Monitoring your keyword rankings is one of the most important aspects of measuring SEO success. With accurate and consistent rank tracking, you gain invaluable insight into how your organic search performance is trending over time. This allows you to double down on what's working and quickly fix any issues causing rankings to slip.
Before we dig into how to track rankings, let's cover why it's so crucial for SEO.
Monitoring keyword rankings tells you:
- How well you rank for core terms in your niche
- If your rankings are improving/declining over time
- Which pages need SEO tweaks to improve their positions
- How your site stacks up against competitors
Without checking rankings regularly, you're left guessing in the dark. Small ranking gains or losses could go unnoticed for months without rank tracking.
Make no mistake - regular rank tracking and analysis should be a cornerstone of your SEO strategy.
Numerous rank tracking tools are available, both free and paid. When selecting one, keep these factors in mind:
- Accuracy: The tracker should use robust data sources to deliver precise rankings.
- Search engine coverage: At minimum, it should track Google and Bing. Bonus points for other engines like Yahoo.
- Location and device filtering: Segment rankings by country/city and desktop vs. mobile.
- Competitor tracking: Compare your rankings to those of rival domains.
- Ranking history: Track positions over time to spot trends.
- Reporting and alerts: Get weekly reports and set up rank change alerts.
Now let's dive into tracking rankings step-by-step:
Manual Google Rank Checks
The most basic way to check rankings is manually searching for your target keywords and recording where your site ranks.
To check manually:
- Search for a keyword in Google using "incognito" mode.
- Scroll through results and note the highest position your page appears.
- Repeat for all important keywords.
Check weekly or monthly to spot ranking trends over time.
Automated Rank Tracking Setup
Manual checks work for quick audits but aren't sustainable long-term. For regular tracking, use a tool like SEMRush or Moz.
To set up automated tracking:
- Add your website and target keywords into the tool.
- Set location and device filters if needed.
- Schedule weekly ranking reports.
- Get email alerts for ranking changes.
Now you can monitor rankings with minimal effort. Analyze reports to spot SEO wins and issues to address.
While Google commands the bulk of search, you still should track rankings in other engines like Bing and Yahoo.
Many tools allow adding these additional engines with just a few clicks. Make sure to track your top keywords in each search engine.
Look beyond traditional web search as well. Monitor keyword rankings for:
- YouTube and Vimeo video search
- Google Images and Bing Image Search
- Google News and other verticals
Diversifying beyond Google provides a more complete view of your search presence.
The real value in rank tracking comes from analyzing the data. With proper analysis, you gain actionable insights to improve SEO.
Ranking analysis helps you:
- Find terms with slow/declining rankings that need SEO work.
- Identify where competitors are outranking you.
- Spot pages thin on keywords that need content expansion.
- See which pages are ranking well as examples to model.
- Understand how Google updates impacted rankings.
In short, proper rank analysis is crucial for driving SEO strategy.
Regularly monitoring keyword rankings is a must for measuring SEO success. To recap:
- Use rank tracking tools for accurate, automated monitoring.
- Track core keywords in Google and other search engines.
- Schedule weekly ranking reports and alerts.
- Analyze ranking data to spot SEO wins and issues.
Now it's time to put these tips into action! Set up rank tracking for your site today. Over time, you'll gain an invaluable window into your organic search growth.
