You don’t need a paid SEO suite to get started. A handful of free tools cover most of what an independent agent needs:
- Google Search Console — verify your custom domain here. It tells you which queries you’re ranking for, which pages Google is indexing, and any crawl issues. This is non-negotiable.
- Bing Webmaster Tools — same idea for Bing. Free, quick to set up, and pairs nicely with the IndexNow pings we already send on your behalf.
- Google Business Profile — your most important local-SEO asset. Keep it claimed, complete, and full of recent photos and reviews.
- Google Analytics 4 — drop your Measurement ID into Website Settings and you’ll see traffic, sources, and which pages convert.
- PageSpeed Insights — quick check that your pages load fast on mobile.
For learning, Google Search Central, Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO, and Ahrefs’ YouTube channel are reliable, no-fluff starting points. Skip anyone promising guaranteed #1 rankings — that’s a red flag, not a service.