I manage 15 websites as a solo founder. I've also got 47 blog articles across these sites and zero budget for Ahrefs or Semrush ($200-500/month).
So I built a SEO stack from free tools. No paid SaaS. No shortcuts. Just discipline.
The Essential Five
1. Google Search Console (GSC)
This is non-negotiable. It tells you:
- Which pages Google can find
- Why it can't find others
- What people search for to reach you
- How often you appear in results
- Core Web Vitals issues
- Security problems
My morning routine:
- Check Coverage report
- Check Performance report for new keywords
- Check Security & Manual Actions
Takes 5 minutes. Catches everything important.
2. PageSpeed Insights + Web Vitals
Google's ranking algorithm cares about:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): < 2.5s
- First Input Delay (FID): < 100ms
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): < 0.1
I run this before publishing every article. If I see red flags, I optimize before hitting publish.
3. CalcSEO for Traffic Estimation
Before I write a 2,000-word article, I want to know: is there enough search volume?
CalcSEO shows monthly search volume, ranking difficulty, and traffic opportunity.
4. SEO Meta Analyzer
Every page needs a unique title, meta description, H1 tag, and internal links.
I run this on every blog post before publishing. It's 2 minutes of checking.
5. ToolScout for Discovering New Tools
ToolScout is how I find other free tools instead of scrolling Reddit for hours.
The Numbers
Across 15 sites:
- 47 published articles
- 15,200 monthly organic impressions
- 1,120 monthly organic clicks
- 6.8% average CTR (industry average is 2-3%)
My content ranks for:
- 340+ unique keywords
- 22 keywords in top 3 positions
- 89 keywords in top 10 positions
Cost to achieve this: $0/month for tools.
What I Don't Use
Ahrefs ($99+/mo), Semrush ($99+/mo), Moz. Too expensive or outdated.
Conclusion
You don't need a $200/month SEO subscription. You need Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, CalcSEO, SEO Meta Analyzer, and discipline.
What's your SEO tool stack?
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