Keyword Tracking: Rank Monitoring Guide
Monitor your Google search rankings over time with position tracking, historical charts, and competitor analysis. This guide covers setup, usage, and interpreting your data.
Business Tier and above
What Is Keyword Tracking?
Keyword tracking monitors where your pages rank in Google for specific search queries. Instead of manually searching Google every day, SEObolt automatically checks and records your positions over time.
What you get:
- Current ranking position for each keyword
- Historical position chart (see trends over weeks/months)
- SERP feature detection (featured snippets, People Also Ask, local pack)
- Competitor URLs ranking for the same keywords
- Position change alerts (improved or declined)
Getting Started
Step 1: Access the SaaS Dashboard
Log in to the SaaS Dashboard
Find the link in your SEObolt > Analytics page within WordPress.
Navigate to Rank Tracking
Select the Rank Tracking section from the dashboard navigation.
Step 2: Add Your First Keywords
Click "Add Keyword"
Open the keyword creation form from the Rank Tracking page.
Fill in the Details
Enter the keyword, target URL, and optional location and device settings.
Save and Track
Click Save. Tracking begins immediately — the first check runs within minutes.
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword | Yes | The search query to track | "best running shoes" |
| Target URL | Yes | The page you expect to rank | yoursite.com/best-running-shoes/ |
| Location | No | Geographic location | United States (default) |
| Device | No | Desktop or Mobile | Desktop (default) |
Step 3: Add More Keywords
Repeat for your most important keywords. Recommended: 20-50 keywords covering:
| Category | Examples | Why Track |
|---|---|---|
| Brand terms | "your company name" | Catch reputation issues |
| Primary keywords | "best [your product]" | Core business terms |
| Long-tail keywords | "how to [solve problem]" | Content performance |
| Local keywords | "[service] in [city]" | Local SEO performance |
| Competitor keywords | Keywords competitors rank for | Competitive intelligence |
Reading the Dashboard
Keywords List
Each tracked keyword shows:
| Column | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Keyword | The search query being tracked |
| Current Position | Where you rank right now (1-100+) |
| Best Position | Your highest-ever ranking for this keyword |
| Average Position | 30-day rolling average (smooths out daily fluctuations) |
| Change | Position change since last check (green arrow = improved, red arrow = declined) |
| Last Checked | When the ranking was last verified |
Position History Chart
Click any keyword to see:
- Line chart showing your position over time
- Trend direction — are you moving up or down?
- Significant events — correlate ranking changes with content updates
SERP Features
For each keyword, SEObolt detects whether Google shows:
| Feature | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Featured Snippet | Answer box at the top of results |
| People Also Ask | Expandable Q&A section |
| Local Pack | Map with 3 local businesses |
| Knowledge Panel | Side panel with entity info |
| Video Carousel | Row of video results |
| Image Pack | Row of image results |
| Shopping Results | Product listings with prices |
If a SERP feature dominates the results, ranking #1 in the organic results may not get as many clicks as you'd expect. Understanding the search landscape helps set realistic traffic expectations.
Manual vs Automatic Checks
| Type | How | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Scheduled daily checks | Set it and forget it |
| Manual | Click "Check Now" on any keyword | After publishing updates, to see immediate impact |
Interpreting Your Data
What's a "Good" Ranking?
| Position | Meaning | Average CTR |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Top of page 1 | 15-30% |
| 4-10 | Rest of page 1 | 2-8% |
| 11-20 | Page 2 | <2% |
| 21-50 | Pages 3-5 | Near zero clicks |
| 51-100 | Deep results | Essentially invisible |
| Not Found | Not in top 100 | N/A |
Daily Fluctuations Are Normal
Google rankings naturally fluctuate by 1-3 positions daily. This is NOT cause for alarm.
Weekly averages trending up = good. Weekly averages trending down = investigate. A sudden drop of 5+ positions = something changed and warrants immediate attention.
Common Reasons for Ranking Drops
| Cause | What Happened | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Google algorithm update | Google changed ranking factors | Wait 2-4 weeks; often recovers |
| Competitor published better content | Someone outranked you | Improve your content |
| Technical issue | Site went down, pages deindexed | Check GSC for crawl errors |
| Lost backlinks | Key links were removed | Build new links |
| Content decay | Content became outdated | Update with fresh information |
Troubleshooting
Position Shows "Not Found"
Your page isn't in the top 100 results for this keyword.
- Check target URL — Ensure it matches exactly what Google indexes (www vs non-www, trailing slash, http vs https)
- Check keyword spelling — Typos mean you're tracking the wrong query
- Page may not rank — Not every page ranks for every keyword. The keyword may be too competitive.
- Page not indexed — Check in Google Search Console that the page is indexed
- New page — Recently published pages may take weeks to rank
Rankings Fluctuate Wildly
- Check the 30-day average — Ignore daily noise, focus on the trend
- Algorithm updates — Check if Google released an update (search "Google algorithm update [month] [year]")
- Localization — Rankings vary by location. Your results may differ from the checker's location.
Data Not Updating
- Check SaaS connection — Ensure you're logged in to the dashboard
- Check tier — Rank tracking requires Business tier or above
- Force manual check — Click "Check Now" on any keyword
- Check API quota — Your keyword tracking API quota may be exhausted
Position in Dashboard Doesn't Match My Google Search
- Personalization — Google personalizes results based on your search history, location, and device
- Incognito check — Use incognito mode for a less-personalized result
- Location matters — SEObolt checks from a specific location; your results may differ
- Time delay — There may be hours between the last check and your manual search
Best Practices
- Track 20-50 keywords — Enough to cover your business, not so many you can't analyze them
- Include branded terms — Always track your brand name and variations
- Set realistic targets — Not every keyword will be #1. Aim for steady improvement.
- Review weekly, not daily — Daily fluctuations are noise. Weekly trends are signal.
- Act on significant drops — If a keyword drops 5+ positions, investigate immediately
- Track competitor keywords — Know what keywords your competitors rank for
- Update content for declining keywords — Content decay is real. Refresh pages that are losing rankings.
- Correlate with GSC data — Use rank tracking alongside Google Search Console for the full picture