SEO

Check Website Position in Google

Check Website Position in Google: Essential Strategies for Accurate Ranking

Photo of author

By Dirk Schembri

When working to improve your websiteā€™s position on Google, knowing where it currently ranks is essential. At DirkSEO, we go through the following rigorous process to ensure you have the best chances of top rankings.

Tools like Google Search Console and various ranking checkers can give you insights into your siteā€™s performance.

You can see how your pages rank for specific keywords, which helps identify areas that need better optimization.

This is useful for enhancing your content and improving your SEO strategy.

By regularly analyzing your site’s ranking, you can track changes over time and make informed decisions.

Utilizing these tools helps with visibility and ensures that your content remains relevant and competitive.

Whether you are a business owner or a content creator, understanding your Google ranking is crucial for success in the digital landscape.

How To Check Website Position in Google

  1. Use Competitor Research Tools: Enter your domain using tools like SE Ranking. You’ll see data like domain authorityorganic traffic, and more.
  2. Bulk Rank Tracking Tools: Tools such as Rush Analytics help you track multiple keywords. Enter your domain and keywords to get real-time ranking data.
  3. SERP Features: Use SERPRobotā€™s Free SERP Checker to find your siteā€™s position for up to five keywords. It also shows the top 10 domains competing for those keywords.
  4. Manual Search: Open Google and search for your target keywords. Note the position of your website in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
  5. Google Search Console: This tool shows your siteā€™s performance on Google, including clicks, impressions, and average positions for each keyword.
  6. SEO Software: Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush allow you to track your ranking position, backlinks, and domain authority. They provide comprehensive SEO analysis.
  7. URL Inspection Tool: Googleā€™s URL Inspection Tool helps check how your URL appears in the search results. It provides detailed index status and errors.
  8. Mobile vs. Desktop Rankings: Use tools that track rankings across different devices. This helps you see if your website ranks differently on mobile and desktop.

These techniques ensure you stay on top of your Google keyword rankings and optimize your SEO ranking.

Explore each method to find out which one suits your needs the best.

Using Google Search Console

Queries Report

The Queries Report in Google Search Console shows how well your website ranks on Google for specific keywords.

You’ll see a list of the top 1,000 keywords that bring traffic to your site.

By selecting a keyword, you can get detailed data on its performance, including metrics such as clicks, impressions, and average position.

You can also see which pages on your website rank for those keywords.

For instance, if multiple pages on your site rank for the same keyword, you can compare their performance.

This helps you understand how different pages contribute to your overall SEO success.

Pages Report

The Pages Report focuses on the performance of individual web pages.

By selecting a specific page, you can see how it ranks in Google Search.

This report provides insights into the top keywords for a given page, showing you detailed information like clicks, impressions, and average position.

This report also allows you to filter data by country.

You can select a country to view filtered data on a page’s performance in that country.

This is useful for tailoring your content to different geographic audiences.

Countries Report

The Countries Report shows how your website performs in Google Search across various countries.

This report is especially useful for businesses targeting specific regions.

You can select a country and see how your pages rank there, providing valuable insights into your international SEO efforts.

By filtering the data by country, you can drill down into specific metrics.

This helps you understand how well your site serves different local audiences.

Devices Report

The Devices Report gives insights into how users access your websiteā€”whether through desktops, mobiles, or tablets.

This information is essential for understanding the behavior of your audience on different devices.

For example, if most of your traffic comes from mobile devices, you should ensure your website is mobile-friendly.

Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in its rankings, so optimizing your site for mobile devices can enhance your performance in search results.

Search Appearance Report

The Search Appearance Report categorizes your website data based on specific search result types.

This can include rich snippets, FAQs, or reviews if you have structured data on your pages.

By understanding how different types of content appear in search results, you can ensure they are correctly optimized.

This report helps you identify whether your structured data is properly utilized by Google.

This impacts your site’s visibility in search features like rich snippets.

Dates Report

The Dates Report organizes your website data by date, allowing you to track performance over time.

This daily granularity helps you identify trends and patterns in your site’s search traffic.

You can filter the data to include complete or partial days, giving you flexibility in your analysis.

Monitoring these trends is crucial for understanding the impact of your SEO efforts and making data-driven decisions to improve your site’s performance.

Using Keyword Rank Tracking Tool

A keyword rank tracking tool can significantly improve your websiteā€™s SEO performance.

You can see how well your site performs in search engine results over time by monitoring keyword rankings.

SE Ranking is a popular and accurate rank-tracking tool for keywords on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube.

You can track keywords for different languages, locations, and devices.

This tool provides you with detailed insights into your keyword performance.

