10 Free SEO Tools Every London Small Business Should Use
- Chris Solieri
- May 6
- 8 min read
Updated: May 12
For London small business owners operating with limited budgets, investing in expensive SEO software isn't always feasible. The good news is that you don't need to spend hundreds of pounds monthly on premium tools to improve your website's search visibility.
A surprising number of powerful, professional-grade SEO tools are available completely free of charge. These tools can help you research keywords, analyse your website's performance, monitor your rankings, and identify improvement opportunities—all without spending a penny.
This guide highlights 10 essential free SEO tools that every London small business should be using to enhance their local search presence. By using these resources effectively, you can compete with larger competitors and attract more local customers, regardless of your marketing budget constraints.
1. Google Search Console: Your Essential London SEO Command Center
This free Google tool provides critical insights into how your site performs in search results:
What it does: Monitors your website's presence in Google search results, showing how often you appear, which queries bring visitors, and any technical issues affecting performance
London business benefits:
See exactly which London-specific search terms bring visitors to your site
Understand if your business appears for relevant local searches
Identify technical issues that might be preventing your site from ranking well
Receive direct notifications from Google about problems or manual penalties
Key features for London SMEs:
Performance reports showing clicks, impressions, CTR, and position for London-related queries
URL inspection tool to check how Google sees specific pages
Coverage reports highlighting indexing issues
Mobile usability checks (crucial for London's on-the-go searchers)
Rich results testing for local business schema markup
Getting started:
Verify your website ownership using one of several methods
Begin monitoring your performance for London-relevant search terms
2. Google Business Profile: Your London Local Search Foundation
This free Google service is essential for any business serving local London customers:
What it does: Creates and manages your business listing on Google Maps and search results, controlling how your business appears to local searchers
London business benefits:
Appear in the valuable "Map Pack" for local London searches
Display your London address, phone number, hours, and services
Collect and respond to customer reviews
Share updates, offers, and photos directly with local searchers
Key features for London SMEs:
Location management for single or multiple London locations
Insights showing how people find and interact with your listing
Review management system for building local reputation
Post creation tools for sharing updates with London customers
Q&A functionality to address common customer questions
Getting started:
Claim and verify your business
Complete every section with accurate, detailed information
Add high-quality photos of your London business
3. Google Analytics: Understanding Your London Visitors
This comprehensive analytics platform reveals how visitors interact with your website:
What it does: Tracks and reports website traffic, providing insights into visitor behaviour, acquisition sources, and conversion activities
London business benefits:
Understand how local London visitors find and use your website
See which London areas your visitors come from
Track how different traffic sources perform for your business
Measure conversions from organic search traffic
Key features for London SMEs:
Audience reports showing visitor demographics and geography
Acquisition data revealing traffic sources
Behaviour flow visualising how London visitors navigate your site
Conversion tracking for form submissions, phone calls, or purchases
Custom reports for tracking London-specific metrics
Getting started:
Install the tracking code on your website
Set up goals to measure important business activities
Create segments for analysing London visitors separately
4. Google Keyword Planner: Finding London-Specific Keywords
This tool from Google Ads provides valuable keyword insights even if you don't run paid campaigns:
What it does: Helps discover new keywords and provides search volume data to guide your content strategy
London business benefits:
Find London-specific keywords with decent search volume
Discover seasonal trends in London searches
Understand the competition level for local terms
Build a targeted keyword strategy for your London market
Key features for London SMEs:
Keyword discovery by topic or website
London-specific search volume data
Keyword competition metrics
Historical trends and forecasts
Filtering options for refining results
Getting started:
Create a Google Ads account (no need to run ads)
Access Keyword Planner from the Tools menu
Select "Discover new keywords" or "Get search volume and forecasts"
Target your research to London for local relevance
5. Bing Webmaster Tools: Don't Forget London's Bing Users
This often-overlooked tool provides insights into how your site performs in Bing's search engine:
What it does: Similar to Google Search Console but for Microsoft's search engines (Bing, Yahoo)
London business benefits:
Capture traffic from London's Bing users (approximately 5-10% of the search market)
Gain additional keyword insights not available in Google tools
Identify technical issues from another search engine's perspective
Improve visibility across multiple search platforms
Key features for London SMEs:
SEO reports with actionable recommendations
Keyword research tools with Bing-specific data
Backlink analysis showing who links to your site
Mobile friendliness testing
Crawl error reports and site scan tools
Getting started:
Verify your website ownership
Import your Google Search Console data if available
Review the SEO recommendations for quick wins
6. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools: Powerful Free SEO Analysis
This free version of a premium SEO platform offers substantial value for London businesses:
What it does: Provides site auditing, basic backlink analysis, and keyword data without cost
London business benefits:
Conduct professional-level technical SEO audits
Discover which sites are linking to your London business
Identify your top-performing content and keywords
Find opportunities to improve your site's health and performance
Key features for London SMEs:
Comprehensive site audit with prioritized recommendations
Basic backlink profile analysis
Top organic keywords report
Content explorer showing your most successful pages
Competitor domain comparison
Getting started:
Verify website ownership
Run your first site audit
Review identified issues by priority level
*Bonus tip: Check your domain authority using Ahref's free backlink checker - great to track volume and follow status of backlinks.
