How to Track Your Google Keyword Rankings

1 year ago 93

An unmonitored SEO run is simply a half-finished one. Tracking your Google keyword rankings is captious if you privation to find if your SEO efforts are heading successful the close direction.

Continually ranking precocious for your people keywords proves that your contented resonates with your assemblage and that the SEO tactics you implemented person been successful.

More importantly, it besides means that you’re pulling successful plentifulness of traffic.

There are 2 ways to way your Google keyword rankings:

  • Using an SEO tool
  • Going astir it manually

I’m going to explicate some methods successful this guide.

But first…

Why Should You Track Your Keywords

Tracking your keyword rankings is indispensable for assessing your SEO performance, gauging your online visibility, and conducting rival analysis.

By determining the keywords that are pulling successful the astir traffic, and the ones that aren’t, you’ll beryllium capable to place areas of your SEO strategy that request adjusting.

However, tracking your keywords is utile for a full big of different reasons, including:

Identify emerging and existing trends

Web users’ interests and hunt trends tin fluctuate dramatically. As a by-product of this, truthful excessively tin your keyword rankings.

You’ll request to way your rankings to support connected apical of these emerging trends.

In addition, analyzing your keyword rankings besides helps you find the existent popularity of a circumstantial topic.

If you’re uncovering that 1 of your people keywords is performing peculiarly well, past this is simply a bully indicator that you should make much contented astir the topic.

On the different hand, if you find that you’re not ranking precise good for 1 oregon much of your people keywords, past you’ll request to fig retired why.

Some reasons for this could include:

  • Past saturation — If the keyword you’re focusing connected is nary longer trending oregon successful demand, it could beryllium that radical are nary longer actively searching for it.For example, ideate you’re moving a sports website, and you’ve been focusing connected the keyword “Super Bowl”. It’s large for attracting attraction erstwhile the large crippled is approaching, but involvement drops erstwhile the Super Bowl is over. This means less radical are searching for Super Bowl-related contented extracurricular of the event, which would pb to a diminution successful hunt activity.
  • Seasonal fluctuations: Some keywords acquisition shifts successful popularity based connected the clip of twelvemonth oregon seasons. For instance, keywords related to Christmas oregon summertime volition people spot variations successful hunt measurement arsenic the seasons change, which tin impact their performance.

Competitor analysis

When you show your keyword rankings, you tin place which websites and competitors are ranking for the aforesaid keywords you’re targeting. This accusation provides invaluable insights into the competitory scenery wrong the SERPs.

If you announcement that galore well-established and highly authoritative websites are vying for the aforesaid keywords you’re targeting, past attempting to fertile for those keywords could airs a important challenge.

Comparing your keyword rankings to that of your competitors volition let you to benchmark your ain show against theirs. You tin spot wherever you basal successful examination and marque indispensable adjustments to amended your rankings and wide SEO strategy.

ROI measurement

Keyword rankings correlate with website traffic, conversions, and revenue. So, by cross-analyzing your rankings with your conversion and postulation data, you tin find which keywords are moving good for you, and the ones that aren’t.

In short, it gives you a afloat overview of whether oregon not you’re getting a bully instrumentality connected concern (ROI) from the keywords you’re targeting.

Content Optimization

Tracking your keyword rankings volition alteration you to pinpoint the pages that are performing good and the ones that aren’t. If you find that definite keywords are ranking poorly, past it whitethorn beryllium owed to the contented connected the page.

If this is the case, you’ll request to conduct a thorough contented audit to pinpoint areas that necessitate improvement. When analyzing your content, you should wage attraction to the following:

Content quality

Thin, oregon low-quality contented tin negatively interaction your chances of ranking. You request to guarantee that your contented is well-written and provides important worth to your readers.

On apical of that, debar keyword stuffing. This volition little the prime of your contented and deter your audience.

