Many factors influence how a website can appear in search results. For example: website loading speedusability, security, domain age and authority, metadata, bounce rate, and backlinks.
SEO is not a simple checkbox on your to-do list: you must continuously monitor your site and your competitors for specific keywords to make sure you stay competitive.
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Regularly updating your site will help you rank better, but it can take several months to see results. You therefore need to stay attentive and measure your progress. Indeed, since search engines regularly update their algorithms, taking yesterday's ranking for granted can hurt you because it can jump or crash according to the new rules imposed by Google, Bing and others.
In this article, we will examine the best SEO tools for monitoring and analyzing your keyword rankings.
Tools, still more tools?
Apps, turnkey generators and all kinds of web tools are booming today, to the point where it's legitimate to ask: what use are tools to analyze your SEO ranking?
Because the effort invested in your SEO (and it's clear this is long-term work) deserves to have its results examined.
Because you inevitably care about the ROI of your SEO strategy. Because a manual check would be extremely tedious and time-consuming.
And finally, because you need precise metrics to know whether your SEO strategy is working, or whether it needs to be adjusted to achieve better results.
There's no need to pay to get an analysis of your ranking: free tools are available, from the most basic to the most powerful.
1. A Google feature: Google Search Console
And yes, Google first…
We love it or hate it, but let's be clear: Google, with its position as the world's dominant search engine, is absolutely essential both for your visitors and for you.
You may already use Google Analytics (which measures a site's audience for free) and Google Ads (paid advertising features)?
Now let's turn to Google Search Console, a free dashboard for managing your site's SEO.
The goal for you is to monitor and then optimize your site's ranking in search results.
Google Search Console can reveal to you the keywords used by users to find your site.
You can thus compare them to the keywords you had previously selected for your SEO.
But you'll get much more: the other sites that link to yours as well as the details of your best-ranked pages.
Finally, Google-specific features and the interconnection between its different tools can also be useful to you:
- Checking the indexing of your sitemap
- Instant sending of an alert message in case of a problem withindexing
- Checking for issues specific to AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)
Also read: 5 SEO tools to use in your semantic audit
2. A WordPress plugin: Yoast SEO
If, like many webmasters, you use WordPress intensively, you'll be interested in the Yoast SEO plugin option.
Indeed, this setup offers undeniable time savings and ease of use: you write, publish, check, and analyze on a single platform, in the blink of an eye.
Yoast SEO is WordPress's best-known and most popular plugin. It has the advantage of being user-friendly and offering many features.
For example, you'll appreciate the 'Google preview' option, which lets you preview your content, your site, and your meta descriptions as they will appear on Google.
The customizable 'Readability' feature is also an interesting SEO tool, since it combines human reading criteria with crawling criteria for Google's indexing bots.
Among WordPress plugins, some prefer the Rank Math SEO plugin to it — less famous than Yoast but offering interesting advantages, such as integration with Google Search Console or an unlimited choice of keywords to analyze.
3. A Chrome or Firefox extension: SEO Minion
If you don't use WordPress, a browser extension can be a wise choice for you, thanks to its great ease of access.
The main benefit of this extension is the on-page checking it provides. Once downloaded, the extension opens in a vertical panel on the right side of the screen.
The categories are:
- Title checks – HTML tags – tags, a preview of your position in search results (toggleable in 'preview' mode);
- Review of both internal and external links.
The title verification section – HTML tags – allows you to quickly analyze adherence to HTML best practices: the title tags concise ones designed as a setting for the keyword to insert, and always a ratio of a single H1 tag to multiple H2 and H3 tags. SEO Minion also checks the indexability of meta robots tags.
Link checking helps avoid broken links. Indeed, 404 errors are a bad sign for SEO. And this for two reasons: first, users hate the unpleasant surprise of hitting a dead end; second, Google bots "hate" 404 errors just as much, because they make crawling longer and more cumbersome.
Note: a feature allows simulating geo-localized positions. In short, SEO Minion proves to be a simple but effective tool, very easy to use even for a beginner.
Also read: 4 crawlers to use in your SEO audit
4. Software: SEO Soft
SEO Soft is what is called a SaaS product: software as a service.
Hosted by a third party such as Microsoft in most cases, there is therefore no need for installation like with traditional software.
