- SEO
- Backlinks
SEObserver: monitor your competitors’ SERPs and backlinks
Good tool
SEObserver is an online SEO tool that regularly records, at a pace that varies by query, the top 100 Google results for several million French-language keywords and keeps all of it on file. You can follow who is rising and who is dropping on a query, go back in time to see a results page as it looked months ago, then open the links of the sites that are climbing to understand how they did it. Built by a consultant for consultants, it holds a special place in the toolbox of French SEOs who do competitive monitoring and link building.
What is SEObserver?
Rather than charging for every tracked keyword, SEObserver opens up access to a database that is already built: several million queries, drawn from Google Ads’ French-language database, whose top 100 is recorded and archived. Subscribers add their own keywords, within the limits of their plan, and can request a fresh check when a SERP has just moved. Its flagship feature, the SERP Machine, shows how a results page has changed over a week, a month or several years, and compares two dates to see which URLs gained or lost positions.
The second pillar is links. Data from Majestic, one of the major backlink indexes, is included in the subscription: there’s no need to pay for a second tool to look at it. SEObserver sorts it, identifies the CMS and type of each link, and lines it up against rankings to check whether a new link moved a site, and how long it took. Alerts flag a new backlink, a changed title or a shift in the number of indexed pages on the sites you monitor. The app also includes a niche-finding tool, a keyword competition checker, experimental modules, an API and two Chrome extensions, one to find a link on a page, the other to display a site’s metrics.
The tool opened to the public in November 2014, launched by Kévin Richard, a French SEO consultant. At the time it was published by Cultivaref, a limited company based in Voglans, in the Savoie region of France. Today it is published by Subscribe Yazılım, a company based in Istanbul, still led by its creator. The service is reserved for professionals, and its marketing site, available only in French, has barely changed since launch.
SEObserver at a glance
- Type
- Online SEO software (SaaS)
- Launched
- November 2014
- Creator
- Kévin Richard, SEO consultant
- Origin
- France (Savoie)
- Current publisher
- Subscribe Yazılım, Istanbul (Turkey)
- Link data
- Majestic, included in the subscription
- Market covered
- French-language web
- Free plan
- No, 7-day trial by invitation
- Starting price
- €99/month, €82.50 billed annually (euros only)
What is SEObserver used for?
-
Go back in time in the SERPs
Google’s top 100 archived for several million keywords, with a two-date comparison to see who gained or lost positions.
-
Spot the sites on the rise
competitors gaining ground on your queries are flagged and tracked, so you can break down their strategy before they pass you.
-
Dig into a site’s backlinks
Majestic data sorted by date, CMS and link type, with links shared by several competitors and exports.
-
Get alerted to any change
a new link, a rewritten title or a shift in indexed pages on the sites you monitor.
-
Track your own keywords
queries missing from the database can be added to tracking, within your plan’s limits, with on-demand checks.
-
Choose your queries
Google Ads’ French-language database filtered by volume, cost per click and interest, plus a tool to uncover niches.
SEObserver review
Good tool
SEObserver doesn’t try to do everything, and that is what makes it valuable to a certain audience. Its turf is monitoring: watching a SERP move, identifying the site that just jumped ahead, then opening its links to understand what it did. Having years of history across millions of queries, without paying per keyword, is still rare, and getting Majestic data in the same subscription saves you from juggling two tools. For a consultant doing link building in competitive markets, that combination genuinely saves time.
The numbers come with instructions. The links are Majestic’s, with its strengths and blind spots: a site that blocks its crawler won’t show up, and the company itself points out that “all backlinks” doesn’t mean every link that exists. Search volumes come from Google Ads and remain orders of magnitude. Rankings, on the other hand, are real checks, which is what makes the history valuable.
The tool is clearly aimed at insiders. The interface is dense, offers little guidance and feels dated, and the marketing site, frozen since 2014, says almost nothing about the modules added since then. No free plan, a trial handed out sparingly, non-refundable purchases and an entry tier at €99 a month: that’s a lot for a small site or a beginner, who will only use a fraction of it. Its scope ends there: no technical audit, no tracking outside the French-language web, no writing assistance. It’s a specialist’s instrument, not a full suite.
Strengths
- SERP history across millions of keywords, without paying per keyword.
- Majestic link data included in the subscription.
- New links cross-referenced with ranking changes, ideal for link building research.
- Alerts on changes to competitors’ sites.
- A tool designed by a practitioner, focused on the French-language web.
Weaknesses
- No free plan and only a 7-day trial by invitation.
- A dense, dated interface that is hard to learn.
- Links limited to what Majestic sees.
- No technical audit and no international coverage.
- A frozen marketing site, and purchases with no right of withdrawal.
Is SEObserver worth it?
Yes, if you are an SEO consultant or agency, you work on competitive French-language queries and link building plays a big part in your approach. Knowing who is moving in a SERP, since when and thanks to which links is exactly what it does best, and the Freelance plan is enough for a handful of clients.
Not necessarily, if you are just starting out, manage a single small site or target markets other than the French-language web. A suite such as Semrush, Ahrefs or SE Ranking covers more countries and adds a technical audit; Majestic on its own is enough to explore links; Haloscan is stronger for keyword research in France, and Monitorank for simple rank tracking. To see your own queries and your real clicks, Google Search Console remains free.
How much does SEObserver cost?
SEObserver is sold by subscription, in euros, with no free plan. The first three plans give access to the same keyword and history database; they differ in the number of personal keywords, sites whose links you can analyze in detail, monitored sites and simultaneous logins. Paying yearly gives you two months free.
| Plan | Per month | Per month, billed yearly | Included | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance | €99 | €82.50 | 150 personal keywords, backlinks for 100 sites, 20 monitored sites, 1 login | Independent consultants |
| Studio | €199 | €165.83 | 500 personal keywords, backlinks for 300 sites, 50 monitored sites, 2 simultaneous logins | Small agencies |
| Agency | €499 | €415.83 | 2,000 personal keywords, backlinks for 1,000 sites, 500 monitored sites, 10 simultaneous logins | SEO agencies and teams |
| Unlimited | Custom pricing | Unlimited keywords, analyzed sites, monitored sites and logins | Large organizations, on quote | |
Source: official SEObserver pricing, checked on October 31, 2026. The publisher only lists prices in euros.
- Paid yearly, the bill comes to €990, €1,990 or €4,990 depending on the plan; the page doesn’t say whether prices exclude tax.
- The Unlimited plan is advertised “from €999 per month”, on request.
- There is no open trial: the company sends out invitations from time to time to test the tool for 7 days.
- The service is reserved for professionals, and the terms exclude any right of withdrawal.
FAQ
Answers to questions about SEObserver
Is SEObserver free?
No. There’s no free plan: SEObserver only grants a 7-day trial, by invitation. Subscriptions start at €99 a month, or €990 a year, billed in euros.
Where do SEObserver’s backlinks come from?
From Majestic, whose data is included in the subscription. SEObserver sorts it and cross-references it with its ranking checks, but a link Majestic hasn’t seen won’t appear.
Does SEObserver work for countries other than France?
Its keyword database covers the French-language web. To track other markets, an international tool such as Semrush, Ahrefs or SE Ranking is a better choice.
Who is behind SEObserver?
French SEO consultant Kévin Richard, who launched it in 2014. The tool is now published by Subscribe Yazılım, a company based in Istanbul.
Information checked on October 31, 2026