9 of the Best Content Writing Tools for SEO to Increase Traffic in 2024

This article will take you through some of the best content writing tools you should use in 2024.

Of course, you don't need to use every one of these tools, but using a few will allow you to take your content game to a new level over the coming year.

We've split this article into two distinct parts, covering free and paid tools, so there will be a tool for you regardless of your budget or what you are working towards.

So, let's get into it.

Table of Contents

• Free Tools
  • Google Docs
  • Grammarly
  • Hemingway
• Paid Tools
  • Surfer SEO
  • Jasper
  • Keyword Insights
  • Clearscope
  • Frase
  • ChatGPT (GPT-4)

Top Free Content Writing Tools for 2024

This section will review some of the best free tools your business can use immediately to improve your content writing. Some of these tools have paid versions, but they all include a free version suitable for almost all businesses and marketers.

Google Docs

Google Docs has become a hugely important tool for marketers and other content creators over the years. Its simple interface and real-time collaboration features make it the preferred choice for drafting and sharing content across teams, regardless of location. This is probably why it became incredibly popular during 2020 and 2021, when remote working became the norm for many businesses.

The ability to comment, suggest edits and track changes streamlines the review process, ensuring the final content is polished and ready to publish immediately. It is also compatible with various add-ons and extensions, like SEO writing assistants, which further enhances its functionality for SEO. These add-ons can help optimise content for keywords, check readability scores, and even suggest improvements directly within the document.

However, one of the drawbacks of Google Docs is its reliance on an internet connection for full functionality, which can hinder areas with poor connectivity. Additionally, while it supports basic word processing needs, it lacks advanced content formatting features found in more specialised writing software.

Google Docs is part of Google Workspace. The basic version is free, offering essential features suitable for individual users and smaller teams. For businesses who require more advanced features and, crucially, more storage, Google Workspace offers paid plans which start at £5 per month per user.

Grammarly

Grammarly has completely changed the game regarding writing and editing, offering an advanced grammar-checking tool that goes beyond the basics of spell checks. It uses sophisticated algorithms to analyse your writing for various issues, including:

• Grammar mistakes.
• Punctuation errors.
• Style inconsistencies.
• Plagiarism.

Grammarly's real-time feedback helps writers improve their writing skills, ensuring that content is grammatically correct but also clear, engaging, and appropriate to the right audience. Its browser extensions and integrations with popular writing tools (like Google Docs) make it convenient for marketers and content creators.

However, Grammarly's algorithm, whilst sophisticated, is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. It can sometimes miss the context or the intended tone of the writing, leading to suggestions that won't align with the writer's voice or the content's purpose. Moreover, its reliance on predefined rules might not always understand or appreciate different creative or unconventional writing styles.

Grammarly offers a free version that includes basic checks for spelling, grammar, and punctuation issues. The premium version starts at £10 per month if you need more comprehensive features.

Hemingway

The Hemingway Editor is a unique tool that is designed to enhance the clarity and readability of your writing. Named after the famous author known for his concise and straightforward style, this tool will help you craft bold and clear content. It highlights complex sentences, passive voice, adverbs, and other elements that make writing hard to read and understand. By suggesting simpler alternatives, Hemingway encourages you to produce accessible content for a broader audience.

This is particularly valuable in SEO, where readability can impact user engagement and wider content performance.

However... Hemingway's focus is primarily on sentence structure and readability, and it does not provide features for checking spelling, grammar, or SEO optimisation. This means that, whilst it will make your writing clearer, it won't help with spelling errors or keyword optimisation. To do this, you'd need to pair it with another tool like Grammarly.

Hemingway is available as a completely free online tool. If you require more advanced features like the ability to publish directly to WordPress or Medium, or AI suggestions to improve your text, Hemingway Editor Plus is available for $10 per month.

Top Paid Content Writing Tools for 2024

We will now focus on specialist, paid tools to help you 'up' your content game in 2024 and beyond. Some of these tools will have free trials. Most will, but you will need to pay a fee for continued use, and in each section, we will outline exactly what the cost is for using the tool.

Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO stands out when it comes to specialist SEO content optimisation tools. It offers a massive suite of features to help content creators develop articles that rank highly for their chosen topics. Surfer analyses over 500 ranking factors by examining the top pages in search results for your chosen target keywords. It will then provide insights on ideal content length, keyword density, and the structure your content should follow to give it the best chance of ranking well in the SERPs.

Surfer also offers a unique SERP analyser, which gives an in-depth look at what is currently performing well in search engines, allowing you to tailor your content strategy accordingly.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. One limitation of Surfer is that its comprehensive analysis can sometimes lead to overemphasising optimisation. If done without care, this will result in content that feels unnatural or overstuffed with keywords. This can detract from the content's overall user experience and readability if it is not balanced correctly.

Surfer SEO starts at $89 per month. This can be a significant investment, especially for small businesses or freelance marketers. However, for those heavily invested in SEO, the insights and optimisations it offers can justify the cost.

