How we rank

Most comparison sites ask you to trust a verdict. We would rather show our work. This page is the full method behind every ranking on SEOShortlist: the inputs, the sources, the update cadence, and the lines we will not cross. If a recommendation here cannot be traced back to data on this page, treat it as an opinion and tell us, because that is a bug in how we work.

What goes into a ranking

We rank on measurable inputs, in this order of weight. We do not publish fake-precise percentages, because the moment a promo or a new lab round lands, a “73.5% score” is a lie. The order is the honest part; the exact gap between two close options is a judgement we explain in the review itself.

• Independent test data. Where a neutral lab measures the thing that matters, that data leads. For SEO tools that means Google Search Central documentationand their published results, never the vendor's own marketing numbers.
• The real price, including renewal. We record the price you actually pay, not the first-year teaser. Where the renewal price differs, we show both. The longitudinal series lives in the Price Index, our own monthly benchmark.
• What it actually does. Breadth and quality of features against what people in this niche genuinely need, not a checklist padded with things nobody uses.
• Whether free is enough. If a free tier or a built-in option covers most people, we say so plainly, even when that earns us nothing.

The principles we hold to

These are not slogans. Each one is a constraint we have wired into how the rankings are produced.

• Priced by what you need. A $29 tool beats a $139 suite you use ten percent of. We match tools to site size, not to feature lists.
• The free baseline included. Google Search Console does more than most beginners think. It is in our lineup, unpaid, and we tell you when it is enough.
• AI search covered. Ranking in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews is the new game. We track which tools actually measure it.
• No sponsored rankings. Affiliate links fund the site, but they never decide the order. Free tools that pay us nothing rank where they deserve.

How fresh the data is

Stale data is the fastest way to lose a technical reader, so freshness is automated rather than promised. Prices are re-measured and the Price Index is recomputed on every build, and we snapshot the market every month so the trend over time accumulates. That monthly history is the part almost nobody else publishes, and it is the reason this site is meant to be cited rather than to ask for links. Each data page carries a visible last updated date and a machine-readable feed so you can verify it yourself.

What we deliberately do not do

• We do not sell ranking positions, and no provider can pay to move up the list.
• We do not rank on feelings, brand loyalty, or which logo looks nicest. If we cannot point at data, it does not move the order.
• We do not hide the renewal price, the catch, or the cheaper alternative to sell a commission.
• We do not invent ratings. A star score only appears where there is real evidence behind it.

How the site is funded, and why it does not bend the ranking

SEOShortlist is free to use and funded by affiliate links: if you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The ranking is produced from the inputs above before any commission is considered, which is why some of our top picks pay us nothing at all. Read the full terms in our disclaimer, and who is behind the site on our about page.

Hold us to it

The whole point of publishing a method is that you can check it against the result. If a ranking on this site does not match the data, or a price is out of date, that is a defect we want to fix. The underlying numbers are deliberately exposed: the Price Index ships with a free, machine-readable feed under CC BY 4.0, so both people and AI engines can verify and reuse the data with attribution.