SEO Tracking Guide: How to Monitor SEO Rankings & Choose the Right Rank Tracker

To succeed in today’s digital environment, building a strong online presence is extremely important for every business or organization. Monitoring search engine rankings is crucial in this respect.

This guide explores the importance of tracking search engine rankings and outlines effective methods to do so. It also covers some of the top tools available for rank monitoring. Whether you are new to SEO or a seasoned professional, here you will find the necessary information and useful resources to improve your SEO efforts and achieve better rankings.

Why monitor SEO rankings?

Besides the obvious reasons why it is necessary to monitor search engine rankings, such as the ability to track SEO results and further influence them, there are also some other reasons:

• Increasing search engine visibility. Keywords that already rank in positions from 10 to 20 can be relatively easily brought to the top 10 with the right optimization efforts, where, thanks to the higher click-through rate (CTR), they will have a much greater potential for generating organic traffic. However, to do so, such keywords must first be identified, which is where SEO rank tracking can help.

• Staying ahead of competition. Some of the best insights come from competitors. While they won’t share their strategy, tracking their performance can reveal what works – and what might work for you.

• Aligning content with user preferences. Content that seems useful may still not engage users, resulting in wasted time and effort. Without tracking rankings, it’s hard to know what’s working and what needs improvement.

• Finding and fixing technical SEO issues. Often, a page with high-quality and useful content doesn’t fully realize its potential to rank well in search results due to various technical issues such as accidentally blocking from crawling or indexing, slow loading speed, poor mobile experience, etc. By monitoring SEO performance, such issues can be detected and fixed earlier.

• Evaluating the effectiveness of a strategy. Just like a tourist on an unfamiliar road needs a map, SEO needs regular rank tracking to stay on course. This is why search engine rank tracking is crucial. There are tools that allow you to do this such as a rank tracker. More on that below.

What is rank tracker?

It is a specialized software that monitors and reports the positions of specific website pages in search results for certain keywords by regularly scanning search engines for the corresponding queries.

In other words, a rank tracker is essentially a kind of bot that regularly visits search engines like Google and performs searches for the keywords you want to track, pretending to be a real search engine user from different locations and devices. As it performs these searches, it records the positions of the websites that appear in the search results to later present them as a report or chart for you to analyze.

This tool is essential for every website to track its organic search visibility, SEO performance, and progress over time, including how it compares to the competition. It can be particularly useful when more granular data than Google Search Console provides is needed, and a more flexible and targeted analysis is required. It will come in handy for SEO specialists of all levels, as well as other marketing professionals, webmasters, and website owners.

Benefits of using SEO rank tracking tools

Keyword rank checkers offer a variety of benefits to their users, with the key advantages being as follows:

• Such a tool can track the positions of your site as well as those of other sites in the market, enabling a comprehensive analysis and comparison of your performance against other players.
• The great thing about rank trackers is that they regularly (daily, weekly, or monthly) update their historical data, accumulating it to present it when needed. This allows SEOs and website owners to track dynamics, analyze fluctuations, identify patterns and trends.
• Rank trackers allow monitoring positions in both mobile and desktop search results. This is extremely important these days, when the share of mobile users is growing rapidly.
• In addition to Google, some rank trackers can also monitor positions in other search engines, such as Bing and Yahoo.
• Rank trackers can monitor positions in multiple countries simultaneously. This allows you to assess user interest in your website from different countries, as well as identify the potential and feasibility of creating separate localized pages.
• In addition to data on positions, a rank tracker also provides data on search volume, keyword difficulty, potential traffic, SERP features, and other metrics, allowing for a broader, more comprehensive, and objective assessment of the situation, drawing the right conclusions, and developing an effective action plan.

What to look for in a SEO rank tracker

• Accuracy. This is one of the most important features of any rank tracker. Otherwise, what is the point of tracking anything if the data you receive does not reflect reality or is inaccurate? This, in turn, can affect the correctness of conclusions drawn from such data and the effectiveness of the decisions made.
  
  To verify a rank tracker’s accuracy, compare its results with manual searches (searches performed by entering keywords directly into search engines) conducted in private browsing mode and on different devices/locations.
  