7. Answer The Public: Finding London Customer Questions
This visualisation tool reveals questions people are asking online:
What it does: Shows common questions, prepositions, and comparisons people search for around a specific topic
London business benefits:
Discover actual questions London customers are asking about your products/services
Create content that directly addresses local customer concerns
Find long-tail question keywords with less competition
Understand the information needs in your market
Key features for London SMEs:
Question visualisations organised by question words
Preposition data showing relationship searches
Comparison queries showing what people compare
CSV export option for further analysis
Limited free daily searches
Getting started:
Enter your primary service or product keyword
Add "London" to find location-specific questions
Use the insights to create FAQ content for your website
8. Mobile-Friendly Test: Essential for London's On-the-Go Searchers
This Google tool ensures your website works well on mobile devices:
What it does: Analyses how mobile-friendly your website is from Google's perspective
London business benefits:
Ensure your site works well for London's predominantly mobile searchers
Identify specific mobile usability issues
Improve user experience for on-the-go local customers
Avoid mobile usability penalties in search rankings
Key features for London SMEs:
Mobile rendering preview of your pages
Specific mobile usability issue identification
Resource loading analysis
Rendering details and JavaScript execution checks
Source code examination for problems
Getting started:
Enter your website URL
Review the results and recommendations
Address any issues identified
9. PageSpeed Insights: Optimising for Impatient London Customers
This Google tool checks your website's loading speed and performance:
What it does: Analyses the content of a web page and generates suggestions to make it load faster
London business benefits:
Improve user experience for busy London customers
Reduce bounce rates from impatient mobile users
Address Core Web Vitals issues affecting rankings
Enhance conversion rates through better performance
Key features for London SMEs:
Overall performance score for mobile and desktop
Core Web Vitals assessment
Loading, interactivity, and visual stability metrics
Specific optimization opportunities
Diagnostics for advanced performance issues
Getting started:
Enter your website URL
Review both mobile and desktop results
Focus on "Opportunities" and "Diagnostics" sections
10. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version): Technical SEO Analysis for London Websites
This powerful desktop application offers substantial free functionality:
What it does: Crawls your website like a search engine, identifying technical SEO issues and opportunities
London business benefits:
Perform comprehensive technical audits of your website
Find broken links that create poor user experience
Identify missing or duplicate meta data
Discover content optimisation opportunities
Key features for London SMEs:
Free version allows crawling up to 500 URLs
Complete site structure analysis
Identification of duplicate content
Meta data and title tag auditing
Response time analysis
XML sitemap generation
Getting started:
Install the program on your computer
Enter your website URL and start the crawl
Review the various reports for issues
How to Create a Free London SEO Toolkit Workflow
Maximise results by using these tools together in a systematic approach:
Weekly routine:
Check Google Business Profile for new reviews or questions
Review Google Search Console for any critical issues
Post a new update to your Google Business Profile
Monitor key London keyword rankings
Monthly activities:
Analyse Google Analytics traffic from London areas
Review Search Console queries for new keyword opportunities
Perform a focused technical check with Screaming Frog
Test site speed with PageSpeed Insights
Research one new content topic using Answer The Public
Quarterly tasks:
Conduct comprehensive keyword research with Google Keyword Planner
Perform a complete technical audit with Screaming Frog
Check competitor positioning with Ubersuggest
Review mobile-friendliness across key pages
Analyse year-over-year London traffic patterns
London-Specific Tips for Maximum Impact with Free Tools
Adapt your approach to get London-relevant insights from these tools:
Location targeting:
Set location filters to London in Google tools when available
Add neighbourhood and borough names to keyword research
Analyse performance by London postcode areas in Analytics
Compare performance across different London areas you serve
Competitor analysis:
Identify and track direct London competitors in your specific area
Use Ahrefs to analyse neighbourhood competitors' keywords
Check Google Business Profile performance against local alternatives
Monitor review counts and ratings for nearby businesses
London seasonality:
Use Google Trends to identify London-specific seasonal patterns
Monitor year-over-year performance during key London events
Track weather-related search pattern changes
Adjust content calendar based on London seasonal insights
Building Your Free London SEO Advantage
While paid SEO tools certainly offer additional features and conveniences, these ten free tools provide more than enough functionality for most London small businesses to dramatically improve their search visibility. By systematically implementing these resources into your regular marketing activities, you can identify opportunities, fix problems, and track progress without straining your budget.
The key to success with free SEO tools isn't having access to every possible feature, but rather using the essential tools consistently and strategically. Focus on addressing the most impactful issues first—optimising your Google Business Profile, fixing technical problems, creating content for valuable keywords, and improving user experience. These fundamental improvements will drive meaningful results for your London business.
Remember that SEO is a long-term investment. By dedicating just a few hours each week to using these free tools and implementing their recommendations, you'll gradually build a stronger online presence that connects your London business with more local customers.
If you enjoyed this post—Bookmark our blog and join us as we help London small businesses get the visibility they deserve (without the big budget!)
Enhance your SEO knowledge with our SEO Learning Series tailored to London SMEs:
Chapter 1: London SEO Fundamentals
What is SEO? A Beginner's Guide for London Small Businesses
Why London Businesses Need Local SEO in 2025
How Search Engines Work: London SEO Fundamentals
London SEO Glossary: Essential Terms for Small Business Owners
The 3 Pillars of SEO for London Small Businesses
Setting Realistic SEO Expectations for London SMEs
DIY vs. Professional SEO: What London Small Businesses Should Know
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