
With so many choices for monitoring your web site’s key phrases, it’s laborious to know which instruments will swimsuit each your small business and your funds.
Let’s have a look at the choices.
It’s simple to get began monitoring key phrases with Ahrefs. We now have two core methods to trace key phrases to swimsuit most budgets and companies:
Free key phrase rank checker (finest for spot checks)

Ahrefs’ free key phrase rank checker is ideal for many who need to test rankings for a number of key phrases and don’t need to be tied to a month-to-month subscription.
Right here’s how one can use it:
- Enter your key phrase(s) within the first field
- Enter the area or URL associated to the key phrase within the field beneath
- Choose the placement (by default, it’s set to america)
- Hit the Verify rankings button
After getting performed that, you’ll get one thing that appears like the next:

The free key phrase rank checker provides an summary of the primary web page of the SERP, enabling you to conduct an evaluation of the highest outcomes.
It additionally provides you entry to Ahrefs’ information on the next:
- Area Score (DR)
- URL Score (UR)
- What number of backlinks the area has
- What number of domains it has
- Quantity of natural site visitors it’s receiving
- Variety of key phrases that web page is rating for
From this information, you’ll perceive whether or not you possibly can rank for that key phrase.
The software additionally permits you to manually test any key phrase. However generally, you want an automatic answer to trace multiple key phrase.
That’s the place Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker can assist.
Rank Tracker (finest for many web sites)

For many companies, Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker would be the go-to answer for monitoring a web site’s key phrases.
In contrast to our free key phrase rank checker, this software permits you to observe a number of key phrases in your account, enabling you to watch the full efficiency of your natural search marketing campaign.
It additionally allows you to observe and analyze the essential parts of your marketing campaign, such as:
- Share of voice
- Common place
- Natural site visitors
- SERP options
You may as well evaluate this information to your rivals’ web sites:

And perceive your efficiency throughout 13 various kinds of SERP options:
- Featured snippets
- Sitelinks
- Prime tales
- Picture packs
- Thumbnails
- Prime advertisements
- Backside advertisements
- Purchasing outcomes
- Data playing cards
- Data panels
- Movies
- Tweet field
- Folks additionally ask
You may as well monitor SERP options towards your rivals at a web page or area stage.

This characteristic reveals you the place it’s worthwhile to focus your search engine optimization efforts.
One other actually helpful characteristic is key phrase tags. Tags will let you group key phrases to investigate efficiency at a gaggle stage.
Right here’s an instance of a tag group I made that teams the articles I’ve written for Ahrefs collectively.

Utilizing this technique, you can begin understanding which elements of your web site are performing properly and which elements want enchancment.
Key phrase monitoring instruments allow you to grasp the efficiency and effectiveness of your search engine optimization campaigns.
Study extra about Rank Tracker’s options right here.

Google Search Console (GSC) permits you to monitor your web site’s efficiency in Google. You may as well observe your common rating place as properly.
It tracks this within the Efficiency tab upon getting verified your profile.

Should you don’t need the effort of logging in to GSC on a regular basis, you possibly can pull the efficiency information into Ahrefs by linking your web site to your Google Search Console profile.

If you wish to take it additional, you should use Google Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) to construct a keyword-tracking dashboard.
The quickest, no-code means to do that is to make use of Ahrefs—you possibly can merely click on on the button highlighted beneath in Rank Tracker.

After getting approved your account on the following display screen:
- Select the first Undertaking that you simply need to observe.
- Choose the Gadget sort beneath that.
- Verify all of the containers on the right-hand facet (Enable “X” to be modified in studies) all the best way down the web page.
- Hit Join within the prime proper nook.

- On the following display screen, click on on Create Report.

- You’ll then get a dashboard that reveals an summary of your mission.

The screenshot reveals the “Overview” web page, however there are six different tabs on the left-hand facet you possibly can click on on that offers you extra detailed information on subjects such as:
- Positions
- SERP options
- Rivals
- Tags
- Site visitors share
- Key phrase metrics
One of many most important benefits of making a dashboard is you can take a periodic snapshot of the report and share it with different stakeholders routinely.
To do this:
- Click on on the downward dealing with caret subsequent to Share.
- Click on on Schedule e-mail supply within the drop-down menu.

