Content marketing tools give you the data and capabilities to consistently produce high-quality pieces.

So, if you’re serious about your work, having the right tools is essential.

Below, we’ll cover 20 of the top content marketing tools that we think every content marketer should use (in no particular order).

1. Topic Research

Semrush’s Topic Research tool is great for brainstorming topic ideas for blog posts.

Just specify a broad topic you want to create content around, and the tool will generate tons of related ideas.

All topic ideas are categorized into different cards—each including the topic’s monthly search volume, headlines from the top-ranking pages, and common questions related to the topic.

Review the topic’s search volume to get an understanding of how much potential traffic you could gain.

Then, use the headlines as inspiration when crafting your own titles. And consider including the related questions in your article to ensure you cover all the key subtopics readers want to know about.

The tool also:

• Creates a mind map to visualize how different topics are connected to the main idea
• Highlights topics that are trending
• Integrates with Trello so you can streamline your content planning process

Pricing: A free, limited option is available. For more searches, upgrade to a paid plan—they start at $129.95 per month. 

2. SEO Writing Assistant

The SEO Writing Assistant (SWA) helps you write content that’s search-optimized. So you have the best chance of ranking (appearing high up in Google’s search results).

As you write content, the tool checks its readability, originality, SEO optimization level, and tone of voice.

And offers suggestions to improve.

Here are a few stand-out features of SWA:

• Integrates with Google Docs, WordPress, and Microsoft Word so you can access optimization insights directly where you already enjoy doing your content writing
• Offers a bunch of AI capabilities like composing new sections automatically or rephrasing sentences to improve clarity
• Scans for duplicate content by checking your work against what’s already online. To ensure the content you create is unique.
• Offers suggestions for adding other related keywords for better search engine visibility

Pricing: A free version with limited functionality is available. To take full advantage of SEO Writing Assistant, sign up for a Guru account. Which is $249.95 per month.

3. Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) lets you measure and improve your content’s performance in organic search (unpaid search results).

After you set up the tool, you can track how much traffic (clicks) your content pieces receive, how many times your pages are viewed in search results (impressions), what each page’s average click-through rate (CTR) is, and what they’re average rankings are (average position).

If your content isn’t ranking as high as you want (i.e., if it’s underperforming), you should do an audit to uncover what’s wrong. And try to improve performance. 

(If you need help, read our article that explains how to do a content audit step by step.)

Here are some other things you can do with GSC:

• Submit a sitemap (a file containing your important website pages) to Google so your content can be indexed (stored) and made available through search results
• Request new content for indexing
• Troubleshoot technical SEO issues that are hurting your website’s performance
• Find out who’s linking to your content so you can reach out to similar websites to attract more backlinks (links from other websites pointing to your own site)

Pricing: Google Search Console is one of the totally free content marketing tools on this list.

Further reading: Google Search Console: The Ultimate Guide for 2024

4. AI Video Marketing Automator

The AI Video Marketing Automator app is an excellent tool for creating high-quality video content using artificial intelligence.

You can generate videos from existing articles, using a custom prompt, or from scratch.

With the from-scratch option, you need to input all the content blocks such as headings, text, calls-to-action, images, video clips, etc. You can add your own images or choose from the stock library provided by the tool. 

The AI then ties all these content blocks together, adding voice overs and background music to create a cohesive video.

Once your video is ready, you can share it with your audience on social media platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. 

Here are some other features worth highlighting:

• Comes with a built-in content calendar. So you can schedule and post content to your social media accounts directly from the app itself.
• Provides a large collection of royalty-free images and clips to add to your videos 
• Offers customization options to tailor the look and feel of your videos to align with your brand’s visual identity

Pricing: You can generate one video for free. Paid plans start at $39 per month.

5. ContentShake AI

ContentShake AI is a great tool for quickly generating SEO-optimized articles.

Once you enter the topic you want to write about, the tool will automatically generate a sample draft with a title, introduction, subtopics, relevant images, and a conclusion. All with the help of AI.

After the initial draft is created, you can use the interactive AI chat interface to refine and expand the content. 

You can also apply edits directly. Ensuring that the final draft aligns with your desired tone, style, and messaging.

