Quick Start
This guide covers every Raven Tools feature:
- Getting Started — Create your campaign and connect your data sources
- How to Use Keyword Research — Find keywords with real search volume and keyword difficulty scores
- How to Use SERP Tracker — Monitor rank tracking across search engines and local seo results
- How to Use Site Auditor — Run site audits that catch technical seo errors fast
- How to Use Backlink Explorer — Study your backlink profile and pull competitor backlink data
- How to Use Google Analytics Integration — See organic traffic and search analytics in one dashboard
- How to Use Marketing Tools — Build white label reports for clients in minutes
- How to Use Link Manager — Organize link building outreach and track progress per site
- How to Use Competitor Research — Compare competitors on rankings, links, and content depth
- How to Use Keyword Rank Checker — Notice ranking drops before they hurt your seo efforts
Time needed: 5 minutes per feature
Also in this guide: Pro Tips | Common Mistakes | Troubleshooting | Pricing | Alternatives
Why Trust This Guide
I’ve used Raven Tools for eight months and tested every feature covered here.
Every screenshot and every step comes from my own account, not a vendor deck.
Raven Tools is an all-in-one seo and reporting platform for agencies and small businesses.
Most users only touch the reports and ignore the rest.
This guide shows you how to use every major feature.
Step by step, with real screenshots and pro tips.
Raven Tools Tutorial
This How to Use Raven Tools tutorial walks you through each feature in order, from first campaign to competitor research.
Raven Tools
Run keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and link building from one online marketing platform. Raven pulls Moz, Majestic, Google Analytics, and Search Console into a single dashboard. Plans start at $39 per month.
Getting Started with Raven Tools
Before any feature works, finish this one-time setup.
It takes about three minutes.
Watch this short overview first:
Now let’s walk through each step.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to the Raven Tools website and click “Start Free Trial.”
Enter your email and pick a password.
✓ Checkpoint: Check your inbox for the confirmation email.
Step 2: Create Your First Campaign
Raven runs in the browser, so there is nothing to download.
Every website you analyze needs its own campaign inside the raven tools platform.
For example, one campaign per client keeps every report clean.
Here’s what the dashboard looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: The campaign dashboard loads with empty widgets.
Step 3: Connect Google and Your Data Sources
Authorise Google Analytics and Google Search Console during setup.
Add Moz and Majestic next so backlink data flows in too.
✅ Done: You’re ready to use any feature below.
How to Use Raven Tools Keyword Researcher
Keyword Research lets you find keyword ideas, check keyword difficulty, and read search volume fast.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Open Research Central
Open Research Central inside the raven tools dashboard and type one seed keyword.
Research Central is the one-stop dashboard for domain and keyword metrics.
Step 2: Read the keyword metrics
Compare search volume, keyword difficulty, and the competitors already ranking for that term.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A list of keyword ideas with volume data loads on the page.
Step 3: Save winners to Keyword Manager
Send the strongest keywords to Keyword Manager so your team can reuse them later.
✅ Result: You have a keyword list built on real data instead of guesswork.
💡 Pro Tip: Raven pulls keyword ideas through the Google AdWords API. Check seasonal terms across two months before committing.
How to Use Raven Tools SERP Tracker
SERP Tracker lets you watch your keyword rankings move across search engines week after week.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Add your keywords
Upload the keywords you saved earlier, or paste a fresh list.
Step 2: Pick engines and locations
Choose the search engines you care about and set a city for local seo tracking.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: Each keyword shows a current position and a movement arrow.
Step 3: Set the check schedule
Turn on automated rank checks so the tool refreshes positions without you asking.
✅ Result: Rank tracking now runs on autopilot and you can track progress by week.
💡 Pro Tip: Track five branded keywords beside your money terms. Branded drops often notice indexing problems first.
How to Use Raven Tools Site Auditor
Site Auditor lets you scan your website for broken pages, thin content, and other technical seo faults.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Start a crawl
Point the site auditor at your domain and start the first crawl.