Your extremity should beryllium to trade contented that’s truthful captivating it keeps your assemblage hooked and anxious to enactment connected your leafage for longer. This volition trim your bounce complaint which is conscionable 1 of the user acquisition signals Google uses to measure the prime of web pages.

If your leafage has a precocious bounce rate, well, this ain’t a bully awesome to Google and arsenic a result, you volition fertile poorly for the keyword that the leafage is targeting.

Keyword relevance & hunt intent

To fertile good for circumstantial keywords, your contented indispensable align seamlessly with the hunt intent down those keywords. If your contented doesn’t straight code what users are searching for, past hunt engines similar Google won’t see it a applicable result.

Based connected the usage of the keyword, hunt engines tin usually find the hunt intent down a keyword and lucifer it up with hunt results accordingly.

So, ever remember, it’s not conscionable astir the keywords you target, but however good your contented satisfies the user’s query.

For example, see a script wherever idiosyncratic searches for “best laptops for gaming”. This query intelligibly indicates that the idiosyncratic is searching for accusation astir gaming laptops, including reviews, specifications, and recommendations.

However, if I’ve created a leafage for the keyword “best laptops for gaming,” but the contented connected the leafage offers lone basal accusation astir wide computers and programming languages, it creates a important disconnect betwixt the user’s hunt intent and the existent content. This would pb to a mediocre idiosyncratic experience.

Users are apt to bounce disconnected the leafage and hunt for accusation elsewhere.

With that said, however bash you spell astir determining the hunt intent down a keyword?

Well, determination are 4 main types. These are:

  • Informational
  • Navigational
  • Transactional
  • and Commercial.

Some hunt presumption are casual to categorize. For example, keywords that commencement with “what…” are usually informational, portion hunt presumption that commencement with “buy…” are usually transactional.

However, determination whitethorn beryllium instances wherever figuring retired the hunt intent becomes a spot much challenging. In specified cases, I highly urge utilizing Semrush’s Keyword Overview instrumentality to assistance you successful knowing the intent down immoderate keyword.

Here’s however to usage the tool. Click connected “Keyword Overview” from the main menu:

Keyword Overview tool

…and participate your keyword. For example, Paleo diet:

Once you deed “Search”, you’ll beryllium fixed an overview of the keyword – which includes its hunt intent:

Paleo Diet keyword overview including hunt  intent

As you tin see, Semrush indicates that the intent down this keyword is informational. This means users are apt looking for accusation astir the paleo fare specified arsenic what is the paleo diet, however it works, etc.

Local and International SEO

Local SEO

Local SEO is focused connected optimizing your online beingness to pull customers successful your section area.

Here’s wherefore it’s indispensable to show your keyword rankings for section SEO:

  • Local visibility — By tracking your rankings, you tin marque definite your concern shows up for the close section hunt queries. In short, if idiosyncratic successful your country searches for a merchandise oregon work you offer, you privation to marque definite you amusement up successful the apical results. This volition importantly summation the likelihood that imaginable customers volition take your concern implicit competitors.
  • Competitor analysis — By monitoring your section rankings, you tin summation insights into your competition. That includes uncovering retired who your competitors are, what keywords they’re targeting, and however you fare against them.
  • Performance measurement — Tracking rankings lets you measurement however effectual your section SEO efforts are. Without tracking, it’s hard to find what’s moving and what isn’t. The insights you summation volition let you to place which section keywords are driving the astir postulation and conversions.

International SEO

International SEO is each astir extending your online beingness to a worldwide audience.

If your website serves audiences successful aggregate regions, past tracking your keyword rankings successful each portion becomes essential. It ensures that you are efficaciously targeting the due keywords and optimizing your contented to resonate with each unsocial audience.

On apical of that, tracking your rankings tin supply you with invaluable insights into the level of contention and the imaginable for occurrence successful your people markets.

When a Google algorithm update occurs

Your keyword rankings volition person insignificant ups and downs connected a regular basis. But determination are times you’ll spot immense dips oregon spikes. In those instances, chances are Google rolled retired a large update to its algorithm.

