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Should I use Searchenginejournal?

Skip to content - searchenginejournal.com

Depends. Search Engine Journal is a free SEO and AI-search news publication, not software — there is nothing to buy or deploy. Read it to stay current; you still need real tools like Google Search Console for your site's data.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources. SEJ is a publication, not software, so typical product evidence (tiers, ratings) barely applies.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found.
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Content access

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • SEO pros tracking Google and AI search changes
  • Content and marketing teams learning SEO
  • Agencies hunting case studies
  • Podcast-first learners

Not for

  • Anyone shopping for SEO software — it's a magazine, not a tool
  • Teams wanting actionable site data — use Search Console
  • Buyers needing vendor support or SLAs — it's editorial
  • Anyone expecting rankings to improve just from reading it

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Free to read — the real trap is treating opinion pieces as strategy for your specific site.

low

No support, SLA, or data guarantees — it's a publication, not a vendor.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Long-running SEO/AI search news outlet with guides and case studies
  • Free SEJ Show podcast and webinars for ongoing learning
  • Large reach: 284k+ LinkedIn followers signals industry presence
  • Founder did public Reddit AMA, showing community engagement

Cons

  • Editorial only — won't audit, monitor, or fix your site
  • Criticized on Reddit; thread titled 'Search Engine Journal sucks'
  • Small estimated revenue (~$434K) suggests a lean newsroom
  • Quora users question its advice versus Google Search Console data

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/29/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x3security x1news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free journalism; no subscription found.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Guess: standard news site, easy browsing.
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Guides, podcast, webinars — no actual SEO tooling.
  • Support quality. No support evidence found.
  • Security posture: 4/5. 95/100 CheckWeb scan; no breaches reported.
  • $0 Price to read Free news, guides, podcast
  • 284,125 LinkedIn followers Company page reach
  • $434.4K Est. revenue Crunchbase estimate, this year
  • 95/100 Security scan CheckWeb site score

Pricing

Content access

Free

  • News, guides, case studies
  • SEJ Show podcast and webinars

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Redditors and Quora users recognize SEJ as a go-to SEO news source, with mixed opinions on how useful its advice actually is.

“Search Engine Journal sucks”
Reddit, r/SEO
“Searchengine Journal is not overly happy with Google”
Reddit, r/SEO
“What is your review of Search Engine Journal SEO? Is it better than Google Search Console”
Quora

Alternatives

Compare Searchenginejournal with each alternative.

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources. SEJ is a publication, not software, so typical product evidence (tiers, ratings) barely applies.

Free SEO/AI-search news magazine, not software. Great to read; can't optimize your site. Pair with Search Console.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources. SEJ is a publication, not software, so typical product evidence (tiers, ratings) barely applies.

Sources

  1. Search Engine Journal homepagesearchenginejournal.com
    official
  2. Search Engine Journal Show — Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
    official
  3. About Search Engine Journalsearchenginejournal.com
    official
  4. Crunchbase company profilecrunchbase.com
    news
  5. Growjo revenue estimategrowjo.com
    news
  6. LinkedIn company pagelinkedin.com
    news
  7. CheckWeb security reportchkweb.com
    security
  8. Quora user review threadquora.com
    review
  9. Reddit, r/SEO criticism threadreddit.com
    review
  10. Founder Reddit AMAreddit.com
    review

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