Before I dive in, let’s level-set. The best content marketing tools are the ones that give you the greatest ROI. That means that despite the hundreds of lists out there (yep, like this one), it always needs to come back to your specific content marketing goals and content production workflow.

That said, I know how annoying it can be to find the right software for your small business, especially if you’re getting started or just don’t have a big budget to spend. For that reason, I thought it would be helpful to show you the tools that I actually use as a content marketer with a pretty small software budget.

I’m currently working on growing my business, so this list may change slightly, but overall, these options are solid, scalable, and mostly free!

9 content marketing tools for small business owners

1. ahrefs Starter Subscription

SEO is such a huge part of content marketing, and without some type of SEO tool, you’re going to have a lot of blind spots. The problem is that SEO software can be really expensive.

When I was a full-time employee, we used Semrush (which I also love and recommend). But the lowest-tier plan is about $140/month, and that’s not including all of the add-ons that you inevitably have to end up purchasing once you’re on the platform–things like users, keywords, projects, and more.

Instead, if you’re starting really lean, I recommend the ahrefs Starter Plan. It’s only $29 per month, and you do have limitations, but it’s perfect for keyword research and keeping an eye on your site's health.

2. Clickup

I still love a spreadsheet for a lot of content planning (more on that below), but to grow and scale, it’s important to have a solid project management system for your content marketing.

I use Clickup for both my business operations and as one of the best content marketing tools to keep me organized.

To organize mine, I have a Marketing list with several different Views:

Marketing Goals and Tracking (Doc): This is where I can always refer to my current goals for each quarter, as well as where I pull in my metrics at the end of each month to monitor my progress.
Channels (List): This helps me keep an eye on what’s coming up for each channel (blog, social media, lead gen, etc.)
Calendar: Pretty straightforward–this is essentially the same thing as my Channels list, but in calendar view.
Planning (Table): This is where I actually plan and document all of my content for the quarter, including the copy, creative, and status.
Repository (Doc): This is just a helpful little doc where I store future ideas for the next quarter.

Right now, I’m managing all of my content marketing, but in the future, I can easily add other users to my Clickup and build out a workflow so anyone can help manage my content marketing efforts.

Currently I’m on the Clickup Unlimited plan, which I only paid $84 for the whole year. It works great for me as a one-person business owner, but it could also work if you have a small team as well.

3. Google Suite

There might be a million different tools available for content marketing these days, but I think we can all agree that the Google Suite is one of the most crucial.

Even though project management software like Clickup gives the option to create and save docs, it’s still the easiest to start with a Google Doc or a Sheet when you’re writing and building from scratch.

I use Google Docs for all of my blog posts, website copy, brainstorming, and outlines. Sheets are also the best for storing keyword research and other data that needs more advanced filtering.

Shout out to Google for being free!

4. Google Analytics

There’s a theme here–I don’t think many content marketers can function without Google, but I would be curious if you’re out there.

Google Analytics is the best product for keeping an eye on your website analytics, and that means it’s where you can track your site content. Even though GA4 changed a lot (and I’m still catching up, even though I’ve researched and written about it in the past), it’s so powerful once you get the hang of it.

At a basic level, it shows you pageviews and where people are coming from to find your site. You can also set up super specific conversion tracking to see what actions people take after they’re on your site (joining your email list, making a purchase, booking, etc.)

Overall, you can track the full funnel of your content efforts and see what’s performing the best. Like G Suite, GA is free! There is a paid version called Google Analytics 360, but it’s more robust for enterprise-level companies.

5. Google Search Console

Google search console content marketing tool

Another amazing free option from Google–anyone who has a website should have their Search Console account set up.

While Google Analytics helps you understand how your entire website is performing, along with how all of your content marketing channels drive traffic, Search Console is just for SEO.

I use it to keep an eye on the keywords I’m ranking for so I know what content is performing well.

6. Squarespace

I know, I know–when you think Squarespace, great website design comes to mind more than the best content marketing tools. But it is technically a content management system (CMS) as well, and I think it’s a great option for small business owners.

Not only is it easy to use for landing pages and blog posts, but you can also host your digital products, lead magnets, and even courses.

I only paid $192 for a full year with the basic capabilities, and it’s really all you need to get your content up and running.

7. Grammarly and the Hemingway App

These are two different tools but I’m bundling them together because I usually use them back-to-back or one instead of the other.

We all know and love Grammarly, and I definitely recommend getting the free Chrome extension so you can automatically check all your work (especially if you’re using Google Docs).

The Hemingway App is a little less known, but it’s a godsend for writers. It’s also free, though, like Grammarly, there’s a paid version that gives you a little more information about your writing.

All you have to do is plug in your work, and it’ll tell you how easy or hard your content is to read. This is super helpful if you don’t have an editor and you want to make sure you’re writing for a specific audience.

8. ChatGPT

As a content marketer, here’s my stance on AI from a work standpoint: I don’t recommend letting it write all of your content for you, but it can give you an excellent starting point or wrap things up when you feel like you’re stuck.

I use ChatGPT to:

Help flesh out my outlines
Make sure my tone is consistent
Get a paragraph or section started when I have writer’s block
Come up with new topics and ideas

It’s so helpful to have all of that in your toolkit, especially since the free version does all of that well.

But great content uses a unique POV and adds fresh information. If you lean too heavily on ChatGPT or other AI tools, you risk regurgitating the same old information everyone has already said–even if you make sure it matches your tone.

9. Canva

Last but not least, your written content always needs a design component, and that’s where Canva comes in. I’m not a designer at all, so I’m eternally grateful that Canva was invented.

For just $15/month, I can use it to create social media content for my blog posts, add fun assets to my website, and much more!

Bonus mentions

The nine tools above are what I consider the best content marketing tools–they’re what I’ve used to build my entire content marketing workflow.

But, there are a couple more options that I’d like to mention. I’m not currently using all of these, but I consider them valuable tools as well.

Buffer: This is what I use to schedule all of my social content–I feel like it’s super easy to use, and it’s only $30/month.
Yoast SEO: I have Squarespace, so I can’t use this tool anymore (it’s a WordPress plugin), but I’ve used it a ton in the past, and it’s super helpful for making sure your content is optimized.
Flodesk: I don’t currently use this, but it’s a great small business option for email marketing.
SparkToro: This tool is on my wishlist to conduct more in-depth audience research.

I’ve built my own content program from the ground up–now let me scale yours! I offer monthly content management to create your calendar, track your production, report on progress, and continually optimize. Contact me today to learn more!

The 9 best content marketing tools I use for my business (without breaking the bank)