focus on creating quality content that’s valuable to your audience, and make sure your site’s technical SEO is solid (like fast loading times and mobile friendliness).
For free tools, you can start with Google Analytics and Search Console to get a feel for how your site is performing. Also, I’ve been using this keyword rank tracker called SERPtag that helps you see what keywords you’re ranking for, and it’s been pretty handy for figuring out where to focus my efforts.
Backlinks are a bit trickier, but you can try guest posting, reaching out to other site owners, or even just sharing your content in relevant places to get some traction. Good luck with your site