A major advantage of SEO Soft lies in the way it presents its SEO figures.
Indeed, it deploys far more charts and visuals than the other referenced SEO analysis solutions.
For each keyword, you thus have a date-to-date electrocardiogram that is easy to interpret. It provides a view that is both playful and concise on your site's SEO health.
To go into detail, SEO Soft offers a keyword audit at a specific point in time and can even be combined with Google Analytics to import visitor data.
If problems occur, technical support is available online.
Finally, at the end of your check, you have the option to download all SEO data in a custom diagnostic report.
Companies that work in teams will also appreciate that SEO Soft supports multiple accounts and multiple users.
However, there are some limitations to the performance of this SEO software, Soft.
Indeed, it does not allow you to spoof a foreign IP address and is limited to Google.
These two drawbacks can be a significant obstacle when monitoring your SEO as you expand internationally.
For an SEO analysis across multiple countries simultaneously, we would recommend its counterpart SEO Scope, also a piece of software, but one that supports several search engines besides Google (indeed, Google dominates by far, but there are parts of the world where it is little or not used) and the ability to select keywords in different languages.
5. SERP Surf
SERP Surf is one of the best SERP analysis tools free tools. It checks your ranking position for 5 keywords in the search engines. You can also enter up to three competing domains to see how you compare to them.
The tool also lets you choose the region and the device (desktop, mobile, or tablet) on which to perform the analysis. Once you click “Check SERPSurf,” you can expect to know your results quite quickly. Additionally, SERP Surf will also show you the top ten rankings for each keyword you enter.
Also read: Content marketing: 10 agencies to help you make the leap
6. Rank Console
In my view, it is the best free tool available today (I await your feedback if you know a better one). Rank Console offers features that many other tools charge for.
This tool allows you to research an unlimited number of keywords, whereas most other tools (not all of which are listed in this article) offer at most 10 or 20 keywords.
It’s a user-friendly and fast tool that lets you check rankings for keyword multiple pages of your website.
Furthermore, this tool allows you to track an unlimited number of domains for free, including those of your competitors.
Rank Console also has a ranking history feature and displays its fluctuations on a graph. The tool will even use Google Trends to show the rise and fall of interest for each keyword.
Among the drawbacks, you can only perform a search on desktop, not on mobile or tablet. The tool also doesn’t allow searching a specific location, such as a city or region. Finally, although the tool lets you use an unlimited number of keywords, there is no way to import them.
7. SEO Hero Ninja
With SEO Hero Ninja, no fuss: you enter a keyword, the URL of your choice, and you get your ranking across Google’s different data centers.
Although you’ll appreciate the tool’s disarmingly simple approach, it can become tedious to use when you want to monitor multiple keywords or multiple URLs. Ideal for craftsmen or shop owners who want to prioritize ranking for a single keyword: the tool does let you search by city!
Also read: Pillar Page & Topic Cluster: how to use them for your SEO?
8. SERPMojo
SERPMojo stands out by presenting itself as a mobile app. With it, you can track an unlimited number of URLs and keywords and view the ranking history for all tracked keywords.
If the base app is free, a premium version is available and gives you a keyword status (rise, stagnation, decline), the total number of positions gained (or lost) per keyword…
SERPMojo offers an intuitive, clear interface. One last plus: the ability to export your ranking data.
9. Alternative to a single tool: combine several highly specialized SEO tools
The Keyword Surfer extension: analyze the query volume for a given keyword
Keywords need no introduction. Anyone who has touched on the topic of SEO, even briefly, knows how vital they are.
That’s why we include here a free, very handy browser extension that evaluates in real time the search volume of the keyword you type into the search bar.
This extension is called Keyword Surfer and sits directly to the right of the search bar — an immediately handy feature to use!
Additionally, you can tick a star to the right of any keyword the analysis has shown to be relevant: the selected keyword then joins a “glossary” of effective keywords, exportable in CSV format.
A handy extension at every stage of your SEO process: creation of relevant keywords, instant analysis of existing keywords, later modification and improvement.
The GTmetrix speed testing tool
This may seem odd, since speed does not involve keywords or traffic volume, which are nonetheless the pillars of SEO.
GTmetrix allows you to measure a hard-to-grasp but actually essential metric for getting visits to your site: real loading speed.
