Top 5 SEO Tools for the Browser

In search engine optimization, analyzing the HTML code is crucial. Browser-based SEO tools significantly facilitate this task through their functionality. However, given the wide range of tools available, it's often challenging to keep track. In this section, we present five outstanding SEO browser extensions that stand out for their efficiency, user-friendliness, and comprehensive functionalities.

Browser Extensions in General

Meta descriptions, title tags, heading structures, multilingualism, and many other factors are part of the daily work area of search engine optimization. SEO browser extensions are extremely helpful for this and make the work easier with their functionality.

Browser tools or browser extensions serve as work tools. They enable faster and clearer identification and investigation of important indicators. The visual presentation of results that these extensions provide emphasizes negative aspects graphically, for example through red markings and warnings. This primarily facilitates efficient problem analysis but also the presentation of results to clients to better illustrate issues.

The availability of SEO tools generally depends on the web browser used. To access most SEO browser extensions, using the Google Chrome browser is recommended. Users of other browsers like Firefox or Edge have limited choices. Even if there are extensions only available for Chrome, comparable solutions often exist for browsers like Firefox or Edge.

Effective Selection and Integration of SEO Plugins

The landscape of SEO plugins is characterized by an impressive variety, bringing both opportunities and challenges. Many of these tools offer similar functions, making the decision for the perfect plugin complex. A careful selection is therefore crucial to find a tool that integrates seamlessly into the daily workflow.

The availability of numerous free SEO plugins often tempts users to try various options, yet many of these tools are forgotten after short use. Practice shows that users ultimately focus on a core group of 4-6 proven and effective SEO plugins. These selected tools become indispensable components in the daily SEO process and significantly contribute to efficiency and productivity.

Subdivision of Browser Extensions

To make the selection of browser extensions more precise, it is essential to identify the application areas within search engine optimization. These areas can be divided as follows:

Figure 1: Topics of SEO Tools

Meta Overview

Within this category are browser extensions designed to display metadata. These usually include information such as the title tag, meta description, and possibly the meta robots tag and canonical tags. These extensions provide an excellent way to gain a precise overview of the mentioned aspects. Although many of these tools can additionally perform further analyses, their focus is on displaying meta information.

Technical Overview

In this specialized segment, a wide range of tools is available that cover a broad spectrum of functions. They offer everything from detailed display of headings, in-depth backlink analyses, to the visualization of structured data and identification of broken links. This sector ensures that users can discover tailor-made browser plugins specifically suited to their needs in the field of technical search engine optimization.

Subtle errors during programming or adjustments to the website can reverse already achieved successes.

Content / UX Analysis

In the area of content and user experience analysis, these special browser extensions make a significant contribution.

They are indispensable, whether for analyzing existing content or conducting thorough keyword research. However, their functionalities extend far beyond these fundamental aspects. Some of these tools also offer the ability to analyze the clarity and user-friendliness of website content. This is crucial in optimizing the user experience while ensuring content accessibility. Only when content is easily accessible to all target groups can it be considered of high quality.

Link Analysis

In this segment, there are suitable browser extensions for a variety of requirements related to linking. This includes both internal links and redirects, as well as the analysis of backlinks and the discovery of broken links on one's own website. Thoughtful link management, functioning redirects, and high-quality backlinks are indispensable pillars of any search engine optimized website. Therefore, such tools are essential for any experienced SEO expert.

All-in-One Solutions

All-in-One solutions epitomize efficient SEO practice by combining a wide range of search engine-relevant tasks into a single browser extension. While these tools place high demands on their functionality, they offer the possibility to cover almost all the areas mentioned above. Although finding the ideal solution in this category can be challenging, extensions exist that meet these high standards and provide comprehensive SEO support.

#1 - Link Redirect Trace - Link Overview

Short Facts about the Tool:

• 100,000+ Downloads

• Compatible with Chrome and Firefox

• Tracks redirects and their issues

• Free

This SEO tool may seem specialized at first glance, but it unfolds its full effectiveness when performing its central task. The extension presents a clear and accurate depiction of the status code of retrieved URLs, allowing users to quickly see whether a URL displays a status code of 200 (OK), 301 (Moved Permanently), 302 (Temporary Redirect), 404 (Not Found), or 500 (Server Error). These essential details enable assessment of whether a webpage is correctly accessed, whether permanent or temporary redirects are present, or whether technical or server-side issues exist.

For slow-loading pages, this tool can be helpful in identifying redirect chains. Users can trace the entire chain of redirects from URL to URL. Additionally, the tool offers color-coded letters that provide further insights into the status of the retrieved URL. These visual cues are useful to identify if a page might be blocked for crawlers or excluded from the search engine index.
Here is an overview of all additional information and combinations:

Figure 2: Meanings of the Symbols (Link Redirect Trace)

#2 - SEO Meta in 1 Click - Meta Overview

Short Facts about the Tool:

• 600,000+ Downloads

• Only available for Chrome

• Ideal for a first overview

• Free

This browser extension has proven to be an indispensable tool in the SEO toolbar and is undoubtedly among the top tools in this area, justifying its inclusion in our top-5 list.
SEO Meta in 1 Click offers the ability to get a detailed overview of the essential meta information of a webpage with just one click, including other significant details.

