But isn't the equipment overload actually holding us back like a soldier who's got too much armor on him and can't get to the fire line? How many SEO tools do we actually need to be able to effectively run SEO campaigns?
SEO Tools You Absolutely Can't Do Without
1. Keyword Tools
As you well know SEO starts with keyword research. Right there at the very first step you face the need for SEO tools. Of course you can try and take your whole keyword list out of your head, but without reliable data on search volumes and niche competition analysis you can miss the point by a hundred miles. So keyword tools are the first point of our must-have SEO tools list.
Keyword tools you can use: Google Adwords Keyword Tool, Keyword Discovery, WordStream Keyword Tools, SEMRush, Wordtracker
2. SERPs Trackers
To reach your destination (i.e. Google's font page) you need to know where you're now and whether you're heading in the right direction. SERPs (stands for Search Engine Results Pages) reports are the map to top search rankings. Optimizing without monitoring your progress is like racing in the desert without a map.
That's why rankings checks are part of our daily SEO routine. Unless you have a very small list of keywords to monitor you can't keep track of all your rankings and rank fluctuations by hand. There are simply not enough hours in the day to search even Google alone for all your targeted keywords, record the results and rank changes, create rank reports, etc. That's why your SEO toolkit is never complete without a rankings checker.
SERPs checkers you can use: Rank Tracker 
3. Backlink Checkers
There are quite a number of SEOs who preach manual SEO and manual link building in particular. However if you're building links on a scale you sure know that it's too much of a challenge to jump into the fight with your bare hands. Analyzing site profiles, finding new link sources, checking competitors' links, finding link partners and verifying links (if you do reciprocal linking), estimating link values, keeping track of your link building efforts and creating link building reports. Oh boy! Don't make me do it without a well packed kit of SEO tools.
Backlink checkers you can use: SEO SpyGlass, backlinkwatch [dot] com, webconfs [dot] com, majestic SEO, LinkScape
Although it's not the weapon but the one using it that's important, I'm sure you'll agree that a hard-armored SEO warrior equipped with the latest technology and SEO tools has all the chances to beat a bare-handed manual SEO enthusiast. But don't hit the other extreme and carry as many tools as you actually can use and need to make your SEO more effective. Otherwise you may find yourself lost in a pool of apps and software that's too overwhelming to be of any use.
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