Google updates its algorithm implicit 500 times per year. This means that immoderate days witnesser much than 1 algorithm update.

But not each algorithm update is going to impact your rankings. So, you’ll request a instrumentality to alert you erstwhile your rankings person been negatively affected.

Semrush has a useful instrumentality called Sensor which tracks Google algorithm updates connected your behalf. Not lone that, but it compares these updates against your website and provides you with a volatility score.

This 1-10 people lets you cognize however volatile your website is to Google’s predominant updates.

If your people is connected the higher extremity of the scale, I’d urge analyzing your keywords to spot if you’ve suffered immoderate existent losses.

To acceptable this up, click connected “Sensor” located successful the left-hand menu:

Sensor to way   Google algorithm updates

Once you acceptable up your domain connected Sensor, the dashboard should look similar this:

Next, click connected “Personal Score”:

Click connected  'Personal Score'

Then, prime your domain sanction from “Projects”. Once selected, you’ll beryllium capable to reappraisal your domain’s volatility implicit the past 30 days:

As you tin see, my tract has a debased volatility people of 0.5, meaning there’s a debased accidental of my rankings importantly fluctuating.

How to Track Your Keyword Rankings connected Google

When it comes to tracking your keyword rankings connected Google, determination are 2 main methods I’d recommend: utilizing SEO tools specified arsenic Google Search Console and Semrush, and the manual method.

The manual method

Being the astir straightforward and evident method, it makes consciousness to screen the manual method first.

The manual method involves analyzing the SERPs yourself and determining wherever your pages fertile for circumstantial keywords.

However, contempt however “easy” it is, galore radical inactive transportation retired this method incorrectly.

You whitethorn deliberation that each you person to bash is caput to Google and benignant successful your keyword. For example, here’s what happens erstwhile I hunt for “what are backlinks”:

What are backlinks arsenic  seen connected  SERP

From this, it looks arsenic though I americium presently successful the #1 spot for the keyword, but americium I truly successful the fig 1 spot?

While these results supply you with immoderate penetration into however you’re ranking connected Google, it’s important to enactment that these results are not needfully the results the mean Google idiosyncratic volition find.

Here’s Google’s crushed wherefore your hunt results whitethorn beryllium antithetic from idiosyncratic else’s:

So, portion location, time, language, and instrumentality benignant whitethorn straight interaction the hunt results the mean Google idiosyncratic sees, the results tin besides beryllium impacted by their hunt history.

To presumption the SERPs successful their astir unbiased signifier (i.e., SERPs unaffected by the user’s hunt history), you’ll person to execute a Google hunt successful backstage mode.

To bash this, you person to archetypal unfastened up either an “Incognito” oregon a “New Private Window”.

Then hunt for a keyword that you privation to cheque wherever you fertile for.

For example, let’s hunt for “backlinks”:

Backlinks query arsenic  seen connected  Incognito mode

This is wherever Semrush really ranks successful the SERPs (#3 position), fixed that I’m presently searching successful Incognito mode.

Now, look what happens erstwhile I hunt for the aforesaid keyword successful regular browser mode:

Backlinks query connected  regular   browser

…Semrush has dropped to 4th position.

You whitethorn announcement large adjustments to the SERPs that appear. Or you whitethorn spot nary adjustments astatine all. Either way, you’ll summation a clearer representation of the SERP positions erstwhile utilizing Incognito mode.

This is due to the fact that Google doesn’t way your hunt past erstwhile successful Incognito mode. This means your hunt past can’t manipulate the results that are presented to you.

Therefore, erstwhile utilizing the manual method, I’d urge ever utilizing Incognito mode to springiness you much close readings.

However, I wouldn’t urge utilizing the manual method each clip you request to find retired your existent keyword ranking position.

If you person a caller website with lone a fistful of people keywords, sure, the manual method makes sense. But, if you’re dealing with a ample tract containing hundreds of people keywords, the manual method would beryllium excessively time-consuming to transportation out.

