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The Internet has become an essential part of our daily lives. We use it to accomplish many routine tasks online, such as banking, shopping, deliveries, and other services, making our lives easier. Websites are an integral part of a business’s marketing strategy. But these days, simply having a website is no longer enough. With over a billion websites worldwide, you are competing with millions of others for any relevant online search. A well-designed and user-friendly website will only be useful if people actually visit it.
To improve your online visibility, it's important to use SEO best practices to rank higher on Google. One important practice is tracking your ranking, also known as position tracking or SERP tracking. This allows you to see if your current SEO strategy is working, and if it's not, you can identify areas for improvement. By keeping track of your ranking, you can optimize your SEO strategy for better performance and increased visibility.
Best Rank Tracking Tools for SEO
These rank tracking tools provide practical keyword ranking features along with other SEO functions. The tool you choose should depend mainly on your needs, budget, and SEO goals. We've listed the top-rank tracking tools that can help you improve your ranking and keep you at the top of SERPs.
SEMrush is one of the leading companies when it comes to digital marketing. Their full suite of tools includes everything from content and social media marketing to advertising and market research. SEMrush’s rank tracking tools offer three primary functions: position tracking, volatility sensor, and domain rankings. Their position tracking tool is comprehensive, updated daily, and includes data on rankings distributions, allowing you to gauge your position compared to your competitors on organic Google searches, as well as top SERP results on Google Ads. You can analyze the performance of your competitors’ most effective domains and landing pages, identify keyword cannibalization, and segment keywords with tags. With their volatility sensor, you can identify any changes in the algorithm or other factors that can affect your ranking. Their domain rankings tool provides information on the domains and keywords that garner the most traffic from organic searches. You can use this data for further SEO research to improve your ranking. Free Plan or Trial: You can use a free account to use SEMrush, but the available features will be limited. Alternatively, you can opt for a 7-day free trial of their premium plans to unlock all features and test them out. Pricing: The Pro plan, marketed to small businesses, costs $129.95 per month. You can save up to 17% if you get the annual plan instead. Mangools provides a user-friendly rank tracking tool called SERPWatcher, which offers several useful functions that cater to both beginners and advanced users. It is equipped with a unique Performance Index that measures your website’s performance against your competitors. It also provides daily updates on your ranking, making it perfect for websites that rely on highly competitive keywords. You can even receive email notifications about rank changes, allowing you to stay on top of your strategy should these changes affect your ranking significantly. The web-based software supports local SEO, as well as separate results for mobile and desktop devices, allowing you to check your rankings in specific locations. This feature is especially beneficial for businesses that operate in different geographical areas. Free Plan or Trial: Mangools offers a 10-day free trial plus a 48-hour money-back guarantee. Pricing: The entry-level plan starts at $29 per month if billed monthly, which drops to $19.90 if billed annually. Garnering 9.6 stars out of 10 from G2 users, SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO software built for businesses, agencies, and individuals. Using AI-powered algorithms, it can provide in-depth data from 188 countries. Their rank tracker tool can even deliver data on specific locations, such as zip codes. SE Ranking’s rank tracking tool is one of the most comprehensive tools available, providing data not only for Google searches, but also for Yahoo, Bing, and YouTube. It’s packed with features that are valuable for SEO management and optimization, making it a great choice for freelancers, small businesses, and large enterprises. Free Plan or Trial: While there is no free version available, you can begin by signing up for a 14-day free trial of any of their plans. Pricing: The entry-level plan for newbies and freelancers starts at $44 (billed annually) or $55 (billed monthly). You can also request a quote for a customized plan if any of their three plans do not fit your needs. If you need a more customizable rank tracking tool, SEO Powersuite is a comprehensive and powerful option. It allows you to track both global and local rankings, check your SERP rankings in different search engines, and monitor your SEO performance on desktop and mobile. You can also study your SERP ranking history, track competitors, and more. What sets SEO Powersuite Rank Tracker apart, however, is that they offer unlimited keyword checking, even in their free version. Their paid version is also affordable, making this tool a top choice for many website owners and businesses who want a cost-effective rank tracking tool. Free Plan or Trial: SEO Powersuite offers a free version, which includes the Rack Tracker and three other SEO tools. Pricing: You can get the Rank Tracker tool as a separate standalone product starting at $149 annually. Alternatively, you can choose from plans that include SEO Powersuite’s other tools. Ahrefs is heavily focused on keyword performance, making it an excellent tool for businesses that don’t need as many advanced SERP tracking functionalities. Ahrefs’ rank tracking tool is simple: input your target keywords, include the locations you need per keyword, and your competitors’ websites. Ahrefs will do the heavy lifting by tracking your keywords over time and sending you updates on their performance in comparison to the competition. Ahrefs also includes interactive graphs, which make it easy to understand how your keywords’ SEO performance changes over time. Ahrefs can also provide data on 13 SERP features, assessing your website on featured snippets, site links, thumbnails, videos, and shopping results, among others. However, its most notable functionality is competitor tracking. In addition to reports on your ranking progress, search traffic, and performance against up to ten competitors, Ahrefs provides