10 Best SEO Content Optimization Tools in 2024 (Tested)

Reaching a wider audience through Google searches starts with writing quality content. But that’s just the first step because you also need to choose the right tool for content optimization.

With over 600 million blogs competing for readership online, you’ll need to optimize your content properly to get found on Google, YouTube, and other search engines.

The good news is that content optimization doesn’t have to be done manually (which can be difficult or time-consuming). Content optimizers simplify the process of fine-tuning your writing to make it more discoverable, engaging, and search engine-friendly.

In this article, I’ll cover the best content optimization tools available and how they could boost your search rankings. Whether you’re a blogger, content marketer, or website owner, these advanced optimizers have been proven to enhance the ranking chances of articles in just minutes.

Read also: The Search Engine Optimization Guide for Beginners

What Is the Best SEO Content Optimization Tool?

Below, you’ll find the top free and paid SEO content optimization tools to boost your site rankings.

1. Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO is a content optimization checker and analysis tool that can help you achieve an SEO-optimized article in just 20 minutes. But how does Surfer SEO work when it comes to optimizing your content?

What happens is that this tool takes into account things like structure, word count, and keyword plus image usage. All this occurs in real time as you write.

The great thing is that Surfer integrates with Google Docs (if that’s your preferred writing tool). You can also optimize existing content by uploading it on Surfer.

Surfer has an editor where you just enter the keywords you’re targeting and it provides guidelines to follow about improving the content. What I liked is that Surfer offers even more than content optimization.

You can use it for researching keywords before you begin writing. There’s even Keyword Surfer, its Chrome extension for finding keyword data on Google Search.

What’s more interesting, Surfer has an AI writer that can help you generate text from scratch and keep your article at the required length. It naturally makes your content have the required keyword density and prevents the bad SEO habit of keyword stuffing.

You can select the tone of voice you need (such as auto SERP-based, conversational, or formal) and edit the generated outline. While this AI tool writes like humans, it still features an AI content detection system that you can turn on.

As if that’s not enough, Surfer has a score that shows you how good your content is. You’ll need to pay attention to this score. The best score starts in the green, which is 68 or more.

Features

Pricing

Surfer has these plans for users.

• Essential ($89/month)
• Advanced ($179/month)
• Max ($299/month)
• Enterprise (Custom pricing)

There’s also different pricing for some features and add-ons as well as a pay-as-you-go option. Find more details in my honest review of Surfer.

2. Growthbar

If you want to write and optimize content 10x faster to make it more SEO-friendly, GrowthBar is among the best optimization tools that may interest you. Over 6,000 people, including web publishers and agencies, use it in a bid to take the top spot in their niches.

This SEO writing tool can assist you and your team from when you’re planning your content to the time it’s ready for publication.

Similar to Surfer SEO, it’s not limited when it comes to words. The tool can handle heavy word count and suggest the necessary changes to the text to make it rank higher.

How GrowthBar works is simple. It scans SERPs related to your topic and then creates an outline for you.

This outline contains all the needed sections of your blog post, including headings and keywords. You can then opt to generate an entire blog post using its AI capabilities.

If you have an existing piece of content that isn’t performing as you need, GrowthBar can take care of that for you too. You just need to add the article and receive recommendations for improving it.

Features

Pricing

GrowthBar has a 5-day free trial and the following pricing options.

• Standard ($48/month)
• Pro ($99/month)
• Agency ($199/month)

3. Semrush’s Content Optimization Tools

Semrush is a comprehensive software suite that contains a variety of SEO and content marketing tools to use. It includes keyword research tools, competitor analysis, backlink checkers, rank trackers, website SEO audits, and more.

In other words, you’ll be able to access detailed keyword data (including monthly search volume, difficulty scores, search intent, and related keywords), discover backlink opportunities, and track keywords you rank for. You’ll also know any technical SEO issues your site may have.

But let’s look at Semrush’s selection of content optimizers. First, you can use SEO Content Template which provides you with in-depth and well-researched briefs from any single keyword.

You can use these briefs to guide your content writing efforts. Every detail is based on data from the top 10 results for the keyword you entered.

No more worrying about which title, headings, subheadings, and meta description to add to your content. You can even know the most appropriate text length and number of backlinks you need to rank well.

The next Semrush content optimizer is SEO Writing Assistant. It helps you write unique and keyword-rich content and checks for readability, SEO, tone, and originality.

Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant is available as an add-on for Google Docs, WordPress, and Microsoft Word.

Features

Pricing

Semrush has a free but limited version where you can use some of its tools. It also offers a trial on its paid plans.

