Search engine optimization is a somewhat complicated concept – but you can boil it down to one major thing. Keyword rankings. For most sites, getting better rankings is the number one goal for any SEO campaign since that is what’s required for better traffic. But what is keyword ranking in SEO?
For businesses concerned about using SEO to improve their traffic, the main keyword- ranking definition refers to what position their page has in search results for specific keywords. Search engines use algorithms to measure and analyze website elements like content, meta-data, navigation, internal links, link structure, and more. For any specific target keyword, pages will generally have a particular position that they appear at in the search engine results page (or the SERP). This is what keyword ranking in online-marketing means: designing, setting up, and optimizing a site to raise the rankings in search engines.
What’s the Purpose of Keyword Rank Tracking?
Keyword rank tracking is the most effective way to monitor your website’s performance in organic search. It allows you to zero in on the rank of your website for your most important search terms.
To execute keyword rank tracking at scale, you need a software tool. First, you enter your targeted keywords into the tool. Then, it looks at Google’s search engine result pages (SERPs) for that specific search term and records your website’s ranking. The tool shares your performance data for particular keywords and all your keywords in aggregate.
Getting Started with keyword Rank Tracking
If set up correctly, monitoring your keyword rankings is insightful and straightforward. You only need to log into your keyword tracking tool and explore the changes in performance for the period of interest. Here’s an ultimate guide to implementing keyword rank tracking.
Identify your Keywords
The first step in setting up keyword rank tracking is determining your target keywords. About 500 keywords are enough for most websites to provide insight into your overall website performance, and you can always drill down into specific keyword groups.
You will find most of these keywords off the top of your head, but tools will help you find relevant and the most popular online-marketing keywords from around the web!
Tag your Keywords
Once you’ve made a list of keywords, the next step is tagging the keywords. These tags will make it easier to filter your ranking data inside your keyword tracking tool.
For instance, imagine that a dentist has many services they would like to rank well for in search. The dentist should tag all keywords associated with “cavities” with one tag and those linked to “root canal” with another tag. The easiest mode to add tags is using a spreadsheet.
Choose a Keyword Rank Tracker
Once you have your list of tagged keywords, it’s time to choose a keyword rank tracker.
After selecting a tool, the next step is to upload a list of keywords. As soon as your keywords are uploaded, the tool will query Google’s search results and capture performance data. After a few hours, you will have your first glimpse at how well your website ranks for your most important keywords.
Analyze Performance Data
You’ve done the hard work of identifying targeted keywords, tagging them, choosing a keyword-tracking solution, and uploading your keywords. Now it’s time to check your reports and better comprehend your SEO performance. It’s best to keep a close look at your overall ranking performance. In addition, you can utilize the filters in your keyword tracker to better understand your website.
You can also utilize this data to measure the impact of new SEO campaigns. If you’ve created a technical improvement to your website or refreshed key content, any effect on your organic search rankings should be visible in your keyword-tracking tool.