Free SEO Content Writing Tools for Effective Results in 2025

To achieve effective SEO content results in 2025 without breaking the bank, leveraging free tools is a smart play.

For instance, tools like Google Keyword Planner ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner, Google Search Console search.google.com/search-console, and Google Analytics analytics.google.com are indispensable for understanding search demand, monitoring performance, and gaining audience insights.

Additionally, platforms such as Ubersuggest neilpatel.com/ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic answerthepublic.com, and even basic text editors combined with advanced research techniques can form a robust toolkit.

These resources allow you to identify high-value keywords, analyze competitor strategies, craft compelling headlines, and ensure your content is both discoverable and engaging for your target audience, leading to measurable improvements in organic visibility and traffic.

Unlocking SEO Potential with Free Keyword Research Tools

When it comes to SEO content writing, the journey truly begins with understanding what your audience is searching for.

Free keyword research tools are your secret weapon, allowing you to peek into the minds of your potential readers without spending a dime.

They illuminate the specific phrases, questions, and topics that drive organic traffic, forming the bedrock of any successful content strategy.

Google Keyword Planner: Your Foundation for Discovery

Google Keyword Planner is undeniably the cornerstone of free keyword research.

Integrated within Google Ads, it provides invaluable insights into search volume, competition, and keyword ideas.

It’s like having a direct line to Google’s own data on what people are typing into its search bar.

• How it Works: You input a seed keyword or a website URL, and Google Keyword Planner returns a plethora of related keywords, complete with estimated monthly search volume and competition levels.
• Actionable Insights: Use its “Discover new keywords” feature to brainstorm untapped niches. Pay close attention to keywords with moderate to high search volume but lower competition, as these often present the best opportunities for new content. For example, if you’re writing about “halal investing,” the tool might reveal related searches like “Islamic finance principles” or “ethical investment options,” guiding your content expansion.
• Data Highlight: According to Google’s own documentation, Keyword Planner provides data directly from Google’s search index, making it one of the most authoritative sources for keyword insights. Many SEO professionals report that even its broad match data is highly indicative of actual search trends.

AnswerThePublic: Unearthing User Intent and Questions

While not strictly a keyword volume tool, AnswerThePublic excels at visualizing the questions, prepositions, comparisons, and alphabetical searches related to your seed keyword. It’s a goldmine for understanding user intent.

• Visualizing Queries: Type in “Islamic modest fashion,” and AnswerThePublic will generate a sprawling web of questions like “how to dress modestly in Islam,” “what is modest fashion for women,” and “modest fashion brands for sisters.” It also shows comparisons “modest fashion vs. mainstream fashion” and prepositions “modest fashion for work”.
• Content Brainstorming: This tool is phenomenal for brainstorming blog post topics, FAQ sections, and even video scripts that directly address user concerns. It helps you move beyond just keywords to truly answer the questions your audience is asking.
• Impact: Content that directly answers user questions tends to rank higher because it fulfills the user’s intent more precisely. Studies by Moz and SEMrush consistently show that pages optimized for answering specific questions see better engagement metrics and higher click-through rates.

Ubersuggest: A Comprehensive Free Tier for Quick Analysis

Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest offers a surprisingly robust free tier that provides keyword ideas, content suggestions, and even a basic site audit.

It’s a great all-in-one starting point for quick competitive analysis and keyword discovery. Best Free SEO Chrome Extensions in 2025

• Key Features: On its free plan, you can perform a limited number of daily searches for keyword ideas, content ideas, and competitor analysis. It offers search volume, SEO difficulty, and a glimpse into top-ranking pages.
• Benefit: Its intuitive interface makes it easy for beginners to grasp key SEO metrics without feeling overwhelmed. While the daily limits are restrictive, it’s perfect for initial research and idea generation.

Crafting Compelling Content with Free Writing and Optimization Aids

Once you’ve nailed down your keywords, the next hurdle is crafting content that not only ranks but also resonates with your audience.

Free writing and optimization aids help you ensure your content is well-structured, readable, and perfectly aligned with SEO best practices, all while maintaining a natural, engaging tone.

Hemingway Editor: Boosting Readability and Clarity

The Hemingway Editor is a fantastic free web tool that highlights common writing issues, making your prose bolder and clearer. It’s a readability powerhouse.

