Is it time to switch to a new SEO tool?

SEO is an ever-changing and constantly evolving industry. The tools that are used for SEO help in determining the business’ growth. Thus it is essential to stay up to date with the latest trends, techniques etc., to evolve with them.

Yet, it’s always a question of prioritizing what’s critical for your business requirements. There are many factors at play here:

• Some SEO platforms solve problems that you maybe didn’t even know existed – to identify these, you need to stay abreast of new advancements in the industry.
• And some solve a particular problem, which you’re already aware of – in these cases, it’s just about identifying which tool is the best fit for your agency’s needs.
• Some offer a seamless experience that helps you optimize your SEO workflows.
• Some offer competitive advantages in terms of features or pricing.

In an interview with top SEO agencies from around the globe, we’ve gathered various insights into the factors that most influence the decision to test, and even switch, to a new core SEO tool.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” In simple terms, it means the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines. The better visibility your pages have in search results, the more likely you are to garner attention and attract prospective and existing customers to your business.

Signs to change the SEO tool

Here are some of the signs that it might be time to start prospecting for new SEO software in your tool stack.

1. Your current tool isn’t giving you the right data or functionalities

Search professionals need access to accurate, up-to-date data at this time to implement campaigns and track performance. Does your current solution give you enough data? Does it provide the right data? If not, you may not be able to deliver on your SEO goals. Have you ever come across either of these problems?

a. Unreliable or incomplete data

Some SEO platforms simply provide more data features than others, while others charge extra to view specific metrics, like:

• Google’s “(not provided)” data
• Brand/non-brand organic traffic segmentation
• Mobile vs. desktop traffic

Having this data is invaluable for SEO professionals. But having to pay for it granularly can be a hugely limiting factor, particularly for smaller agencies.

For example, mapping the traffic data from Google Analytics and matching it with the keyword data from Google Search Console to get what’s “(not provided)” means you can show clients the direct impact which SEO has on other business goals – like how increasing ranking for a keyword affects conversions.

SEO platforms that provide this type of data as standard can give you an advantage when it comes to acquiring and retaining clients by highlighting the connection between SEO and business results. Or it can be an issue of unreliable metrics – misleading or opaque calculations, issues that pertain to technical changes and not your SEO performance, and so on.

b. Functionality issues

Speed is a huge factor in the SEO industry. Search professionals need access to accurate, up-to-date data at the moment to implement campaigns and track performance. Because when your software malfunctions, you need to get the problem solved fast.

This is why it’s essential to consider the quality of support provided when selecting an SEO tool.Ideally, you should get access to a dedicated account manager who you can approach for quick resolution of issues on an as-needed basis, as well as regular support calls to review your agency’s needs.

To meet the growing demands of SEO services, agencies must measure the operations efficiently, and that should be measurable in a competitive world. To have constant growth in the business, it’s time to test your tools and to see whether the existing tool provides you with the right set of functionality or not.

2. You want to be seen as a leader in innovation

Digital is always on the move, and SEO professionals need to be up-to-date on new developments to stay competitive. Agencies need to be at the forefront of innovation, so they are always looking for new technologies that will make them stand out.

“From a tool perspective, we strive at least several times a year to properly review what’s there,” says Paul Wood. They focus primarily on accessibility and UX when assessing new tools on the market, such as:

• How easy is it to export data?
• How to facilitate collaboration between internal teams and clients.
• The number of features that can be integrated into one platform.

The SEO Works team also emphasizes the importance of keeping an eye out for members by informing each other. We also have an extensive training program in place, so everyone has access to not only the tools, but also the specific methodologies that agencies use for top-notch SEO strategies.

Going further, agencies like SEO Works have developed their own tools and show how their innovative approach can give them a competitive advantage for their clients in their portfolio.

3. You’re growing or scaling your SEO agency

Digital adoption has accelerated globally by at least three to four years in just a few months, according to a recent McKinsey Global Survey of C-level business leaders.

This drive toward a digital-first approach is only expected to continue, which means that scaling needs for SEO agencies are likely to be high right now, as well as for the foreseeable future.

Meeting this growing demand for SEO services requires agencies to scale operations efficiently while also staying competitive themselves. If you’re growing your agency, it’s a good time to test your tools and see if they have the right set of functionalities to promote and support this growth.

