Struggling to figure out how to check website rank on Google? For many, keeping track of where a site lands in search results can feel like an endless guessing game, yet it’s one of the most important steps in understanding how visible your content is online. Using a google rank checker can provide insights into both current and historical ranking data, allowing you to evaluate your website's keyword positions on Google.
Thankfully, there are straightforward ways to monitor your website’s position without spending hours combing through search results manually.
Let’s dig in.
Why Is It Important to Check Rankings on Google?
Sam Driessen, an SEO Specialist at Meta Creative, says:
“Checking your website’s rankings is a foundational part of SEO. After all, we’re optimizing sites in an attempt to get more traffic. To get more traffic, we need to rank higher in search results. Checking where your website’s rank means you’re able to assess your SEO performance, make adjustments to SEO strategy, and understand what keywords your traffic comes from.”
You don’t want to do all the work of building a successful business, putting together a marketing plan, and creating content only to find you’re not ranking on Google! As of April 2023, Google controls 92.8% of the search engine market. That means if you’re not ranking on Google, you’re basically invisible when it comes to search engines.
And guess where most of your new, organic business will come from — search engines. This reality means you must be regularly updated on your Google ranking.
Now, the key is to have a strategy in place, a tool you love to work with, and then implement both on a weekly basis. Your job right now is to pick which of the following tools you’d like to utilize. Here are the top five:
How to Check Keyword Rankings
Checking keyword rankings is a crucial step in search engine optimization (SEO). It helps you understand how your website is performing for specific keywords and phrases. Here are the steps to check keyword rankings:
- Identify Your Target Keywords: Start by identifying the keywords and phrases you want to rank for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition. These specific keywords will be the foundation of your SEO strategy.
- Use a Keyword Rank Checker Tool: There are many keyword rank checker tools available online, such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz. These tools allow you to track your keyword rankings and provide insights into your website’s performance. A good keyword rank checker will help you monitor your keyword ranking positions over time.
- Enter Your Keyword and Domain: Enter your target keyword and domain into the keyword rank checker tool. The tool will then show you your current ranking position for that keyword on the search engine results page (SERP). This step is essential to understand where you stand in the search results.
- Analyze Your Results: Analyze your keyword ranking results to understand how your website is performing. Look for opportunities to improve your rankings and adjust your SEO strategy accordingly. Regularly tracking keyword rankings will help you stay ahead of the competition and make data-driven decisions.
By following these steps, you can effectively track keyword rankings and optimize your website’s performance in search engines.
1. Using Google Search Console (Free)
Google Search Console is quick and easy to set up. As a bonus, it’s free! To set up your website on Google Search Console, first make sure you have a Google account. Then, open Search Console and add and verify ownership of your site with a snippet of code.
From there, you can regularly check the average positions for your keywords under the Performance tab. In general, you want to go in and check how you’re ranking at least once a week. The one drawback to Google Search Console is that, while it’s great for checking your own site, it’s not great for checking the ranking of your competitors, which is key to understanding what kinds of changes you might need to make. Google Search Console also helps you understand various ranking factors that influence your website's position.
By the way, one step you can take preemptively to rank higher on Google is to include high-quality backlinks through a credible source like Reporter Outreach. These will lend your site authority, ensuring your readers take you more seriously.
2. Exploring Small SEO Tools (Free)
Small SEO Tools is a free tool you can use with ease. You don’t even have to set up an account. Simply go to the website and scroll down on the home page until you find Keyword Tools. Then, click on Keyword Rank Checker. From there, you can enter your URL and the keywords associated with that page. You can even enter your competitors’ URLs to see how their rankings compare to yours.
The downside to this free site is that, as with most businesses that aren’t well funded, the data is often inconsistent and the keyword tracking is limited. Still, it’s a great place to start!
3. Using The Hoth's Keyword Rank Checker (Free)
Another great place to start is The Hoth, which has a free website ranking checker that is beginner-friendly and easy to use. It uses data from SEMrush, which is more accurate then other free tools like Small SEO Tools.
To use this tool, you have to create an account or sign in through your LinkedIn account. Then, you’ll be able to enter your website’s domain or any URL and get the top keywords that rank, their position, the volume, how much traffic they get, and more.
Once again, however, you will run into a lack of deeper analysis than you would get with premium tools.
4. Ahrefs' Keyword Rank Checker (Free and Paid)
Ahrefs offers businesses a free Keyword Rank Check and paid tools, which is nice because this site does a more in-depth ranking analysis using an SEO ranking checker.
Ahrefs offers a site explorer, a rank tracker, and a keyword explorer, giving you much more to work with. You can get a limited number of searches free each month, or you can start with their smallest package, the Starter, for only $29 a month.