• Simplicity and Impact: It flags overly complex sentences, adverbs, passive voice, and difficult-to-read phrases. The goal is to make your writing as accessible as possible, ensuring your message gets across effectively.
• Why it Matters for SEO: While not a direct SEO tool, clear and concise writing significantly improves user experience. Google’s algorithms increasingly prioritize user engagement signals, and easy-to-read content keeps visitors on your page longer, reducing bounce rates and signaling quality.
• Practical Application: Paste your draft into the editor. If a sentence is highlighted yellow, it’s hard to read. If it’s red, it’s very hard. Aim for a lower readability grade e.g., Grade 6-8 for general audiences, making your content digestible for a wider audience, which is crucial for broad appeal.

Grammarly Free Version: Polishing Your Prose and Catching Errors

Grammarly’s free browser extension and web editor are indispensable for catching grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

While the premium version offers deeper style suggestions, the free version is robust enough to significantly improve your writing quality.

• Error Correction: It meticulously checks for common grammatical mistakes, awkward phrasing, and typos. This ensures your content appears professional and credible.
• SEO Relevance: Error-free content enhances credibility and user trust. A piece riddled with typos can deter readers and signal a lack of professionalism, potentially impacting your site’s perceived authority. Google aims to deliver high-quality results, and well-written content contributes to that perception.
• Integration: The browser extension works seamlessly across most online text editors, including Google Docs, WordPress, and email clients, providing real-time feedback as you write. Over 30 million users rely on Grammarly, underscoring its utility.

Google Docs: Collaborative Writing and Built-in Tools

Google Docs offers a powerful, free cloud-based word processor that is ideal for content creation, collaboration, and leveraging its surprisingly effective built-in features.

• Collaboration: Multiple team members can work on a single document simultaneously, with real-time editing and commenting capabilities. This streamlines the content creation process, especially for larger projects.
• Voice Typing: For those who prefer dictation, Google Docs’ voice typing feature is remarkably accurate. This can speed up the content creation process significantly, allowing you to brainstorm and draft content faster.
• Outline and Headings: Properly using headings H1, H2, H3, etc. in Google Docs not only structures your content for readability but also helps search engines understand the hierarchy and main topics of your article. This is a fundamental SEO best practice. A well-structured article with clear headings can improve crawlability and indexing.

Optimizing for Search Engines with Free Technical SEO Aids

Technical SEO might sound intimidating, but many essential checks and optimizations can be performed with free tools.

These tools help ensure that search engines can easily find, crawl, and understand your content, which is crucial for ranking. Free SEO Certification Courses You Can Take in 2025

Google Search Console: Your Direct Line to Google’s Index

Google Search Console GSC is arguably the most critical free SEO tool from Google itself.

It provides direct insights into how Google views your site and its performance in search results.

• Performance Monitoring: GSC shows you which queries are bringing users to your site, your average position, click-through rates, and impressions. This data is invaluable for identifying content opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Indexing and Crawl Errors: It helps you identify pages that Google is having trouble indexing or crawling, allowing you to fix issues that might prevent your content from appearing in search results. The “Index Coverage” report is a must-check for any content creator.
• Core Web Vitals: GSC reports on Core Web Vitals, which are critical ranking factors related to page experience. It highlights specific pages that need improvement in areas like loading speed Largest Contentful Paint, interactivity First Input Delay, and visual stability Cumulative Layout Shift. Addressing these directly impacts user experience and rankings. Data from Google shows that improving Core Web Vitals can significantly reduce bounce rates and increase conversion rates. For example, a 1-second improvement in site load time can lead to a 7% increase in conversions.

Google Analytics: Understanding User Behavior and Content Performance

Google Analytics is a powerhouse for understanding how users interact with your content once they land on your site.

While GSC tells you how people find you, Analytics tells you what they do next.

• Audience Insights: Learn about your audience’s demographics, interests, and the technology they use. This data helps you tailor your content to better serve your specific audience.
• Content Performance: Track page views, average session duration, bounce rate, and conversion rates for individual pages. This allows you to identify your top-performing content and areas where users might be dropping off.
• Identifying Opportunities: If you notice a high bounce rate on a particular article, it might indicate that the content isn’t meeting user expectations or that the page needs optimization for readability or calls to action. For example, if your “Halal Investment Guide” has a high bounce rate, you might need to improve its introduction or add more internal links. Over 60% of businesses surveyed by Statista use Google Analytics, underscoring its ubiquitous utility.

