Gaining more traffic to a branded website is a critical element that most businesses need to master. However, simply creating a great-looking site and filling it with quality content isn’t always enough. You also need to know how to target specific keywords on each of your web pages and track their rankings over time.
Keyword monitoring is one of the most effective ways to tell whether or not your SEO strategies are working over time. Luckily, there are several great tools you can use to simplify this process.
What is Keyword Monitoring and Why Does It Matter?
Keyword monitoring is a fundamental component of SEO that involves regularly tracking how well web pages rank for specific keywords on search engine results pages (SERPs). The primary purpose of this strategy is to validate the effectiveness of various site optimization efforts used to increase visibility on search engines and increase organic traffic volume.
Tracking how well pages rank for certain keywords over time provides site owners with real-time feedback they can use to make their websites more engaging by fine-tuning content quality and structure.
The Two Main Types of Keyword Monitoring
When starting to plan and executing keyword monitoring strategies, there are actually two primary formats businesses can use – keyword rank tracking and monitoring for brand mentions:
Keyword Rank Tracking
Keyword rank tracking involves regularly auditing your website pages to see which keywords they’re currently ranking for. Once these keywords are identified, you would then track their positioning over time to see whether or not these pages are trending up or down in SERPs, determining how well the page is optimized for those chosen keywords.
Media & Mention Monitoring
Media and mending monitoring is another SEO tactic that involves scanning for brand or product/service mentions across a wide range of media outlets. Some of the places where these mentions are likely to occur include social media platforms, industry forums, high-authority blogs, or in published news articles.
Benefits of Tracking Keyword Rankings
- Improve SEO Strategy – Knowing which keywords generate the most searches and contribute to larger amounts of site traffic can help you create more impactful strategies for other webpages. Evaluating what strategies work and which don’t helps you take a more targeted approach to your optimization efforts.
- Benchmark Competitors – Part of tracking your keyword rankings is gaining more awareness of how other businesses are succeeding in their own efforts. This can give you a good sense of the type of competition you have in the industry and allows you to learn from both their successes and failures.
- Identify New Content Opportunities—Tracking keywords regularly can help you generate more ideas for improving the quality or relevancy of the content you create. Knowing how each of your targeted keywords is performing and which aren’t can help you learn more about the type of content your audience prefers, so you can plan your content calendar more strategically.
- Measure Performance Across Platforms – Using various keyword tracking tools, you can often see how your content is ranking across multiple platforms, not just Google. This can help you gain a better sense of your overall SEO effectiveness.
Best Keyword Tracking Tools for SEO
Semrush
Semrush is one of the most well-known all-in-one SEO tools available today. It features a comprehensive suite of features that help site owners track the performance of their keyword rankings while learning about their competitors’ tactics and market trends at the same time.
Key Features
- Keyword Overview – This feature allows you to enter any potential keyword to discover its SEO potential. It provides you with a wide range of information, including the volume of searches it receives in a month, how difficult it can be to rank for, and the average ad costs (CPC) associated with it.
- Competitor Analysis Tools – Semrush helps businesses monitor their competitors using an Organic Research tool that allows you to track other websites and compare their performance to your own. Using the Keyword Gap tool, you can quickly compare up to five different domains side-by-side, checking for common keywords or potential gaps in keyword strategies.
- Position Tracking & Alerts – The platform also allow you to monitor the daily rankings of a custom set of keywords across multiple platforms and device types. You can then organize the data provided by custom tags and get automated alerts if an when there are significant drops or gains in positioning.
Use Case
Semrush can be used for a variety of SEO-related tasks, but excels at executing competitive keyword research and tracking across various websites. Pricing plans start at $139.95 a month, with Business Plans constant at $499.95 per month. Several add-on features can also be purchased on an as-needed basis.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another well-known SEO tool for conducting comprehensive keyword research across various websites. While it may not be the most visually appealing site when conducting multiple site audit projects, it does offer in-depth link research tools and a variety of other helpful features.