If you’re looking to leverage AI tools for content marketing, this one can be a great solution.

ContentShake AI also:

• Offers an extremely easy-to-use interface
• Integrates with WordPress. So you can publish content directly to your website.
• Recommends additional, relevant keywords to include in your article. So you can potentially rank for more keywords.
• Provides suggestions to improve your content’s readability

Pricing: There’s a free trial available. After that, pricing starts at $60 per month.

6. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free analytics tool that helps you evaluate your website’s traffic and your users’ behavior.

It’s particularly useful for analyzing how well your content is performing in terms of engagement and conversions. 

You can do this by looking at the “Pages and screens report.” Which shows you how long your content was the user’s main focus (average engagement time) and how many conversions each page drove for the selected time range (key events).

This helps you make decisions to improve your content.

For example, if you notice certain pages have fewer conversions than expected, you might need to employ conversion rate optimization (CRO) techniques like removing unnecessary navigation and improving your site speed 

Google Analytics can also help you:

• Understand who your visitors are by analyzing demographics and interests
• Identify where your traffic is coming from. Whether it’s search engines, social media, or direct visits.
• Get real-time data on how many users are on your site right now and what they’re looking at
• Combine data with other Google services like Search Console for a more comprehensive view

Pricing: Google Analytics is a free tool.

Further reading: Google Analytics for Beginners: Getting Started with GA4

7. Keyword Overview

Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool helps you analyze keywords you’re thinking about targeting with your SEO-focused content. To determine whether they can get your business in front of your ideal customers.

To help you decide on keywords, the tool shows metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty (how challenging it is to rank highly for a given term), and search intent (the main purpose behind the query).

Considering these metrics together helps you choose keywords that are good opportunities. And determine how you might want to use them on your site.

Keyword Overview also:

• Boasts the largest keyword database on the market—containing information about roughly 25 billion keywords across 142 locations
• Offers insights about the top-ranking pages through the SERP Analysis feature
• Shows related keyword ideas and questions you can target with your content
• Offers access to historical data so you can quickly evaluate how the term’s popularity has fluctuated

Pricing: Try the tool with a free plan. To perform more searches, upgrade to a paid plan. Pricing starts at $129.95 per month.

8. AI Social Content Generator

AI Social Content Generator is a powerful tool that uses AI to generate social media posts for you in just a few clicks.

Simply choose from one of the available options (“Text to post,” “Business to Post,” etc.), input a text prompt or fill in the necessary details, and let the AI do the rest.

When your post is done, you can edit it, download it to add to your social accounts, and even save the post to use as a future template.

Here are some of AI Social Content Generator’s other features:

• Comes with a wide range of customizable templates to create new posts quickly and easily
• Provides insights about your competitors’ activities (like their content themes and hashtags they use). So you can replicate what’s working for them.
• Allows you to save your brand’s logo, colors, fonts, and other details to maintain consistency across all your posts

Pricing: A free trial is available. Pricing then starts at $35 per month.

9. Video Marketing Platform

Video Marketing Platform is an all-in-one tool for creating and editing video content for your business.

If you’re someone who finds most professional video-editing software too complex, this user-friendly tool is a great solution that simplifies video creation.

To get started, pick a video format from the available options and then record a video yourself or use royalty-free clips from the library. 

You can also add other elements like text overlays, animations, and background music. And finally, edit all these components together to create a polished, engaging video.

Here are some main features of this tool:

• Records high-quality videos directly from your browser—no need to install any software
• Comes with a built-in library of images, royalty-free music, templates, and clips to help you create engaging videos
• Lets you create eye-catching thumbnails
• Generates captions for your videos automatically
• Allows you to host live streams to engage with your audience in real-time on multiple platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Pricing: A free trial is available. After that, subscription pricing starts at $27 per month.

10. Grammarly

Grammarly is a useful tool for content marketers who want to ensure their written content is error-free and polished.

This writing assistant helps you catch and correct grammatical, spelling, and punctuation mistakes in your content.

But Grammarly is more than just a spell-checker. It also provides suggestions to improve your writing’s clarity, concision, and overall delivery.