The extension provides precise information on elements such as the title tag, meta description, potentially meta keywords, the canonical tag, and the hreflang tag. It also offers an overview of the structure of headings on a webpage. Another important feature of this extension is the identification of missing alt tags on images and providing other relevant SEO indicators. Providing information about images is increasingly important, not only from an SEO perspective but also from a legal standpoint, especially regarding the increasingly critical issue of accessibility.

Figure 3: Overview Elements of SEO Meta in 1 Click

#3 - Web Developer - Technical Overview

Short Facts about the Tool:

• 1,000,000+ Downloads

• Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera
  Very broad analysis possibilities

• Free

The browser extension Web Developer is characterized by extensive analysis and configuration functions. This tool offers a graphical representation of an entire web page's source code. At first use, the plethora of analysis options may seem overwhelming, but it's worth getting familiar with this tool.

The tool enables users to investigate specific aspects of search engine optimization by providing numerous specific functions. Users can, for instance, individually activate or deactivate cookies, disable all CSS, or highlight images without alt attributes.

Despite its initial complexity, users eventually discover preferred functions within the tool that prove indispensable in their daily SEO work. Particularly the Information Tab is frequently used in daily SEO work. It offers direct, color-coded representations on the website or opens a new tab with detailed information. Among the provided data are valuable insights into meta tags, links, headings, and ARIA roles, which are particularly significant for accessibility.

Figure 4: Overview of the Information from the Web Developer

#4 - Robots Exclusion Checker - Technical Overview

Short Facts about the Tool:

• 30,000+ Downloads

• Only available for Chrome

• Limited usability

• Free

The browser extension Robots Exclusion Checker is specialized in its functionality but proves to be very efficient and useful. This extension enables the precise display of all relevant data regarding the robots tag of a website. It provides a clear overview of the status of a URL in the robots.txt file, the defined meta robots tag, the X-Robots status, and information about the canonical tag of the respective URL.

Selecting this tool may be questioned due to the availability of similar information from other sources. However, the major advantage of this extension lies in the visual presentation of the information. It highlights important data in color and shows them already before clicking on the tool as a small icon in the plugin bar. Deviations from the standards prompt the extension to give an immediate alert, ensuring that users are informed beforehand. A click on the status message provides detailed information about each aspect.

Figure 5: Overview of the Output from the Robots Exclusion Checker

#5 - Wappalyzer - Technical Overview

Short Facts about the Tool:

• 2,000,000+ Downloads

• Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari

• Perfect for a first glance before a deeper look

• Free

The browser extension Wappalyzer does not focus on the content aspect of a webpage but rather its technical components. These include elements such as the content management system (CMS) used, statistics tools employed, the web server, and installed plugins.

The relevance of this tool for SEO arises from the fact that certain systems, such as WordPress, can include plugins that cause malfunctions. This can lead to issues like non-functioning forms or faulty language switchers. When encountering such difficulties during analysis and finding no direct solution, it's advantageous to have an overview of the various technical building blocks of a webpage. While it may not always provide the solution, it can offer valuable insights.

Figure 6: Information from Wappalyzer

Other Notable SEO Tools

There are numerous other browser extensions that may interest SEO experts. Two Chrome extensions, in particular, deserve special attention:

Keywords Everywhere

With more than 1 million downloads, Keywords Everywhere is an SEO tool for every SEO specialist. It provides excellent support for searching for new keywords and conducting competitive analyses. This Chrome extension's versatility is not limited to Google results pages but also extends to platforms like YouTube, ChatGPT, and Instagram. On YouTube and Instagram, Keywords Everywhere provides valuable insights into monthly view numbers and trend analyses for various search terms and hashtags. Furthermore, the extension allows for text prompt suggestions within ChatGPT.

Check My Links

Check My Links functions similarly to the Chrome extension Link Redirect Trace but offers a crucial difference. While Link Redirect Trace allows a comprehensive analysis of the called URL, Check My Links focuses on an overall view of the links on a page — whether internal or external. A single click is enough to check the status of each link on the respective page. This provides a quick and effective insight into a webpage's linking structure.

SEO Tools - A Final Summary

An ideal all-in-one SEO tool for the browser is a utopia that is tough to achieve in reality. No selection of SEO tools can perfectly master every challenge. These extensions are more like important aids in daily SEO work. Every SEO expert should have a well-thought-out selection of tools to react flexibly to various requirements. Compared to other professions, SEO professionals have the advantage of being able to try out new tools at any time.

The internetwarriors are well equipped in terms of SEO tools and ready to enhance your online presence. Contact us to take your website to the next level.