Raven Tools from the Tennessee company of the same name is Internet or search engine marketing optimization software consisting of popular tools targeted at SEO specialists who need research automation. To that end it contains the familiar set of website research and auditing, competitor monitoring, rank tracking, and also content investigation to see that material on the site is keyword-rich yet topically relevant. Social media and backlink checking tools facilitate outreach and drive traffic…
$49
per month
SpyFu
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
SpyFu is the eponymous SEO and PPC research platform from the company in Scottsdale, Arizona focused on "spying" on competitors, or basically using their behaviors to refine your own through keyword and content analysis, and backlink poaching. This positional search engine optimization and paid listings management platform touts the ability to lower costs and raise rankings via a Kombat-oriented approach... basically a cute way of saying "it makes comparisons" of how well your site does in niche…
$39
per month
Pricing
RavenTools
SpyFu
Editions & Modules
Small Biz (2 users)
$49
per month
Start (4 users)
$109
per month
Grow (8 users)
$199
per month
Thrive (20 users)
$299
per month
Lead (40 users)
$479
per month
Basic
$39
per month
Professional
$79
per month
Team
$299
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RavenTools
SpyFu
Free Trial
No
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
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More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RavenTools
SpyFu
Features
RavenTools
SpyFu
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
RavenTools
8.4
Ratings
8% above category average
SpyFu
6.6
Ratings
16% below category average
Keyword analysis
10.00 Ratings
7.00 Ratings
Backlink management
7.00 Ratings
6.00 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking
10.00 Ratings
6.00 Ratings
Page grader
10.00 Ratings
7.80 Ratings
Competitive analysis
10.00 Ratings
7.00 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics
10.00 Ratings
7.20 Ratings
Site recommendations
2.00 Ratings
6.00 Ratings
Task management
8.00 Ratings
6.10 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
RavenTools
10.0
Ratings
27% above category average
SpyFu
5.8
Ratings
27% below category average
Local SEO
10.00 Ratings
5.00 Ratings
Social SEO
10.00 Ratings
5.00 Ratings
Mobile SEO
10.00 Ratings
8.00 Ratings
Global SEO
10.00 Ratings
5.00 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
I would say RavenTools is most appropriate if you find you are spending a lot of time logging into different services and generating different reports from each. It's been a big time saver for us because we can compile all that data into one report and even generate a cover page and table of contents. This suite has also been beneficial for our sales team in that they we can provide detailed reports on the problems with their website before we even close the deal with them.
If you have a Google ads PPC campaign and then I would say this is more or less essential if you want to know what your competitors are doing. You can get very useful data out of it even if you subscribe for one month. And the pricing is very reasonable. Even if you don't use Google ads, I would say this is still useful for your SEO/SMO team since it gives you a great idea of what keywords and traffic your competitors are working on.
A year ago or so, Raven abandoned many of their organic rank reporting tools in an attempt to favor some Adwords intelligence. The market rebelled, as did I; in our desperation to find an alternative to Raven, none could be found and a great majority of users didn't want/need Adwords data. Months later, Raven reverted. I'd renew with Raven not just because nothing else cuts it, but because they are both trying to innovate, and listening to customers.
Love this tool but would like insights from all 3 major search engines not just Google. I would also like deeper understanding of the placement for local businesses on Google Places/Maps. Insight into mobile search rankings and best landing pages per industry would also help :) Overall, SpyFu is a necessity for serious search marketers.
Certain areas, Social Media scheduling, could stand to undergo a complete overhaul. However, most of the RavenTools interface is easy to use. You will not have any issues getting up and running and should there be an issue, the customer service is really good. They also continue to preform updates that make the usability even better
SpyFu is an easy to use tool, and has a self -explanatroy dashborad to generate the data needed to provide insights into any B2B SEO and PPC campaign. It is not comprehensive, but it certainly provides good enough insight to make it a valuable part of any agency tool stack
RavenTools has some of the best Customer Support I have ever received. They are quick to respond and will keep you posted on the progress of your issue. You truly feel as if you are getting customized service. No human is perfect and I have had one situation in which I had to reach out multiple times, but overall I fully trust and approve of their process
SpyFu comes with a link to tutorial videos. I recommend you watch them. The software is capable of so much you really need to watch the videos and learn how to get the most out of it. When I have a question 90% of the time it's there. When it isn't, and I reach out to them, support is always quick and concise.
As a user of Hootsuite Free for reporting and social media management, RavenTools is more robust and fully functional. RavenTools provides a simpler dashboard and interface. You have more control over reporting, analytics views, and it is more intuitive. The only advantages I would say Hootsuite has is the ability to add apps that connect directly with other software and social media post management. Long story short, there is a reason I choose to put funds behind RavenTools vs. Hootsuite.
I was surprised to find I preferred Semrush when it comes to keyword research. SpyFu is great (and less expensive than Semrush), but I felt the data Semrush provided was vaster than SpyFu. I was able to get more competitors spending insights in Semrush than SpyFu. Overall, I liked the ability to use both in our keyword research for both paid and organic marketing.
RavenTools has absolutely improved the reporting we provide our clients. We used to be mashing together dissimilar Excel reports. Comparisons between time periods was difficult to present and graphs had to be created manually with lots of time spent formatting them correctly.
RavenTools has improved the efficiency with which we put together our reports. This frees us up to do more high-level thinking about recommendations and up-sell opportunities which ultimately leads to more revenue.