Read this Comprehensive Review and Comparison of Top Online SEM Tools to Help you Choose the Best Search Engine Marketing Software For Your Requirements:
Buying a domain and building a website is only the first step in establishing an online presence for your business. You also need to promote your website online. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) tools help website owners to promote websites, improve site traffic, and boost conversion rates.
SEM software provides valuable insights that help you grow your online business in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Website owners can use these tools to research effective keywords, set budgets for online ad campaigns, and analyze online marketing results.
Selecting the right SEM tool is important. However, finding the right one can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately for you, we have scoured the net and selected the best SEM tools that provide great value for their price.
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Suggested Reading =>> Best Private Search Engines
What You Will Learn:
FAQs About SEM Software
Q #1) What is SEM software used for?
Answer: SEM tools are used to optimize digital marketing campaigns. The tools are used by website owners and professional digital marketing experts for site analysis and optimization. You can also use the tool to ensure that your digital marketing campaigns help in attracting targeted and qualified leads. The tool also helps in improving the visibility of online products in search engine results.
Q #2) What are the features of SEM Applications?
Answer: SEM tools have different features that allow you to optimize paid search results. All SEM apps have a keyword research feature. You can use the tool to find out relevant keywords for your website.
Additionally, the application allows you to analyze competitors to find out relevant high-impression keywords. Some tools also allow you to analyze and boost online ad campaigns so that they attract maximum qualified leads to your website.
Q #3) What is the difference between SEO and SEM?
Answer: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and SEM are two different digital marketing techniques that help website owners to improve the online visibility of websites. SEO focuses on improving organic search engine ranking.
Further reading =>> Difference between SEO Vs SEM
On the other hand, SEM aims to boost paid search engine results of a website. Both are necessary for website owners to improve website visibility, attract qualified leads, and boost rankings.
List of Most Popular SEM Software
- Ranktracker
- Semrush
- SEO PowerSuite
- Wordstream
- Google Ads
- Supermetrics
- Optmyzr
- Keywordtool.io
- Spyfu
- SE Ranking
Comparison Table of Top 5 SEM Tools
| Best SEM Tools | About Tool | Features | Free Trials | Price | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranktracker | SEO Toolkit | - Keyword Research - On-Page SEO Analysis - Backlink Checking - SERP Checker | 7 days | Starter: $16.20/month, Double Data: $53.10/month, Quad Data: $98.10/month, Hex Data: $188.10/month | 4.5/5 |
Semrush | Online advertising, social media, SEO and content creation tool. | - Generate 3,000 to 10,000 reports per day, - View 10,000 to 50,000 results per report, - Keyword metrics, - Product listing ads, - Historical data analysis. | 7-days | Pro: $99.95/month. Guru: $199.95/month. Business: $399.95/month. | 5/5 |
SEO PowerSuite | All-in-one user-friendly SEO toolkit | - Keyword research, - link building, - backlink analysis, - sitemap generation, - website auditing. | Free plan available | Professional: $299/year, Enterprise: $499/year | 4.5/5 |
WordStream | Online advertising tool for small businesses, advertisers, and marketing agencies | - Smart ad creator, - Keyword research tool, - Conversion and source monitoring, - Technical guide. | 7-days | WordStream Advisor: $199/month, WordStream Advisor with Premier Consulting: $448/month, WorStreamAdvisor for Agencies: $179/month, WordStream Managed Services: $1000 fixed fee plus 6-9% of spending. | 4.9/5 |
Google Ads | Google Ad tool to promote website and products on the Google advertising platform. | - Create and manage Google Ads, - Keyword planner, - Pay for Results, - Set Budget Limits. | N/A | Cost based on Cost Per Click(CPC) or Cost Per Impression(CPI): $.01 - $2+ | 5/5 |
SuperMetrics | An SEM tool for integration with various digital marketing platforms. | - Optimize PPC campaigns - Integrate with Google Analytics, Facebook, Bing, Adwords, Twitter, LinkedIn, - Google Sheets, and Google Data Studio. | 14-days | Integration with Google Sheets: $99/month. Integration with Data Studio: $39/month. Integration with Excel: $99/month. Integration with BigQuery: $190/month. Integration with Data Grabber: $19/month. Supermetrics Uploader: $39/month. Supermetrics Functions: $29.99/month. | 4.6/5 |
OptyMyzr | Enterprise-grade digital marketing optimization tool for managing Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Shopping Ads. | - Digital campaign optimization, - Data insights, - Customized reports, - Custom digital marketing workflows, - Flexible Rule Engine/PPC scripts. | 2-weeks | Pro: $499/month. Pro+: $799/month. Enterprise: Custom Quote | 5/5 |
#1) Ranktracker
Best for Keyword Research, Backlink Monitoring, Website checking
Price: There are 4 pricing plans. Its cheapest plan will cost $16.20/month. The Double Data Plan will cost $53.10/month whereas the Quad Data plan will cost $98.10/month. The Hex Data plan, on the other hand, will cost $188.10/month.
