SEO Tools overview — which tool to use when

The SEO Tools group in the sidebar holds seven tools. They work on any business: a client, a prospect or a competitor. Most of them also have a client version on the client's page, which keeps a history for that client.

The seven tools

• Local SEO Audit: scores a website's local search health out of 100 and builds a report and PDF. Use it to win a prospect or to show a new client where they stand. See How to run a local SEO audit.
• Local Map Ranking: a grid of Google Maps searches around a business, shown as a heat map. Use it to see where the business shows in the map pack, street by street. See How to run a local map scan.
• Backlink Analysis: who links to a domain, broken backlinks, and sites that link to competitors but not to you. See How to analyze backlinks.
• GBP Optimization: Zeus judges a Google Business Profile and writes a better description, services, categories and attributes. See How to optimize a Google Business Profile.
• Keyword Forge: search volume, cost per click, difficulty and a Forge Score grade for a keyword in a place, or keyword ideas from any website. See How to research keywords.
• Competitor Analysis: a full side-by-side report on a site and one competitor: keyword gaps, content gaps, Google profile, backlinks, technical SEO and AI Overviews. See How to analyze a competitor.
• Schema Generator: ready-to-paste structured data (JSON-LD) for a business, FAQs, services, service areas and articles. See Schema Generator.

Rank tracking isn't in this group. It's always about a client, so it lives on the client's SEO → Keywords tab. See Client keywords and rank tracking.

Which tool to use when

1. A prospect asks "how are we doing online?" Run a Local SEO Audit and send the PDF.
2. A client says "we never show up on Maps across town." Run a Local Map Ranking scan with 3 to 5 of their main services.
3. A client is losing to one rival. Run Competitor Analysis against that rival, then add the rival to the client's Local → Competitors tab to keep watching.
4. You're planning blog posts or new service pages. Use Keyword Forge to pick keywords with a high Forge Score.
5. The Google Business Profile looks thin. Run GBP Optimization and copy the improved text.
6. Rankings are stuck and the site has few links. Run Backlink Analysis and check Link Gap Analysis for sites to reach out to.
7. You need structured data on a site you don't host. Use the Schema Generator and paste the code.

How to run a tool

1. In the sidebar, open SEO Tools and click the tool.
2. Fill in the business, website, keyword or location the tool asks for.
3. Check the credit cost shown on the start button, then click it.
4. Long runs (audits, map scans, competitor analyses) save their progress. You can leave the page; the run carries on and shows on the tool's Past tab when it's done.

Past runs

Each tool page has two tabs at the top. The second tab lists everything run before:

• Local SEO Audit: New audit / Past audits
• Local Map Ranking: New scan / Past scans
• GBP Optimization: Optimize / Past runs
• Keyword Forge: Research / Past searches
• Competitor Analysis: New analysis / Past analyses

The old History pages are gone. Their old addresses redirect to the matching Past tab. Backlink Analysis and Schema Generator have no Past tab; a client's backlink snapshots are kept on the client's SEO → Links → Backlinks tab.

Credits

The price shows on every start button, and the live prices are listed on this page's credit box. In short:

• Local SEO Audit: one flat price per audit, whoever the website belongs to. Returned if the audit fails.
• Map scan: per keyword, any grid size. A keyword that gets no result anywhere is returned. Zeus's own monthly scans are free.
• Backlink analysis: per run. A client snapshot taken less than 12 hours ago is reused for free. Detail lookups (referring domains, broken links, history, link gap) are charged per lookup and cached for 30 days, so repeating one is free.
• GBP optimizer: per run. Returned when no profile is found or the run fails.
• Keyword research: per search, for one keyword or for a website's ideas.
• Competitor analysis: per full report. It's one of the bigger charges, because it makes dozens of live lookups.
• Competitor keyword gaps: per Analyze click on a client's saved competitor. Zeus's monthly scan refreshes these for free.
• Free: the Schema Generator, Zeus blog ideas from Keyword Forge, opening saved results and PDFs.

See What costs credits.

Who can use it

• Owners and Admins always have every tool.
• Members have every tool unless an Owner or Admin switches it off. Go to Settings → Team Members, expand the member's row, and under Plan tools → SEO Suite switch off Local SEO Audit, Local Map Ranking, Backlink Analysis, GBP Optimization, Keyword Forge, Competitor Analysis or Schema Generator. Switching off SEO Suite itself turns off all seven.
• A switched-off tool disappears from the sidebar. Opening its page shows "You don't have access to this tool.", and starting it any other way gives "Tool access required".
• The client versions also need the Clients tool. Some need the matching SEO tool too: a client's backlink snapshot needs Backlink Analysis, a client's map scan needs Local Map Ranking, and the client's Local → Business Profile tab needs GBP Optimization.
• Members limited to some clients (see Team members and roles) see only those clients' runs on the Past tabs, plus runs that belong to no client (prospects and one-off runs). A run counts as a client's when it was run for that client, or its business name or website matches the client. Keyword Forge searches aren't tied to a client, so everyone with Keyword Forge sees every search.
• Client people (portal logins) never see SEO Tools.

From an AI assistant

Site audits, map scans, keyword research, client backlink snapshots, client GBP optimizer runs and competitor keyword checks can also be started from a connected AI assistant. It shows the cost first and asks before it spends. See Connect an AI assistant.

Examples

• Winning a roofer: run a Local SEO Audit on their site, then a 5 x 5 map scan for "roof repair". Send both PDFs before the sales call.
• Monthly check for a dentist: a map scan for three services, then Keyword Forge for one new blog keyword.
• A new competitor opened up: Competitor Analysis against them, then Track Competitor to add them to the client.

Limits and what it can't do

• The tools read public search, Maps and backlink data. They can't change anything on Google. To post or reply on a Business Profile, link it on the client (see Google Business Profile).
• A map scan takes up to 5 keywords. Competitor Analysis compares one competitor at a time.
• Business searches and Google Maps link lookups are limited to 30 a minute and 1,000 a day per agency. Competitor Analysis is limited to 10 a minute and 150 a day.

Troubleshooting

• A tool is missing from the sidebar: it's switched off for you. Ask an Owner or Admin to switch it on under Settings → Team Members.
• "Tool access required": same cause as above, or on a client tab, the extra SEO tool it needs is off.
• "Backlink Analysis access required": you have the Clients tool but not Backlink Analysis. Ask for it to be switched on.
• "{Tool} needs N credits — you have M. Buy credits to continue.": top up on the Billing page or wait for your monthly credits. See Buy credit packs.
• "This was already run. Start a new one to run it again.": the same run was already paid for and started. Start a fresh one instead of retrying the old one.
• "Could not check your credits right now. Please try again.": a short hiccup. Nothing was charged. Try again in a minute.
• "You're going too fast — try again in 1 minute.": you hit the per-minute or per-day limit for that tool. Wait the time shown.
• A past run is missing: if you're limited to some clients, runs for other clients are hidden. Ask an Owner or Admin.