Key Features of SE Ranking:

  • Keyword Tracking: Monitor your keywords’ positions in real-time across multiple search engines.
  • Location Targeting: Track keywords for specific locations, even down to city districts.
  • Device Monitoring: Check keyword rankings on different devices like desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
  • SERP Analysis: Observe how your keywords are moving in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP).

To use a rank tracking tool like SE Ranking, start by adding your keywords.

The tool will give you updates on how these keywords rank over time.

This helps you see which keywords are improving and which ones need attention.

Steps to Track Keywords:

  1. Add Keywords: Input the keywords you want to track.
  2. Set Locations: Choose the specific locations you are targeting.
  3. Check Rankings: View the current rankings for each keyword.
  4. Analyze Data: Look at the distribution of top positions and keyword movement over time.

A major advantage of using a rank-tracking tool is seeing how Google updates impact your keyword rankings.

This can help you adjust your SEO strategies promptly.

For example, you might notice a sudden drop in ranking for a particular keyword.

By identifying such changes quickly, you can investigate and make necessary adjustments to your content or strategies.

Evaluating Keyword Difficulty:

You also get insights into keyword difficulty (KD) when you track your keyword rankings.

For instance, if you are targeting a highly competitive keyword, knowing its keyword difficulty can help you understand why itā€™s challenging to rank for it.

Take the keyword “seo keywords” which has a keyword difficulty of 70.

If your website has a lower domain authority, it might be hard to rank for this keyword.

By understanding the competition, you can set realistic goals and focus on less competitive keywords to improve your chances of ranking higher.

Benefits of Rank Tracking Tools:

  • Track Progress: See how well your website is performing for various keywords.
  • Identify Trends: Detect trends in keyword positions and adjust your strategy accordingly.
  • Competitive Analysis: Monitor competitors’ keywords to see where you can improve.
  • Improve SEO: Use the data to refine your SEO efforts, target the right keywords, and boost organic traffic.

SE Ranking Pricing:

SE Ranking is also known for being affordable. It offers good value for money, making it accessible even for smaller businesses.

Using Free Rank Tracking Tools

Free tools to check your websiteā€™s rank on Google can be very helpful, especially if you’re on a budget. These tools provide the basics, such as your websiteā€™s position, search volume, and URL details.

One option is a Keyword and Domain Rank Checker.

By entering your keyword, you can see your site’s position in the search results, the search volume for that keyword, and other key information.

This offers a solid starting point in understanding your site’s performance on Google.

Another tool is the Hothā€™s free website ranking checker. It works similarly, providing basic ranking information for your site on Google.

You might also find the SERP Checker by AccuRanker useful.

All you need to do is enter your target keyword and location. This tool displays your websiteā€™s exact ranking, free from any personalization or search history effects.

  • Options for Free Rank Tracking Tools:
    • Keyword and Domain Rank Checker
    • Hothā€™s Free Website Ranking Checker
    • SERP Checker by AccuRanker

These tools offer a great way to start monitoring your site’s ranking, without the need for a large budget.

They may not provide extensive data, but they help you learn where you stand and can guide your next steps in SEO.

Using Competitor Research Tool

To find out where a website stands in Google search results, you can use a competitor research tool like SE Ranking.

This kind of tool provides detailed information about any website, whether itā€™s yours or a competitor’s.

When using SE Ranking, start by entering a domain name and choosing your target location.

This will give you an overview of the site’s performance.

You’ll see details such as domain trustorganic trafficorganic keywords, and the number of referring domains and backlinks.

Next, go to the Pages Report.

This section shows the top-ranking pages of the website you are analyzing.

You’ll find stats like traffic share, overall traffic, and the specific keywords each page ranks for.

Another useful feature is the Keywords Report.

Here, you can check the keyword positions in Google and get valuable information such as keyword difficulty, search volume, and the ranking URL.

This report also estimates the traffic each keyword brings to the site.

These tools not only help you to see where a website stands but also offer insights into the keywords and overall performance.

This data is crucial for comparing your site with competitors and understanding their strategies.

Using Google Search

To check website positions in Google, you can simply use Google search. This method works for your website and others.

Just type the keyword you want to check into the Google search bar.

For example, to see the ranking for “blogging for business,” enter the keyword and observe which pages appear on the search engine results page (SERP).

This helps you gauge the rank of any website for that specific keyword.

If your Google account is linked to Google Search Console, you’ll see the search performance for that query if your site ranks for it.

Challenges

  • Low Rankings: It’s tough to spot a website unless it’s in the top 10 results.
  • Finding Sites: Locating the specific site you’re interested in can be challenging.
  • Time-Consuming: Manually searching can take a lot of time.
  • Personalized Results: The results shown are influenced by your search history, making them less reliable.

To enhance this method, use an SEO Chrome extension like SEOquake. This can streamline the process and provide additional details about the ranking websites.