With Rank Tracker, you get a comprehensive SEO toolkit that can dramatically boost your website’s ranking and drive traffic to it. The platform can be used to find high-performing keywords and assess competitor website for keywords that are helping them.
You can also employ the tool to get insight into a competitor website’s domain rating, URL rating, and number of backlinks they are using. The software also does a phenomenal job of ferreting out SEO issues plaguing a website within seconds.
Features:
- Keyword Research
- On-Page SEO Analysis
- Backlink Checking
- SERP Checker
- Comprehensive Reporting
Verdict: Rank Tracker arms you with a bunch of tools that can help SEO professionals craft a strategy that’s guaranteed to boost a website’s search engine rankings and get it more traffic. It is easy to use and very affordable.
#2) Semrush
Best for online advertising, social media, SEO, and content creation.
Price: It is available in three different price packages. The Pro version costs $99.95 per month which is suitable for startups, freelancers, and digital marketing experts with a limited budget. The Guru version costs $199.95 per month that is targeted at small and medium-sized digital marketing agencies.
The Business version costs $399.95 per month that is targeted at large marketing agencies and e-commerce website owners. Details of the different packages are depicted in the image below. You can try the software for free for up to 7-days.
Semrush offers comprehensive digital marketing and SEO services. You can use over 40 tools to manage PPC, SEO, and SMM projects. Using digital marketing tools, you can carry on competitor website analysis, social media conversion analysis, ranking analysis, and more. The Guru version also provides a content marketing plan, branded reports, and historical data.
Features:
- Generate 3,000 to 10,000 reports per day
- View 10,000 to 50,000 results per report
- Keyword metrics
- Product listing ads
- Historical data analysis
Verdict: Semrush is a comprehensive digital marketing tool that can help you boost digital marketing efforts. The tool provides lots of valuable insights regarding digital advertising that helps marketing experts optimize campaigns.
#3) SEO PowerSuite
Best for Link Building, Website Auditing, Keyword Research, and SEO analysis.
Price: Free to use, The professional plan costs $299/year. The enterprise plan costs $499/year.
With SEO Powersuite, you basically get a comprehensive suite of tools that can dramatically improve your website’s SEO strategy. You’ve got the rank tracker that can help you find keywords necessary to ace search engine rankings. You’ve got link assistant that can help you craft a strong link building campaign.
Finally you’ve got the WebSite Auditor, which can assist you with performing both technical and on-page SEO analysis.
Features:
- SERP Tracking and Analysis
- Keyword Research
- On-Page and Technical SEO Auditing
- Site structure visualization
- Backlink analysis
Verdict: If you are looking for a user-friendly all-in-one SEO assistant, then you’ll find plenty to admire in SEO Powersuite. This platform will arm you with tools that’ll improve your site’s performance online and get it the traction it needs.
#4) WordStream
Best for online advertising for small businesses, advertisers, and marketing agencies.
Price: WordStream is available in different price packages. The WordStream Advisor costs $199 per month and feature website reporting, conversion tracking, keyword research, and a landing page builder.
The advanced version with Premier Consulting costs $448 per month which includes support from certified online advertising experts, in-depth tactical account guidance, insights into best practices for digital marketing, and a personalized road map for digital marketing goals.
