Google Search Console vs. Link Research Tools

It's suited for all use cases, but for big companies, the data might be crippling, so an add-on tool to analyse the data would be a good companion for GSC to solve this issue. Therefore, I think it's suited for any use case with some add-ons and companions needed for analysis.

Incentivized

If you have any problems with your rankings or a decrease in ranking position within google it is very good to make an Link Audit with the Link Research Tools. Then you Screen all Links manually and setup your disavow-file easily. With the Link Detox Boost you gain Rankings back so fast. The last time we used it for a client, we got back the rankings within a week to 170 Positions within the Top Ten, even Position 1.

• Google Search Console insights is a great feature which provides an overview of my top content, how my new content is performing, etc.
• It gives detailed information around backlinks - who is linking to us, how many backlinks do we have, how is the internal linking within the website, etc.
• I like the graph feature that shows how the website is performing overall in one month, three months etc. Seeing the graph can help us understand whether it is trending upward or downward and we can shift strategies accordingly.

Incentivized

• fast Google penalty recovery
• keeps a healthy backlink profile
• calculates the opportunity or risk of potential links that are not built yet, so you can go only after the good ones
• gives you fresh data from 26 link sources and lets you analyze the full backlink profile. Google search console gives you only a sample of your backlink profile.
• powerful link prospecting made easy
• possibility to connect with Pitchbox (professional outreach tool for link removal and link building campaigns), SEMRUSH, Ahrefs, GSC

• It can be a little difficult to navigate
• More training resources would be an asset. A beginner is given the power to completely destroy a sites search results at the push of a button. Likewise it is a powerful tool to enhance search results also.
• An option to take care of multiple versions of the same site simultaneously would be helpful. An option to use the same validation script across all versions and administer them simultaneously would be a time save (i.e. non-www, www, http://, and https:// versions of the same site).

Incentivized

• Not for newcomers to SEO simply because its vast array of features may hinder them.
• Is quite pricey too; so for small businesses etc., it's probably not a viable option.

It's easy to use, but some features are lacking a clear explanation. Somethings don't always match up. For example, the Core Web Vitals often doesn't match what you would see in the Chrome Lighthouse report or the Google Page Speed Insights tool. The tool itself is a little too basic and has to be used alongside other SEO tools and other Google properties such as Analytics

Incentivized

As it is a free tool, you mainly have to rely on their knowledge base and forums. Google has provided in-depth guides and KB for every function of the search console. So, you can refer to it in case of any problem. You can also ask questions on their forums but direct support is not available.

Incentivized

SEMRush is a supplementary tool we use to provide competitive analysis. While it does, or should, provide the same data that Search Console does, but I only fully trust Search Console when it comes to basic performance in Google for the sites we develop and own. SEMRush, and other products like it, does provide much more in-depth insights that can help drive business decisions, including site performance on other search engines, along putting organic and paid search performance in one spot. However, SEMRush costs money while Search Console is free.

Incentivized

LinkResearchTools is much more advanced in analyzing links. Period. All the other mentioned tools have many useful features for SEO but LRT is definitely the way to go for backlink analysis, link building, and competition analysis. They also offer very nice and quality courses for improving SEO knowledge. I already attended one of them and I am very satisfied with the knowledge I gained.

• Given that this is a free tool, the return on investment has been particularly high - we've identified and addressed a few site issues that could have meant a reduction in search traffic.
• Our organic search traffic has been on the rise in part due to the insights gained from the search traffic analytics provided within the console.

Incentivized

• Building strong links results in better rankings which results in a higher ROI
• The Link Research Tools community also had a big impact on my networking