data on “share of voice” functionality, allowing you to track websites that rank for your selected keywords. Free Plan or Trial: Website owners can sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free, but the free plan does not include rank tracking tools. Pricing: The Lite plan starts at $99 a month and you can get two months free with an annual subscription. Wincher is a good choice for those who need an easy-to-use, powerful rank tracker without many advanced SEO functionalities. It provides practical features for optimal rank tracking, including daily and on-demand tracking updates which make keyword research more manageable. Wincher also offers a free ranking history of keywords that goes back up to 24 months, so you can spot which keywords are gaining traction and which ones are becoming less relevant over time. Like many of the tools on this list, Wincher offers a good competitor analysis feature. The tool provides an overview of your competition, daily ranking updates of your competitors, and alerts for any critical events that might affect your SEO. Wincher also has a Keyword Research tool that integrates with the rank tracker, enabling you to discover potential keywords. Free Plan or Trial: A 7-day free trial is available. Alternatively, there is a limited version of the Wincher plugin for WordPress available. Pricing: Paid plans start at $39 a month.1. SEMrush
2. Mangools
3. SE Ranking
4. SEO Powersuite
5. Ahrefs
6. Wincher
Features to Consider in Choosing a Rank Tracking Tool
Search Engine Support
Google commands approximately 83% of the global desktop search market, making it the leader in search engine websites. However, it's important to note that many people also use Yahoo and Bing. If you have operations or branches in other countries, be aware of the Google alternatives that people in those areas use more frequently. For this reason, your rank tracking tools should support search engines other than Google.
Geo-Specific Tracking
Location is a crucial factor in the search engine results. When someone searches for "best hotels with swimming pool" in California, they will get very different results from someone who searches for the same keywords in Tokyo. Even at the local level, search results will vary based on the user's exact location. An effective rank tracker enables users to maximize local visibility.
Rank Tracking for Mobile
Mobile usage has been steadily increasing in the past several years, and recent data shows that approximately half of organic search engine visits in the US came from mobile devices. This is hardly surprising as many people own and carry smartphones everywhere, making them more accessible as search devices than laptops and desktop computers.
It's ideal to have mobile support in your rank tracking tool since mobile and desktop SERPs can be very different. Some websites are not optimized for mobile and, therefore, rank lower on mobile SERPs.
Frequency
An ideal rank tracking tool should offer options for monitoring frequency. Tracking all keywords every day can be unnecessary and costly. It's important to check whether the rank tracker you're considering offers options for generating reports or tracking ranking data for your specific keywords at a frequency that suits your needs.
Ranking History
Historical data is an excellent measure of your progress and market trends. Good rank trackers should be able to retrieve data from previous checks and present it to the user in an understandable format, such as graphs. This allows you to identify significant seasonal trends or specific keywords that can help you refine your SEO strategy.
Competitor Tracking
Competitor tracking is vital to a successful ranking strategy. You need to know the keywords your top competitors are using, which gives them the most traffic, and how they perform in general. Knowing how you measure up against your competitors gives you a better picture of your performance. For example, if you see that your website received 1000 visits in a month, this alone does not paint the whole picture. If your competitors are getting 2000 visits during the same period, you need to consider improving your strategy.
Wrapping Up
Selecting a rank tracking tool that suits your business needs can make a significant impact on your online presence. By monitoring your website's search engine ranking, you can evaluate your website's performance and optimize your SEO strategy to achieve better results. Investing in a reliable and effective rank tracking tool can help you stay ahead of the competition and keep your website at the top of SERPs, improving your online visibility and achieving business success.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do rank tracking tools work?
In simple terms, rank trackers simulate user queries to search engines using specific keywords. Based on the results, it determines where your website appears and generates an understandable report for you. Using rank trackers can help you identify trends in your performance, such as sudden drops in your ranking. By doing so, you can plan steps to identify and address potential causes and bring your ranking back to your target.
How often should I monitor my keyword rankings?
For highly competitive keywords, daily tracking is recommended. A new website may enter the picture any day, so it’s best to monitor frequently to ensure your ranking on SERPs remains where you want it to be. You can be more lenient with less popular keywords and track once every few days or weekly.
Is it okay to just use free rank tracking tools instead of paid versions?
Many free rank tracking tools are available, and most of the tools on our list offer free trials or free versions. But keep in mind that free tools may have limited functions, which can impact their usability.
If you're new to using SEO data, it's a good idea to start with free tools to get familiar with how things work. As you gain experience and insight, you can decide which paid plan is right for your website. Keep in mind that there's no one-size-fits-all solution for rank tracking tools, so it's important to understand your specific needs to find the best tool for your business.
How accurate are rank tracking tools?
Like many other SEO tools available, rank tracking tools provide estimates based on the data they gather from search engines like Google. It can be challenging to obtain precise data on your ranking, as factors such as personalization, location, and search algorithm changes, can affect your ranking. However, these estimates are based on quantitative data so they are reliable for SEO optimization purposes.