• Pro ($129.95/month)
• Guru ($249.95/month)
• Business ($499.95/month)

4. RankIQ

RankIQ is another great content optimization tool that suits bloggers, having been founded by a highly successful blogger. This tool can help you not only get SEO-optimized content but also find new untapped opportunities for ranking your website on the first page of Google SERPs.

One of the best advantages and reasons to try RankIQ is its ease of use. Most other SEO tools usually take days, weeks, or even months to learn how they work and fully utilize them.

RankIQ begins with helping you in finding the right keywords. It’s in fact the first keyword research tool that has a keyword library handpicked by experts.

It doesn’t matter what your niche is, whether food, beauty, pets, or anything else. I also found that users can access keywords in sub-niches within the primary niche.

RankIQ focuses on highly relevant and low-competition keywords. You can see metrics like the competition score, annual traffic amounts, and the time expected for you to rank upon publishing.

You then need to just write your post with your selected keywords, put it into RankIQ’s editor, and have a potentially top-performing post in around 30 minutes. It’s also possible to do this optimization for your old posts.

Features

Pricing

RankIQ only has one plan at the moment for its users. It costs $49.

5. NeuronWriter

Next up on the list is NeuronWriter. This is one of the top content optimizers for semantic SEO. It comes with an advanced content editor that offers NLP-based recommendations for your content.

First of all, the tool suggests terms you need to include in your content based on what’s working for others who’ve written about a topic. The tool also recommends headers and questions that can help boost your rankings.

NeuronWriter also provides ideas for your next content. In other words, the tool works to ensure that you become an authority on a given subject.

NeuronWriter Features

NeuronWriter Pricing

NeuronWriter has the following plans to pick from.

• Bronze: $23/month
• Silver: $45/month
• Gold: $69/month
• Platinum: $93/month
• Diamond: $117/month

There’s also currently a lifetime deal of $69 for NeuronWriter on AppSumo. Check it out. Besides that, here’s a NeuronWriter review and details about NeuronWriter’s free trial.

6. Dashword

Another one of the best SEO content optimization tools to use is Dashword. If you want to go from ideas to content briefs to a ready-to-publish post in minutes, this tool may suit you.

With Dashword, you don’t have to worry about not knowing what to write about. It can check all the competition in your niche and provide you with content ideas.

It shows you the keywords you need to chase, the frequently asked questions on Google and other search engines, and more. The tool also compiles all the information you need into a comprehensive outline.

If you have a team of writers, you don’t need to open new tabs to begin sharing the briefs. You can do it with a single click right from the platform.

Another thing is that you’ll access an AI-powered writer that can help you when you’re stuck during writing. It’s possible to also edit your previous articles with Dashword.

You can add them to the Dashword editor in just a few clicks. You’ll then get a detailed report for each and optimize accordingly.

Features

Pricing

Dashword is available to try for free. It also has two paid plans.

• Startup ($99/month)
• Business ($349/month)

7. Frase

Frase is both an AI writer and SEO content optimization software. Using this tool enables you to achieve two things at once. You’re able to write new articles and optimize them at the same time.

This tool takes into account the top search competitors to make sure your content has the best possible outline. It will also show you a variety of search metrics like domain ratings (DR), word count, and heading count of top posts.

Once you have a well-researched outline, you can use Frase to write the draft using keyword ideas it gives you. You get all the parts of your article put together, right from the intro to the headings and FAQs.

Something I love about this tool is that it doesn’t fall short when it comes to accuracy (something lots of AI writer tools were struggling with). Frase only includes factual information that you can refer to from the search results of the topic you’re writing about.

Features

Pricing

Frase has a 5-day free trial at $1 at the moment along with a few paid plans.

• Solo ($14.99/month)
• Basic ($44.99/month)
• Team ($114.99/month)

8. Clearscope

Next on this list of the best SEO content optimization platforms is Clearscope. It’s one of the top tools to help you understand what to write, how to go about it, and ways to maximize its performance on SERPs.

Clearscope’s focus is to help you create content that fully aligns with the interests and pain points of the audience you’re targeting. When you input your text into its editor, you’ll be able to see the current word count and the suggested word count, plus its readability level.

It also shows you the most important terms you should include in the article as per the top-performing competitor posts already ranking on the first pages. A content grade of A+ means that you’re on the right track.

Features

Pricing

Clearscope is a bit more expensive than the other content optimization tools, starting at $170 monthly.

• Essentials ($170/month)
• Business (Custom pricing)
• Enterprise (Custom pricing)

9. MarketMuse

MarketMuse is a content creation and SEO tool that works uniquely. Its content optimizer provides you with feedback on the quality of your writing in real time.

