address.
Website
https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm
ZipSprout
It’s fair to say that local link building can be challenging. But it’s not impossible if you have a few clever tactics and approaches up your sleeve. One of the ways that you can acquire highly relevant local links is by partnering with other local organizations.
That’s where the hyper-local focus on ZipSprout comes in. You can search for local sponsorship opportunities at scale with ZipSprout by automating city or topic-specific searches. You can also save time by favoriting certain locations and letting ZipSprout’s matchmakers take care of the outreach. It’s a perfect solution for local businesses who haven’t got the team or the time to send hundreds of emails themselves.
ZipSprout: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
Contact sales. Zipsprout is completely free for non-profits and charities.
Does it have a free trial?
No.
What makes it unique?
ZipSprout will seek out local event and sponsorship opportunities on your behalf and report back to you for approval.
Website