Lighthouse Built into Chrome DevTools: On-Page Performance Audits

Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages.

It’s built right into Chrome’s DevTools, making it incredibly accessible for quick on-page audits.

• Comprehensive Audits: Lighthouse runs audits for performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO, and Progressive Web Apps. It generates a detailed report with actionable recommendations.
• SEO Specific Checks: The SEO section of the Lighthouse report checks for things like meta descriptions, valid robots.txt, proper heading structure, and crawlability. It’s an excellent way to catch common on-page SEO errors that could hinder your content’s visibility.
• Immediate Feedback: Running a Lighthouse audit on your published content provides immediate feedback on its technical health. For example, if it flags “missing alt attributes on images,” you know exactly what to fix to improve accessibility and image SEO. Data suggests that improving Lighthouse scores, particularly for performance and accessibility, directly correlates with better user experience and potentially higher search rankings.

Harnessing Free Tools for Content Structure and Readability

Content that’s well-structured and easy to read not only appeals to human readers but also helps search engines understand its topic and hierarchy.

Free tools can significantly assist in organizing your thoughts and ensuring your content flows logically.

Portable Document Format PDF and HTML: Universal Accessibility

While not “tools” in the traditional sense, understanding how content is consumed in formats like PDF and basic HTML is critical. Best Free SEO Courses on Reddit in 2025

PDFs are great for downloadable resources, but web content should primarily be HTML for SEO.

• PDF for Downloads: If you’re offering an in-depth guide, an e-book on “Principles of Islamic Finance,” or a checklist for “Halal Food Shopping,” a PDF can be a valuable downloadable asset. However, remember that Google typically indexes HTML content more effectively.
• HTML for Web: Your primary blog content should be in clean, semantic HTML. Using proper HTML tags e.g., <p> for paragraphs, <h1> for main titles, <h2>, <h3> for subheadings, <ul> for lists is fundamental for SEO. It tells search engines what parts of your content are most important and how they relate to each other.
• Accessibility: Well-structured HTML is also inherently more accessible for users with disabilities, which is an important consideration for inclusivity and best practices. Google increasingly prioritizes accessibility in its ranking factors.

Google Search: The Ultimate Free Research and Competitor Analysis Tool

Don’t underestimate the power of Google Search itself.

It’s the most sophisticated free tool for understanding search intent, identifying top-ranking content, and spotting opportunities.

• “People Also Ask” PAA Box: This feature is a goldmine for content ideas and understanding specific user questions. If you search for “Zakat calculations,” the PAA box will likely show questions like “how to calculate Zakat on savings” or “who is eligible to receive Zakat.” These are direct content opportunities.
• Related Searches: At the bottom of the search results page, “Related searches” offer further keyword ideas and topics that searchers are interested in.
• Analyzing SERP Features: Pay attention to rich snippets, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and video carousels. If these appear for your target keywords, it means Google sees these formats as highly relevant, and you might consider creating content in those formats.
• Competitor Analysis: Simply searching for your target keywords reveals who is already ranking. Analyze their content structure, length, depth, and unique angles. Can you create something better or more comprehensive? Data from Ahrefs and SimilarWeb indicates that analyzing competitor content is a key strategy for identifying content gaps and improving your own rankings.

Leveraging Free Browser Extensions for On-the-Fly SEO Audits

Browser extensions offer convenience, allowing you to perform quick SEO checks directly from the web page you’re viewing.

They are fantastic for on-the-fly audits and gathering immediate insights.

SEOquake: Comprehensive On-Page Metrics at a Glance

SEOquake is a popular free browser extension that provides a wealth of SEO metrics directly on the search results page and for any website you visit.

It’s developed by SEMrush, a leading SEO software company.

• SERP Overlay: It adds an overlay to Google search results, showing key metrics like Domain Score, Page Score, and the number of backlinks for each result. This gives you a quick competitive overview.
• On-Page Analysis: When you visit a page, SEOquake provides a detailed toolbar at the top of your browser with information on:
  • URL parameters: Canonical URL, meta description, title tag.
  • Internal and external links: Counts and a breakdown.
  • Keyword density: Helps you check if your target keywords are used naturally.
  • Social shares: Indicates content popularity.
• Quick Audits: It’s excellent for quickly checking if a competitor’s page has a good meta description, uses proper heading tags, or has a healthy backlink profile. This helps you benchmark your own content.