Key Features
- Rank Tracker – Ahrefs has a highly advanced keyword tracker that reviews real-time Google rankings across 190 different countries. It uses an interactive “Share of Voice” graph display that shows the percentage of individuals who navigate to sites referred through organic searches based on certain keywords.
- Site Explorer for Organic Keywords – The Site Explorer tool enables site owners to conduct a deep analysis of organic traffic performance. It also includes an Organic Keywords Report that shows all organic keywords a website is currently ranking for, including its search volume, keyword difficulty scores, SERP position, and ranking history.
- Alerts & Mention Monitoring – Ahrefs uses a “Mention’ feature that allows you to set up email notifications if and when your brand name is mentioned on different platforms across the web.
Use Case
Ahrefs is a great tool for gaining detailed keyword ranking opportunities through its highly detailed and regularly updated SERP tracking. It’s also a good solution for monitoring unlinked brand mentions and helping to identify new link-building opportunities. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools has a variety of free, limited features, with paid plans ranging from $129 to $449 per month.
SE Ranking
SE Ranking provides site owners with an all-in-one solution for managing keyword tracking, website audits, competitor analysis, and backlink checking.
Key Features
- All-in-One SEO Dashboard – Provides a central hub to connect your SEO dashboard with Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Gives you a complete view of site performance all in one place and includes an “Insights Report” that synthesizes data into actionable recommendations.
- Keyword Tracking Interface – Monitors keyword ranking positions across Google, Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube. Users can track detailed metrics for all of their pages, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and even identify the search intent for each keyword.
Use Case
SE Ranking is a perfect starting platform for freelancers, agencies, or in-house marketing teams that need simple-to-use but effective SEO tools for improving their websites. Pricing plans start at $65 per month and go up to $259 per month, with an option to add on other monthly SEO features.
Keyword.com
Keyword.com is a specialized, lightweight rank tracking tool that provides accurate, real-time keyword rankings to site owners. The tool also has a range of other helpful SEO features that businesses can leverage for client reporting or data verification.
Key Features
- Rank Tracker Accuracy Report – The platform features a Rank Tracker Accuracy Report and Spyglass Verification features that provide highly accurate search ranking results for various keywords. It claims nearly 97% accuracy on all reported results and uses data center rotation and proxy servers to avoid biased results.
- Keyword Monitoring Software – Provides granular local keyword tracking by zip code and can be formatted to update rankings hourly, daily, weekly, or on-demand.
- Real-Time Performance – Keyword.com’s real-time capabilities are one of its primary differentiators from other platforms. It’s one of the more relevant tools available for tracking site ranking data and provides helpful features like live dashboards and alert notifications as rankings change.
Use Case
Keyword.com is a good choice for site owners or SEO agencies that need highly accurate keyword ranking reporting. It offers very affordable and flexible pricing plans, with plans as low as $3 per month up to $459 per month based on the number of keywords and ranking update frequency chosen.
SERPWatcher (by Mangools)
SERPWatcher is a tool available through Mangools that provides aggregated keyword ranking data to help site owners evaluate and improve the ranking performance of their webpages.
Key Features
- User-friendly Dashboard – SERPWatcher features a simple dashboard design that makes it easy to understand critical keyword ranking data on a website. It provides customizable charts and graphs for tracking keyword performance and allows you to switch back and forth between desktop and mobile ranking data in one click.
- Daily Tracking Updates – When tracking keyword positions, SERPWatcher updates data every 24 hours. These updates can be found in personalized dashboards that allow you to configure various email alerts when new updates are found on your chosen keywords.
Use Case
SERPWatcher is designed to provide users with effective rank tracking of keyword results on both desktop and mobile devices. Although it doesn’t provide ranking results as often as other tools, it’s an easy-to-use tool that’s both affordable and beneficial for tracking important SEO initiatives. Pricing plans start at $29.90 per month and go up to $89.90 per month.