  Also, cross-reference data from multiple reputable SEO tools to spot discrepancies. Remember that slight variations are normal due to personalization and localization factors, but significant differences may indicate inaccuracies.
• Location tracking. If a company or organization targets customers in a specific city, then the tracking data should also reflect positions for that particular location, not for the whole country. Good rank trackers allow you to do this.
• Device tracking. People use their phones a lot for searching these days. Therefore, it is extremely useful to track how your site ranks in mobile vs. desktop search results.
• SERP features. Search results today are no longer just about blue links. The ability to track whether tracked queries have featured snippets, local packs, or image results and whether the monitored website appears in them is also helpful.
• Competitors. Knowing who ranks better can allow you to learn from them. A tool that shows competitor positions is very helpful and should be given preference when making a choice.
• Keyword groups. When working with a large number of keywords, it is very convenient if there is an option to group them. This can greatly simplify data analysis.
• Custom reporting. The ability to customize reports is a necessity. If you do not need a particular type of data, it is helpful to hide it. It is also convenient when you can organize the report according to your own needs, for example, arrange data columns from most to least important.
• Data visualization. The ability to view collected data in the form of graphs is very convenient and often saves a lot of time compared to analyzing raw data.
• Data export. An essential feature of a rank tracker is the ability to export data. For a report to a manager or client, it’s often necessary to create your own reports, and this feature will help with this.
• Alerts. In case of sudden position drops, it’s important to find out about it as soon as possible to react accordingly. In such situations, an email or some other kind of notification will be helpful.
• API access. Accessing a tool through an API is a valuable feature if you have such a need. However, even if you do not need it now, it may come in handy in the future.
• Support. When questions or difficulties arise while using a tool, there should be an option to contact support for prompt resolution.
• Cost. An important factor when choosing anything, including a rank tracker. It is essential that the price corresponds to the features offered by the tool and varies based on the volume of keywords to track and the required functionality.
• User-friendly interface. Such a tool is something you have to work with on a regular basis, so it’s crucial that common actions are quick and easy to perform. It’s also important that the interface is intuitive and easy to learn, especially if you need to involve other team members or stakeholders.

How to use SEO rank tracker

Using it is not rocket science. Usually, the interface of such tools is specifically designed to be user-friendly, and users are often provided with guidelines on how to use a tool. In general, to start using a rank tracker, you need to follow these simple steps:

1. Choose a rank tracker, sign up, and create a project. Add your website and set the tracking type (domain, URL, or prefix), device, location, and language.
2. Add keywords. The next step would be to add the relevant keywords you want to track. At this point, some tools may also offer to add additional keywords from their suggested list.
3. Add competitors. Add your main competitors with whom you would like to compare your SEO performance later on.
4. Set up ranking alerts. To receive notifications about a significant drop or increase in your website’s rankings, set up notifications. It is worth doing this at least for the most important pages of a website.
5. Schedule regular checks. Most rank trackers allow you to set up a flexible tracking schedule (daily, weekly, monthly).

1. Monitor and analyze rankings. Once data is collected, regularly check rankings to spot trends, track progress, and adjust your SEO strategy.
2. Refine your strategy. Fix what’s not working, scale what is, and keep monitoring for long-term growth.

Best rank tracking tools

Today, dozens of different SEO rank tracking tools are available on the market. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as certain specific characteristics. A comparison of some of the best rank trackers is presented in the table below:

*Current as of June 2024.

Serpstat

Source: serpstat.com

This tool stands out as an affordable yet feature-rich choice. Starting at just $59/month, it’s incredibly budget-friendly, especially for small businesses or freelancers who are just starting out. But in this case, the low price does not mean compromised quality – this tool is packed with features that rival its more expensive competitors.

What also sets Serpstat apart is its comprehensive SERP tracking capabilities. You can monitor your website’s keyword positions in both mobile and desktop search results across 230 countries. This granular data helps you understand your global visibility. Furthermore, Serpstat allows you to target specific pages or categories, providing insights into your market share and traffic potential. It even evaluates which SERP features drive traffic to your website.