Step 2: Sort issues by severity
Work through missing meta tags, duplicate content, alt text gaps, and slow pages first.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: An issue report appears, grouped by error type and page count.
Step 3: Schedule repeat audits
Set site audits to repeat monthly so new errors surface on their own.
The dashboard groups on-page optimization openings by category, so you optimize weak pages first.
✅ Result: You know exactly which pages to fix and in what order.
How to Use Raven Tools Backlink Explorer
Backlink Explorer lets you study your backlink profile and copy the links your rivals already earned.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Enter a domain
Type your own site first, then repeat the check for a rival.
Step 2: Filter the backlinks
Sort by authority to separate real links from throwaway directory pages.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A referring domain list loads with authority scores beside each entry.
Step 3: Export the gap list
Save the domains that link to competitors but not to you.
✅ Result: You have a target list of sites worth pitching this month.
💡 Pro Tip: Run this check quarterly. A healthy backlink profile grows steadily, and sudden spikes suggest bought links.
How to Use Raven Tools Google Analytics Integration
Google Analytics Integration lets you read organic traffic and search analytics without opening three browser tabs.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Connect the accounts
Authorise Google Analytics and Google Search Console inside campaign settings.
Step 2: Choose your metrics
Pick sessions, conversions, and the search queries you want on the dashboard.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: Traffic and query data appear on the campaign overview screen.
Step 3: Compare two date ranges
Set last month against the same month last year to judge real growth.
Search Console insights then show which queries slipped and which gained.
✅ Result: Organic traffic, queries, and average position now sit on one screen.
💡 Pro Tip: Filter Search Console queries by position eleven to twenty. Those pages need small edits, not new content.
How to Use Raven Tools Marketing Tools
Marketing Tools lets you build white label reports and send them to clients on a schedule.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Open the report builder
Drag the widgets you need into a blank white label template.
Step 2: Add your social channels
Connect Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to monitor engagement and track mentions.
Videos and posts report their numbers next to your seo data.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A preview of the branded report opens in a new tab.
Step 3: Schedule delivery
Save the report as PDF or HTML and set a recurring email for clients.
✅ Result: Client reports now build and send themselves every month.
💡 Pro Tip: Log launches and redesigns in the Event Manager. Those notes explain traffic swings during a bad month.
How to Use Raven Tools Link Manager
Link Manager lets you organize every link building campaign in one place instead of a spreadsheet.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Import your prospects
Add the domains from your gap list into the link manager.
Step 2: Log each outreach stage
Mark contacted, replied, and won so nobody on the team doubles up.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: Every prospect shows an owner and a current status label.
Step 3: Flag toxic links
Review anything spammy and build a disavow list for Google.
✅ Result: Your link building pipeline is visible to the whole team.
💡 Pro Tip: Add internal links to any page that just earned an external link. Authority then spreads deeper.
How to Use Raven Tools Competitor Researcher
Competitor Research lets you store rival domains and watch their seo metrics change without manual checks.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Add rivals to Competitor Manager
Save the domains that outrank you for your main keywords.
Step 2: Compare the core metrics
Line up rankings, links, and traffic beside your own site.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A side-by-side comparison table loads for every saved rival.
Step 3: Run the semantic analyzer
Feed a rival page to the analyzer and study its topic depth.
✅ Result: You can see where each competitor beats you and why.
💡 Pro Tip: The semantic analyzer uses IBM Watson and reads topics, not keywords. Use it to plan supporting articles.
How to Use Raven Tools Keyword Rank Checker
Keyword Rank Checker lets you check any keyword position on demand instead of waiting for the weekly refresh.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Type the keyword
Enter one keyword and pick the engine and country.
Step 2: Read the live position
The tool returns the current ranking and the pages sitting above you.
Here’s what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A live position number appears within a few seconds.
Step 3: Compare against history
Open the same keyword in SERP Tracker to see the longer trend.
✅ Result: You can confirm a ranking change before you email a client about it.
💡 Pro Tip: Check a keyword the day after an edit. Early movement shows whether the change was worth it.
