If you have a website or blog, you know how important it is to rank well on Google. Higher rankings mean more clicks, more traffic, and better success for your site. But how do you track your keyword rankings without spending money on expensive tools?
Good news – you can track your rankings for free! In this guide, we’ll show you some easy and free ways to track your Google keyword rankings.
Why Tracking Your Keywords Is Important
Before we get into the methods, let’s first understand why keyword tracking matters.
Google rankings are like a report card for your website. They tell you how well your content is performing, which keywords are working, and where you need to improve.
By tracking your keyword rankings, you can:
- Know what’s working and what’s not.
- Improve your content strategy based on the results.
- Stay ahead of your competitors who are also targeting the same keywords.
Now, let’s look at how you can track your keyword rankings for free.
1. Free Ways to Track Keyword Rankings
Search Manually (Incognito Mode)
The simplest way to check your rankings is to search for your keywords on Google. But Google personalizes search results based on your browsing history, which can make the results inaccurate.
To get around this, you should search in Incognito Mode. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open a new Incognito window in your browser.
- Type your keyword into Google and press Enter.
- Check where your website appears in the search results.
Drawback:
- This method is okay for a few keywords but isn’t practical if you need to track many keywords regularly.
- Results may vary depending on your location.
Use Free Tools
There are a few free tools available that make tracking easier:
- Enter your keyword and domain to see where you rank.
- Limit: Only 5 searches per day.
Ahrefs Free Keyword Rank Checker
- Add your keyword, domain, and target country.
- You can see your keyword position, traffic estimates, and backlinks.
- Pro Tip: Copy the data into a Google Sheet or Excel to track it over time.
2. Use Google Search Console (Free & Powerful)
If you haven’t already set up Google Search Console (GSC) for your website, now’s the time to do it! It’s a free tool from Google that gives you detailed insights into your website’s performance.
How to Track Rankings Using GSC
1. Log into Google Search Console and go to the Performance tab.
- Here, you can enable the Average Position metric, which shows where your keywords rank on Google.
2. Dive Deeper
- Scroll down to see your list of keywords and their positions.
- Click on a specific keyword to see how it’s performing over time.
3. Track Important Metrics
- Focus on keywords that are important for your business.
- Use the performance graph to monitor changes over time.
Drawback:
GSC is accurate and free, but if you have many keywords to track, it can become overwhelming. You may need to manually pull data, which takes time.
Which Method Should You Use?
Here’s a quick summary of the methods:
- Manual Methods: Best for beginners or if you only have a few keywords to track.
- Google Search Console: Great for detailed insights, but it requires some manual effort and time.
- Free Tools: Good for simple tracking if you don’t want to manually check rankings each time.
Final Thoughts
Tracking your keyword rankings doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Whether you use manual methods, Google Search Console, or free tools, the key is consistency. Regularly checking your rankings will help you stay on top of your SEO game and bring more traffic to your site.
So, which method do you prefer for tracking your keywords? Let us know in the comments!
