Writing SEO content is much more than putting together a few hundred words on a page. It’s part research, part strategy, and part creative execution.
It’s also quite a time and energy-consuming process, especially with the overwhelming amount of information already out there on the web. That’s where having the right tools in your arsenal makes all the difference. But with hundreds of options floating around, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of trial and error.
As part of our SEO services, we produce a lot of content for clients.
To keep things smooth and to improve productivity without compromising quality, we’ve tested our fair share of writing tools over the years. The ones in this roundup are the ones that stuck. The ones we’ve consistently used, loved, and, in most cases, upgraded to paid versions of.
SEO Content Writer Tools
1. Keyword Research & Search Intent Analysis
AnswerThePublic (Free)
Whenever we’re kicking off a new blog or FAQ-style post, this is the tool we open first. You plug in a broad topic – say “gut health”, and it instantly maps out dozens of related questions, comparisons, and conversational phrases people are typing into Google.
It’s how we get a pulse on what users are really curious about. Are they asking “gut health vs. bloating” or “how to heal your gut naturally”? That tells us not just what to write but how to structure it. For example, what sections to include, what FAQs to answer, and what content angles to focus on.
The free plan gives you 3 searches per day, so you have to be a little strategic about what you type in. If you’re researching multiple topics or want unlimited access, upgrading might be worth it – but if you’re focused, the free version gets you pretty far.
Keywords Everywhere (Free & Paid)
Once you install the browser extension, Keywords Everywhere becomes part of your regular Google search experience – no need to visit a separate tool or dashboard.
This comes in handy as the second step after using AnswerThePublic (once you’ve got a solid idea of what people are searching for and how they’re phrasing it). So, you take one of those queries and pop it into the search bar, and Keyword Everywhere kicks in with a bunch of long-tail keyword suggestions plus key data like on-page and off-page difficulty.
Looks something like this:
Now, what we usually do is copy the best keyword variations and slot them into our outline – either as subheadings, talking points, or FAQs, wherever they make sense. That way, we’re using the exact language people are searching for without stuffing it unnaturally.
The paid version (just $2.25/month) adds search volume, CPC data, and backlink insights, so you can quickly gauge which keywords are actually worth chasing.
We love how it blends into the workflow. It’s always on in the background, so even when you’re not actively hunting for keywords, you end up finding gold.
2. Research & Content Brief Creation
Perplexity.ai (Free & Paid)
The first two tools help you understand what to write about – Perplexity helps with what to say.
Once you’ve got some direction and keywords in hand, this is usually our next stop. It’s where we start digging into the topic and collecting the actual information that’ll shape the body of the content.
Perplexity pulls in insights from all over the web and lays them out in a way that saves you hours of clicking around and summarizing. It links to its sources directly, so you’re not left wondering where it got its answers from.
That said, it’s still AI. And like any AI, it can occasionally misread or simplify things. So while it usually gets it right, we always double-check the details from the original sources – especially if it’s anything technical, stat-based, or health-related.
What we do is throw in our target query, browse through the top-level findings, and pull the most useful insights into dot points or section ideas. Sometimes, it even helps reveal angles we hadn’t considered. That said, it doesn’t replace real research – but it seriously speeds it up.
Frase (Paid)
Frase does a similar job to Perplexity but in a more SEO-structured way. It scans the top pages already ranking for your keyword and shows you what they’ve covered, how often certain terms show up, what their headings look like, and what gaps you could fill.
We mostly use it to build outlines or fill in missing pieces in the drafts we already have. While it does offer AI-generated content, too, we tend to skip that part because we’re here for the structure, not the shortcuts.
What Frase’s editor looks like from the inside:
It also gives you a live optimization score while writing, and offers keyword usage suggestions so you can fine-tune your draft without stuffing it full of unnatural phrasing. We’ve used SurferSEO in the past for this, but in our opinion it’s become a bit too pricey for what it offers. Frase, on the other hand, does a solid job at a more reasonable cost.
3. Writing & Collaboration
Google Docs (Free)
We used to work on MS Word, but it didn’t take long to realize how chaotic that could get.
There were always too many files floating around, different versions, missing feedback – it just wasn’t practical. But Google Docs, on the other hand, is as easy and seamless as it gets.
You write, edit, and collaborate all in one place. Whether it’s a solo blog post you’re doing or a content project with three editors reviewing it, Docs makes it so simple. Everyone can hop in, leave comments, suggest edits, and have conversations right inside the document.
