# 🎯 SEO Explained #2 - 🛠 Free Essential SEO Tools & 📊 KPIs

🚨 ***DISCLAIMER:*** *This is not a "how to use" topic. The goal of this article is to give you an idea about what SEO tools & KPIs you need to get started.*

Before starting, if you haven't read the first topic about the [Basics of SEO](https://creator.hamzamoustaid.com/seo-explained-1-basics-of-seo), I recommend you take 4 minutes of your time to read it, it’s very important.

In today’s article, I will give you briefly the **most important 'Free' SEO tools** and **Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)** to have a starting point for tracking efficiently your SEO journey.

So if you want to learn more about them, you will find links to detailed articles at the end of every tool.

Let’s go 🤩

## 📊 8 SEO KPIs to get started

The following **key performance indicators** are the most used ones by SEOs, make sure you track & analyze them to have more accurate conclusions.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1700084843138/86a1d64e-4cdd-41d3-b3b3-6de2f63b9932.png align="center")

* **Organic Traffic (Search Clicks)**: for every click you get from SERPs, an organic click is recorded. Track your organic traffic by keyword to know which keywords are performing well and which ones need improvements.
    
    Eg. Check the *red tag number 1* on the image above.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Search Console*
    
* **Impressions (Search Visibility)**: how often your website is shown in search results. <mark>When your website is shown on search results = Impression recorded</mark>.
    
    Eg. Check the *red tag number 2* on the image above.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Search Console*
    
* **Position (Search Ranking)**: your ranking positions on SERPs for your targeted keywords. Try to make a list of your targeted keywords and track them daily/weekly/monthly.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Manually on Google + Google Search Console*
    
* **Clickthrough Rate (CTR)**: it's simply the **ratio of total clicks and total impressions** on search results. <mark>High CTR = High Traffic Volume.</mark>
    
    Eg. Check the *red tag number 3* on the image above.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Search Console*
    
* **Branded Traffic**: any traffic that comes to your website by searching for your brand/company name. This metric lets you know your brand awareness level. Check the image below, an example of organic clicks by brand/company name.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Search Console*
    
    ![Clicks on brand name - Google Search Console](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1700084655690/a9a602c2-815a-4d90-906f-3e7d6230beb4.png align="center")
    
* **Events**: let you measure user interactions on your website like clicks on a link, purchase events, submitting a form, ... Analysing this metric will help you discover which actions and elements are taking users' attention in your website.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Analytics*
    
* **Sessions**: a set of user activities(events) on your website that happen during a specific period of time.
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Analytics*
    
* **Bounce Rate**: the percentage of visitors that leave your website without engaging (without making any events).
    
    <mark>Low percentage = More events, more time on your website</mark>
    
    🛠 *SEO Tool needed to track this metric: Google Analytics*
    

## 🛠 6 Free essential SEO tools to get started

There are hundreds of SEO tools to discover during your SEO journey, but I will give you the most needed to get started.

The following **Free SEO tools** are your starting point and essential platforms to get started correctly.

### [1- Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console/about) ⚙️

After creating your website, this is the first and most needed tool for all SEOs, **Google Search Console** is your best friend for tracking your website’s performance and technical SEO. **GSC** lets you track your organic traffic by keyword, impressions, CTR, ...

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<div data-node-type="callout-text">Learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-search-console/" style="pointer-events: none">Google Search Console</a></div>
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### [2- Google Analytics](https://analytics.google.com/) 📈

**Google Analytics (GA4)** provides you with more advanced data about your website.

Besides giving the total number of visitors & real-time visitors, you can track events, sessions, bounce rate, and more.

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<div data-node-type="callout-text">Learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://backlinko.com/google-analytics-4" style="pointer-events: none">Google Analytics (GA4)</a></div>
</div>

### [3- Google Business Profile](https://www.google.com/intl/en_ae/business/) 📄

For local SEO, creating your **Google Business Profile** *(Formerly Google My Business)* lets you reach new local customers from Google Search & Google Maps.

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<div data-node-type="callout-text">Learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-my-business/" style="pointer-events: none">Google Business Profile</a></div>
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### [4- PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/) 🚀

When it comes to your technical SEO, you need to have a fast-loading website to prevent users from leaving your website, **PageSpeed Insights** lets you know your website's page speed score and what makes it slow.

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<div data-node-type="callout-text">Learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-pagespeed-insights-guide/422854/" style="pointer-events: none">PageSpeed Insights</a></div>
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### [5- Google Keyword Planner](https://ads.google.com/aw/keywordplanner/home) 🔑

For keyword research, you will need to have a keyword data source and Google offers you this via the **Keyword Planner**, which provides you with keyword search volume with keyword ideas and suggestions.

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<div data-node-type="callout-emoji">💡</div>
<div data-node-type="callout-text">Learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://backlinko.com/google-keyword-planner" style="pointer-events: none">Keyword Planner</a></div>
</div>

### [6- Mobile-Friendly Test](https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly) 📱

With more than 60% of searches performed on mobile devices, it's strongly recommended to have a website mobile-friendly, and Google already offering you a "**Mobile-Friendly Test**" tool to test your website's mobile-friendliness.

## 📚 Learn less, 💻 Practice more

Remember, always take it easy, don't try to know everything, learn the minimum, and start practicing. ***LEARN BY DOING*** *is the best approach to learning* 📖

Like always, I hope you enjoy reading this article and finding it useful, let me know your thoughts and opinion 💬

In the next article, you will know the topic when it's live 😆

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Thank you for your precious time 🙏