You've decided it's time to get serious with your keyword research and SEO strategy. Monitoring your search engine ranking positions regularly is key to understanding what's working and what needs improvement. Rather than checking rankings manually, you need a tool that automates the process so you can focus your time on optimization.
SERP trackers or rank checkers are designed specifically for this purpose. They track your rankings for targeted keywords across search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The best SERP trackers provide historical data so you can see how your rankings change over time, insights to help determine the cause of ranking fluctuations, and reporting to share with your clients or boss.
With so many options out there, finding the right SERP tracker for your needs can be overwhelming. We've compiled a list of the 10 best SERP trackers to help you watch your keyword rankings and get the insights you need to strengthen your SEO strategy in 2023. Let's get started!
Which one is better: free or paid SERP tracker?
Paid SERP trackers are generally better than free ones. Free tools may have limited features, inaccurate data, and unreliable updates. Paid tools offer more comprehensive features, accurate data, regular updates, and customer support, ensuring better results and a more efficient keyword research process.
What are the benefits of SERP tracking software?
People often wonder why they should invest in SERP tracker software - here are a few key benefits of doing so.
- Gain valuable insights: A good SERP tracker provides insights into how your keywords and content are ranking in Google. You'll see which posts or pages are climbing in rank, which are slipping, and which aren't ranking at all. This helps you optimize your content and SEO strategy.
- Track your competitors: See where your competitors' content ranks for target keywords. This helps you evaluate your competitive position and make a plan to outrank them.
- Measure the impact of changes: Make an update to your site or content and want to see how it impacts rankings? A SERP tracker lets you compare rankings before and after changes so you can see what's working.
- Spot ranking fluctuations: Rankings fluctuate all the time. A tracker lets you catch drops in ranking quickly so you can investigate and fix any issues. You'll also catch upward trends early on.
- Set ranking goals: Pick target keywords and set goals to reach the first page of Google or rank in the top 3 spots. A SERP tracker helps you see progress toward your goals and make adjustments to your optimization strategy to get there.
If you're serious about improving your search rankings and organic traffic, a SERP rank tracking tool is essential. The insights and data it provides are invaluable for an effective SEO strategy. With so many options, you can find an affordable tracker that suits your needs. Why not give it a try? Your rankings and traffic will thank you.
10 features to look for in SERP tracking software
When choosing SERP tracking software, you want a tool with certain must-have features. Here are 10 to look for:
- Keyword ranking: Can it show you the ranking of your target keywords in Google and other search engines? Knowing their position helps you track your SEO progress.
- Competitor tracking: Look for a tool that lets you add competitor domains so you can monitor their keyword rankings too. This helps uncover opportunities and see how you measure up.
- Ranking history: The software should record keyword ranking history over time so you can see trends and patterns. Look for at least 3-6 months of historical data.
- Ranking alerts: Get alerts when your rankings change for target keywords so you know right away if your SEO efforts are paying off or need adjustment.
- Branded tracking: Track rankings for your brand name, product names and important industry terms. See who's outranking you and make a plan to change that!
- Mobile vs. Desktop: The best tools show rankings for both mobile and desktop searches. With mobile-first indexing, mobile rankings are now critical.
- Location targeting: If location-based search is important, find a tool that tracks local rankings and lets you set location targets.
- SERP feature tracking: See if your content is ranking in special search features like Top Stories, People Also Ask, Related Questions and more.
- Reporting: Look for customizable reports, data exports, and the ability to schedule reports. Reporting options let you analyze and share ranking data.
- Unlimited keywords: For the best value, find a tool with unlimited keyword tracking so you can monitor all the terms that are important for your business.
How to choose your SERP tracking tool?
Update frequency
Choose a tool that updates SERP data as often as you need. If you only check rankings occasionally, a weekly or monthly update may suffice. For active optimization, look for a tracker that crawls data daily or even hourly. The more frequent the updates, the quicker you can see the impact of changes you make.
