A frequently debated topic in the search engine optimisation (SEO) community is whether people should continue tracking keyword rankings. I believe that you should still track keyword rankings, which we’ll discuss in this post.
I think it would benefit beginners and even advanced SEO specialists to know why monitoring keyword rankings is still vital for search engine success.
Here are just 5 of the many reasons you should track keyword ranking data.
Reason #1: To Troubleshoot Sudden Dips in Traffic
Sudden dips in website traffic happen now and then. Sometimes it’s because of a change in the Google algorithm, primarily since the search giant is known for constantly introducing confirmed and unconfirmed updates. Any one of these updates can change the way you receive organic traffic.
Yet, these fluctuations or drops in ranking can also have other causes, especially when they happen suddenly. One reason could be the search engine trying new features for SERPs, a penalty from Google, or a glitch on the website messing with keyword positions. It could also be something else entirely.
One of the best methods to troubleshoot problems with website traffic is to review keyword rankings. To check the rankings, you need to have been keeping track of them beforehand to get a clearer picture and the associated ranking position you had previously.
With all of your past and current rankings available on an SEO platform, you can immediately see how the changes have affected your metrics. These rankings let you identify which keywords or pages have dropped while coming up with ideas on what caused them to do so.
Reason #2: To Identify New Opportunities
The search results we can access nowadays have evolved so much in the past few years. The SERPs we have now don’t look anything like the blue links that people used to know and use beforehand.
Yet despite these changes being known to provide users with better experiences throughout the years, it can still be challenging to keep track of them as an SEO specialist. That is, at least, if you aren’t using rank tracking capabilities and data.
This is especially crucial when you want to know how your competitors perform by monitoring countless pages and keywords. At the same time, you can track rankings in SERP features that highlight the possible missed opportunities concerning zero-click searches.
Yet, it’s not all that bad. These changes to the SERPs provide users with new ways to drive traffic and conversions. But for you to leverage these opportunities, you first need to have access to the correct data – data that can be obtained from a rank tracking system.
Reason #3: To Keep Track of Your Competition
Getting details concerning keyword rankings can provide you with information besides the performance of your website. You also get to learn how your competitors are ranking for specific keywords and phrases. Additionally, the data can also reveal what they are doing to divert traffic from your site.
One of the most significant advantages of monitoring competitor rankings is that this can tell you whether they’ve launched new content or landing pages to gain rankings for specific phrases. You also get to learn whether these same companies have begun focusing on new keywords for new pages and so on.
With these insights, you get to choose how you improve your content to launch new pages and solidify your rankings. It’s always essential to get ahead of your competitors if you want your business to stay competitive.
However, such data is only available when you have access to a keyword ranking platform that can provide you with the said insights.
Reason #4: To Pinpoint Organic CTR Problems
When you get a good ranking in SERPs, you have the opportunity to put your brand in front of your target audience. Without it, you naturally wouldn’t be seeing any traffic to your website, at least nothing significant.
For this to happen, visitors must first click your link in the search results.
Yet how can you know if they click or not? How can you tell if your pages are getting ideal, organic click-through rates? This is where being able to monitor keyword rankings while having the ability to correlate average organic CTR data can be beneficial.
Additionally, identifying problems with organic CTR can provide you with information on what amendments to the metadata you can make to resolve such issues.
Reason #5: To Have Data That You Can Report About
One of the biggest challenges for SEO professionals is reporting on the effectiveness of their campaigns. After all, how can you show your colleagues, bosses, or clients the impact of your work when you don’t have the right tools to let you do just that?
You can reveal how many keywords have begun ranking since the last report with a keyword ranking system. You also get to know what positions have changed and how much traffic and sales have been generated because of these changes in keyword rankings.
Similarly, you get the ability to report on the changes in performance over time that illustrates your overall progress. For instance, you can generate reports on the number of keywords that have risen in positions or hit page one. Even just looking at the trends of these ranking movements can be useful.
How to Keep Track of Keyword Rankings Using SEO Tools
The first step to track your keyword rankings is to select the correct terms and then determine the ranking opportunities for each one.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a good place to start for this if you have an established website. It’s the only tool available today that still lets you display keyword click data for your site.
With its highly detailed, performance-based reporting, users can see which keywords are performing well, including those with the best click-through rates.
RankCaddy will let you see a blend of Google Analytics and Google Search Console data and make it a lot easier to view and play with this data. This makes getting actionable insights from it so much easier.
And then, of course, RankCaddy will also let you track rankings, all at an affordable cost.
Conclusion
With the ability to track your keyword rankings in search results, you can see what changes happened in the previous weeks/months and what you can do to make improvements moving forward.
Keeping an eye on these trends has many benefits, and not tracking rankings is more than just a missed opportunity.