How to use Rank Tracker
Rank Tracker is a Sitechecker tool that checks your Google, Bing and Yahoo positions for the keywords you choose, every day, and shows how they change over time.
You can track keywords by country, city, device and search engine, compare your visibility with competitors, see which keywords show a Google AI Overview, and find the pages that rank next to you in search results.
What you can do with Rank Tracker
- Track daily positions for your keywords in Google, Bing and Yahoo.
- Follow your rankings and visibility on charts, with Google updates and your own notes marked on them.
- See your results by keyword, by page or by group of keywords.
- Compare your visibility with your competitors.
- See which keywords show a Google AI Overview and whether your site is cited in it.
- Find review sites, listings and other pages that rank for your keywords.
- Share results with clients through PDF reports, exports and Looker Studio.
How it works
You add keywords to a Sitechecker project and choose where to track them: search engine, country, city and device.
Sitechecker checks the search results for each keyword once a day. It saves your position, the page of your site that ranks, and the top 100 results for the keyword.
Each keyword is tracked for every setting you pick. For example, one keyword tracked in 2 countries on desktop and mobile counts as 4 keywords in your limit.
If Google blocks data collection for some keywords on a given day, Rank Tracker shows the last positions it collected for those keywords. It replaces them with the real data as soon as it gets it. A warning marker on the chart shows the dates when this happened.
Before you start
Rank Tracker works inside a Sitechecker project. Your project needs at least one tracked keyword. If there are no keywords yet, Rank Tracker shows a screen with a button to add them.
To compare yourself with competitors, add their domains in the project's Competitors settings. Rank Tracker can also suggest top competitors based on your keywords.
To see Google Search Console data next to your keywords, connect Search Console to your project.
Adding keywords
Click Add in the Rank Tracker header to open the keyword setup.
Here is how it works:
- Enter your keywords. Paste them in the field, one per line.
- Choose search engines. Google, Bing and Yahoo. You can select more than one.
- Choose countries and locations. You can select several countries. Locations (cities) are available when you track one country.
- Choose devices. Desktop, mobile or both.
- Set a group or target URL (optional). Groups help you organize keywords by topic. A target URL is the page you want to rank for the keyword.
- Click Add keywords. Sitechecker shows how many keywords were added.
You can manage all keywords in the Manage Keywords tab of the setup. There you can move keywords between groups and target URLs, or delete them.
Rank Tracker tabs
Rank Tracker has five tabs. Each tab shows the same tracking data from a different angle.
Keywords
The Keywords tab shows every tracked keyword in one table. You see the position, the change over time, the ranking page, the search volume and many other columns, such as KGR, SERP features, AI Overview and Search Console data.
Click SERP on any keyword to see the top results for it and how they changed. The Keywords article covers all columns and actions.
Pages
The Pages tab groups keywords by the page of your site that ranks for them. For each page you see its visibility, number of tracked keywords, total search volume and average position.
Open a page to see the keywords it ranks for. The Pages article covers the details.
Groups
The Groups tab shows the same data for each group of keywords you created. It helps you compare topics, products or sections of your site.
You need at least two groups to use this tab. The Groups article covers the details.
Competitors
The Competitors tab compares your visibility with your competitors for the same keywords. Your own domain appears in the list, so you can see who leads at a glance.
You can also see which competitors rank for each keyword. The Competitors article covers the setup and details.
SERP opportunities
The SERP opportunities tab lists all pages that rank in the top results for your keywords, without duplicates. Each page gets a content type, such as Listings, Reviews, UGC or News media.
Use it to find sites for listings, links and partnerships. This tab is a monthly report, so it has no date picker. The SERP opportunities article covers the details.
Charts
Three charts sit above the table on the Keywords, Pages and Groups tabs. Click a small chart to show it in full size. You can hide or show the charts with one click.
The Rankings chart shows how many of your keywords are in the top 3, top 10, top 30 and other position ranges each day.
The Visibility chart shows your visibility score over time. Visibility is the share of possible search traffic your site gets from its top 10 positions. Position 1 counts fully, position 10 counts for a tenth, and positions below 10 do not count. Each keyword is weighted by its search volume, so high-volume keywords move the score more.
The Competitors chart shows your visibility next to your competitors. It opens by default on the Competitors tab.
All charts mark Google updates, the dates you added keywords, your own notes and data collection issues.
Filters and date range
Use the date picker to choose the period. Charts, tables and changes follow the dates you pick.
The filters work on all tabs where they apply:
- Search: find keywords by text.
- Devices, Countries, Locations and Languages: focus on one market or device.
- Volume: show keywords in a search volume range.
- Rankings: show keywords in a position range.
- Groups: show keywords from one or several groups.
- Target URLs: show keywords by target page, with rules like contains or doesn't contain.
- SERP features: show keywords with certain SERP features, such as featured snippets or videos.
- AI Overview: show keywords with or without a Google AI Overview. This filter is on the Keywords tab only.
Reports and sharing
The buttons in the Rank Tracker header help you share results.
PDF creates a branded report for the period you selected, up to 12 months. It includes the Rankings, Visibility and Competitors charts and a keyword table. You can add your own logo. If you apply filters, the report uses them too.
Export downloads the data to CSV or Google Sheets. You can export all keywords or only the ones you selected.
Data Studio connects Rank Tracker to Looker Studio, so you can build your own dashboards.
The share icon creates a link to the report, and the settings icon opens the Rank Tracker settings for the project.
Plans and limits
The number of keywords and competitors you can track depends on your plan. You can see the limits for each plan on the pricing page.
When you reach your limit, Sitechecker shows an Upgrade option so you can move to a bigger plan.
How to use it in practice
Start with the keywords that bring you leads or sales. Add them with the right country, city and device, and put them into groups by topic.
Check the Rankings and Visibility charts once a week. A sudden drop next to a Google update marker often explains itself.
Use the Pages tab to see which pages carry most of your visibility. Use the Groups tab to see which topics grow and which fall behind.
Open the Competitors tab to see who wins your keywords. Then check SERP opportunities to find the review sites and listings where your competitors appear and you do not.
For agencies, the PDF report and Looker Studio connector make it easy to send clients a clear monthly update.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rank Tracker in Sitechecker? Rank Tracker is a Sitechecker tool that checks your daily positions in Google, Bing and Yahoo for the keywords you choose, and shows rankings, visibility, competitors and AI Overview data.
How often does Sitechecker check keyword positions? Sitechecker checks the position of every tracked keyword once a day.
Which search engines does Rank Tracker support? Rank Tracker supports Google, Bing and Yahoo. You can track one keyword in several search engines at once.
Can I track keywords in a specific city? Yes. Choose a country and then a location when you add keywords. You can filter results by location later.
How are keywords counted in my limit? Each combination of keyword, search engine, country or location, and device counts as one keyword.
Can Rank Tracker show Google AI Overviews? Yes. The Keywords tab shows which keywords trigger an AI Overview and whether your site is cited in it.
Why do I see a warning marker on the chart? The marker shows a date when Google blocked part of the data collection. For those keywords, Rank Tracker shows the last collected positions until new data arrives.
Can I send Rank Tracker reports to clients? Yes. You can create a PDF report with your own logo, export the data to CSV or Google Sheets, or connect Rank Tracker to Looker Studio.
Need help?
If you have questions about Rank Tracker, write to us at support@sitechecker.pro. We are happy to help.