Pricing structure
SERP tracking tools vary widely in price. Some are free, while enterprise-level trackers can cost thousands per month. Evaluate how much you can budget for a tool and how comprehensive you need its features to be. For small businesses and individuals, affordable or freemium options around $10 to $100 per month may work great. Larger companies will likely need a more robust paid solution.
Reporting functionality
Look for a tracker with in-depth ranking reports that provide insights to guide your optimization efforts. Check if it offers competitor analysis, rank change history, keyword difficulty scores, and other metrics. The more data the better. Some trackers also have custom report builders so you can analyze information in the way most useful for you.
About the author
See if you can find information about the team behind the SERP tracker. Their experience and expertise can give you confidence in the tool and support. Some trackers were developed by respected SEO professionals and companies with a proven track record of building useful digital marketing software and services.
Using these criteria to evaluate SERP trackers, you'll find an option well-suited to your needs and budget. The tool you choose can have a significant impact on your keyword optimization and overall SEO success.
Best SERP tracking tools & software
When researching keywords, tracking how they rank in search engines is key. SERP tracking tools analyze how your target keywords rank on Google and other search engines. The data and insights they provide help you optimize your content and improve rankings.
1. SEMrush
SEMrush is one of the best keyword research tools for tracking your rankings in Google. It provides detailed reports on how your site ranks for target keywords, as well as your competitors' sites.
SEMrush allows you to add up to 10 projects to track rankings for different sites or groups of keywords. You can view data on how rankings have changed over time to see if you're trending up or down, identify opportunities, and make data-driven decisions to improve. SEMrush also gives you estimated search volume and CPC data for keywords to help determine viability.
Some of the key features of SEMrush for keyword ranking tracking include:
- Track up to 100 keywords per project to monitor rankings in Google search results.
- View current rankings, highest rank achieved, and days at highest rank.
- See a visual graph of ranking fluctuations over the past year.
- Compare rankings side by side for multiple domains or groups of keywords.
- Get notifications when rankings drop or new opportunities arise.
- Export ranking data to share with your team.
SEMrush does come at a cost, with plans starting at $129/month, but they frequently run promotions with discounts of up to 50-60% off. They do offer a free 7-day trial so you can test it out to see if it's the right tool for your needs before committing to a paid plan.
For monitoring your most important keywords and staying on top of changes in the volatile search engine results pages, SEMrush is a robust solution and worth the investment for many businesses. Give the free trial a shot and see how it can benefit your keyword tracking and SEO efforts.
2. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is a popular free SEO tool used by over 6 million digital marketers and business owners. As the name suggests, it focuses on tracking your website's search engine ranking positions for target keywords.
Easy to Use Interface
SE Ranking has an intuitive dashboard that makes it easy to get an overview of your site's performance and track important metrics. You can quickly see your rankings across multiple search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo in one place. Monitoring rankings for mobile vs. desktop results is also simplified. The tool has interactive charts and graphs to visualize your ranking data, making it easy to spot trends and patterns.
Ranking Reports
SE Ranking generates automated ranking reports so you can see how your site ranks for the keywords that matter most to your business. You can schedule reports to be delivered daily, weekly or monthly. The reports provide an easy way to monitor progress and share updates with your team or clients. You can export ranking data to PDF, CSV, or XML formats.
Keyword Group Tracking
To make keyword tracking more efficient, SE Ranking lets you organize keywords into groups. You can track rankings for all keywords in a group with a single click. This is useful for monitoring rankings for a specific page, product, service, or category on your site. You can create an unlimited number of keyword groups to match your needs.
Competitor Monitoring
In addition to tracking your own site's rankings, SE Ranking also lets you add competitors' domains so you can monitor their rankings and compare data side by side. Seeing where your competitors rank for target keywords can reveal opportunities to improve your own rankings and guide your SEO strategy.
SE Ranking packs a lot of useful features into a free tool. For managing SEO campaigns and staying on top of search rankings, it's a solid choice for any business. The user-friendly interface and interactive reports make it easy to uncover insights to boost your traffic and conversions.
3. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most popular SEO tools for keyword research. It provides an easy-to-use interface and tons of useful data to help you find the best keywords for your content.
Massive keyword database
Ahrefs has one of the largest keyword databases of any tool. It contains hundreds of millions of keywords from various sources so you'll have no shortage of keyword ideas and related terms. You can easily see keyword difficulty, search volume, and trending keywords.
Keyword Explorer
The Keyword Explorer tool allows you to enter seed keywords and get hundreds of related keyword suggestions. You can then filter by difficulty, volume, length, and more to find keywords that match your needs. It also provides keyword combinations and questions that people are searching to spark new keyword ideas.
Traffic Analytics
See how much traffic potential keywords are driving to competitor domains or your own site. This helps determine high-value keywords worth targeting and can uncover opportunities to improve your keyword strategy.
Rank Tracker
Monitor how your keywords rank on Google and other search engines over time. See what's working, find issues to fix, and make data-driven decisions to improve your SEO and content strategy. Ranking history and forecasts help set realistic goals and expectations for your keyword campaigns.
Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool for any content creator or digital marketer. With its vast keyword data, insights, and analytics, you'll have everything you need to research keywords, uncover new opportunities, and track your progress. The robust set of features and intuitive interface make it easy to dive in and get the insights you need.
4. AccuRanker
AccuRanker is a popular keyword research tool used by SEO experts and digital marketers. It provides detailed insights to help you optimize your content and improve search rankings.
Keyword Suggestions
AccuRanker gives you hundreds of related keyword suggestions for your target keyword. It uses an algorithm to analyze search trends and provide the keywords people are actually searching for. These long-tail keyword suggestions can help give your content a boost in the SERPs.
Ranking Data
See how your page ranks for different keywords in Google and other search engines. AccuRanker tracks your keyword rankings over time so you can see if your optimization efforts are paying off with improved rankings. They also offer rank tracking for your competitors' sites so you can see how you compare.
Backlink Analysis
AccuRanker provides a full backlink profile for any domain or URL. You can see who's linking to your site, the anchor text they're using, and the authority of those sites. Analyze your competitor's backlinks to see what types of sites are linking to them. Then you can work to build similar high-quality backlinks to your own content.
Site Audit
AccuRanker will crawl your entire website and provide an SEO audit to uncover issues that could be hurting your rankings. They check things like slow page load times, duplicate content, broken links and redirects, optimized meta titles and descriptions, and more. Fixing the issues they uncover can have a big impact on your search rankings and traffic.
For all it offers, AccuRanker provides an affordable and user-friendly keyword research solution. They frequently update their platform with the latest metrics, data, and algorithms to provide the most accurate insights and recommendations to improve your search rankings. For any marketer in 2023, AccuRanker is a must-have tool.
5. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to see how your website and content are performing in Google search results. This invaluable tool provides insights into how people find your site through organic search.
Track Keywords
See how well your target keywords and keyphrases are ranking in Google search. Check their position over time to see if rankings are improving or declining. This helps determine what's working and where you need to improve. Look for keywords that are sending traffic but not converting - you may need to optimize that content.
Crawl Errors & Warnings
Google Search Console will notify you of any issues Google's crawler has accessing your site. Fixing these errors and warnings helps Google index your entire site, which can improve rankings and traffic. Some common issues are 404 errors, redirect chains, and robots.txt or sitemap issues.
Improve Site Structure
Google Search Console provides a visual site map of how Google sees your site structure. Look for pages that are not connected or indexed. Strengthen your internal linking and add navigation to connect orphaned pages. A well-structured site with strong internal links helps Google understand your content and rankings.
Compare to Competitors
Enter a competitor's domain to see estimates of their organic traffic and top keywords. Compare their rankings and traffic to your own site. Look for opportunities to outrank them or see what they may be doing better. Use this to develop a strategy to gain more visibility and organic traffic.
Google Search Console is a must-have tool for anyone serious about improving their search engine optimization and gaining more organic traffic. The insights and metrics it provides into how your site is actually performing in Google search results is invaluable for making strategic optimizations.
