Rank Tracker Process Overview
Rank Tracker, part of the SEO Powersuite will, at its core, perform a set of functions that will be familiar to many of you. That is to say tracking the positions of your website for various keywords within the search engines.
I won’t go through the importance of that for a digital marketer here, that’s a different topic. Today we’ll be looking at the features of Rank Tracker itself.
As with all the tools in the SEO PowerSuite, Rank Tracker is best utilised by digital marketers looking to promote very large websites or several websites. It is a professional solution designed for full-time marketers and agencies.
Rank Tracker – It Tracks Ranks
At its core, it enables the user to set up any number of projects, then set up any number of keywords within each project and then track the ranking progress on those keywords across a wide range of search engines.
The update process can be carried out as often as is required, although it should be remembered that Google in particular can limit the number of queries that any user or application makes to its search database within a given length of time.
My own solution to this, as Rank Tracker is such a lightweight, powerful and efficient piece of software, is to let it run overnight using human emulation delays to ensure that I get updates across hundreds if not thousands of keywords overnight
However, it is possible to add proxies that will increase the number of searches the tool can achieve successfully. That being said, I currently track almost 3,000 keywords across 9 projects. Roughly half of them are reported on weekly and the other half (for one client) require monthly reports. I have had no issue using with Rank Tracker getting all of these results within that time frame. But you do have the choice to speed up or scale up if you want to.
Rank Tracker – More Than A Tracking Tool
But this is far more than a rank tracking tool. In fact, the name belies the strength of the feature set available. Beginning with a detailed competition analysis aspect, checking the PPC, SEO and social strength of competition for any keywords monitored. This is an important factor in deciding which keywords you would like to promote first, which might be achievable in the short term and which will be longer-term goals for your digital marketing efforts.
Rank Tracker, part of the SEO PowerSuite, also plugs into Google Webmaster tools and into Google Adwords if required. Pulling traffic, competition and ranking data and integrating them into its own data set.
Example Workflow
In this example let’s suppose that you are about to promote a new website for the ubiquitous “Blue widgets”.
First you might go and access the keyword research tab. Organizing keywords into groups, perhaps by product or commerciality.
You may begin by seeding a few keywords or phrases such as “Blue Widgets” and “Blue Widgets for Sale”
With a button press rank tracker will bring back associated keywords from the Google keyword planner, and with it the all important PPC analysis for those looking to leverage direct marketing through Adwords.
I should add, in case it isn’t clear, there is no need to use GWMT or Adwords at all if you don’t want or need to. You can add as many keywords as you like manually or copy and paste. I have clients who specify exactly what keywords they want to rank for.
It is likely that there are any number of phrases to do with Widgets that are returned. Some will seem commercially viable, others not. Here I would like to digress a little from Rank Tracker itself to explain some of the criteria I use to select appropriate keywords.
Initial Keyword Selection
Before we have any data on the referrals to our website, we need to make some assumptions. It’s easy to think of the “on the nose” keywords for our blue widgets. “Blue Widgets” on it’s own, then appended with various immutable details such as “stainless steel” or “large” or “for construction” might be options. If you are not the client for this website, now is the time to ask. Each industry has its own language and often a set of terms and phrases that are used slightly out of normal conversational context. It’s own terminology and form of words. If you don’t know these – ask the client. Explain that, while you are the digital marketing professional, they are the professional in their own field and their expertise is vital
Commercial Keywords in Rank Tracker
Certain words appended as prefix or suffix add what is known as “commercial imperative”. For example “for sale” or “on offer” are obvious selling terms. Slightly more subtly phrases such as “next day delivery” or “guaranteed quality” imply very strongly that this is a page where items are for sale. Anyone appending this to a search query such as;
“Blue Widgets next day delivery” is almost definitely looking to buy. This is in fact a much stronger lead than the simple phrase “blue widgets” as on it’s own it might mean all sorts of things from a competitor wanting to scope the website out to someone in education writing a paper on the industry.
Post Marketing Keyword Selection
Two things happen once a website has been up and marketing for around 90 days. Firstly you will get a decent understanding of what keywords are bringing in traffic and which aren’t. Check your referrer stats. Jetpack in WordPress will tell you exactly what phrases a visitor typed into a search engine to be shown this site as a result. IF a keyword or phrase appears often in this referrer list and you aren’t already optimised for it – optimise for it and add it to your tracking in Rank Tracker and the other tools in SEO PowerSuite!
The next thing that you will notice depends on whether you have set up any conversion tracking on your website or use GWMT website visitor pathing analysis.