WordStream Advisor for Agencies has targeted digital marketing agencies and its pricing starts at $159 per month. Lastly, WordStream Managed Services offers advanced digital marketing features such as geo-targeting, call tracking, text ad creation, and optimization at a fixed fee plus a percentage of spending. You can also try the SEM tool for free for up to 7-days.
WordStream Advisor for Agencies:
WordStream Managed Services:
WordStream is an all-in-one digital marketing tool that is best for digital marketing professionals and agencies. The online SEM tool provides detailed insights that can help in optimizing digital optimization campaigns. It facilitates the creation of smart ads. Additionally, the dashboard presents detailed information about paid advertising performance.
Features:
- Smart ad creator
- Keyword research tool
- Conversion and source monitoring
- Technical guide
Verdict: WordStream SEM tool is targeted at small businesses and digital marketing professionals. The price packages are not affordable for individuals and small blog sites.
Website: WordStream
#5) Google Ads
Best for displaying ads to promote websites and products on the Google advertising platform.
Price: Google charges customers based on Costs Per Click (CPC) or Cost Per Impression (CPI). The price of Google Ads varies depending on the competition of the keyword. High competition keywords cost over $2 while low competition keywords cost less than $1.
Google Ads is the display ad platform of the search engine giant Google. The SEM tool allows you to run and customize digital ad campaigns. You can also use the free Google Keyword planner tool to search for relevant keywords for the site.
The ads run using the Google Ad platform, show up on search engine results. With Google Ads, you can target individuals based on a specific location.
Features:
- Create and manage ads
- Keyword planner
- Pay for results
- Set budget limits
Verdict: Google Ads platform allows you to promote products and services on Google display networks. Running ads on the Google platform will help you in attracting relevant leads. You can pay for real results that result when customers take action such as visiting your website, clicking on the ad, or calling your company.
Website: Google Ads
#6) SuperMetrics
Best for integration with digital marketing platforms for advanced PPC, social media, SEO, and web analytics.
Price: Pricing of Supermetrics differs depending on the integrating app. The price of integration with Google Sheets starts at $99 per month. You have to pay $39 per month to integrate with Data Studio. Integration with Excel also costs $99 per month. Integration with BigQuery costs $190 per month.
There are additional add-ons, such as Supermetrics Data Graber offered at $19 per month that allow monitoring of data in Excel. Supermetrics Uploader which starts at $39 per month, automate and schedules the upload of advertising data into Google Analytics. Supermetrics Functions start at $29.99 per month, integrate with Google Sheets and Excel. You can try the software for up to 14-days for free.
Supermetrics facilitate gathering data for optimizing digital marketing campaigns. The software can integrate with multiple third-party applications. You can use the tool to automate the transfer of data related to digital marketing campaigns.
Features:
- Optimize PPC campaigns
- Integrate with different apps including Google Analytics, Facebook, Bing, Adwords, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Sheets, and Google Data Studio.
Verdict: Supetmetrics provides detailed insights into digital marketing campaigns. The information gained by using the tool can help in optimizing online campaigns.
Website: Supermetrics
#7) OptyMyzr
Best for enterprise-grade digital marketing optimization on Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Shopping Ads.
Price: OptMyzris is available in different price packages. You can select PRO, PRO+, or Enterprise package. You can also try the software for up to 2-weeks to test the functionality of tool.
The PRO package costs $499 per month that supports core digital marketing optimization features, automation, and integration with 25 ad accounts. The PRO+ contains all the features of the PRO version plus integration with 50 ad accounts.
You can also call the company for a custom quote for the Enterprise package for 50+ ad accounts and API integration. All the accounts support personalized training sessions for managing digital marketing campaigns.
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Optmyzr is a comprehensive digital marketing solution. The application allows you to create strategies and share them with the team. The SEM tool also supports pre-written PPC scripts. Moreover, the digital marketing tool allows the creation of popular account structures such as SKAG and GRIP. There is also a detailed team activity dashboard that provides insights about digital marketing campaigns in the form of graphs and charts.
Core features of the packages include custom dashboards, prebuilt optimizations, keyword research, bid optimization, KPIs, and Rule Engines.