The e-mail supply display screen will then pop up and will let you schedule the report back to be despatched as a PDF.
Right here’s an instance of what the scheduling display screen appears like:

You’ll be able to see that this setup is usually a highly effective and customizable choice for search engine optimization reporting.
This mixture of instruments for key phrase monitoring is well-liked with company SEOs to maintain their groups conscious of their consumer’s natural efficiency.

FatRank’s Key phrase Checker is one other means you can shortly spot-check key phrases. The beauty of this key phrase checker is its format—you should use it as an app or a Google Chrome extension.
This implies it’s nice for checking a key phrase’s rating when you’re on the transfer, even should you don’t have your pc with you.
The Google Chrome extension has additionally obtained nice suggestions:
Each variations of this software may very well be helpful for SEOs who’re touring and need to shortly spot-check the rankings of their most essential key phrases.
The app and the extension are free to make use of, that means that you should use them alongside your most important key phrase tracker should you need.

Nozzle is a key phrase tracker with some attention-grabbing options and a luminescent-looking dashboard.
Listed below are a number of stand-out options of Nozzle that I like:
- Means to trace key phrases each 5 minutes – That is frequent. Should you work in a fast-paced trade, this can be a helpful characteristic for you.
- Observe limitless rivals totally free – Should you work in an trade the place it’s worthwhile to hold tabs on plenty of rivals, this may very well be helpful.
However what do SEOs take into consideration it?
The software has plenty of good critiques. Try this instance from JR Oakes and others beneath.

On the subject of pricing, Nozzle’s plans begin at ~$49 and go as much as ~$5K, so it has a variety of pricing choices for SMBs all the best way as much as the enterprise stage.

In case you are joyful to run one thing extra technical, take a look at ScrapeBox. It’s been round since 2009—so fairly a whereas.
Consequently, the UI is maybe a bit extra “rustic” than a number of the choices right here, however the performance is all there.
Wanting on the options of this key phrase tracker, we are able to see that it:
- Tracks limitless websites.
- Tracks limitless key phrases.
- Helps Google, Yahoo, and Bing monitoring.
- Has proxy assist—utilizing proxies is essential to cease your exercise from being blocked by search engines like google.
The essential package deal of ScrapeBox is $97. To get the rank monitoring plugin for Home windows, it prices an additional $37. So for beneath $150, you will get a useful key phrase tracker.
In case you are tech-savvy and desire a fixed-cost, no-frills key phrase tracker with no recurring subscription (aside from proxies), this may very well be a very good choice.

Pi Datametrics is a visible, client-friendly platform for key phrase monitoring. It permits you to dissect your natural efficiency in several methods with numerous instruments.
Some options I like:
- Construct visible enterprise circumstances shortly throughout the platform
- Combine with Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics
- Establish key phrase cannibalization points simply
- Add limitless rivals
- Add limitless places
- Get trade insights into 650 enterprise classes utilizing the Pi Vault
This software is an efficient choice for enterprise e-commerce companies or businesses that need to get buy-in for his or her search engine optimization methods from senior stakeholders.

Nightwatch is a key phrase tracker that permits you to “observe search rankings from any location on earth.” Its emphasis is on correct native monitoring.
Nightwatch has some good options:
- Native rank monitoring throughout 107,296 places
- SERP characteristic monitoring
- Customized key phrase segmentation
- Automated reporting
- GSC and GDS integration
- White label studies at a better worth level
Costs begin from $32 per 30 days for 250 key phrases.
Such a rank tracker could also be helpful for you if your small business depends on native areas or maybe if you’re an company that works with many native companies.

Mangools’ SERPwatcher is a clear, minimal-looking key phrase tracker that doesn’t overcomplicate issues.
On the subject of options, you get the next:
- Observe desktop and cellular rankings
- Add key phrase tags
- Each day key phrase updates
- Observe particular places
- Straightforward setup—“from setup to day by day rankings in 30 seconds”
When it comes to pricing, it’s worthwhile to purchase the full suite of merchandise, however plans begin at beneath $30 per month.
For my part, Mangools is more than likely to attraction to solo entrepreneurs or affiliate entrepreneurs who’re searching for an easy-to-use, cost-effective rank tracker.
Last ideas
Key phrase monitoring instruments assist hold your search engine optimization marketing campaign accountable. They typically come at a value, however there are cheaper and even free choices accessible to swimsuit all budgets and web sites.
In the end, the key phrase monitoring software you select is determined by your small business wants, priorities, and funds.
Obtained extra questions? Ping me on Twitter. 🙂