Moz Pro
Moz Pro is in a similar category to Semrush and Ahrefs, and has been a well-known all-in-one SEO software suite for many years now. Its proprietary metrics, like Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA), have been relied on when establishing best SEO practices across various industries.
Key Features
- Rank Checker – Allows you to monitor different keyword positions across Google, Bing, and Yahoo, while also tracking ranking results by geographic locations. Can provide regular weekly updates of keyword rankings on demand when required.
- Keyword Explorer – Moz Pro is an in-depth research tool that helps site owners break down specific elements of their keywords, including whether their associated search intent is informational, commercial, or transactional. It features a very large database of over 1.25 billion keywords and provides helpful SERP analysis features, including competitor research tools to track their link metrics or page scores.
- Campaign Insights – Provides “Campaign Insights” that can be used to track the overall performance of specific webpages. It uses metrics reporting powered by Google Lighthouse to analyze how well each web page is performing against Google’s recommended guidelines.
Use Case
Moz Pro is an excellent solution for any website owner looking to conduct comprehensive keyword research. It offers national and local rank tracking, site auditing capabilities, and other helpful features for conducting in-depth competitor analysis. Prices for Moz Pro range between $99 and $179 per month.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool available to site owners that can help them monitor and improve the performance of their websites. While GSC isn’t necessarily designed to be a standalone keyword tracking tool, it can help to support other SEO ranking initiatives.
Key Features
- Performance Reports – GSC provides users with detailed performance reports of their website that outline metrics like total clicks, impressions, average CTR, and related search queries that lead viewers to the website. Performance, however, is limited specifically to Google.
- Search Queries and Positions – The platform provides a “Queries” tab that shows up to 1,000 top-related search queries where the site is appearing. It shows the average positioning of these mentions in SERPs and can help you to discover new keyword opportunities.
Use Case
GSC is a tool that every site owner should use when measuring their site performance over time. Because Google develops it, the insights provided can play a key role in helping site owners improve their overall SERP rankings.
Choosing the Right Tool
When deciding between different keyword ranking tools, there are a few things to consider:
Do You Need One or Multiple Tools?
The number of tools you need to measure your keyword rankings really depends on your goals. All-in-one platforms can be a good way to save costs while still giving you valuable features you can use. However, specific specialized tools are much better at performing tasks like competitor analysis, real-time rank tracking, analyzing backlinks, and identifying new keywords worth targeting.
Must-Have Features to Consider
- Accuracy and Update Frequency – Check to see how often the tool updates its rankings, and look for a solution that is as close to real-time as possible.
- Dashboard and Usability – Make sure the tools you use are easy to navigate and understand, and allow you to extract helpful insights about your site that you can act on.
- Alerts and Reporting – Try to find tools that provide proactive alerting so that you can stay on track of important gains and losses in your keyword rankings.
- Competitor Comparison – Look for tools that make it easy to compare your website with other competitor brands. This will help you identify any gaps in your content strategy and capitalize on areas they may have missed.
- Integration Capabilities – Prioritize using tools that allow you to integrate multiple tools and platforms together so you can create a more holistic solution for your SEO efforts.
FAQs About Keyword Tracking Software
What Is the Best Keyword Monitoring Tool for Agencies?
Typically, agencies should focus on finding tools that offer more comprehensive client reporting features and white-label services. Some commonly used tools for this include Semrush, Ahrefs, and SE Ranking.
How Does Tracking Keywords Help Improve SEO?
Tracking your keywords regularly gives you important insight into whether or not your content management strategy is effectively attracting more organic traffic to your site. This can help you decide if specific SEO initiatives you’re driving need to be improved.
What’s the Difference Between Keyword Rank Tracking and Media Monitoring?
Keyword rank tracking monitors your website’s search engine positions for specific keywords. Media monitoring tracks brand mentions across social media and other digital outlets to gauge public sentiment and manage brand reputation.