Keywords Everywhere: Instant Keyword Metrics and Related Terms

Keywords Everywhere is a freemium browser extension, but its free features are incredibly useful for content writers. Best Free SEO Checker to Improve Your Ranking in 2025

It displays search volume, CPC, and competition data directly in Google search results, YouTube, Amazon, and other sites.

• Real-time Data: As you type a query into Google, Keywords Everywhere instantly shows you the monthly search volume for that term, related keywords, and “people also search for” terms. This is invaluable for on-the-fly keyword research and topic ideation.
• Content Opportunities: When you’re researching a topic like “halal travel destinations,” the extension will immediately show you the volume for that term and suggest related queries like “family-friendly halal resorts” or “Muslim-friendly travel packages,” helping you broaden your content scope.
• Integration: It integrates seamlessly with major search engines and e-commerce sites, making it a constant companion for content creators and researchers. While the free version has some limitations, its core functionality for showing volume data is a must.

MozBar: Quick Domain and Page Authority Check

MozBar, a free Chrome extension by Moz, allows you to quickly assess the SEO strength of any website or page.

It displays Domain Authority DA and Page Authority PA, along with other useful metrics.

• Authority Metrics: DA and PA are proprietary Moz metrics that predict how well a website or page will rank in search engines. While not a direct Google ranking factor, they are widely used as indicators of a site’s overall SEO strength and backlink profile.
• Competitive Analysis: When researching a keyword, MozBar shows you the DA and PA of the ranking pages. This helps you gauge the competition. If you’re a new site with low DA, it might be challenging to outrank established sites with high DA for competitive keywords.
• Link Profile Glance: It also provides quick access to a page’s link profile, helping you understand the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a competitor’s content. This can inform your own link-building strategies, which are crucial for content visibility.

Leveraging Free AI Writing Assistants with Caution

The rise of AI writing assistants has been meteoric.

While many are paid, some offer free tiers or trials that can be immensely helpful for brainstorming, overcoming writer’s block, and generating initial drafts.

However, it’s crucial to use them responsibly and ethically, especially in content meant for Islamic communities.

Copy.ai Free Tier: Idea Generation and Draft Outlines

Copy.ai’s free tier offers a limited number of credits but can be a powerful tool for brainstorming ideas, generating headlines, and even drafting outlines for your content.

• Brainstorming: If you’re stuck on a title for your article on “Benefits of Fasting in Islam,” Copy.ai can generate a dozen variations in seconds, ranging from catchy to informative.
• Outline Generation: You can feed it a topic, and it can help you generate a basic outline with suggested headings and subheadings, which can save time in structuring your content.
• First Draft Acceleration: For sections where you need to quickly get ideas down, it can produce initial paragraphs. However, absolute caution is advised. Any AI-generated content needs rigorous fact-checking, editing, and most importantly, a human, empathetic touch to ensure it aligns with Islamic principles and values. AI lacks the nuance and depth of human understanding, especially concerning faith-based topics.

ChatGPT Free Version: Brainstorming and Content Expansion

ChatGPT, in its free version GPT-3.5, has revolutionized how people interact with AI for text generation. Discover the Best Free Website SEO Analysis Tools in 2025

It can be a powerful tool for brainstorming, summarizing, and expanding on ideas.

• Topic Exploration: Ask ChatGPT to explain complex concepts in simple terms, generate analogies, or even suggest different angles for a topic. For instance, “Explain the concept of Riba in simple terms” can give you a starting point.
• Content Expansion: If you have a few bullet points, ChatGPT can expand them into full paragraphs. However, this is where the major caveat comes in.
• Critical Islamic Consideration: When using AI for content, especially for topics related to Islam, extreme vigilance is paramount. AI models are trained on vast datasets that include both accurate and inaccurate information, and they do not possess religious knowledge or discernment. Never rely on AI to generate religious rulings, interpretations, or sensitive content without thorough vetting by qualified Islamic scholars and your own deep research. Using AI for such purposes without careful oversight can lead to the dissemination of misinformation, which is gravely serious in Islam. For instance, if you ask it to generate “Fatwas on cryptocurrencies,” the output might be entirely inaccurate or misleading. Always verify information from reliable Islamic sources.
• Ethical Use: Use AI as a tool for efficiency, not as a replacement for genuine research, critical thinking, and a profound understanding of the subject matter, especially when dealing with Islamic concepts. It can help you organize thoughts or rephrase sentences, but the core wisdom, spiritual insights, and factual accuracy must come from human expertise and trusted religious texts.