Here are some of Grammarly’s key features:

• Integrates with various platforms, including Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and even your web browser (via Chrome extension). Allowing you to write confidently anywhere on the web.
• Offers a plagiarism detector that checks your content against what’s already published online. Ensuring your content is unique and original.
• Provides explanations for all the suggested corrections. Helping you learn and avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.
• Offers a built-in synonym finder to help you diversify your vocabulary and make it more readable
• Comes with AI writing capabilities that can speed up your writing process

Pricing: A free plan is available. Paid plans offer more features at a starting price of $12 per month.

11. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor helps you improve your content’s readability. To ensure it’s clear and engaging. 

When you paste your content into the editor, it identifies complex sentences, overuse of passive voice, too many adverbs, and other elements that can complicate your writing.

It then suggests ways to make your language simpler and tighten your prose. To make your message more direct and compelling.

The tool also provides a readability score. So you adjust your writing to your target audience’s level.

Here are some of Hemingway Editor’s key features:

• Works online (via browser) and offline (via desktop app) to provide flexibility in how and where you use it
• Integrates with Medium and WordPress to publish content directly from the editor
• Offers separate writing and editing modes. So you can focus on one task at a time.

Pricing: This app is free to use. Paid plans offer more features and start at $10 per month.

12. Canva

Canva helps you make stunning designs quickly and easily. And without the need for any graphic design skills.

You can use Canva to create images for blog posts, thumbnails for videos, social media graphics, and more.

Check out some of Canva’s other features:

• Comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface
• Offers a collection of free design elements, images, and templates to use in your designs
• Allows you to collaborate with your team members in real-time to get their feedback or approval
• Lets you save your brand’s logos, colors, and fonts to maintain consistency across all your designs
• Comes with AI capabilities to generate designs with text prompts

Pricing: Canva has a free plan with some limits. Paid plans start at $ 14.99 per month for one person.

13. Trello

Trello is a popular project management tool designed to facilitate team collaboration and improve productivity.

It helps you manage content marketing tasks, publishing calendars, and other workflows all in one place. 

You can create cards for each content piece, assign owners, add due dates, and track their statuses.

This structured approach ensures that content projects are completed in a timely manner. And nothing falls through the cracks.

Here are some of Trello’s features that are worth highlighting:

• Integrates with external apps and platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Semrush to enhance functionality
• Lets you create custom dashboards to get perspective on your projects
• Allows easy file attachment and commenting for seamless collaboration
• Helps you create triggers that automate actions without having to use any code

Pricing: Trello offers a free plan with certain limits. Paid plans offer more storage and functionality—and they start at $5 per month per user.

14. Google Docs

Google Docs helps you create briefs, articles, and other types of content. And edit them within the same document.

It’s one of the most popular tools for content marketing that teams use to work together seamlessly.

You can share access with your team members and invite them to share their feedback on your work. They can even apply edits in “Suggesting” mode so that all changes are visible.

Here are some helpful features Google Docs offers:

• Maintains a detailed version history of your document. So you can view and revert to previous versions if needed.
• Supports a variety of add-ons that can enhance functionality
• Shows your content’s structure (outline) on the left-hand side. Making it easier to navigate within the document.
• Offers a voice typing feature that uses speech recognition to write copy based on what you dictate. Saving time and effort.

Pricing: Google Docs is free, but most companies subscribe to a dedicated Google Workspace account to get more storage. Pricing starts at $6 per month per user.

15. Google Trends

Google Trends allows content marketers to analyze the popularity of search queries over time.

You can use it to get insights into the seasonal trends or other patterns surrounding topics related to your business.

This can be particularly useful for planning your content calendar around events or seasons when your audience is more engaged.

And Google Trends allows you to find emerging topics. So you can create content around them before they become mainstream.

This proactive approach can give you a competitive edge over your competitors.

Here are some other things to know about Google Trends:

• Provides intuitive visualizations, such as line graphs and maps. Making it easier to interpret trend data.
• Offers customizable **** ranges and filters for more granular analysis
• Lets you compare search trends across different regions or countries. Enabling you to tailor your content to specific locales.
• Helps you uncover popular related queries that users are searching for alongside your main topics. Giving you additional content ideas.
• Allows you to compare the relative popularity of two or more keywords to help you decide which one is worth going after

Pricing: Google Trends is free.

