Let’s look at some issues to take into account when it comes to SEO ranking monitoring:
Free or paid
Especially when starting in SEO, you look for free ranking monitoring tools. There are some interesting ones, but when you dedicate yourself professionally to this, they fall somewhat short.
I help you get more clients from Google through short-term SEO “Sprints.”
Their primary drawback lies in their significantly restricted depth of detail and scope of choices. They fall short of that moment’s snapshot, suitable for a professional follow-up.
It would be best if you weren’t afraid of paying for premium SEO tools: the service you can offer will result in greater loyalty, learning (that too), and, consequently, more clients.
If you want to be at the TOP in SEO, you need a TOP tool that offers you TOP information, converting it into knowledge and actions for potential continued improvement.
With limit or without limit of monitored keywords
Another aspect that you should evaluate about any SEO tool before hiring is to check if there is a limit of keywords you can monitor and what surcharge or higher price you will have to pay if you exceed it.
As an SEO, you must always estimate, at the top, how many you may need to monitor. Some projects make you fat, and others make you lose weight.
Semrush offers us enough assortment for any SEO agency to work without problem.
With greater or lesser update frequency
One element that differentiates good SEO tools from the best ones for monitoring rankings is the frequency with which they update search engine data.
In the case of SEMrush, it is one of the highest on the market, which always makes it an exciting candidate.
In my case, it is essential that at least daily monitoring be carried out since it is the way to detect possible problems as early as possible.
Google Search Console is fantastic, but it has these problems:
The free ranking monitoring tool par excellence . Essential, but not infallible. No tool is.
- Real-time data with many limitations is not available, even during the day. Limited at critical moments, therefore, such as migrations, updates…
- You need APIs to automate certain things (although there are already plugins on Google Spreadsheet to make your life a little easier).
- You only have your data available; you cannot compare it with your competition’s.
- Work with the weighted average with impressions to calculate rankings. This is important to understand to know how to interpret the data correctly.
- We will only obtain measurement data in the case of having impressions. Otherwise, we will not have daily ranking data of any kind.
General suites like SEMrush
When investing, why not opt for general suites that cover all aspects of an SEO project?
As you delve deeper into positioning dynamics, you realize they are the best investment as long as they guarantee good, reliable data and are versatile enough to work your way and not impose their method on you.
Specific monitoring tools
Why not subscribe to tools specialized in tracking rankings?
There are fascinating ones specializing in local SEO, for example, or things like that. Ultimately, the important thing is to try it and see if it saves you time or provides you with some differential value worth paying to offer something good to your client.
Of course, they require more excellent knowledge of its operation and basis, although the ideal is to try and discover if it fits your needs.
Tools with direct API
As long as you have knowledge and experience in technical SEO, you will want the rankings monitoring tool to have an API, which won’t be a headache.
The customization possibilities for data extraction are almost unlimited, although, for this reason, they require extensive programming knowledge.
Tools with or without geolocation
When you work with local SEO, if it lacks it, it will be a problem, but it will also be if the project is national or international. Remember that while the business is competed in some regions, it can generate opportunities in others that could be more saturated or worked on by the competition.
Tools with competition comparison
Admit it: You, too, have been looking for the perfect tool to spy on your competition without being noticed.
Competitor monitoring suites that allow you to do this include other features that do not fit your needs or are excessively prohibitive. In the case of SEMrush, I have found that versatile idealization, at a price that, being honest and knowing the team, is worth it.
Monitor your situation and that of your competitors simultaneously, their trends versus yours, etc. It is vital knowledge to analyze and draw up winning strategies.
Tools with the grouping of keywords by landing pages
For example, this is one of the features I use most in a tool to optimize its content.
But also for large clients with hundreds of URLs to monitor. Here, organization is critical so that every opportunity is noticed.
Think that when you group, you organize, and if you organize, you can automate analysis and reporting. Spend time identifying your most important target pages; your SEO may take it to the next level.
Tools with the ability to select devices
Is it essential to know what devices users searching for our customers use? It’s a must! You need to have a general plan photograph of the project every day.
And this includes the devices and how the results of the websites are displayed on them. If you don’t do it yourself, working together with web design and development makes a difference.
Tools that monitor featured snippets
Do Featured Snippets Still Matter? Yes, and a lot. Only a selection of SEO tools monitor featured snippets and the keywords and clusters they address.
In e-commerce, this functionality is even more critical, whether the client is in the optimization phase or has gone one step further and uses SEM.
Tools that monitor all types of search engines
Unfortunately, Google continues to be the king of browsers. It also has a YouTube search engine.
Is it interesting to be able to control other search engines? Always. Of course, assess whether the effort is worth it in terms of profitability.
Tools that monitor Google Maps
Not only do you have to work on SEO on the pages, but Especially with clients who primarily focus on local audiences or who have a physical store, Google Maps and Google My Business listings should be optimized. And, of course, do the corresponding monitoring of positions and results. It would be better if they gave you the option of combining all that information in a single suite.
Tools that simulate user behavior when tracking
Ecstasy for any marketer and any SEO: Seeing or projecting a user’s passage through the web. More and more search results focus on a page’s ability to satisfy users’ needs.
All monitoring tools that include this functionality (SEMrush, them) are entered at the top.
