Not a bad 6 months for site #1 considering:
โ No linkbuilding
โ No new posts since February (only 31 in total)
๐ Just great KW research and a clear focus on one specific topic. No big budgets needed.
๐ Going to start doubling down on this site and get posting again!
โจ Golden rule of SEO...
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Some tasks can take huge resources (time & budget) and yield minor results.
90% of the time it's all about doing the basics very well and being consistent.
3) Keysearch
An all round KW Research tool with advanced filtering features to help you find those long tail keyword opportunities.
I discovered this tool recently (thanks @NicheDown@patientpublish) and it's a great low cost alternative with prices from $17 per month.
๐ธ Ahrefs and Semrush are great products, but they can get quite expensive.
๐ If you're using them mainly for keyword research, here's three cost effective keyword research tools that also offer something different โฌ๏ธ
1) AlsoAsked
AlsoAsked helps you find 'zero volume' keywords that real users are searching for. Great for finding those keywords your competitors won't.
2) LowFruits
LowFruits helps you find low competition keywords, no matter how competitive the niche.