Also, with the “edit history” every single change is saved automatically, and you can always go back to older versions if you need to. And you never have to worry about losing progress if your laptop crashes or your tab accidentally closes because all the progress is saved in the drive.
4. AI Writing Assistance & Editing
ChatGPT (Free & Paid)
We use ChatGPT a lot throughout our content process — but not necessarily to “write” the entire thing. Because it’s not about handing over the job, but about getting a nudge when you need one.
It’s super helpful when you’re stuck on how to phrase something, can’t figure out how to transition between sections, or just need help simplifying a technical point for non-technical readers. It pulls you out of those annoying writer’s blocks and saves you the time you’d otherwise spend staring at a blank screen, trying to figure out how to start.
One thing we do often is feed it the dot points from our brief and ask it to suggest different ways of structuring or phrasing them.
It’s great for taking a rough idea and showing you what it could look like – not perfect, but enough to get your wheels turning. You can also use it for repurposing content across formats – like turning long-form blog posts into bite-sized LinkedIn posts, carousels, or even email blurbs.
Koala (Paid)
Koala is another tool we’ve experimented with – it’s designed specifically for blog writing and runs on both GPT and Claude models (Claude Sonnet is surprisingly good, by the way). The flow is a bit more streamlined for blog production if that’s your main thing. But again, same deal – you need to feed it proper context to get anything remotely usable.
So whatever you use – ChatGPT or Koala, one thing we’ve learned is that how you prompt really matters. If you work with multiple brands or tones, you should set up separate threads, prime the chat with examples, tone preferences, what not to say, all of that. The more you treat it like a collaborator, the more helpful it becomes.
But even with good prompting, AI’s not a plug-and-play solution. Everything it generates still needs a human touch to reword, edit, and fact-check before it’s good to go.
Grammarly (Free & Paid)
The free version handles all the basics – grammar slips, typos, missing punctuation – and honestly, even just that can save you from some embarrassing misses. But we love the paid version because it goes beyond the surface and gives you suggestions around tone, clarity, and sentence variety, and sometimes even points out where you’re overexplaining or getting too formal.
It’s also a lifesaver for those final proofreading rounds – especially when you’ve been working on the same piece for hours, and your eyes start to skip over the same sentence ten times.
And it’s not just for blog posts or web content – Grammarly follows you everywhere once you’ve got the extension installed. Be it important client emails to Slack messages or even casual search queries, it pops up everywhere and ensures you’re not making any silly typos or tone slips.
Hemingway Editor (Free & Paid)
This one’s more of a final polish tool in our workflow. Hemingway highlights overly complex or clunky sentences and passive voice, helping you simplify your writing without dumbing it down.
It’s great for breaking down technical or jargon-heavy topics into something that reads naturally and flows easily – which is key when you’re trying to strike a balance between sounding smart and being understood.
5. Visuals & Images
Stock Image Websites (Free & Paid)
Visuals are one of those things that might seem like an afterthought, but they can really make or break how a post feels. Here’s what we turn to, depending on what kind of image or graphic we need:
Free stock image sites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay are great go-tos for high-quality, royalty-free images that don’t feel overused or overly staged. They’re our first stop when we need visuals that blend well with a blog or landing page without distracting from the message.
When we want something more premium, DepositPhotos (paid) is what we lean on. It’s got a much wider range of exclusive and professional-grade images, which is especially helpful when you want something unique or niche.
AI-generated visuals have also become part of our toolkit — especially when stock libraries fall short.
- Gemini, MidJourney, and ChatGPT’s image generation tools are solid picks when we need custom graphics that match the content’s theme or tone.
- We’ve also started using Napkin AI for those moments when a blog section or web page needs a quick flow chart – it turns written content into visual structures that are easy to digest.
- For infographics and blog visuals like charts, graphs, or stylized headers, Canva is still a favorite. It’s quick, flexible, and intuitive – perfect for making data-heavy sections more engaging without needing advanced design skills.
But whenever possible, we try to use client-provided images — because nothing beats the authenticity of real photos. They add trust, credibility, and a human element that stock or AI images can’t always replicate.
Conclusion
Having the right tools by your side can take a lot off your plate. From organizing your research, brainstorming better angles, and fine-tuning your phrasing to making sure everything looks and reads clean, these tools can do so much for you. That said, it’s not about finding shortcuts – it’s about working smarter so you can spend more time doing the creative bits you actually love.