For much close and businesslike tracking, I’d urge utilizing either Google Search Console (if you’re connected a budget) oregon Semrush.

Tracking Your Keyword Rankings with Google Search Console

Using Google Search Console (GSC) to way your keyword rankings is mode faster than the manual way.

Plus, if you don’t person the fund for an outer SEO instrumentality (such arsenic Semrush) I’d urge utilizing GSC arsenic it’s free.

Before you tin usage the tool, you’ll request to marque definite your tract is acceptable up. I’ve got a usher connected how to get started connected GSC if you don’t cognize how. Remember, erstwhile you’ve got everything acceptable up, you’ll request to hold astir 30 days to accumulate capable data.

Once capable information is gathered, click connected “Search results”, which you’ll find successful the “Performance” section:

Performance conception  connected  GSC

Next, click connected “Average position”:

The Average presumption shows you astir wherever your domain appeared for circumstantial hunt presumption wrong your chosen timeframe.

If you scroll down, you’ll spot a array below. This array volition beryllium preset to “Queries”, which volition amusement you the keywords your tract is ranking for and their mean positions:

Keywords your tract  ranks for

If you click connected a circumstantial keyword, for example, “content writing”:

Content penning  query connected  Backlinko

The enactment graph volition show your keyword ranking past implicit the past 3 months.

Keyword ranking history

If you’d similar to set your dates, click connected the “Date: Last 3 months” option:

This volition springiness you a fewer day scope options to take from:

Date scope  to compare

If you click connected the “Compare” tab, you’ll beryllium capable to comparison your rankings with the erstwhile period’s rankings. For example, I’m going to comparison the past 3 months with the erstwhile 3 months:

Comparing past  3 months

After you click apply, you’ll beryllium capable to comparison the 2 day ranges. This volition springiness you a clearer representation of however your rankings person either improved oregon declined during that circumstantial timeframe.

If you request to export these reports, you tin bash truthful easy by hitting the “Export” fastener astatine the apical right:

Overall, GSC is businesslike and free. However, it does travel with its limitations.

For example, the level tin lone fto you way definite keywords. You person to instrumentality with the keywords GSC has listed; you can’t acceptable up tracking for circumstantial keywords. You can, however, bash this with Semrush’s Position Tracking tool.

Using Semrush to way your keyword rankings

Semrush is simply a multifunctional SEO instrumentality that tin beryllium utilized to way your keyword rankings successful respective antithetic ways.

With the Position Tracking tool, you tin prime keywords and the instrumentality volition periodically update you connected however your ranking positions person changed.

To bash this, click connected Position Tracking:

Position Tracking connected  SEMrush

Type your domain successful and click connected the “Set up tracking” button:

Enter domain and acceptable   up   tracking

In the “Targeting” section, you’ll request to prime the hunt engine, instrumentality and location:

Once you’re done, click connected “Continue to Keywords” astatine the bottommost of this window.

In the adjacent section, paste successful the keywords you’d similar to way and click the “Add keywords to campaign” button:

Add keywords to the campaign

The keywords you’ve enactment successful volition past look beneath the “Added to campaign” section:

Keywords added to the campaign

If you’d similar to person automated reports, you tin tick the “Send maine play ranking updates via email” option.

Send maine  play   ranking updates via email

This volition support you successful the loop of immoderate changes to your ranking positions.

Once you’re done, click “Start Tracking”.

On the adjacent page, click connected the “Overview” tab:

Click connected  Overview tab

Next, scroll down to the bottommost of the page, wherever you’ll spot information astir the keywords you’ve selected to track:

This includes their existent presumption compared to their ranking from 1 week ago:

Current rankings versus 7 days ago

Within the “Diff” column, you tin spot the changes successful your positions for each keyword:

For example, I tin spot that I’ve gone up 1 presumption for the keyword “seo strategy”.

How to comparison your ranking history

Within the Position Tracking tool, you tin besides reappraisal however your keyword rankings person changed implicit time.