Jasper

Jasper is an AI-driven content creation tool that revolutionises how content is produced. It leverages AI to assist in generating creative and engaging content quickly. Jasper can understand the context and help with various writing tasks, from blog posts to marketing copy. Its ability to produce drafts quickly can significantly reduce the time and effort required to create great content.

There are some things to note, however. Jasper can sometimes generate content that needs more depth and nuanced understanding from human expertise. It may require a lot of additional editing and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and that the content created aligns with your brand's voice.

SEOTesting never recommends using AI tools to generate content blindly. They can be extremely helpful during the writing process, but please ensure they are always checked fully and optimised to suit your brand and writing style.

Jasper starts at $39 per month for the basic plan, with more advanced plans offering more advanced features and output capabilities.

Keyword Insights

Keyword Insights, developed by Suganthan Mohanadasan, Andy Chadwick, and their extensive team, is a robust keyword research tool that offers a deeper understanding of keyword clusters. KI helps content creators, SEO professionals, and other digital marketers to target keywords more effectively. It does this by analysing clusters of keywords rather than just single keyword targets. This way, you can write content that covers entire topics, not just a few keywords!

No, this is not (directly) a content writing tool, but using Keyword Insights as a part of your content writing process will give your content the best chance at generating the most traffic.

The main challenge you may encounter when using Keyword Insights is its complexity. A wealth of data and insights is available at your fingertips, especially for those new to SEO or keyword research. It requires a certain level of expertise to fully utilise the information that Keyword Insights provides.

Keyword Insights starts at $58 per month, but as it is based on a credit system, you can also buy credits on a PAYG basis as needed, meaning anyone can utilise the tool, whatever their budget.

Clearscope

Clearscope is a specialist content optimisation platform that, over time, has earned a reputation for its effectiveness in improving the SEO potential of written content. At its core, Clearscope uses advanced algorithms to analyse top-performing content in the SERPs. It provides detailed insights on how to structure your content, which keywords to use, and optimise it for better readability and engagement.

Clearscope excels in breaking down complex SEO principles into actionable tips and advice, making it easier for writers and marketers to produce content that resonates with both search engines and, more importantly, readers.

However... Given the sophisticated nature of Clearscope, the tool does come with a higher price tag which can be a barrier for smaller businesses or individual bloggers/marketers. Additionally, its focus is primarily on optimisation, and whilst this is helpful for SEO, it doesn't consider other aspects of content creation, such as ideation or drafting.

Clearscope's entry-level plan starts at $199 per month. This investment is certainly more suited for businesses heavily invested in content marketing and requires a high level of SEO optimisation in their content strategy.

Frase

Frase is a cutting-edge content tool that combines AI with SEO optimisation, offering a unique approach to content research and creation. It's especially useful in understanding and addressing user intent, a crucial element of modern SEO.

Frase analyses top-ranking content and provides detailed briefs that include key questions your audience is asking, the topics you should cover, and the keywords you should target. This ensures your content is SEO-friendly, highly relevant, and valuable to your audience.

One of the challenges with using Frase is its UI and navigation, which can be less intuitive compared to similar tools. New users may need time to understand its features and capabilities fully.

Frase's pricing is competitive, with monthly plans starting at $14.99. This makes it accessible to many users, from freelance marketing consultants to small and medium-sized businesses.

ChatGPT (GPT-4)

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, represents a significant advancement in AI-driven content creation. ChatGPT is a language model that excels in generating human-like text, aiding in tasks such as:

• Idea generation.
• Content drafting.
• Content optimisation.
• Providing SEO suggestions.

Its ability to understand and respond to natural language queries makes it a unique and valuable tool for brainstorming and overcoming writer's block. Additionally, ChatGPT can automate repetitive content writing tasks, saving significant time and resources for content teams.

A notable drawback of ChatGPT is its limitation in understanding industry-specific nuances and the inability to conduct independent research or verify facts. This means that if you do choose to generate content with ChatGPT, it may require further refinement and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and relevance to your specific audience and industry.

ChatGPT is available in a free version, offering generous usage limits suitable for casual users and small projects. For more extensive usage, such as integrating the ChatGPT API into applications or accessing more advanced versions of the model, you must subscribe to GPT-4, which starts at $20 per month.

Wrapping Up

The landscape of content writing tools for SEO in 2024 offers a diverse range of options, catering to different needs and budgets. From the collaborative simplicity of Google Docs to the advanced AI capabilities of ChatGPT, each tool brings unique strengths to the table.

Whether you're looking for free tools to enhance your writing quality or are willing to invest in paid platforms for in-depth SEO optimization, there's something for everyone.

Remember, the key to maximizing these tools lies in understanding their capabilities and integrating them effectively into your content strategy. Doing so can significantly boost your content's SEO performance and drive more traffic to your site.

Used these tools to improve the content that is on your website already? Consider testing whether these tools have upped your content game and improved your SEO results! How do you do that? SEOTesting. We offer a 14-day free trial, with no credit card required, so sign up today and backdate some SEO tests to see if improving your content has made a difference.