What you want to learn is;
“What is the conversion rate for our chosen keywords”
In other words, while a phrase might bring in 1000 visitors a month, those that visited the site after searching for that phrase might account for no sales or contacts at all. Whereas a phrase with a much smaller number of visitors might account for several sales or contacts. BY analysing this you will learn what works and what doesn’t for this particular market sector. While there are some rules that apply across all markets, it is only possible to really understand the behaviour of site visitors in each niche if you actually monitor them
In all cases above, the results you find should inform what content you add to the website, what (if any) phrases you target in PPC, what categories and tags and other meta data are important and which keywords and phrases can be put on the back burner for a while as they are not converting visitors into buyers.
Revisit Your Assumptions When You Have Hard Data
On a side note, that isn’t my favourite way of working and I will often run analysis for a client that presents me with a pre-defined set of target words and phrases. I will then send them the results and my recommendations if I think they are missing opportunities or wasting time with sub-par keywords.
For all that, at the end of the day, once I’ve done that, they are the clients – once I’m happy they are aware of missed opportunities or wasted effort, it is up to them what they spend their money on.
It’s quite possible to do competition analysis on every keyword that Google brings back. Rank tracker will analyse every website competing for page one position for a number of key search engine optimized metrics. In effect doing a very similar job to standalone tools such as Market Samurai.
Knowing the number of searches the competition and the extremely useful keyword efficiency Index of each keyword. Rank tracker will also bring back the most common tags used by those websites to support on page SEO for those keywords. This is important to understand what is working for the most successful sites and what isn’t.
My role in KR requires that I run ranking reports for clients, prospective clients and their competition regularly. With other rank analysis solutions I was forever needing to buy more credits or upgrade to a high cost tier. With Rank Tracker, for a one off cost, I can run as many reports as I need and present brilliant reports to my clients that reflect KR’s brand and professionalism.
Data Handling in Rank Tracker
Moving data from one area of Rank Tracker to another is easy. A button on the top strip labelled “Move to target keywords module” allows you to transfer any or all selected keywords to be monitored by future position updates or used by other features of the application.
The workflow I would use from here would involve looking for a cross between a high number of searches and a relatively low level of competition and prioritising those is the first keywords to be targeted for my search engine optimization efforts. I may in fact group does together as primary targets and then transfer them over to the rank tracking module.
Using the most popular categories and content tabs that the competition has used for these keywords will give me an insight into the sort of content that is required to compete for these competitive keywords.
Whether you write this yourself or outsource it, you have a strong indication of the associated and relevant phrases that will be required for Google and the other search engines to consider your website as relevant to rank highly.
Once this content is created and loaded onto the website, using these tags and categories will position that content in the correct way or other things being equal. It’s then up to your content promotion and link building skills to push your website’s pages higher than the competition. As you know the other tools in the SEO PowerSuite can assist greatly in this endeavour.
The cycle from then on is promotion, reporting, analysis, making any methods in promotion practice that the analysis might suggest then starting the cycle again. For my monthly clients this cycle typically runs monthly.
Rank Tracker Discount and Free Trial
Use the links on this page to have a download your 1 month free trial of any or all tools from the SEO Powersuite
We also offer an exclusive 10% discount on any purchase of SEO Powersuite through these links.
You won’t find this software at a better price anywhere else.
Multiple Search Engine Support
Rank Tracker, out of the box, will track your website’s URL’s through the well known search engines. Google, Yahoo and Bing.
Importantly, it allows you to also track keywords and sites through the localised versions of these search engines. Google UK for example.
This is increasingly important for local business digital marketing where international reach is not a consideration. After Google Pussum, we live in a world where the major search engine parses searches, understands what a local search is, and presents localised responses without the need for the user to append their term with a location.
In other words if you type “Radiator Leak Repair” – the chances are Google will know where you live, that you need a plumber and present you with tailored local options without you needing to specify a location.
Better still, if you know a little REGEX, it is easily possible to add new search engines to Rank Tracker enabling you to see your websites position in them as well.
I moved over to Rank Tracker last year. The results are accurate and I can see what my competitors are doing and get great ideas for new links and SEO. Fantastic tool.
Domain Strength and Reports
The last two tabs deal with a domain strength overview. Giving the top line figures for indexed pages, keyword ranking numbers, social media popularity and on-site SEO effectiveness.
The reports tab has no less than 8 options.
Keyword Rankings and Visibility
Progress graph of keyword positions over time, current positions in any number of search engines, summary of recent movements. Visibility percentage.