You get a chance to measure the likelihood of your content ranking before you publish it. But that’s not all that MarketMuse can help you with.

The tool can help you come up with a content strategy that suits your website. What happens is that its AI does an SEO audit of your site to help you know what keywords and topics you need to chase.

You won’t have to worry about creating the wrong or non-applicable content. What this means is that your likelihood of creating quality content that Google likes is high if you have MarketMuse by your side.

MarketMuse also does a little more for you during the keyword research process compared to other tools. It organizes keywords into lists so it becomes easy for you to create topic clusters and build authority.

Features

Pricing

MarketMuse has a free plan as well as premium subscriptions.

• Free ($0/month)
• Standard ($149/month)
• Team ($399/month)
• Premium (Custom pricing)

10. Grammarly

Grammarly is a popular writing assistant that can help you optimize your content for readability. It’s known and praised for its grammar correction abilities to ensure that your writing is free of spelling and punctuation mistakes.

But that’s not all, Grammarly can do. The tool recommends alternative words and sentence structures to improve the clarity of your content.

If you have long sentences in your writing, for instance, Grammarly will provide you with suggestions on breaking them down. If you act on the recommendations, your text becomes easier to read and understand.

The free version of Grammarly offers basic suggestions to eliminate any typos in your text. If you become a premium user, you unlock the tool’s full writing assistance.

Plus, I have to mention the Grammarly browser extension for desktops that allows you to use the tool anywhere online. You get a chance to correct your written content instantly on Google Docs, Gmail, LinkedIn, and more.

Features

Pricing

You can either use Grammarly for free or get a premium subscription.

• Free ($0/month)
• Premium: Monthly ($30), Quarterly ($60), Annual ($144)
• Business ($15/month/member)

What is Content Optimization?

Content optimization is the process of improving content to boost its visibility, relevance, and effectiveness in reaching and engaging the target audience. It’s all about a set of practices that aim to enhance your search engine rankings, drive more organic traffic, and increase conversion rates.

Now, content optimization includes the following:

• Keyword placement: Relevant keywords should appear in all the right places of your content. Placing keywords enables search engines to understand what your content is about and show it on relevant search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Content formatting: You’ll need to make sure your content has well-organized headings, subheadings, and paragraphs. A clear structure makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for.
• Readability check: Your content has to be written in a clear, concise, and error-free manner is crucial. Optimizing readability includes using simple language, avoiding jargon, and employing tools that analyze sentence length, word complexity, and overall readability score.
• Internal and external linking: Internal links within your content guide readers to check out related and relevant pages within your website. If you include authoritative external links to credible sources, it further enhances the credibility and relevance of your content.
• Image and multimedia optimization: You optimize images by compressing file sizes, using descriptive filenames, and adding alt tags that include the target keyword. Adding other multimedia elements like videos, infographics, and interactive content can give more value and enrich the user experience.

These content optimization practices can occur manually whereby you don’t have to use any tool. But you’ll spend more time, and effort, and likely miss some (if not a significant number of) key tweaks.

An SEO content optimization software is a tool that can help you fine-tune your content for search engines and users accurately and in a short time!

Reasons to Use a Content Optimization Tool

There are several reasons why utilizing content optimizers is essential.

• Improve SEO and rankings: A content optimization tool can analyze your content and provide improvement suggestions for key SEO factors like keyword optimization, length, readability, links, etc.
• Increase traffic: By optimizing your content for search, you make it more likely to rank for targeted keywords and queries.
• Enhance user experience: Optimization helps ensure your content is easy to read, well-structured, and formatted properly for all devices.
• Save time: Doing content optimization manually requires a lot of effort in analysis, testing, and implementation. Instead of hours, you can have a read-to-rank article in 20 minutes using a proper tool.
• Ensure consistency: These tools uphold best practices and can help you maintain consistent optimization across all your content over time.
• Access reports and analytics: Most of the platforms also offer detailed reports and metrics. It becomes easy to know how well your content is optimized and track its progress.

Conclusion

It’s evident that the best content optimization tools can help you create winning content and get organic traffic to your blog faster. You reduce the time you would spend doing this manually and get more time for other tasks within your business.

Remember, a good SEO content-optimizing tool combines a variety of useful features to enhance your visibility online. User-friendliness and accurate data are some great additions.

Also, it isn’t just about optimizing your old blog posts. You’ll always need to create new ones to continue providing value to your audience.

And that’s why extras like outline builders and AI writing assistants in such optimization tools can be a plus. You won’t have to worry about where to get more content ideas in the future.

Now, don’t forget to track your search engine rankings after optimizing content. Make sure you use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to monitor your positions and know your SEO performance.