Tracking keyword rankings is an integral part of search engine optimization (SEO) and helps guide the direction of SEO efforts and content strategy.
Here are 5 valuable benefits of rank tracking as part of SEO efforts.
Keyword Rank Tracking Benefits
Identify What's Working
Tracking keyword rankings provides valuable insight into which pages of content are ranking well, the type of content Google likes to rank, and keywords that lead to traffic and revenue.
Monitoring keyword positions can help you better understand the type of keywords and related terms worth creating supporting content around as rankings increase or decrease.
Rather than creating, optimizing, and publishing content in the dark with no data insight, monitoring keyword positions can help guide your content.
For example, if some of your keywords and pages are about to rank on the 1st page of Google where there are traffic opportunities, it might be a good idea to further optimize your page content and create new supporting pages that link to this existing content.
Monitor Competitor Keywords
Tracking competitor rankings can provide you with valuable insight into:
- Strong and stable competitor rankings, potentially signaling well-optimized pages with high link authority.
- Rankings that are improving quickly, potentially signaling recent optimization efforts by the competitor.
- Weak or declining rankings, potentially signaling weak or under-optimized content you might want to capitalize on with more comprehensive and helpful content.
You can also use all-in-one SEO software like Semrush or SE Ranking to track competitor rankings side-by-side with yours and discover relevant keywords worth creating content around based on keyword search volumes and competitor traffic data.
Traffic & Conversion Opportunities
Tracking rankings for keywords that are generating clicks can help you determine if these clicks are leading to conversion goals such as form submits, phone calls, or online sales.
For these performing keywords, it could be worth your time optimizing the page that's ranking and receiving this valuable traffic, or optimizing the title tag or meta description to attempt to increase clickthrough rates further.
In addition, doing some keyword research based on your top-performing keywords can inform you of related keywords to track and target with a high chance of similar traffic, conversion, and revenue opportunities.
Keyword Volatility Trends
Tracking keyword rankings gives you the ability to see which rankings are either volatile or stable over time.
Keyword ranking volatility can be caused by frequent changes in search engine algorithms or changes in competing site content, among other ranking factors.
A volatile keyword ranking can be a sign that you could improve the page content that is ranking for that keyword with the aim of making the ranking more stable.
It's a good idea to keep a close eye on volatile keywords, especially if they generate clicks or conversions, and track changes in competitor rankings as well for these keywords.
SEO Reporting
Another reason for tracking keyword rankings is to report on SEO ranking progress with stakeholders or clients. Ranking trends provide insight into what's working and can help you develop future SEO strategies and recommendations.
Use SEO reporting software to make sharing ranking progress fast and easy with features like report scheduling and automatically sending out reports.
Also, make sure to use Google Search Console (GSC) to monitor keyword rankings and page ranking data detected by Google.
New keywords detected by GSC are usually good keywords to add to your keyword tracker if you haven't thought of those keywords already.
Keyword Rank Tracking Software
The most efficient and effective way to track rankings is by using rank tracking software.
Top rank tracking software gives you the ability to track and organize hundreds of keywords across different locations, devices, and search engines, and get frequent updates, position history data over time, and reporting features.
The best rank tracker tools provide features like daily rank tracking, keyword search volumes, side-by-side competitor ranking analysis, the SERP features showing for each keyword, and convenient tagging and filtering options.
Without a keyword tracker tool, you would have to search up and save each keyword and its ranking data manually, which becomes tough when you want to check hundreds of keywords on a regular basis or track several locations as part of local SEO.
What to Look for in a Rank Tracker
An effective rank tracking tool includes the following features:
- Daily keyword rank updates.
- Keyword ranking history.
- Tagging, filtering, and sorting options.
- Keyword search volume data.
- Competitor rank tracking.
- Desktop and mobile rank tracking.
- Multi-location rank tracking.
- Keyword SERP features.
- Automated ranking reports.
Conclusion
Tracking keyword rankings is an SEO activity with awesome benefits that can guide you toward achieving better SEO results while making it easier to share your SEO progress.
With the right SEO software tools, you can track hundreds of keywords, rank trends, and collect more data to make strategic SEO decisions that lead to better results.