Competition Rankings
Names competition in each search engine. Their current strength, position, and visibility
Keywords Ranking Grouped (2 report options)
The first report is grouped by search engine. It is possible to see a keyword or phrases movement on one search engine compared with another., This is important as the ranking factors for each search engine are different. It is possible to rank very well in one and not at all in another for example.
The second report is by keyword and plots each keyword across all search engines. This can be a very large report if you have a large number of keywords to track across many search engines.
Rank History
Simple, elegant graph of rank history over time. Importantly denotes factors such as what URL from a website is ranking as well as bringing in the domain strength stats and comparing results over time
Keyword Research
Another report missing from many of SEO PowerSuite’s competitors. A report detailing the potential profitability against competition for all the keywords targeted. Number of searches per month by users of each search engine. The competition (PPC and organic) The expected visits for that keyword based on its current position and the cost per click should you or your client decide to take the direct advertising route.
Organic Website Traffic
Picked up by connection with Google Webmaster Tools. A total of the organic traffic the site currently receives from all sources
Domain Strength
An overview of the current domain strength as a result of all the metrics collated. A simple report that can be used as a header for others or on its own top clients who do not want to go into detail
White Label and Own Brand Report Options
One of the most attractive features of all the SEO PowerSuite tools is the ability for the Enterprise version of the tools to produce these reports white label and/or own branded.
Adding your own company logo and details to the reports that are produced allowing you to communicate these with your client with ease. These reports can be printed, turned into PDF format or even exported as HTML allowing you to upload them to a client report page on a website.
For example, it is quite simple with most CMS systems to create a password protected page. Create one page per client, then share the password with them. That way your clients will have their most up to date reports always available. It’s a great selling point.
Rank Tracker Review
Cost Effective and Versatile Agency Level Solutions
At the risk of repeating what I say with every product in the SEO PowerSuite, client acquisition and retention are a vital aspect of running a successful digital marketing agency. As an individual with a few DM clients this is perhaps even more important. Hand crafting monthly reports for even a relatively small number of clients can take days. I know this from personal experience. Both the timeliness and quality of the reports your clients receive from you is of vital importance.
The added ability to create well researched, accurate and beautifully presented reports to prospective clients either as part of your own outreach initiative or in response to a soft query from a prospective client positions your competency and professionalism highly.
Creating timely, accurate and well-presented progress reports for existing clients gives the client confidence in the process they are paying you for.
Communication is Vital
Nothing pushes a client away quicker than a lack of communication or incorrect information. Rank Tracker, along with all other aspects of the SEO PowerSuite makes both client acquisition and the regular progress reporting simple as well as both time and cost effective.
Rank tracker offers both affordability and scalability. Adding more clients websites is a simple process and scheduling the ranking refreshes over time mitigates the need for proxies and captchas until you reach a high level of keywords to check.
In practice we managed to update well over 500 keywords each week scheduling between 100 and 150 per night was a simple process. Given that our client base only requires that their rankings were reported once per month we feel comfortable in suggesting that Rank Tracker can handle between 2000 and 3000 keywords if monthly reporting is the aim. With a few proxies this number could rise exponentially.
Some of our client base are very SEO focussed so the ability to add their online competition to the reports to see the progress they have made against their rivals is often very appreciated.
Client Acquisition with Rank Tracker
In terms of client acquisition, the ability to accurately estimate traffic levels without access to their Google account often takes them by surprise – add to that a prediction of traffic levels should SEO goals be achieved is a way od describing real value. At Gambit Nash we do this by referring to a ratio of current ROI (return on investment) and in turn that is based on their conversion rate.
For example, we have predicted the improvement levels for referrals for 10 identified highly commercial keywords. Basing the figures on the sliding scale that first place in Google’s organic listing brings approximately 32.5% of available traffic. This is almost halved by second place at 17.6% and this drops to 2.4% by the time you reach number 10.
A good example is that, on average, a website will double its traffic by moving from 7th to 4th place in Google. It isn’t all about being number 1 – or if the market is big enough you can exist profitably outside the top 3.
Create Realistic Expectations
We have also learned to be conservative (sometimes very conservative) in our client proposals. To remain on the safe side of expectations we half the expected increase in our estimates. More often than not, this still reads as a huge potential profit for the client and of course gives us the opportunity to over-deliver. Always best to under promise and over deliver.
Adding your rank tracker findings to those from Website Auditor and SEO Spyglass will give you a very comprehensive report to send to a prospect that will only require a solid covering letter.
