PR tools for better SEO, content and design

As the purview of public relations expands into new territory, versatile practitioners are increasingly in demand.

The right tools can help. Here are eight resources that can elevate any PR pro’s game:

1. SEMRush

SEMRush helps you conduct keyword research, improve your SEO ranking and analyze your reach compared against that of your competitors.You can see how your website ranks for keywords, how competitive a keyword is, which keywords your competitors are using, and their ranking.

Pricing: Starts at $99 for the Pro plan, and up to $399 for its Business plan.

2. Ahrefs

Ahrefs enables you to perform competitor analysis, keyword audits and backlink research.

Its intuitive platform shows you how to make your content stand out to search engines.

Pricing: Starts at $99 for its Lite plan and goes up to $999 for its Agency plan.

3. Moz

This tool helps you measure, monitor and improve your website’s on-site and off-site level of search engine optimization.

It offers paid and free SEO tools for businesses, as well as workshops and training programs to put you in the driver’s seat of your search engine ranking.

Pricing: Starts at $99 per month for its Standard plan and goes up to $599 per month for its Premium plan.

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4. Unbounce

Do you have trouble getting people to take specific actions on your landing pages? Whether it's a sign-up form, a purchase or a download, Unbounce helps you create seamless, Google-friendly landing pages that get results.

Unbounce helps you create, launch and test your landing pages to optimize conversion rates.

As part of the Unbounce network, you get access to templates (which are easy to edit and design), highly controlled A/B testing and analytics to keep you on track. At free Unbounce meetups you can learn tips from savvy Unbounce enthusiasts around the world.

Pricing: Starts at $79 per month for its Essential plan, and at least $399 per month for its Enterprise plan.

5. LeadPages

Would you like to build an email list, but you’re not sure where to start? LeadPages provides access to hundreds of templates to help you create lead magnets, webinars and landing pages, which can help you expand your email list.

Keep in mind that this is not the same as email marketing software. LeadPages can help you widen your list, but you’ll need additional software (such as MailChimp) to create and send emails to your list.

LeadPages helps you create seamless forms for your landing pages and blog, build sales pages and host webinars.

Pricing: Starts at $25 per month for its Standard plan, and goes up to $199 per month for its Advanced plan.

Tools for content creation

6. Grammarly

Poor writing is ruinous for your credibility. If you struggle to produce clean copy, or if you’d like another reliable set of “eyes,” Grammarly might be for you.

Much more than just a spell checker, Grammarly offers synonym options, clarification suggestions and plagiarism prevention. The software is free, and it works with most websites (whether you're writing a blog, responding to an email or crafting a social media post).

Pricing: Free, with the option for a paid premium subscription.

7. Hemingway

The Hemingway Editor is a lifesaver for those of us not born with a passion for grammar and sentence structure. This handy app color codes common mistakes and weaknesses in your sentence structure. For example, yellow means your sentence is too lengthy, purple gives you word alternatives, and green highlights phrases written in passive voice.

The color-coded hints help you spruce up your writing and tighten up your editing. The sidebar gives you a critique of your work and a readability gauge by grade level.

Pricing: Free.

8. Canva

Visual content is essential to any content marketing or PR strategy. Canva makes it easy to create stunning infographics, social media posts and other marketing imagery.

After you choose stock photos or upload your own, you can add text shapes and logos to your liking. If your graphic design game is lacking, Canva’s beautiful templates give you a head start.

Pricing: Free, with the option for a paid premium plan. 

Wendy Marx is president of Marx Communications. A version of this article first appeared on the B2B PR Sense blog.

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