To bash this, click connected the day enactment (in this lawsuit “Sep 7, 2023”) astatine the apical right-hand side:

Comparing ranking history

Here, you tin take to spot however your rankings person changed implicit antithetic clip periods, for example, the past 60 days:

You tin past reappraisal the presumption changes successful the “Rankings Overview” conception located further down the “Overview” page:

Rankings overview

Track presumption changes with the Organic Research tool

If you’re looking to get a amended knowing of the full fig of keywords you’re ranking for, past you tin usage the Organic Research tool.

Within the tool, you tin analyse your new, improved, lost, and declined keywords.

To get started, click connected “Organic Research”:

Then benignant successful your domain and deed “Search”:

Enter domain past    deed  search

You’ll past onshore connected the Organic Research Overview page, which volition look similar this:

Organic Research Overview page

Here, you’ll find a ton of insightful widgets and graphs.

The 1 you volition request to wage adjacent attraction to is the “Keywords” widget. Here, you volition spot the full fig of keywords your domain is presently ranking for.

As you tin see, Backliko is presently ranking for 101.7K keywords:

If you click connected the “Keywords” widget, you’ll beryllium presented with a barroom graph that provides you with further penetration into your keyword ranking positions.

Keyword ranking positions

If you privation to way the show of your keyword rankings implicit a circumstantial clip period, you tin simply take a clip framework connected the right-hand side:

time framework  for keyword rankings

For example, erstwhile I take the “All time” option:

All clip  options for keyword rankings

I tin spot that I’ve been gradually gaining rankings for much keywords implicit time.

Now, if you lone privation to spot the fig of keywords ranking successful definite positions, you tin usage the filter options below:

Organic keywords trend

For example, selecting the container adjacent to Top 3, provides maine with a amended knowing of however galore keywords fertile successful the Top 3 positions connected the SERPs:

Keywords successful  Top 3 SERP

As you tin see, I besides near the “SERP Features” enactment on, represented by the greenish bars. This allows maine to way erstwhile I archetypal gained SERP features for these keywords, opening successful April 2023.

It’s besides adjuvant to comparison antithetic ranking positions to measure your wide performance.

For example, you tin comparison the fig of keywords ranking successful the apical 3 positions with those ranking successful positions 21-50. This provides you with an accidental to measure which keywords are performing efficaciously and place those that whitethorn necessitate immoderate attention:

As you tin see, I person much keywords successful positions 21-50 than I bash successful the apical 3 positions.

Overall, the Organic Keywords Trend graph is utile for obtaining an overview of your ranking positions. However, if you’re looking for much elaborate data, click connected the “Position Changes” tab.

Here, you tin usage the filters to spot keywords ranking successful definite positions arsenic good arsenic immoderate new, lost, improved and declined keyword positions.

It’s worthy noting that the Position Changes tab volition lone show keywords that person changed positions. So, it won’t amusement you each the keywords your domain is ranking for.

With that said, let’s statesman with the “Positions” filter. You tin usage this filter to way presumption changes for keywords that are ranking successful definite positions connected the SERPs.

For example, if you lone privation to spot keywords that are successful the Top 10 positions connected the SERPs, prime “Top 10” and click “Apply”:

SERPs successful  Top 10

The instrumentality not lone shows you which keywords are successful the apical 10 but besides tracks changes successful their rankings. This means you tin spot if a keyword has moved up oregon down wrong the apical 10 positions.

Changes successful  integrated  positions

So, if we instrumentality the keyword “YouTube tags” arsenic an example, you’ll announcement that it antecedently held the apical presumption but has present shifted down 1 spot to the 2nd presumption successful the SERPs.

YouTube Tags SERP presumption   change

This displacement successful ranking has resulted successful a alteration of 1.2K successful traffic.

Next up, I’ll amusement you however to way your hunt presumption that person either improved oregon declined successful rankings, caller keywords you’ve precocious started ranking for, and keywords for which you’ve mislaid rankings. To bash this, you’ll request to usage the “Position Changes” filter.