For more accurate and non-personalized results, use tools like SE Ranking Location Changer. This helps you get search results specific to your target location.

By combining these techniques, you can more effectively check website positions in Google and gather deeper insights into your target keywords.

Recommended Tools for Keyword Rank Tracking

To effectively manage your SEO efforts, you need reliable tools for tracking your keyword rankings. Below are some of the best options available:

SE Ranking

SE Ranking offers over 30 different tools to assist with various search marketing tasks. This platform is highly regarded on G2 for its effectiveness and user satisfaction. Starting at just $24 per month, it provides excellent value for entrepreneurs, marketing agencies, and small to medium-sized businesses.

SEMRush

SEMRush is one of the most comprehensive online marketing platforms available, featuring over 50 tools to manage your online presence. Pricing for SEMRush starts at $120 per month and can go up to nearly $500, making it ideal for medium to large organizations with a bigger SEO budget. It’s a robust solution for those looking to get extensive data and insights.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another top-notch tool with integrated keyword rank checking functionality. It allows users to monitor website rankings through its Site Explorer, Rank Tracker, and Keywords Explorer tools. These features provide detailed insights into keyword performance and help track progress over time.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a user-friendly tool for those new to SEO. It offers features like keyword suggestions, rank tracking, and competitive analysis. Ubersuggestā€™s free version provides limited data, but the paid version unlocks more comprehensive features and insights.

HigherVisibility Rank Checker

HigherVisibility Rank Checker is a free tool developed by HigherVisibility to help monitor keyword positions. This tool is especially useful for small businesses looking for a cost-effective solution to track their keyword rankings.

SERPRobot

SERPRobot offers a free SERP checker that shows your website’s position for up to five keywords. It also provides information on the top 10 domains ranking for those keywords, making it a useful addition to your SEO toolkit.

Here’s a quick comparison of these tools:

ToolKey FeaturesStarting Price
SE Ranking30+ SEO tools, affordable$24/month
SEMRush50+ marketing tools, comprehensive analytics$120 to $500/month
AhrefsDetailed keyword tracking, multiple toolsCustom pricing
UbersuggestUser-friendly, keyword suggestions, rank trackingFree to Paid
HigherVisibilityFree rank checker, monitors keyword positionsFree
SERPRobotFree SERP checker, shows top-ranking domainsFree

These tools can help you keep a close watch on your keyword rankings and make informed decisions to enhance your SEO strategy.

Why Should You Check Your Websiteā€™s Position on Google?

Reason #1: Monitor When Google Starts Ranking Your Content

One essential reason for checking your website’s ranking is to see when Google begins to rank your content after it’s published. Examining this data offers you insights into the keywords you’re targeting. For instance, if your website has an authority score of 40, you might aim for keywords with difficulty levels at or below 40. However, if your content takes several months to rank, it might suggest that the keyword is more competitive than you assumed. This encourages you to adjust your SEO strategy and focus on more attainable keywords.

Reason #2: Determine Initial Ranking Positions

Checking your website position also helps you see the initial ranking of your content. Knowing where you start can provide valuable info about your keyword strategy. If your page starts ranking in position 50, moving up to spots that bring significant traffic (positions 1-10) might be unlikely without advanced tactics. Your goal should be to rank within the top 30 positions within the first two weeks. If you rank higher than 30, you may need to rethink your SEO efforts to improve your visibility.

Reason #3: Maintain Your Rankings

Ensuring you keep your rankings is another critical reason to track your websiteā€™s position. If your content is in the top ten, any drop can significantly affect your organic traffic, leads, and sales. If you notice a drop, investigate why it happened. Check who overtook you and see if their content is more in-depth, includes more graphics, or has more backlinks using the latest link building strategies. Understanding these factors allows you to make necessary adjustments to maintain your rankings.

Reason #4: Identify Opportunities to Improve Rankings

Finally, regularly checking your websiteā€™s position helps you find opportunities to boost your rankings. One effective strategy is to look for keywords where you rank between positions 5-20. You can then optimize this content or create new content to target these keywords more effectively. This approach can quickly increase your organic traffic and lead to more backlinks, enhancing your overall SEO performance. This method is particularly useful for established websites with existing content, making it a powerful tool in your SEO arsenal.

Final Words to Check Website Position in Google

Tracking your websiteā€™s rank on Google is a key task for SEOs, webmasters, and bloggers. It offers insights into your ranking market, your siteā€™s potential, and competitor movements. Rank Tracking tools like SE Ranking can be very useful for this.

Pro Tip: Don’t check rankings too often. It’s best to monitor your website position weekly. For example, you could check every Monday and adjust your plans accordingly. This helps you and your team stay focused on the right tasks each week.

Feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions by reaching out to us!