6. Nightwatch
Nightwatch is a popular keyword rank tracker that lets you monitor your keywords rankings in Google and Bing. With its simple yet modern interface, Nightwatch is very intuitive to use. You can easily add keywords, group them into campaigns, and view their rankings and history.
- Add keywords by entering them one by one or bulk uploading a list.
- Group related keywords into campaigns to view insights for a specific group of terms.
- View current rankings as well as historical data to see how rankings change over time.
- Filter keywords by location, device, and search engine.
Competitor Tracking
See how your site ranks compared to competitors for shared keywords. Add competitor domains and view their rankings side by side with your own. Look for opportunities to target keywords they rank for that you don't.
Ranking Reports
Run reports to view rankings for all keywords, keywords in a specific campaign, or keywords that have changed in ranking. Export reports as PDF, CSV, or XML files. Schedule reports to be emailed to you daily, weekly or monthly.
Affordable Pricing
Nightwatch offers a free 14-day trial to test out the tool. Paid plans start at $32/month, making it an affordable solution for small businesses. They frequently run promotions offering 25-50% off for the first year.
In summary, with an easy to use interface, competitor tracking, detailed reports and affordable pricing, Nightwatch is a great all-in-one tool for monitoring your keyword rankings and gaining valuable SEO insights. Give the free trial a try and see how Nightwatch can benefit your search optimization efforts.
7. SERPstat
SERPstat is an easy-to-use SERP tracker with everything you need for in-depth keyword research. It offers real-time rankings data across search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, and Baidu.
Once you enter your target keywords, SERPstat provides detailed reports on their search performance, including current ranking, search volume, CPC, and competition. You can see how rankings change over time with historical data going back up to 5 years. SERPstat also gives you insights into what's working for the top-ranking competitors, like what content and backlinks they have.
With SERPstat, you get more than just keyword rankings. It offers tools for analyzing your site's on-page SEO, monitoring backlinks, performing website audits, and keeping an eye on Google penalties. The platform uses data from Majestic SEO to show you details on referring domains, trust flow, and citation flow for any URL.
For PPC research, SERPstat provides estimates on cost per click, ad competition, and search ad volumes across Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Facebook Ads. You can see what ads your competitors are running and get suggestions for your own ad copy and landing pages.
While SERPstat does offer a free trial, their paid plans start at $69/month and provide more historical data, features, and user accounts. For small teams, the $69/month Lite plan should suit most needs. Overall, SERPstat packs an impressive amount of data and insights for the price. With an easy-to-use interface and robust feature set, it's an excellent tool for any SEO or PPC specialist.
8. Wincher
A Free and Simple Tool
Wincher is a free keyword rank tracking tool with a simple and intuitive interface. As an SEO, you'll appreciate how easy it is to set up and start using right away. Simply enter the keywords or phrases you want to monitor, add the URLs you want to track rankings for, and Wincher will show you how those pages rank in Google search results over time.
Customizable and Automated
Wincher lets you customize which search engines and locations you want to track for each keyword. You can track rankings on Google in the U.S., U.K., Australia and more. Wincher will automatically check rankings for your target keywords each day and email you a report with the results, so you don't have to log in every day to stay on top of changes. You can also set SMS alerts to receive text messages if a page drops in rankings.
Competitor Tracking
One of the most useful features of Wincher is competitor tracking. Enter your competitor's URL and keywords, and Wincher will show you their rankings and rank changes over time. This helps you gain valuable insights into their SEO strategies so you can stay one step ahead. You can track an unlimited number of competitors for no extra cost.
Exportable Reports
The data and reports in Wincher can be exported as CSV or PDF files. Export your keyword rankings, rank changes, and competitor reports to share with your clients or colleagues. The exported reports contain all the details you see in Wincher, including current rankings, highest/lowest rankings, and the date range for the report.