One of the many useful features Serpstat offers is the ability to add competitors to your project. This way, you can keep a close eye on their rankings. Also, if you’re switching from another service, Serpstat lets you transfer your projects at no cost.

Ahrefs

Source: ahrefs.com

This powerful tool stands out by identifying parent keywords, allowing SEOs understand broader ranking patterns. It offers comprehensive SEO tools, valuablecompetitor insights, and an easy-to-use interface.

The downside? Ahrefs doesn’t offer a free trial, which can be a barrier for those who want to test before committing. Additionally, its pricing starts higher at $129/month (plus an extra $100/month for daily updates), making it less accessible for beginners or small businesses.

SE Ranking

Source: seranking.com

This service shines with its cannibalization reports. This feature helps you identify when your own pages compete against each other for the same keywords – a common issue that can hinder rankings. You can track 750 keywords daily, which is quite generous.

Another plus is SE Ranking’s 14-day free trial, giving you ample time to test its capabilities. Starting at $55/month, it’s also one of the more affordable options.

Moz Pro

Source: moz.com

This instrument offers ready-made integrations, making it a seamless fit if you use other popular SEO tools. This can streamline your workflow significantly. However, it falls short in terms of update frequency, offering only weekly updates for 300 keywords in its cheapest plan.

On the positive side, Moz Pro offers the longest free trial at 30 days, giving you a full month to explore. Its pricing starts at $99/month, placing it in the mid-range.

Useful tips for using rank trackers

As already mentioned, monitoring positions with SEO keyword rank trackers is not something particularly difficult, especially if you carefully select the right tool and familiarize yourself with its user guide (good tools, such as Seprstat, always provide one). However, even the best and most detailed guide cannot cover all the important aspects, possible nuances, and useful tricks. Here are some of the most helpful tips that everyone should know and use:

• Track keywords with sufficient search volume relevant to your business or organization. Given the often limited number of keywords to track, it is inefficient to monitor keywords that are no longer relevant or have insufficient search volume. To avoid this, regularly review and update your keyword list.
• Group your keywords by topic, category, page, product, or location to make it easier to analyze SEO performance and identify patterns. For example, in Serpstat’s rank tracker, you can do this using the following tags:

Source: serpstat.com

• Track SERP features such as featured snippets, as they can generate a large amount of organic traffic – as much or even more than in position #1, without occupying it. Additionally, a featured snippet doesn’t count as a regular snippet, allowing you to appear twice in search results.
• Don’t forget about mobile optimization. Everyone uses smartphones these days, so your website must perform well on mobile devices. Therefore, be sure to check your website’s positions separately for mobile and desktop search results, as they may differ. This will help you identify areas for improvement in the mobile version to keep up with your competitors.
• If you have a multilingual website, track positions for each language separately – don’t mix everything into one pile! This will make data analysis much easier, enabling you to quickly identify which languages perform better and pinpoint those needing further optimization.
• Don’t focus only on search positions. Sure, being as high as possible in search results is important. However, this is not the only thing that matters in SEO. It is equally important that users find your site easy to navigate.
  
  Also, pay attention to CTR – how many people click on your website in search results. A high CTR indicates that your titles and descriptions are attractive. Most importantly, focus on conversions.
  
  What is the use of top positions if visitors do not become customers? Optimize your pages for conversions by adding clear calls to action and making your texts persuasive. That is, rankings are important, but you also need to look beyond them.

How to analyze SEO rankings

Once you have collected data using a rank tracker, it is time to put it into practice. Start by identifying which keywords drive the most organic traffic to your website. This will help you identify the most important organic keywords for your business or organization, allowing you to priorituze your optimization efforts. Additionally, you can spot underperforming pages that, with proper optimization, could potentially generate a lot of traffic as well.

You might have a large amount of traffic but not get enough sales or other desired user actions from it. In fact, some websites with lower rankings may have more conversions than those in the 1st position. Therefore, the next step is to analyze your website’s conversion rate, which will help you identify and eliminate bottlenecks, ultimately improving your business results with the same amount of organic traffic.

