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LBD #022: Small SEO Tools Gets 14M/month Without Content Marketing

30.35% traffic to Small SEO Tools comes from just 5 keywords

Author

Shubham Davey
August 03, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

I decode SEO growth stories and what they’re doing right for you to learn from. Small SEO Tools is one such case study. Founded in 2010 by Tausif Akram, this platform transformed from a simple collection of basic SEO utilities into a traffic powerhouse pulling 14.34 million monthly visits.

For solopreneurs and founders struggling to get organic traffic, this case study reveals how strategic freemium execution can dominate competitive markets.

Business Model

SmallSEOTools makes money through ads on its website and selling premium subscriptions. They give away most tools for free to attract 14 million monthly visitors, then show Google AdSense ads to these users.

Small SEO Tools has paid versions of plagiarism checking, image search, domain authority checker, image-to-text, and paraphrasing tools.

SEO Lessons To Learn From Small SEO Tools:

#1 On-Page SEO:

SmallSEOTools is built upon precise on-page optimization targeting specific user intent rather than broad competitive terms.

Their organic traffic data reveals the genius: they rank for thousands of specific, intent-driven keywords like "video downloader" (823K monthly searches), "plagiarism checker" (550K searches), and "Facebook video downloader" (9.14M searches).

This isn't an accident - it's systematic on-page execution.

Instead of cramming everything into generic pages, SmallSEOTools created dedicated landing pages for each tool function. Each page targets exact-match keywords in titles, URLs, and content structure.

The plagiarism checker page targets "plagiarism checker," the backlink checker targets "backlink checker" - simple but devastatingly effective.

If you’re struggling with structuring your feature pages, these action steps will help:

  • H1 tag matching primary keyword

  • Clear step-by-step usage instructions

  • Exact-match keyword in the page title and URL

  • Related tool recommendations with internal links

  • Tool functionality described in user terms, not technical jargon

Pro tip: Map 20 specific problems your product solves. Create individual pages targeting "[specific problem] + [solution type]" keywords. Use tools like SmallSEOTools' own keyword research features to validate search volume and competition levels.

SmallSEOTools uses strategic internal linking to pass authority between related tools. The plagiarism checker links to a grammar checker, and the SEO checker connects to keyword research tools. This creates topic clusters that strengthen overall domain authority while guiding users through related workflows.

Internally link your feature pages by:

  • Creating logical workflows between related tools

  • Building hub pages that connect to multiple related tools

  • Using descriptive anchor text that includes target keywords

  • Linking from high-traffic pages to newer or less-discovered tools

I won’t deny that being an early bird has been a significant factor in Small SEO Tools’s success. Still, I must emphasize how it has survived core algorithm updates over the years, where other businesses were removed from the search index.

Pro Tip: Map your product features into logical user workflows. Create internal links between complementary features using keyword-rich anchor text. Build a main "tools" page that serves as a hub connecting to all individual tool pages.

The internal linking explains why the average visit duration is this high.

#2 Off-Page SEO:

SmallSEOTools maintains an Authority Score of 74 with 24.25K referring domains and a whopping 1.12M backlinks - not through aggressive outreach, but through natural link attraction created by genuine utility. Their off-page strategy centers on being genuinely link-worthy rather than actively pursuing links.

Free tools naturally attract backlinks from users, reviewers, and resource compilations. SmallSEOTools appears in countless "best free SEO tools" lists, tutorial blogs, and educational resources.

These links happen organically because the tools solve real problems people want to share.

Build something so useful that people naturally want to reference it. How?:

  • Solve common problems better than existing solutions

  • Make tools completely free with no barriers

  • Ensure consistent uptime and reliability

  • Provide embeddable widgets or shareable results

  • Create comprehensive documentation that adds value

Pro Tip: Identify your most valuable feature and make a free version available without registration requirements. Create embeddable widgets or shareable result pages that encourage natural linking.

#3 Technical SEO:

SmallSEOTools' technical execution shows how performance optimization becomes a competitive moat. With mobile dominating global web traffic at 68.66%, SmallSEOTools optimized for mobile performance from the ground up.

Their tools load instantly on mobile networks, use touch-friendly interfaces, and provide clear visual hierarchy without requiring zoom or pinch gestures.

Source

To optimize for mobile experience, you should:

  • Optimize for 3G network speeds and limited bandwidth

  • Use responsive design that adapts to all screen sizes

  • Implement touch-friendly button sizes & spacing

  • Prioritize above-the-fold content loading

  • Minify JavaScript and CSS file sizes

Pro tip: Run your site through Pagespeed Insights. Identify elements slowing mobile performance and create a sprint to optimize the top 5 issues. Test on actual mobile devices, not just browser simulators.

SmallSEOTools' site structure supports hundreds of individual tool pages while maintaining clear navigation and fast performance. Each tool gets its own optimized URL structure, but the overall architecture remains intuitive for both users and search engines.

The structure is so good that a user doesn’t go to the competitor’s site. The one that shows in the map below is likely to verify or double-check the output.

Source

Build a technical foundation that grows with your product by:

  • Implementing XML sitemaps that update automatically

  • Building internal search functionality for discoverability

  • Creating logical navigation that scales with new features

  • Using consistent page templates that optimize for speed

  • Using clean URL structures that reflect content hierarchy

Pro tip: Audit your current site architecture. Create a logical hierarchy that groups related functionality together. Implement breadcrumb navigation and ensure every page is reachable within three clicks from the homepage.

One thing I found missing is schema markups on tool pages. SmallSEOTools should implement schema markups, even with 14 million monthly visitors, because search engines evolve constantly to show richer information.

Schema markups help clarify what each page, tool, or result really is. This isn’t about getting more traffic right away; it’s about keeping control over how your content appears to Google and other search engines, which are relying more on structured data for features like featured snippets, voice assistants, and AI search.

What can you do now?