Fast-growing agencies need more capabilities, like:

• Access to more users: As you add new clients and employees, you want tools that allow you to have unlimited users (ideally, at no extra cost) and facilitate collaboration across teams
• Unlimited API access: Your SEO tools need to work seamlessly with your other business tools as you grow your overall technology toolkit. For example, we’ve made it as simple as possible to export large quantities of data through the SEOmonitor API, letting you pull the campaign and keyword-level data into your preferred internal systems (like Klipfolio) and customize client reports
• More efficient workflows: Operational dashboards, integrated systems, and organizing capabilities for your client portfolio, all make a difference in helping you get the status quo at a glance

In the words of many SEO professionals we’ve talked with, the highest value an SEO platform can bring is to help you not waste time.

The right tools will help you do this, but ineffective ones can leave your team spending too much time on technical processes, which will seriously impede your ability to scale.

4. Your tool isn’t collaborative enough or customizable

SEO professionals need to have stable processes and methodologies across all teams. The best software is built with this in mind. Collaboration and customization are the most important things that agencies prioritize when choosing SEO tools. And lots of features facilitate this, like:

• Multiple user access: Unlimited access for team members and clients, with customizable client view permissions.
• Collaborative features: Real-time annotations, comments, and sharing capabilities for both teams and clients.
• Tracking metrics: A centralized agency dashboard that lets teams monitor performance and tasks, as well as align on goals.
• Personalization features: From filtering campaigns by account managers, to an editing mode that optimizes your time for keyword management, to saving customized reporting templates across the agency, there are many capabilities you should consider.

A robust SEO solution, which combines multiple functionalities like these in a single platform, helps optimize internal workflows and gain a holistic view into agency operations.

5. Your tool isn’t cost-effective

Different sized agencies have different budgets. Optimizing costs is crucial, particularly for scaling agencies. You have to hire more people and use more resources in your tools to handle a larger volume of clients, and you don’t want to scale your costs at the same rate. Some questions to ask when evaluating the cost-efficiency of a particular tool are:

Does it offer flexible pricing and use of resources?

Most SEO software solutions have a fixed subscription cost, which includes a set number of domains and keywords. But if your use of the tool’s resources fluctuates from month to month, your pricing remains the same.

Other platforms give agencies the ability to upgrade or downgrade each month, so you only pay for what you use. Having no predefined plan supports agencies better evaluate their expenses based on campaign volume on a specific timeframe.

Are there any extra hidden costs?

Some tools have an attractive base price but come with hidden costs and extras that can quickly add up, especially when you’re onboarding lots of new clients and handling larger campaigns. These include:

• Per-user costs: Will you be able to add unlimited users (including clients) at no extra cost to allow for internal and external collaboration?
• Migration fees: Is there an hourly or fixed rate for migrating from your existing system to a new tool?
• Integration costs: Are there multiple integrations to important tools of the trade (Data Studio, Google Sheets, API access, and more) included in the price?

So if your current software isn’t making the most financial sense for your business, it could be time to test a new one.

When is the right time to start prospecting for a new SEO tool?

The answer is, you should never stop your critical analysis. Innovation is an ongoing process, especially in this rapidly-changing industry. So your core SEO tool of choice needs to keep up the pace and constantly update its capabilities. When you encounter these signs with your existing solutions, they may not be serving you as well as they should be, like:

• When you don’t get access to the right data or functionalities.
• and when you want to be a leader in innovation, which means you need innovative methodologies.
• When you’re growing or scaling your agency, you need more capabilities in place.
• Or when you want to be more cost-effective.

We understand that an SEO agency’s core tools are crucial in winning more clients and managing them more efficiently.That’s why our team at SEOmonitor is committed to designing specific solutions that help you acquire, manage, and retain relevant customers.

Wrap up

The efficiency of the tools lies in the identification, advancement, and fast-tracking capability. Its functions and the measure to check the content hold the priority over other new SEO Tools. It identifies which other tool will suit you best. Some of the SEO tools offer a seamless experience in terms of optimizing the workflow. 

Constantly changing and evolving concerning the change in phases of the industry is the new criteria of the SEO industry. Every business field needs some growth and direction. And the tools that we use should provide direction and shape of the growth. So it is highly important to stay up-to-date with the new tools in hand and to decide whether the tool will benefit you in the future or not.