It’s hard to fault Rank Tracker as a product in terms of its value proposition for professional digital marketers and agencies looking for a scalable solution. At Gambit Nash we have tried many options. Most of them become eye-wateringly expensive in many cases meaning we needed to add 20-30% to a clients monthly fee to us just to cover the cost of the software we were using to manage their digital marketing. As you might imagine this gave us the unenviable choice of being uncompetitive on our own prices or swallowing the cost and taking a huge cut in our profits.
Rank Tracker, part of the SEO Powersuite allowed us to propose, perform and report at a cost level that suited both us and our client base.
SEO Powersuite
Rank Tracker Free Trial
If you are undertaking SEO of any kind, then understanding the impact of your work is vital. Understanding the ranking of your website of the commercial keywords you are targeting is important for individual digital marketers, but so much more important if you are busy with multiple sites and this is amplified again if you are an agency and doing this work for clients. They will want to know how their website is ranking.
Rank Tracker free trial gives you almost complete access to one of the most powerful SE tracking tools on the internet. With the ability to see your position in 568 search engines (which of course includes Google) for as many website projects as required. You can track as many keywords as you need. Even with this Rank Tracker free trial there is no limit to the keywords you can track. Compare that value to expensive S.A.A.S tracking tools that limit your abilities to track keywords and put up their prices sharply as soon as you need to get an agency or enterprise level of service. Rank Tracker is a one off price.
That you can also track your main competition, get GEO specific results ensure the results you get are universal (not geo, IP, or user specific results) and add functionality by adding Google WMT API to the mix to find out the traffic data – and you have a keyword tracking tool with a world class feature set. For free
After all, how can you know if your work is having the desired effect if you do not measure it?
Rank Tracker Discount
If you decide you need to move up, and gain features such as the ability to save rank history, schedule tasks, export data to other applications, compare results with more competitors or use the superb exporting tools, then the Rank Tracker discount will be of massive value to you.
Whether you update to the Professional or the Enterprise version we are sure that Rank Tracker discount provides the best value for the gold
I moved over to Rank Tracker last year. The results are accurate and I can see what my competitors are doing and get great ideas for new links and SEO. Fantastic tool.
The Yourmetalife Difference
Yourmetalife offers the best discount available anywhere on the internet for this and all other tools in SEO Powersuite.
We also offer superb 3rd party support. While the designers of this tool (part of SEO Powersuite) have been in the business for many years and have a great history of updating their tools regularly, adding new features and providing superb support, Yourmetalife take the position of end user advocates.
We have a history of working closely with digital marketing application developers and communicating with end users. We are happy to answer questions and pass on suggestions. If you know our history on demondemon and similar sites, you’ll appreciate how closely we work with our own community to ensure the best user experience.
A free trial, the best discount and unique level of third party support. That’s the difference Yourmetalife makes.
About
Paul Rone-Clarke is Digital Marking Director with Gambit Nash. A creative agency based in the stunning rural countryside of Worcestershire.
Starting in digital marketing (long before it was called digital marketing) in 1996 with small jobs for local companies. Promoting a local shoe shop, a large catalogue firm and several small businesses working alongside his time in education, as a very mature student and working as a Production Planner and Senior Manager with great companies such as Bosch and Superform Aluminium.
If you are interested, Superform make the super-heated aluminium body panels for cars such as Aston Martin and Morgan.
Deciding to start Yourmetalife in 2009 and creating a successful brand alongside the more important issue of happy and well serviced clients it became apparent after 5 good years of growth that without some level of automation, outsourcing or the introduction of complementary skill sets, further scaling up of the business was going to be a difficult process.
Gambit Nash
This site is part of the Yourmetalife group
In 2015 Gambit Nash was formed as a creative agency bringing together graphic design, coding, net and server infrastructure, project management and print under one roof. This allowing collaboration between various members of the team, the capital to grow and the ability for each team member to concentrate on their core activities.
Gambit Nash, and Yourmetalife use the products featured on this page extensively for client acquisition, digital marketing and client communication via the excellent reporting and export options. The choice of SEO Powersuite was after several weeks of consultation and assessment of the cost benefits of a whole range of products.
As such SEO Powersuite – in particular the Enterprise versions of the tools – and each of the four applications that make up its total come highly recommended for professional and agency use. The Professional version is a product I have used myself with Yourmetalife for many years prior to that. The software is well supported, frequently updated with new features and by some way the best value of any other set of DM tools I have looked at.