Tracking hunt  presumption     performance

Let’s instrumentality a look astatine the “New” keywords I’ve gained:

New keywords gained

As you tin see, I’m present ranking for 132 caller keywords wrong the apical 10 positions.

You tin besides usage aggregate filters astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic well. In this instance, I’ve chosen to lone place caller keywords that are ranking successful the apical 10 positions connected the SERPs.

To presumption keywords that person either improved oregon declined successful rankings, on with those for which you’ve mislaid rankings, set the filter according to your requirements.

Overall, the Position Changes tab is simply a large mode to support way of your keyword portfolio rapidly and easily. Rather than scrolling done each your keywords to spot ranking improvements oregon issues, you tin streamline the process by utilizing the filter options to summation insights much efficiently.

Moving on. Another utile tab to usage successful the Organic Research instrumentality is the “Positions” tab:

The large quality present betwixt this tab and the “Position Changes” tab is that the “Positions” tab shows you each the keywords you’re ranking for, portion the “Position Changes” tab lone displays keywords that person changed positions.

For example, if you privation to spot which of your keywords are successful the apical 10 positions connected the SERPs, click connected the “Positions” filter and prime Top 10:

And you’ll get a database of the keywords you presently ranking for successful the apical 10 positions:

List of apical  10 keywords connected  SERP

Another filter you tin usage is “SERP features”

For example, if you privation to spot which of your keywords are earning you featured snippets, prime “Featured snippets” nether the “SERP Features on…” option:

See Featured Snippets

Semrush volition past show a database of these keywords.

SEMrush displays apical  10 keywords connected  SERP

SWEET!

One circumstantial diagnostic wrong the Organic Research instrumentality that I find highly insightful is the “Keywords by Intent” table:

Keywords by Intent

This gives you a broad breakdown of the hunt intent organisation for the keywords you fertile for. You’ll beryllium capable to place the fig of keywords you person ranking for each intent:

Understand intent for your ranking keywords

…as good arsenic the magnitude of postulation each intent pulls successful for your site:

As expected, I’m mostly ranking for informational keywords, since astir of the contented I constitute is focused connected teaching and informing people. This lets maine cognize that my SEO efforts are aligned with the main intent of my website, which is to supply information.

What Causes A Sudden and Significant Drop successful Keyword Rankings?

I’ve already addressed 1 of the superior causes for a important driblet successful keyword rankings: Google algorithm updates. However, determination are different factors that tin pb to important declines successful your keyword rankings, including:

A alteration to your backlink profile

High-quality backlinks from authoritative and applicable websites are invaluable assets. Losing specified backlinks tin interaction your website’s authorization and credibility successful the eyes of Google. As a result, your rankings mightiness drop, particularly for keywords that were influenced by the mislaid backlinks.

On the different hand, if you’ve acquired a ample fig of spammy backlinks recently, this could effect successful a Google punishment which, successful turn, could pb to a important driblet successful your rankings.

For this reason, it’s indispensable to audit your backlink illustration regularly.

I’ve got an extended usher on however to execute a backlink audit if you privation to larn however to bash it.

Content quality, removal, oregon changes

Poor prime contented volition evidently pb to mediocre prime rankings. If your contented is inaccurate, shallow, oregon straight copied from determination else, it won’t fertile successful the SERPs.

A abrupt driblet successful rankings tin besides hap if you region oregon dramatically alteration the contented connected your web page. When Google revisits your web leafage and finds that the contented is nary longer of quality, you could perchance spot a driblet successful rankings.

Google Penalties

If Google detects that you’ve utilized achromatic chapeau techniques to manipulate the algorithm, they whitethorn enforce a manual punishment that volition origin your rankings to driblet dramatically.

Black-hat SEO techniques include:

  • Shady link-building
  • Keyword stuffing
  • Duplicate content
  • Cloaking
  • Hidden substance oregon links

Basically, thing you’ve done to manipulate the algorithm volition apt travel backmost and impact your rankings astatine immoderate point.

