In case you have a site one of the greatest aims is to bring people to your site. Google is widely used by most people trying to search something online and hence your site having a good ranking is bound to show when someone searches anything related to their contents or business. It is at this point where keyword ranking is involved.
- What Is Keyword Ranking?
- How Google Ranks Keywords
- Manual Method: Searching Keywords on Google
- Using Google Search Console to Track Rankings
- Top Tools for Checking Keyword Rankings
- Free vs Paid Keyword Tracking Tools
- Step-by-Step: Using a Rank Tracker Tool
- How Often Should You Check Your Rankings?
- What to Do if Your Ranking Drops
- Tips to Improve Keyword Rankings
- Conclusion: Stay Ahead by Monitoring Rankings
- FAQ’s
It is the place your site comes on Google when a certain keyword is typed in the internet. The more high you will seem up there, the more the people will click and pay a visit to your site. When you monitor the ranking of your keywords regularly, you are able to know the effectiveness or otherwise of your search engine optimization strategies.
But in this guide we are going to show you easy steps of checking your keyword ranking both in free and paid ways.
What Is Keyword Ranking?
The ranking of keyword is the number of your web pages in Google search by a certain phrase. As an example, when a person uses the word easy pasta recipes as the search term, and your page appears on the fifth position, your keyword position is at #5 on that term.
Ranks do not remain the same at all times; they may vary with a day because of various factors such as new content by your competitors, recent reviews by Google, and modifications in your site.
It is therefore good to monitor rankings so that you can know your position and the performance of your contents in search engines.
How Google Ranks Keywords
Google does not randomly list websites in the results of the search. It has an intelligent algorithm that determines which pages will be on the top. It considers several factors so as to do this. Relevance of content is one of the keys- Google makes sure that this page responds to what was searched. The next one is back links- Google treats websites that are linked with other websites that are considered trustworthy.
It also verifies user experience, i.e., its loading speed on websites and mobile responsiveness. Lastly, it examines the usage of the keyword in your content in a natural way. It is only by knowing these things that you are able to manage your rankings better.
Manual Method: Searching Keywords on Google
Among the simplest ways of surety about the ranking of your keyword is explicit search through the keyword in Google. But in order to obtain precise results, you are expected to employ an incognito or a private window browsing.
This will not allow your search history or location to influence the search results. At the end of opening the incognito mode, you will need to type your keyword on Google and scroll down the results trying to locate your web site. Record the position. This technique is fast and free and cannot be utilized to screen several keywords.
Also, Google is able to present different results depending on the location, the device, and previous browsing history even with the incognito feature turned on.
Using Google Search Console to Track Rankings
Google Search Console is an instrument offered by Google that provides you with plenty of handy information over your site. Among its main beneficial functions is the ability to display to you the keywords that your site appears in search results.
Once you register and add your site to it, visit your site in the section of performance. Here, you will find the list of searched questions that people have been using to locate your site. You are also able to view the average ranking of each keyword in addition to the number of clicks and impressions received as well as your click-through rate (CTR). This is a free and accurate way of monitoring performance of keywords in Google first hand.
Top Tools for Checking Keyword Rankings
There are various professional tools in case you need more detailed information and proper tracking. These include:
- SEMrush: It provides such advanced options as competitor analysis, historical data, and daily keyword tracking.
- Ahrefs – It offers a powerful backlink information and proper tracking tool of ranks.
- Moz Pro- Includes keyword tracking, site auditing, and SEO proposals in an easy-to-view format.
- Ubersuggest – The tool that might be interesting to newbies because it provides you with ideas about the keywords, rankings, and site traffic; it is relatively inexpensive.
- SERPWatcher- An easy tool to monitor keyword movement through house charts and reports developed by Mangools.
These tools can be of particular assistance when you deal with numerous sites or observe a several number of keywords. They deliver data in real time, alerts and performances.
Free vs Paid Keyword Tracking Tools
There are free instruments, such as Google Search console, which are a good first step or useful on small sites. They give credible and reliable data; sources of which are for the first time through Google, and aid in knowing the situation of your site. But they can be limited, i.e., they do not monitor the competitors, do not provide the precise ranking or offer the actual real-time update.
Detailed information is available on paid tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs or Moz. You will be able to monitor thousands of keywords, receive notifications concerning a change in ranking, compare and see trends in history. Such tools are worth so much money when you are serious about growing your site, and they may be unnecessary to very small sites or personal blogs.
Step-by-Step: Using a Rank Tracker Tool
Operation of keyword tracking tool is typically quite easy. A standard procedure with such tools as SERPWatcher or Ubersuggest will look like this:
- Sign Up: Go to the site of the tool and open an account. Certain devices are provided with the free test of the functions.
- Add Your Website: Type in your Internet site so that the tool will be able to observe keywords that connected to it.
- Enter Keywords: Here type in some keywords to be tracked. It is also possible to select the location, and the kind of device (desktop or mobile).
- Tracking Commencement: The tool will set on collecting data. You will shortly find the position of your site in relation to each keyword.
- Reports: The majority of the tools display graphs with keyword position changing with time. This assists you to know whether your SEO efforts are getting things better or otherwise.
- Set Alerts: There are tools that will notify you once your ranking moves in an irregular manner thus making you respond in time.
Such tools are perfectly suited to those around in a hurry who need swift answers and automatic reports.
How Often Should You Check Your Rankings?
Being obsessive about your rankings is not an excellent idea since the search ranks shift a bit each day making them to be subject of constant stress. Overall, you should do the check at least once a week provided that you are actively involved in SEO.
What you will do is to check your site once or twice a month, that is, in case you are only observing its slow but gradual development. It is however only wise to review your ranking more frequently when you start a new SEO campaign, or when you have massive content updates so you can determine the impact it has on your position.
What to Do if Your Ranking Drops
On other occasions, you can find your ranking decreased. It is OK, do not panic, it can be generally corrected. Beginning with Google Search Console to analyze existence of technical problems and penalties. Then, go to the page which lost positions-check whether the content remains useful, current, and has the right keywords.
In addition, verify whether a competitor has posted something superior or more appropriate. The possible responses are to either better your content, refresh your SEO, or attain new backlinks. Keep in mind that ranking depreciations are usually transitory and even can be fixed.
Tips to Improve Keyword Rankings
The ranking of keywords is a long and hard process but it is worth it. These useful hints can be offered:
Write useful contents that address the question that the user posed fully.
Titles, headings and body text should all be used in a natural manner which uses keywords.
Use meta descriptions to drive clicks of search results.
Boost page speed to ensure your internet page loads quickly in any device.
Ensure that your site is compatible with mobile phones since majority of the users are browsing with their mobile phones.
Use good sites to get back links to increase your authority.
Revise your old posts to be able to keep up to date with the latest information and keywords.
They are some of the tips that you can follow regularly to rise the rankings with time.
Conclusion: Stay Ahead by Monitoring Rankings
One of the most important skills of a web site owner is knowing how to see his or her keyword ranking in Google. It assists you to gauge the success of your content, tell you what you can upgrade and be at a higher level than your competition.
It does not matter whether you use free instruments such as Google Search Console or purchase paid services such as SEMrush or Ahrefs; it is essential to remain informed. Rankings do not equal numbers only- they indicate the effectiveness of your site on the online arena that is full of businesses.
You can increase your online presence and access larger population by monitoring them often and making appropriate changes.