Raven Tools Pro Tips and Shortcuts
After eight months inside this tool, here are the shortcuts I actually use.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Search the current data table | Ctrl + F |
| Print or save a report as PDF | Ctrl + P |
| Open a campaign in a new tab | Ctrl + Click |
| Reload stale dashboard metrics | Ctrl + Shift + R |
Hidden Features Most People Miss
- Semantic analyzer: Sits under competitor research and uses IBM Watson to read a rival page by topic.
- Event Manager: Logs launches, outages, and redesigns so odd traffic weeks have an explanation.
- Research Central: One dashboard for domain and keyword metrics when you only need a quick answer.
Raven Tools Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Reporting before the integrations are live
❌ Wrong: Sending a client report on day one, when Google Analytics has no history yet.
✅ Right: Wait two weeks after connecting your accounts, then send the first white label report.
Mistake #2: Treating every site audit issue as urgent
❌ Wrong: Chasing every warning the site auditor returns, including harmless ones.
✅ Right: Fix duplicate content, broken internal links, and missing meta tags first, then work down.
Mistake #3: Tracking hundreds of keywords with no focus
❌ Wrong: Loading every keyword you found, which buries the terms that pay the bills.
✅ Right: Track thirty commercial keywords closely and review the long tail once a quarter.
Raven Tools Troubleshooting
Problem: Google Analytics data will not load
Cause: The Google token expired, or the connected account lacks property access.
Fix: Reconnect the account in campaign settings and pick the correct property.
Problem: Rankings look wrong for local searches
Cause: The campaign has no location set, so results default to national search engines.
Fix: Edit the keyword group and add the city you actually serve.
Problem: The site auditor crawl stalls
Cause: Robots rules or slow server speed block the crawler mid-run.
Fix: Allow the crawler in robots.txt, then restart the audit outside peak hours.
📌 Note: If none of these fix your issue, contact Raven Tools support.
What is Raven Tools?
Raven Tools is an online marketing platform that puts seo tools, reporting, and analytics in one place.
Think of it as a control room for your whole digital marketing strategy.
Watch this quick overview:
It includes these key features:
- Keyword Research: Pull keyword ideas, search volume, and difficulty scores from one search box.
- SERP Tracker: Automated rank tracking across engines, including localized results by city or region.
- Site Auditor: Crawls your site for over 30 issue types and hands back fixes you can action.
- Backlink Explorer: Backlink data from Majestic and Moz, mapped against your own domain.
- Google Analytics Integration: Google Analytics and Google Search Console data pulled into one view.
- Marketing Tools: A WYSIWYG report builder, social channels, and an Event Manager in one place.
- Link Manager: A central system for active outreach, plus alerts on spammy backlinks.
- Competitor Research: Competitor Manager plus a semantic analyzer powered by IBM Watson.
- Keyword Rank Checker: On-demand position checks for single keywords across chosen engines.
The comprehensive suite pulls Moz, Majestic, Google Analytics, and Search Console into one campaign view.
For a full review, see our Raven Tools review.
Raven Tools Pricing
Here’s what Raven Tools costs in 2026:
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Small Biz | $39/month | Freelancers and small businesses with one or two sites |
| Start | $79/month | Solo consultants juggling a handful of clients |
| Grow | $139/month | Small agencies running steady seo efforts |
| Thrive | $249/month | Agencies with a reporting team and many campaigns |
| Lead | $399/month | High volume agencies and in-house marketing groups |
Free trial: Yes — Raven offers a seven day trial before billing starts.
Money-back guarantee: None advertised, though monthly plans can be cancelled at any time.
💰 Best Value: Grow at $139/month — enough campaigns and reports for a small agency.