Additional details of the core features are depicted in the image below:
Features:
- Digital campaign optimization
- Data insights
- Customized reports
- Custom digital marketing workflows
- Flexible Rule Engine/PPC scripts
Verdict: Optmyzr is a great online tool that provides advanced digital marketing optimization features. The online tool allows you to create effective digital marketing campaigns.
Website: Optmyzr
#8) Keywordtool.IO
Best for generating keywords from Google, YouTube, Bing, and other platforms for free.
Price: The basic version that generates over 750 long-term keywords is completely free.
The Pro version is available in three categories: Pro Basic, Pro Plus, and Pro Business packages. The Pro package costs $69 per month which supports search volume data, competitor keyword analysis, over 7,000 keyword searches, and two times more keyword generation.
The Pro Plus and Pro Business packages cost $79 and $159 per month respectively that support CPC data and Google Ads competition data. The Pro Business also supports up to 50 API requests per day. You can try the software for free for up to 30-days.
Keyword Tool allows you to generate thousands of keywords from different sources. The tool is great for digital marketers, e-commerce owners, and content creators.
Features:
- Generate over 750+ keywords
- Obtain search volume data for 192+ countries and 46+ languages
- Get search volume from Google Ads
- Generate keywords from Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, Twitter, Instagram, and Play Store
Verdict: Keyword Tool helps in discovering a large number of relevant keywords. The online tool can serve the needs of both individuals and professionals alike.
Website: Keywordtool.io
#9) SpyFu
Best for analyzing digital marketing campaigns of competitors to find effective keywords and ads.
Price: SpyFu is available in three different packages. The basic package cost about $33 per month that allows for unlimited search results, domain overview, data analysis, domain, and sales leads contacts, and weekly keywords.
The Professional and Team versions cost $58 and $199 per month, respectively. These packages support more sales leads and keyword rankings. You can try the software for up to 30 days.
SpyFu provides comprehensive services to optimize digital marketing campaigns. The online SEM tool can be used to track keywords and ads run by competitors. The information provided by the tool will help you learn about successful digital marketing campaigns.
Features:
- Analyze competitor’s keywords
- Download competitor’s digital ads and organic search results
- Unlimited searches
- Unlimited exports
Verdict: SpyFu is best for digital marketing agencies and small business owners. The tool will help in making better partnerships to generate leads.
Website: SpyFu
#10) SE Ranking
Best for SEO and digital marketing for startups, small and mid-sized businesses, SEO specialists, and agencies.
Price: The Essential plan only costs $39 per month, offering 10 projects per account, 5 competitors per project, and over 37K keyword checks. The Pro plan costs $89 a month and you get unlimited projects with 10 competitors per project. The Business plan costs $189 and you get unlimited projects and 20 competitors per project.
SE Ranking is an all-in-one tool that will help you to build an SEO campaign from scratch. The provider offers keyword research and suggestion tools, a backlink checker, a website audit tool, on-site SEO checker, and more.
The interface is highly intuitive, making the tool suitable for beginners. All the data is neatly visualized for your convenience as well.
Features:
- Keyword research and suggestions
- Backlink checking and monitoring
- Website audit and on-page SEO checker
- Affordable pricing
- Custom pricing plans are available
Verdict: SE Ranking is a feature-packed all-in-one tool suitable for businesses of every size. It’s very affordable and has an intuitive interface. The data visualization is on point, so the tool is suitable both for beginners and SEO professionals.
Conclusion
SEM tools help increase the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns. There are different types of tools with features ranging from basic to advance. Supermetrics and Optymyzr have advanced digital marketing optimization features, making them suitable for digital advertising agencies and professionals.
WordStreams and Semrush are great platforms that provide basic digital advertising features, making them suitable for small businesses with limited budgets. Google Ads tool can be used by anyone to promote an e-commerce sites or personal blog posts online.
Research Process
- Time is taken to research this article: We spent 6 hours researching and writing this article so you can get a useful summarized list of tools with a comparison of each for your quick review.
- Total tools researched: 7
- Top tools shortlisted: 14