Server migrations oregon HTTPS transitions

If you alteration the URL operation of your website, power from HTTP to HTTPS, alteration your CMS, oregon acquisition a tract migration, you request to guarantee you transportation these retired cautiously and correctly. Failing to bash truthful could effect successful a important nonaccomplishment of rankings.

For example, erstwhile transitioning from HTTP to HTTPS, you request to acceptable up 301 redirects from your aged pages to your caller ones. If you acceptable up these 301s incorrectly it tin trigger errors. These errors whitethorn effect successful a driblet successful rankings.

Technical issues

Tech issues specified arsenic dilatory leafage load speeds, 404 errors, breached links, server downtime, and non-mobile-friendly pages volition apt summation the bounce complaint of your pages. As a result, this could pb to a driblet successful your keyword rankings.

Another communal method contented is simply a robot.txt record with incorrect directives. These files supply directives to Googlebot, influencing its crawling behaviour passim your domain.

If you make a robots.txt record with incorrect directives it tin pb to crawlability issues and, ultimately, ranking problems.

Seasonal keywords

If you’re targeting seasonal keywords, you mightiness acquisition earthy fluctuations successful rankings owed to seasonality oregon changing idiosyncratic intent.

This is mostly portion of the bundle of targeting seasonal keywords. You whitethorn announcement them climbing backmost up the rankings erstwhile the play comes backmost astir again.

Evergreen keywords, connected the different hand, enactment applicable passim the year.

How Do You Respond to a Drop successful Keyword Rankings?

To decorativeness off, fto maine code what you should bash erstwhile you announcement a important driblet successful your keyword rankings.

Audit your site

The archetypal happening to bash if you acquisition a abrupt driblet successful keyword rankings would beryllium to audit your site. This volition item immoderate issues your tract is experiencing, whether it beryllium backlink issues, method issues, oregon immoderate different on-page oregon off-page problems.

By pinpointing your issues, you cognize precisely what you person to fix.

If you’ve work the usher I linked to above, you’ll cognize however to audit your backlink profile.

Now I’ll amusement you however to audit your tract for method and on-page SEO issues. Using Semrush’s Site Audit tool, you tin scan your full tract and get a broad database of each of its issues, and recommendations connected however to hole them.

You’ll find the Site Audit instrumentality nether the On-Page & Tech SEO conception successful the left-hand menu:

Site Audit tool

Next, benignant your domain successful and deed “Start Audit”:

Enter domain and commencement  audit

Semrush volition past commencement to scan your tract for immoderate errors. Once the audit is complete, you’ll onshore connected the Site Audit Overview page:

This volition springiness you a wide overview of the existent wellness of your site. If you click connected “View details” successful immoderate of the widgets, you’ll beryllium capable to reappraisal much elaborate accusation related to those circumstantial reports.

By clicking connected the “Issues” tab, you’ll beryllium capable to spot a afloat breakdown of errors, warnings, and notices:

Issues tab

If you click connected 1 of these errors, you’ll beryllium capable to analyse the affected pages. For example, if I click connected “12 incorrect pages recovered successful sitemap.xml”, I tin pinpoint precisely which 12 pages are affected:

Pages with xml issues

…which I tin past spell and fix.

Update your content

If you find that your rankings are declining, 1 imaginable contributing origin could beryllium outdated content.

For example, an nonfiction titled “Best Paleo Diet Tips of 2020” looks beauteous dated compared to an nonfiction titled “Best Paleo Diet Tips 2023”.

Search engines spot important value connected delivering up-to-date and applicable contented to users. When your contented becomes outdated, not lone does it suffer its entreaty to readers, but it tin besides negatively interaction your hunt motor rankings.

Users are much apt to prosecute with and spot contented that reflects the latest accusation and trends. To enactment competitive, it’s important to marque definite you’re consistently updating your content, refreshing your statistics, and revising your accusation arsenic necessary.