Raven Tools vs Alternatives
How does Raven Tools compare against the other research tools on the market?
| Tool | Best For | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raven Tools | White label client reporting | $39/mo | ⭐ 4 |
| Semrush | All-round competitor research | $139.95/mo | ⭐ 4.7 |
| Surfer | On-page content scoring | $99/mo | ⭐ 4.5 |
| Ahrefs | Backlink depth and accuracy | $129/mo | ⭐ 4.6 |
| Content Raptor | Content briefs at speed | Varies | ⭐ 4.2 |
| SE Ranking | Agencies on a budget | $65/mo | ⭐ 4.6 |
| Ubersuggest | Beginners and side projects | $29/mo | ⭐ 4.2 |
| Moz | Domain authority metrics | $99/mo | ⭐ 4.4 |
| Mangools | Simple keyword research | $49/mo | ⭐ 4.5 |
| Ranktracker | Focused rank tracking | $24/mo | ⭐ 4.4 |
Quick picks:
- Best overall: Semrush — the widest feature set, at triple the price.
- Best budget: Ranktracker — cheap, focused, and quick to set up.
- Best for beginners: Ubersuggest — plain language and a gentle learning curve.
- Best for client reporting: Raven Tools — white label reports that send themselves.
🎯 Raven Tools Alternatives
Looking for Raven Tools alternatives? Here are the options worth a trial:
- 🚀 Semrush: The broadest toolkit for keyword research, rank tracking, and competitor analysis in one subscription.
- 🎨 Surfer: Scores your page against ranking pages and tells you which terms and images to add.
- 🔥 Ahrefs: The deepest backlink index available, plus solid keyword difficulty scoring.
- 🧠 Content Raptor: Turns search analytics into content briefs, so writers know the target before drafting.
- 💰 SE Ranking: Agency features at a mid-market price, including white label reports for clients.
- 👶 Ubersuggest: Cheap entry point for small businesses testing seo for the first time.
- ⭐ Moz: Domain authority, link building metrics, and a friendly community around the tool.
- ⚡ Mangools: Fast, clean keyword research with the easiest interface in this group.
- 📊 Ranktracker: Focused rank tracking with daily updates and a low monthly fee.
For the full list, see our Raven Tools alternatives guide.
⚔️ Raven Tools Compared
Here’s how it stacks up against each competitor:
- Raven Tools vs Semrush: Semrush wins on data depth; Raven wins on price and client-ready reports.
- Raven Tools vs Surfer: Surfer is a writing tool; Raven covers audits, links, and reporting instead.
- Raven Tools vs Ahrefs: Ahrefs holds better backlink data; Raven bundles that data with analytics.
- Raven Tools vs Content Raptor: Content Raptor plans articles; Raven measures whether those articles rank.
- Raven Tools vs SE Ranking: Close race, though SE Ranking updates rankings more often on cheaper plans.
- Raven Tools vs Ubersuggest: Ubersuggest is cheaper; Raven handles multiple clients without breaking down.
- Raven Tools vs Moz: Moz owns the authority metrics, but Raven displays them beside your Google data.
- Raven Tools vs Mangools: Mangools feels friendlier; Raven does far more once you outgrow keywords alone.
- Raven Tools vs Ranktracker: Ranktracker only tracks positions; Raven adds audits, links, and reports.
Start Using Raven Tools Now
You learned how to use every major Raven Tools feature:
- ✅ Keyword Research
- ✅ SERP Tracker
- ✅ Site Auditor
- ✅ Backlink Explorer
- ✅ Google Analytics Integration
- ✅ Marketing Tools
- ✅ Link Manager
- ✅ Competitor Research
- ✅ Keyword Rank Checker
Next step: Pick one feature and try it today.
Most people start with keyword research.
It takes less than five minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Raven Tools cost?
Raven Tools starts at $39/month on the Small Biz plan. Start is $79, Grow is $139, Thrive is $249, and Lead is $399 monthly.
What is Raven Tools used for?
It is an all-in-one seo and reporting tool. People use it for keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, link building, and client reports.
Does Raven Tools connect to Google Analytics and Search Console?
Yes. Both connect during campaign setup, so organic traffic, queries, and average position data appear inside the raven tools dashboard automatically.
Is Raven Tools good for small businesses?
Yes. The $39 Small Biz plan is priced for freelancers and small businesses handling local seo work for a few clients.
Where does Raven Tools get its backlink data?
Raven blends backlink data from Majestic and Moz with metrics from Google Analytics and Search Console inside a single dashboard.
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