Strategizing for Success with Free Content Promotion Tools

Creating great content is only half the battle. getting it seen is the other.

While many promotion tools are paid, several free avenues can significantly boost your content’s reach and impact.

Social Media Platforms Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest: Organic Reach and Community Building

These platforms offer unparalleled opportunities for free content distribution and community engagement.

• Organic Sharing: Share your blog posts, articles, and infographics directly on your profiles and in relevant groups. For a blog on “Muslim Parenting Tips,” sharing engaging snippets on Facebook groups dedicated to Muslim mothers or on X/Twitter with relevant hashtags can drive significant traffic.
• Community Engagement: Engage with comments, answer questions, and participate in discussions. This builds a loyal audience and signals to algorithms that your content is valuable.
• Tailor Content: Adapt your content for each platform. An infographic for Instagram, a thought-provoking question for X/Twitter, and a professional summary for LinkedIn, all linking back to your main article.
• Data Insight: Organic reach on many platforms has declined, but engaging content still performs. A study by Sprout Social found that engaging content can achieve up to 3x higher organic reach than non-engaging posts.

Email Marketing Platforms Mailchimp, MailerLite – Free Tiers: Building a Direct Channel

Many email marketing services offer free tiers for small lists, allowing you to build a direct communication channel with your most interested audience.

• Audience Ownership: Unlike social media, your email list is an asset you own. You’re not subject to algorithm changes or platform restrictions.
• Nurturing Leads: Regularly send out newsletters summarizing your latest content, sharing exclusive insights, or announcing new guides e.g., a “Ramadan Prep Guide”. This keeps your audience engaged and drives repeat traffic to your site.
• Personalization: Even on free tiers, you can often segment your list to send more targeted content, making your communication more relevant to specific reader interests. Mailchimp’s free plan, for instance, allows up to 500 contacts and 2,500 sends per month, which is a fantastic starting point for many content creators.

HARO Help A Reporter Out: Building Authority and Backlinks

HARO connects journalists with expert sources.

By responding to relevant queries, you can earn valuable media mentions and high-quality backlinks to your content.

• Expert Positioning: If a journalist is looking for insights on “Islamic dietary laws” or “ethical business practices in Islam,” and you provide a helpful response, you can be cited in their article, establishing your authority.
• Quality Backlinks: Media mentions often come with a backlink to your website, which is a powerful signal to search engines about your content’s credibility and relevance. Backlinks are still a primary ranking factor.
• Strategic Pitches: Sign up for HARO emails, filter for relevant topics, and craft concise, expert responses. While not guaranteed, the potential for high-authority links is immense. Data from numerous SEO studies consistently shows that backlinks from reputable sources significantly boost search rankings.

FAQs

What are the best free SEO content writing tools for beginners?

For beginners, start with Google Keyword Planner for keyword research, Google Search Console for performance monitoring, Hemingway Editor for readability, and Grammarly free version for grammar checks. How to Perform a Free SEO Analysis in 2025

These cover fundamental aspects of SEO and content quality.

Can I really rank high using only free SEO tools?

Yes, you absolutely can.

While paid tools offer advanced features and scale, the core principles of SEO keyword research, quality content, technical optimization, promotion can be effectively managed with free tools.

Many successful niche sites have been built primarily on free resources.

How often should I use Google Search Console for my content?

You should check Google Search Console at least weekly to monitor performance, identify any crawl errors or security issues, and track your content’s ranking for specific queries.

Daily checks are beneficial if you’ve recently published or updated content.

Is Google Keyword Planner sufficient for all my keyword research needs?

Google Keyword Planner is a great foundation, providing direct data from Google.

However, it’s best supplemented with tools like AnswerThePublic for understanding user intent and Ubersuggest free tier for additional keyword ideas and competitive analysis. Combining them gives a more comprehensive view.

What is the most important factor for SEO content success in 2025?