Further reading: Google Trends: What It Is & How to Use the Data for SEO

16. Hotjar

Hotjar is an optimization tool that’s great for tracking how visitors engage with your website content.

Its heatmaps (which show you exactly where users are clicking, scrolling, and spending time on your site) are particularly helpful in measuring content performance.

For example, looking at the heatmaps report to see whether users interact with your calls to action (CTAs) can give you ideas for how to improve your conversion rates.

You can then try different placements or formats based on what you learn.

Here are some of Hotjar’s other features:

• Allows you to create custom surveys to directly ask users for their feedback
• Helps you identify user flows (how users navigate through your website) and dropoff points (where they abandon or exit it)
• Allows you to observe real user behavior with the help of session recordings
• Enables conducting one-on-one interviews with users to gain deeper insights

Pricing: A limited free plan is available. Paid plans start at $32 per month and offer more features.

17. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that lets you create, send, and analyze campaigns. Including ones focused on promoting your content.

So use it to share your latest blog posts, videos, infographics, or any other type of content with your newsletter subscribers and other contacts.

Image Source: Coupler.io

Here are some of Mailchimp’s main features:

• Comes with a drag-and-drop editor and templates for creating emails quickly and easily
• Provides valuable insights about your emails, such as open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber engagement. Which can help you optimize your campaigns for better results.
• Allows you to set up automated workflows and triggered emails based on subscriber behavior to nurture them more effectively
• Lets you organize your subscribers into segments. So you can send targeted emails that are likely to have higher engagement and conversion rates.

Pricing: There’s a free plan that allows you to manage up to 500 contacts. Paid plans that allow for more contacts and features start at $13 per month.

18. Venngage

Venngage is a popular tool for creating visual content such as infographics, reports, presentations, and other types of visuals. 

This matters because visual content can be more effective than written content at communicating certain types of information. And people like to share it on social media.

To use Venngage, choose from one of the available templates, edit the existing content, and apply any finishing touches. 

Here’s an example of a social media infographic made with Venngage. 

Once you’ve created a design you’re happy with, download and share it on social media. Or, use it within your blog articles.

Here are some of Venngage’s main features:

• Comes with a drag-and-drop editor that simplifies creating designs for your business
• Has a library of templates, stock photos, icons, and illustrations to use in your designs
• Includes real-time collaboration tools so you can edit designs with your team

Pricing: There’s a limited free version. Paid plans start at $10 per month per user 

19. Wordable

Wordable is designed to help you automatically export your written content from Google Docs to your content management systems (CMSs) like WordPress. 

During the automatic transfer, the tool preserves all the original formatting like headings, bold, italics, links, etc. So you don’t have to look out for formatting errors.

This means you can focus more on creating quality content and less on the technicalities of publishing. 

Wordable offers several other useful features:

• Works with other content management systems (CMSs) and platforms besides WordPress. Like HubSpot’s CMS (another website builder) and Medium (a content publishing platform). 
• Has a built-in image compression tool to reduce file sizes. So your articles can load quickly.
• Includes a bulk export option to transfer multiple Google Docs to your CMS at once

Pricing: Wordable has three plans. Pricing starts at $29 per year.

20. SquadCast

SquadCast is an audio and video recording tool that helps you create podcasts for your business.

You can record professional-grade podcasts with guests or co-hosts from anywhere in the world. 

The tool ensures stellar audio quality by recording each participant’s audio locally and then syncing the tracks together. 

Here are some of SquadCast’s main features:

• Uses a simple browser-based interface
• Includes a built-in scheduler for planning and coordinating recordings
• Integrates with an editing tool to polish recordings before publishing
• Saves all audio and video content automatically

Pricing: A free version is available, but there are limitations. Paid plans start at $12 per month per user.

Step Up Your Content Marketing Efforts

There you have it. These are the 20 tools that can improve how you do content marketing.

Try them and see the impact they create for your business.

Semrush offers a suite of content marketing tools for everything from content ideation to optimization.

Sign up today.