Both offer limited access to the site’s basic tools. From there, the packages get much pricier starting at $129 a month, but those prices come with advantages like historical ranking data, competitor analysis, and advanced keyword insights.
5. SEMrush for Advanced Rank Tracking (Free and Paid)
SEMrush offers free rank tracking for 10 requests per day, which is quite generous. Still, the subscription offer is much more in-depth and will provide better long-term value. You’ll get options like position tracking, competitive analysis, and SERP snapshots. It’s definitely an investment, but well worth it for serious SEO efforts.
SEMrush is simple to use. You just pull up the website and type in the URL or keyword you want insight for using their ranking checker. For larger projects, you can go to their pricing page and look at your options.
This tool is also a great complement to building your backlinks, as you can do things like broken backlink building with SEMrush. But, if you want someone to build quality links for you, Reporter Outreach can do just that - build high-quality links ethically.
Features of a Good Keyword Rank Checker Tool
A good keyword rank checker tool should have the following features to ensure you get the most accurate and comprehensive data:
- Accuracy: The tool should provide accurate keyword ranking data. Reliable data is crucial for making informed decisions about your SEO strategy.
- Comprehensive Data: The tool should provide comprehensive data on keyword rankings, including search volume, competition, and ranking history. This information helps you understand the full picture of your keyword performance.
- Ease of Use: The tool should be easy to use and navigate, even for those who are new to SEO. A user-friendly interface ensures that you can quickly find the information you need.
- Customization: The tool should allow you to customize your keyword tracking and reporting. This feature enables you to focus on specific keywords and tailor the data to your needs.
- Integration with Other SEO Tools: The tool should integrate with other SEO tools, such as Google Analytics or Google Search Console. Integration allows you to combine data from multiple sources for a more comprehensive analysis.
- Regular Updates: The tool should provide regular updates on keyword rankings and search engine algorithm changes. Staying updated ensures that your SEO strategy remains effective and aligned with the latest trends.
By choosing a keyword rank checker tool with these features, you can effectively track and improve your keyword rankings.
Optimizing for Better Search Results
Optimizing for better search results requires a combination of on-page and off-page SEO strategies. Here are some tips to help you optimize for better search results:
- Use Relevant Keywords: Use relevant keywords in your content, meta tags, and titles. This practice helps search engines understand the topic of your content and rank it accordingly.
- Optimize Your Content: Optimize your content for better readability, user experience, and search engine crawlability. High-quality content that is easy to read and navigate will perform better in search engine results.
- Build High-Quality Backlinks: Build high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites to improve your website’s credibility and ranking. Backlinks are a significant ranking factor in search engines.
- Use Mobile-Friendly Design: Use a mobile-friendly design to ensure that your website is accessible and user-friendly on all devices. Mobile optimization is crucial as more users access the internet via mobile devices.
- Optimize Your Images: Optimize your images by using descriptive alt tags and file names. Properly optimized images can improve your website’s visibility in search engine results.
- Remove Broken Links: Remove broken links from your website to improve user experience and search engine crawlability. Broken links can negatively impact your SEO efforts.
- Use Long-Form Titles and Descriptions: Use long-form titles and descriptions to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). Detailed titles and descriptions provide more context to search engines and users.
By following these tips and using a good keyword rank checker tool, you can improve your website’s visibility, drive more traffic, and increase your online presence.
Which Option Is Best to Check Website Rank on Google
So, which is best? It really depends on where you are with your business. Beginners can benefit tremendously from Google Search Console, Small SEO Tools, and The Hoth. They're super helpful to start learning about rankings.
As your business grows and your budget expands, however, you'll likely want to choose a more advanced site like Ahrefs or SEMrush, which will allow you to go deeper into your and your competitors' websites to see how you can improve your rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to find out what keywords a website is ranking for?
When you enter your URL into one of the rank-checking tools, it will report which keywords that specific page is ranking for and which position those keywords sit in, on average.
How do I rank my new website on Google?
As soon as your website is live, you should open a Google Search Console account, add your website as your property, and enter your URL.
How to increase rankings?
To improve your Google rankings, you can work on aspects of your website like getting more high-authority backlinks through agencies like Reporter Outreach, optimizing technical aspects of your site like your page speed, and creating high-quality content that is helpful to your readers.
Can I pay Google to rank my website higher?
While you can't pay Google to rank you higher on their organic search results, you can invest in an agency like Reporter Outreach, along with content writers, to help strengthen your SEO, which will rank your website higher if done right. You can also bid on specific keywords and pay for your advertisement to show up when those keywords are entered into Google.
Final Thoughts
In the end, regularly checking rankings is only part of ranking higher on Google's SERP. To really get results, you'll need to optimize your website with things like strong backlinks.
If you're ready to include high-authority backlinks on your web pages, check out Reporter Outreach for ethical quality link-building services to amplify your ranking efforts today.
