15 Small Business Content Marketing Tools I Swear By as a Professional Writer
- Rachel Meyer
- Mar 4
- 6 min read
Tools are an important part of any business. They make tasks easier and your life less stressful.
At least, that’s what they’re supposed to do. But we’ve all sunk time and money into a tool that ended up being useless or even detrimental to our business.
This can make us overly cautious about trying a new tool, even if it looks perfect for our business. How can you really know if it'll help or hinder you?
That’s why I wanted to share my favorite small business content marketing tools with you in this post. Each one is something I use in my business as a content marketer and give my stamp of approval.
Small Business Content Marketing Tools
Planning and Keyword Research
This is a fantastic tool for assessing the keywords you're considering targeting. Each keyword you search will tell you the average monthly searches and competition level, so you can pick ones that make it easier to rank.
It can also help you find keywords, although this isn’t the best tool for that. You need a keyword to start with, and it needs to be a broader one (spring fashion vs spring officewear) if you want more suggestions to inspire you.
Price: Free with a Google Ads account
This is my go-to for inspiration and keyword research for many of my clients. It gives you valuable insight into what real people are looking for on Pinterest, which has become a search engine in its own right.
Not only will it show you what’s trending, but it also shares its predictions for whether the trend is going to get bigger or smaller, based on past search data. You can also filter by topic, demographic, seasonal trends, growing trends, and more.
Price: Free with a Pinterest Business Account
If you need help coming up with keyword ideas, this is the tool for you. You can enter a word or two, and it’ll “sheet” out a bunch of related keywords.
It’s a simple tool, but I find it very helpful if I’m stuck with a certain idea and no clue what kind of angle I want to take on it. It also has some filters you can play around with, but to be honest, I never touch them.
Price: Free (no account required)
Google Sheets is my go-to for making blog content calendars. It’s simple to use, even if you aren’t good with spreadsheets (like me), but you can still create a helpful, decent-looking calendar.
I’ve talked more in depth about using Google Sheets to create a content calendar, so check that out if you’re interested in learning more.
Price: Free with a Google account
Writing and Editing
I write all my content in Google Docs. If it’s not written down in my planner or Notion, then it’s probably in a Google Doc somewhere.
Google Docs is simple and intuitive to use. It doesn’t cost anything, and it’s easy to collaborate with your team, if you have one. That’s why this is my go-to composition software.
Price: Free with a Google account
If you struggle with writing concisely, Hemingway is the tool for you. It helps identify confusing sentences, adverbs, and overly complicated phrases so you can edit your piece to be more digestible.
I love that it color codes the different issues so I can easily sort through them. It also shows the reading level of your piece, which can help you tailor the tone to your target audience.
Price: Free basic plan, paid accounts starting at $8.33/month
I know opinions around this tool are very mixed. But as a dyslexic writer, I find it invaluable.
Grammarly has lots of helpful features, from grammar correction to suggesting how to write sentences better. Some of these you do have to pay for (which I do), but the free plan offers plenty of benefits.
I also like that it integrates with other websites and apps, like Google Docs or Wix, so I can see suggestions without changing tabs. The last thing I want is a glaring spelling error on my website homepage.
Price: Free basic plan, paid accounts starting at $12/month
Thesauruses are my best friends. They help me choose better words, find alternatives to something I've overused, or just remember that word I was thinking of (thank you, dyslexia).
That’s why I love WordHippo. It’s an online thesaurus that offers loads of good synonyms for any word you enter. It also has a bunch of other word-related tools I use occasionally.
Price: Free (no account required)
Publishing
Writing a good headline is hard. That’s why I like tools to help me analyze what I’ve written to see if it’ll perform well. Headline Studio is my favorite because its suggestions are most in-depth, but unfortunately, a paywall hides many of its features.
I do like its analytics and the fact that it lets you pick what type of headline you’re analyzing. There are different best practices for writing a blog post headline as opposed to a YouTube one, for example.
Price: Free up to 10 credits, paid accounts starting at $6/month
As you might guess by the title, this is similar to Headline Studio, except it’s free. Because of that, the site does have a lot of ads and not as many analytics, but I find it perfectly useful all the same.
I use this site for the majority of my headlines, just to make sure they’re readable and will rank well. It also gives you a lot of information about the things they analyze, which is great if you don’t know what goes into a great headline yet.
Price: Free (no account required)
Did you know you can’t use just any photo off the internet for your blog? Well, you can, but there’s a chance you get hit with a copyright strike if you don’t have the rights to use the photo. That’s why I like free stock photo sites that don’t require any money to use (unlike, say, Shutterstock).
My go-to for this is Unsplashed. They have a robust photo library and a no AI policy, so you can be sure humans created the images you see. I also like that they have filters and tags, so I can find images more easily. They do have a paid plan, but there’s no need to upgrade.
Price: Free basic account, paid plan for $20/month
My other go-to free stock photo site is Pexels. If I can’t find something I like on Unsplashed, I can find it here. And like Unsplashed, they have a no AI policy so that you can rest easy.
They also have a lot of photographers who upload multiple photos from the same photo shoot, giving you more options if you liked one image, but it wasn’t quite the angle you were looking for. They also have royalty-free videos you can use as well.
Price: Free (no account required)
If you plan to reshare your content on social media, Canva is a great way to create beautiful graphics for that. I will admit, I do hate how many of their features are locked behind a paywall (which I may upgrade to access), but there’s still plenty you can use for free.
They even have templates you can use for those of us without graphic design degrees. All you have to do is replace the colors and photos to create stunning designs in seconds.
Price: Free basic account, paid plans starting at $18/month
Analyzing
Google Analytics is the website analysis tool. It has a robust set of features you can use to track, assess, and plan your content.
I will admit, I find it a bit overwhelming. There’s a lot in here, and the interface isn't the most intuitive. Thankfully, there’s plenty of info online to help you, especially if you have a head for numbers.
Price: Free with a Google account
This is my preferred tool for content analysis. It’s simple to navigate and easy to understand, which I love. But it still has plenty of information on what people are clicking and seeing on your blog/website. It also helps you ensure your content is appearing properly in search.
I also love that it shows you what sorts of searches are bringing people to you. This can help you create better content that matches even better with search intent.
Price: Free with a Google account
As you can see, there are tons of tools out there that you can use to make your content marketing better, often for free. It's still up to you to know what your business needs, but I hope this helps you get started.
Are you interested in a blog content writer who can help you navigate tools like these to create content that gets seen online? I would love to work with you! Click the button below to learn more about my services.
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