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What Exactly Is Keyword Rank Tracking? & Its Most Effective Methods

Updated: Oct 21, 2022


How can you measure the success of your website's content? While there are many elements to consider, if you have never analyzed your content using keyword metrics, you have severely underestimated an important search engine optimization (SEO) factor.


Keywords are important in SEO. If your content lacks relevant keywords, search engines will struggle to rank it. Keep in mind that the search volume and traffic potential of keywords change over time. As a result, you must stay current on search phrases that may be useful to you as well as those that are no longer relevant. Keyword ranking and tracking come into play here.


What is keyword rank tracking?

Tracking keyword rank helps you to know where your site ranks for specific search queries. When someone types a relevant search term into a search engine's search field, the position at which your URL appears is referred to as your keyword ranking.


The search engine returns around ten results each page. A higher keyword ranking indicates that your site is getting closer to appearing on the top page of search engine results (SERP). Poor page ranking indicates that your website is near the bottom of the fourth or fifth page, if not below.


Keyword rank tracking assists you in determining your position on the search engine. It also offers reports that can assist you in determining the root cause of the reduction in ranks. Tracking keyword rank is also useful in establishing various SEO tactics. However, in addition to keeping track of your rank, make a point of thoroughly reviewing and evaluating your peer ranking.


Why is rank tracking useful in SEO?

Tracking keyword rankings is unquestionably important for SEO. In reality, enhancing your website's search engine ranking is impossible unless it is optimized using relevant keywords. Here are the top five reasons why rank tracking should be part of your SEO plan.


  • You can alter your current keyword approach. If specific keywords aren't working for you, consider long-tail keywords or weave search queries into your content.

  • You can keep track of your competitors' performance. You can plan your campaign using their performance as a guideline.

  • You can figure out what's causing a traffic jam. If your search engine ranking suddenly drops, you may have accidentally engaged in unethical SEO tactics such as keyword stuffing, black hat SEO, and so on.

  • To boost the page's SERP rating, you can discover underperforming Web pages, optimize them using the latest trending keywords, and provide missing content.


What exactly is the goal of keyword rank tracking?

If you want to be at the top of search results pages, keyword rank tracking is highly advised. It tells you how different keywords you want to employ to rank your site can help you.


Assume you haven't changed your pillar pages in a long time. As a result, ranks have dropped noticeably. In this situation, you should monitor the search volume, difficulty level, and trend of that single keyword before optimizing it with fresh keywords.


Furthermore, your content may contain a number of difficult-to-rank keywords. In such circumstances, rank tracking can help determine the most relevant long-tail keywords to increase rankings.



Does Google offer keyword ranking?

Google gives you a lot of information about your search performance. Visit Google Analytics and Google Search Console to obtain data (GSC).


Google Analytics does not provide information on keyword ranking. However, you can utilize it to determine how well your site performed overall in search. You can use Analytics to determine how percent of your site's traffic came from organic sources.


GSC, on the other hand, provides information such as impressions and the number of clicks on your top ranked keywords. It does not, however, track information linked to specific keywords.


The main disadvantage of both of these tools is that they generate reports that are difficult to understand.


Rank Tracking Best Practices

1) Determine Keywords

To track your rank, you must first select the appropriate target keywords. Typically, enterprise-level websites target 400 to 500 keywords to gain insight on how their site is performing. However, if your website is fresh or has only been up for a few years, you can limit the quantity of keywords.


Make sure to include the following keywords in your list of keywords to rank for:

  • a list of branded keywords that include your company's name

  • Top-performing industry keywords with a proven track record of attracting visitors

  • Keywords that are currently popular in your field

To identify the best keywords to rank for, always utilize a tool.



2) Select a Rank Tracker

Following the use of a spreadsheet to tag a list of keywords, the following step is to choose the best rank tracker accessible on the market. Some of the most popular rank tracking tools include Ahrefs, Semrush, and UberSuggest. A monthly subscription to these programmes begins at $500 and allows you to track 500 to 1000 keywords. You may have to spend a little extra if you want to track more keywords.

Consider the frequency of ranking updates, mobile adaptability, and geographical coverage when choosing a rank tracking service.


3) Tag Keywords

After you've compiled a list of keywords, the next step is to label them. A spreadsheet can be used to tag keywords. When you tag keywords, it is easier to filter search results in a rank tracking tool.

Let us look at an example of this.

Assume you own a fintech company that offers a variety of loans, including business loans, personal loans, and auto loans. You must add tags to a list of keywords linked to "personal loan" in the keyword tagging stage. Then, for keywords relating to other loan products, you add another tag, and so on. As a result, each keyword is associated with a distinct tag.


4) Insert Keywords

Once you've decided on a software, begin inputting your huge keyword list. Many rank tracking systems allow you to import keywords in bulk to make the process as quick as feasible.


Let's look at an example of how to upload. Assume you've chosen Semrush to aid you with keyword uploading. Semrush allows you to tag keywords using conventions like Tag 1, Tag 2, Tag 3, and so on.


Semrush begins detecting Google's search results shortly after you upload the keywords and launch the application, capturing performance data for those precise terms. The programme will show you how your site ranks for specific keywords after a few hours of inquiry.


5) Review Performance Report

After you've uploaded keywords, you'll want reports that provide insight into the performance of your site. The rank tracker tool provides a detailed overview of the precise keywords for which your site ranks highest. It also indicates how much traffic each term is now or has previously produced.


Make a list of terms that appear in the top 10 and 100 search results. If you see a rapid reduction in ranking, the report may assist you in determining the cause. The information provided here also reveals how your new SEO effort has performed over time.


Conclusion

Tracking rank is critical for developing a successful marketing plan. It delivers data on your website's performance for selected keywords. Monitoring this element enables you to create a strong SEO strategy and compete with your tough competitors. Furthermore, by using relevant search terms, you boost the likelihood of receiving quality leads.




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