As the digital world speeds up, it can feel as though you’re trying to stay afloat on a never-ending wave of content creation. So how do you keep focused when deadlines stack up? How do you ensure you're creating excellent copy that positions your business well? And how do you come up with the topics that will make even the slightest ripple in the vast online ocean we call the Internet?
Business owners, copywriters and content marketers, we hear your distress, but it’s OK! In today’s blog post, we’re going to share the top free content writing tools you’ll ever need, whether you're creating copy for your business or your clients.
Table of contents
- 18 free content writing tools for marketers
i. 4 tools for brainstorming ideas
ii. 4 tools for editing content
iii. 3 tools for focusing
iv. 7 tools for SEO research and analysis - Content tools can lighten the load
18 free content writing tools for marketers
The market for free content writing tools is about as vast as the range of topics there is to write about. So we’ve broken down our recommendations by function. Read on to change the way you write and save time, money and energy:
4 tools for brainstorming ideas
If you've been creating content for a while, then pretty soon you’ll feel like you’ve written on every topic under the sun and have nothing more to say. Or maybe you’re new to corporate blogging (or a specific subject area) and need some help? Try these tools:
1. Answer the Public: Enter your topic into this content idea generator and you will be rewarded with not just blog topic suggestions but those based on the most popular search queries, meaning you can produce content that you know there is already an audience for.
2. Google Trends: Google Trends is a helpful tool for content writers to come up with new, trending topics. Enter a keyword, phrase or topic into the search bar to see search trends over time. Look for topics with an increase in interest and explore related topics in the search results for ideas.
3. BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo is a content writing tool that helps you discover topics related to your niche, uncover trending content and find influential authors in your industry. It enables you to create engaging content that resonates with your audience. Finally, you can use BuzzSumo to identify influential people in your industry who are creating content and follow their work for additional inspiration. Although this is a paid tool, there is a 30-day free trial available.
4. Google Alerts: If you’re active in a certain field or you want to know when the brand you write for gets a mention or the latest research/news on a subject, sign up for Google Alerts. You'll get an email rounding up the latest articles about this topic that have been published online. Just make sure you have a dedicated folder for each alert so you can keep track of them and delete as necessary.
For more suggestions, check out the SEO section further down for tools to help you generate an SEO-backed content strategy.