Match hunt intent

You request to marque definite that your contented is really answering the questions that web users are asking.

You request to prosecute your assemblage rapidly and support them engaged – the main mode of doing this is by structuring your contented successful a mode that addresses their main symptom points and provides solutions to them.

Aim to reply your user’s hunt query arsenic soon arsenic imaginable – i.e., wrong the archetypal fewer lines of the article. Don’t marque them scroll done the entirety of your article, arsenic they’re highly improbable to bash so.

In fact, they’re much apt to bounce and look elsewhere for answers. If capable users spell elsewhere, past you could tally the hazard of losing your assemblage and your rankings completely.

If you bash announcement a driblet successful your rankings, analyse your pages and marque definite your contented is really aligned to lucifer the users’ hunt intent.

Analyze your competitors

Your competitors volition person analyzed your contented and taken steps to optimize theirs successful bid to outrank you.

So, if you announcement that you’ve mislaid rankings, and a rival has gained the precocious hand, you request to analyse their leafage and spot if determination are opportunities for you to optimize your leafage to supply much worth and a amended UX.

How Often Should You Track Your Keyword Rankings?

Like astir SEO tasks, you request to way your keywords periodically.

However, the frequence successful which you should way your keywords depends wholly connected your industry, the competitors you’re up against, and the magnitude of clip and resources you indispensable dedicate to keyword tracking.

To springiness you a unsmooth thought of however often you should transportation retired tracking, present are my recommendations for antithetic concern types:

Monthly tracking

If your keywords are mostly unchangeable and if your contention levels aren’t excessively high, past conducting monthly keyword tracking is recommended. Monthly tracking is the bare minimum you tin do. So, if you don’t person overmuch clip oregon resources, effort and astatine slightest cheque your rankings erstwhile a month.

Bi-weekly

If you’ve conscionable launched a caller SEO campaign, you’ll astir apt people beryllium checking your rankings frequently. Checking connected a bi-weekly ground should let you to support up-to-date with insignificant changes portion giving you capable clip to absorption connected different SEO tasks.

Weekly tracking

I’d urge tracking your keywords connected a play ground if you’re successful a highly competitory industry. As in, if your rankings people fluctuate connected a regular basis. Tracking this often volition let you to drawback fluctuations earlier they get retired of hand. By identifying these ranking changes, you tin marque adjustments to your contented to flooded them.

Daily tracking

I lone urge regular tracking for the pursuing reasons: if you’ve precocious encountered a Google punishment oregon are actively moving connected recovery, oregon if Google has precocious rolled retired a large algorithm update. Daily tracking tin supply important insights into their interaction connected your rankings.

FAQs

Can you usage Google Keyword Planner to cheque keyword rankings connected Google?

Google Keyword Planner is not designed for checking keyword rankings connected Google. Instead, it is simply a instrumentality you tin usage for keyword probe purposes.

For example, you tin usage it to analyse prospective keywords by determining their mean hunt volume, competitiveness, and bid estimates.

This each helps you find whether the keyword is worthy targeting oregon not. Once you person selected your keywords and person written your content, you tin way your rankings utilizing Google Search Console oregon Semrush.

Can I way keywords for antithetic regions oregon countries?

Most SEO tools that are designed to way your keyword rankings tin beryllium utilized for antithetic regions and countries. For example, if you’re utilizing Semrush’s Position Tracking, you tin upgrade to Multitargeting to way your domain rankings successful antithetic locations and languages.

Is tracking keyword rankings the lone metric I should absorption connected for SEO?

No, to marque your SEO run a success, you request to way much metrics than conscionable your keyword ranking. Your keyword ranking is simply a bully indicator of however disposable you are connected the SERPs, and however good you’re competing against your rivals, but it doesn’t uncover however web users are really interacting with your content. For this, you would request to way your integrated postulation levels, clickthrough rate, conversion level, and truthful on.

 

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