In 2025, user intent and providing comprehensive, high-quality, and trustworthy content that genuinely answers user questions will remain the most important factor.

Technical SEO and keyword optimization support this, but ultimately, the value to the reader drives long-term success. Best Free AI for SEO Performance in 2025

How can I improve my content’s readability using free tools?

Use the Hemingway Editor to highlight complex sentences, adverbs, and passive voice, aiming for a lower readability grade.

Additionally, Grammarly free helps with grammar and clarity, ensuring your content is easy to digest for your audience.

Are AI writing assistants like ChatGPT good for SEO content?

AI writing assistants can be helpful for brainstorming, generating outlines, and overcoming writer’s block. However, they should be used with extreme caution.

Always fact-check, edit extensively, and add your unique human touch and expertise.

Google prioritizes helpful, reliable, and people-first content, and AI alone often falls short of that standard, especially for sensitive or faith-based topics.

How do I use Google Analytics to optimize my content?

Use Google Analytics to understand user behavior on your pages: track page views, average session duration, bounce rates, and conversion paths.

Identify high-performing content and areas where users drop off, then optimize those pages for better engagement and user experience.

What are Core Web Vitals and why are they important?

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics from Google that measure real-world user experience related to loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

They are significant ranking factors, as a good page experience contributes to better user engagement and retention.

Can I do competitor analysis with free tools?

Yes, you can. Best Free AI Tools for SEO Optimization in 2025

Use Google Search itself to see who ranks for your target keywords.

Then, use tools like SEOquake and MozBar browser extensions to quickly check the on-page SEO metrics, Domain Authority, and Page Authority of competitor pages.

Ubersuggest free tier also offers basic competitive insights.

What’s the role of social media in free SEO content promotion?

Social media platforms offer free avenues to share your content, engage with your audience, and drive organic traffic back to your website.

While direct SEO impact is debated, social signals can indirectly boost visibility and build brand authority, which helps with search rankings.

How can HARO help me with my SEO?

HARO Help A Reporter Out connects you with journalists looking for expert sources.

By providing valuable insights, you can earn media mentions and high-quality backlinks from reputable news sites, which are powerful signals to search engines and significantly improve your content’s authority.

Is it necessary to use proper HTML heading tags H1, H2, H3 for SEO?

Yes, absolutely.

Using proper HTML heading tags helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.

It also improves readability for users, making your content easier to scan and comprehend, which contributes to better user experience signals. Best Free SEO Certifications to Boost Your Skills in 2025

What’s the difference between Google Search Console and Google Analytics?

Google Search Console tells you how your site performs in search results impressions, clicks, queries, indexing status. Google Analytics tells you what users do after they land on your site page views, session duration, bounce rate, conversions. Both are crucial for a holistic SEO strategy.

How can I find long-tail keywords using free tools?

Use Google Keyword Planner’s “Discover new keywords” feature, AnswerThePublic for question-based queries, and the “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches” sections in Google search results.

These are excellent sources for finding longer, more specific keyword phrases.

How important is image optimization for SEO content?

Image optimization is crucial.

Use descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO, compress images to improve page load speed a Core Web Vital, and choose relevant file names.

Properly optimized images can also rank in Google Images, driving additional traffic.

Should I bother with mobile-friendliness for my content?

Absolutely.

Mobile-friendliness is a critical ranking factor, especially with Google’s mobile-first indexing.

Your content must render perfectly and be easy to use on all devices, as a significant portion of internet traffic now comes from mobile.

What is a good readability score for web content?

Aim for a readability grade level between 6-8 using tools like Hemingway Editor. This ensures your content is accessible and easy to understand for the widest possible audience, preventing readers from being overwhelmed by complex language. Explore the Best Free SEO Audit Tools in 2025

How do I identify and fix broken links on my site for free?

While dedicated tools for large sites are paid, for smaller sites, you can use Google Search Console’s “Crawl Errors” report under “Index Coverage” to find server errors or 404 pages.

Manually check your site, or use a browser extension like “Check My Links” free to scan for broken internal and external links on a page.

What free resource can help me understand what content my competitors are ranking for?

The most direct free resource is Google Search itself.

Type in your target keywords and analyze the top-ranking pages.

Pay attention to their headings, content length, depth of information, and unique angles.

While you won’t see their exact keyword targeting without paid tools, you can infer a lot from their on-page content.