Wincher packs a lot of useful SEO tools into a simple, free package. For tracking your most important keywords and staying on top of competitor rankings, Wincher is a great choice for any SEO. Give the free version a try and see how it can help boost your search optimization efforts.
9. Mangools SERP Checker
Mangools SERP Checker allows you to track your rankings for important target keywords. You can add keywords you want to monitor and the tool will show you your ranking in Google search results over time. This helps you see if your SEO efforts are paying off by driving higher rankings.
Mangools also provides keyword research tools to find high-volume, low-competition keywords to target. You can get search volume estimates and keyword difficulty scores to determine good keywords to focus on. The keyword research tool provides lots of related keywords and keyword variants to give you inspiration.
Once you've selected target keywords, add them to your project in Mangools to track your rankings and see how they change over weeks and months. The SERP Checker check rankings for your keywords across different locations and devices like mobile vs desktop. This helps ensure your keywords are ranking well for all of your potential audience segments.
Key features of the Mangools SERP Checker include:
- Track rankings for target keywords.
- Get keyword search volume and difficulty data.
- Find related keywords and keyword variations.
- See rankings by location and device.
- Set up daily, weekly or monthly ranking reports.
- Get notifications if rankings drop for important keywords.
- Store historical ranking data to see long term progress.
For monitoring your most important keywords and optimizing your content and pages to drive higher rankings, the Mangools SERP Checker is a useful tool for any SEO. At an affordable price, it provides all the key features you need to keep an eye on how your keywords are performing in search engine results pages.
10. Pro Rank Tracker
Accurate Keyword Ranking Data
Pro Rank Tracker provides accurate keyword ranking data so you know exactly where your site ranks for the keywords that matter most to your business. Their ranking data is updated daily to give you the freshest insights into how your rankings change from day to day and week to week.
- Checks rankings for an unlimited number of keywords so you can keep tabs on as many search terms as needed.
- Ranks your site in Google, Bing and Yahoo search, as well as video search rankings on YouTube.
- Lets you group keywords into campaigns to analyze how different pages or groups of pages rank for certain terms. This helps in developing a well-optimized content strategy.
- Provides historical ranking data so you can see how your rankings have changed over time. Look at trends by day, week or month to spot upward or downward shifts.
Customized Reports
Create customized reports in Pro Rank Tracker to share important ranking insights with your team or clients. Build reports focused on:
- Specific keywords or keyword groups to analyze their performance.
- Different time periods to compare historical versus recent ranking changes.
- Individual web pages to see how they stack up for target search terms.
- Select from different report templates or build your own reports from scratch. Schedule reports to be automatically emailed to the appropriate people on your desired schedule.
Competitor Ranking Analysis
See how your rankings compare to your competitors to gain valuable insights. Pro Rank Tracker lets you add competitor domains so you can:
- Check which sites outrank you for important keywords and work to close the gap.
- See how competitor rankings change over time to anticipate their next moves.
- Spot opportunities to target keywords where your competitors don't rank well.
- Monitor how new content or link building impacts your rankings relative to competitors.
Knowing how you stack up to competitors is key to maintaining strong search rankings and organic traffic. Pro Rank Tracker makes competitor analysis easy with a few clicks.
FAQs related to SERP Tracker Tools
Are there any free or affordable SERP trackers available?
Yes, there are several free or affordable SERP tracking tools you can use. Some good options are MozBar, SEOquake, and WhatsmySERP.
- MozBar - Free SERP tracking extension for Chrome. Quickly see keyword rankings and other useful data.
- SEOquake - Another free Chrome extension for checking rankings and doing on-page audits.
- WhatsmySERP - Offers a free plan with limited rank tracking features. Their paid plans start at $4.99/month.
Conclusion
After researching many SERP tracker options, these 10 tools stand out as some of the best for effective keyword research in 2023. They offer a range of features at different price points to suit any SEO budget. Consider the features and cost of each SERP tracker option. SEO is a long-term, ongoing effort, so make sure you choose a tool that can grow with you. With the right SERP tracker, you can get ahead of the competition and ensure your website is getting the visibility it deserves.