It is also worth analyzing your competitors’ rankings. This will allow you to determine how your website performs compared to your competitors, find out what your competitors have that you don’t, and what makes them stand out. As a result, you will be able to identify areas for improvement where you fall behind your competitors and work on overtaking them. Moreover, by analyzing the competition, you can also spot keyword gaps and make appropriate adjustments to your SEO strategy.

Check whether your metadata, titles, and texts contain relevant keywords, adding them where necessary. The findings can also be used for the off-page optimization of your website by using relevant keywords in outreach texts and backlink anchors.

How to automate rank tracking

Some of these tools allow you to automate monitoring of SEO results via APIs. This enables the integration of ranking data into your internal tools and analytics dashboards, making it convenient to work with large volumes of data in real time. Automation through APIs significantly saves time, minimizes human errors, and allows you to scale monitoring processes. A prime example is the Rank Tracker API from Serpstat.

If you do not need such advanced functionality, there is another option to automate the process of monitoring search engine rankings, namely, using automatic customizable email reports. For instance, a report from Serpstat might look like this:

Source: serpstat.com

Such automatic reports not only save time but also help you quickly understand ranking trends, identify problem areas, and evaluate the effectiveness of your SEO strategies. They are especially useful for presenting results to clients or management who may not have in-depth technical knowledge of SEO.

Moreover, many services allow you to customize the frequency, format, and content of these reports. You can opt for weekly or monthly deliveries, focus on specific keyword groups, or add additional metrics, such as search volume or keyword difficulty.

Conclusions

Besides the obvious reasons for monitoring search engine rankings, as tracking SEO results and their further optimization, there are several other factors to consider.

Why monitor SEO rankings:

• Increase search engine visibility
• Stay ahead of competitors
• Understand user behavior
• Find and fix technical SEO issues
• Evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy

Rank Tracker is a specialized software that monitors and reports the positions of specific website pages in search results for certain keywords by regularly scanning search engines for the corresponding queries.

Benefits of using SEO rank tracking tools:

• Comprehensive position analysis
• Regular updates of historical data
• Monitoring mobile and desktop positions
• Tracking positions in different countries
• Wide range of metrics for analysis

How to use SEO rank tracker:

• Choose a rank tracker
• Sign up
• Create a new project
• Set up a project
• Add keywords
• Add competitors
• Set up ranking alerts
• Schedule regular checks
• Monitor and analyze rankings
• Refine your strategy

We have reviewed some of the best rank tracking tools, such as Serpstat, Ahrefs, SE Ranking, and Moz Pro, each offering unique features to meet different SEO needs. The choice depends on your specific needs, budget, and the scale of your SEO campaigns.

By consistently tracking your SEO rankings, analyzing the data, and making data-driven decisions, you can refine your SEO efforts for better search visibility, increased organic traffic, and ultimately higher conversions. Start tracking your rankings today – your website’s success in search results depends on it.

FAQ

What are SEO rankings?

Search results rankings are your website’s positions in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords. For example, if you rank #3 for gardening tips, your website will be the third result when someone searches that term. Higher rankings mean better search visibility and more organic traffic.

Rankings are influenced by a wide variety of factors like content quality, site speed, backlinks, and user experience. Search engines use complex algorithms to determine which sites offer the most relevant and valuable information.

How can I check my SEO rankings?

There are several ways to check your search engine rankings:

• Use Google Search Console. This free tool shows which queries your site ranks for and its average position.
• Use an advanced tool like Serpstat or Ahrefs. These tools provide in-depth ranking data, including rankings for numerous keywords, position changes over time, and even competitor rankings.
• Search manually. Simply search your target keywords in an incognito browser window for a quick ranking check.

Note that rankings can vary based on factors such as location and device, so using multiple tools is advisable.

How do I maintain SEO rankings?

Keeping website rankings in SERPs requires consistent effort:

• Update content regularly to keep it fresh.
• Post consistently.
• Align your content with user intent.
• Improve site speed and usability.
• Ensure mobile-friendliness.
• Build quality backlinks from reputable sites.
• Adapt to Google’s algorithm updates.

Remember, SEO isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon. Consistent effort in these key areas will help you maintain or even improve your rankings over time.