Indeed, what's the point of reaching at the top of the SERPs, after hours of work on the appeal of keywords, meta descriptions and of course content, if in the end the visitor gets impatient at a site that won't load, gives up and moves to a competitor?
Don't forget that the average sustained attention span of a web user lasts no more than... a few seconds!
Everything is therefore decided at the very start: that's the whole point of this GTmetrix speed testing tool.
Measuring the trust score (or "Trust Flow") by Majestic
A deep dive into your inbound links: being recommended by someone is good, being recommended by someone reputable is better!
Indeed, the more links your site receives from sites recognized as trustworthy, the more its Trust Flow will increase.
Conversely, if obscure sites point to you, that's publicity you'd gladly do without.
The Majestic tool thus allows you to take a detailed inventory of the sites that mention you.
Paid SEO ranking tools
As we've seen, there are many free tools, but they all have more or less restrictive limits: these tools require a lot of resources, and if you take your rankings seriously, you'll need to opt for a paid tool.
More often than not, paid plans are full suites, and their advanced features go well beyond SERP analysis.
10. Monitorank
Few French companies in this article, so let's not complain: here is Monitorank, a French startup based on the French Riviera. You can track the keywords of your choice across multiple engines: the "all-Google" (Search, Images, Videos, Maps), but also Amazon, Bing, the Android Play Store and of course YouTube!
All types of positions are supported, whether natural results, the featured snippet, your AdWords ads, Google Maps blocks… The interface is clear and intuitive, and you can even customize the display according to the data you want to collect (or not). The tool supports multiple users, with role management and domain-based restrictions, ideal if you manage several projects.
The pricing is tiered; count on about €5 per month for 100 keywords. 10 queries are offered in the free plan.
11. Yooda
Yooda Insight is also a French solution that could have appeared in both parts of this article: a limited free version is indeed available. Yooda, based in Montpellier, offers several interesting features in what appears to be a fairly complete SEO suite.
In the "Site Performance" tab, view at a glance the SEO performance of your site, or those of your competitors. The "market explorer" tab, as its name indicates, will help expand the semantic scope of your content, assess the market…
And of course, you can monitor the various keywords you want to rank for, with your ranking as well as the page that ranks best for that keyword.
The paid version is listed at €39 excl. VAT/month.
Also read: 9 steps to analyze your site's SEO
12. SERPWatcher
SERPWatcher requires no technical knowledge and proves very easy to use:
Just enter your domain name and the keywords to monitor. In a few clicks, the tool gives you a detailed report including the keyword position, fluctuations, its average position, the best position ever reached and the search volume.
Thanks to the interactive report sharing feature, you can show your client the evolution of their ranking on targeted keywords. The tool also offers a keyword suggestion feature to help you target new terms.
From $29 per month, for 100 keywords.
13. SEMrush
SEMrush is arguably the most popular SEO software on the market. It offers comprehensive tracking of your rankings on search engines. It can produce a SEO audit complete audit of your site by analyzing your paid search campaigns and your social networks.
SEMrush also provides information on your competitors' rankings and the keywords they rank for.
Much like Yooda, the tool also allows you to run an analysis of a keyword to help expand your lexical field by suggesting search queries that users use.
Fame has a price: from $83/month up to $333/month.
Also read: Perform a complete SEO audit: the 16-point checklist
14. Lighting SEO
Another comprehensive tool that lets you track your site's rankings and research relevant keywords. You can obtain information on your competitors' ranks for your keywords. Reports of your Google positions on desktop and mobile can be generated daily.
The added value of Lighting SEO lies in conducting audits to detect potential technical issues. The tool also helps you find sites where backlinks could strengthen your authority with Google.
The offer ranges gradually from €8 excl. tax to €130 excl. tax.
15. SERPStat
Like SEMrush, SERPstat is a very complete solution. Position tracking is just one of its many features.
You can import a list of keywords to track into the tool. Once you have entered all the elements, you receive a tracking table that includes organic traffic, the keywords (and their positions) as well as the associated search volume, ranking variations…
Like its competitors, SERPStat can audit a site, monitor the competition, suggest related keywords and analyze your backlinks.
The Lite plan starts at $55/month.
Our tip
If you want to become (and stay) competitive in your industry, finding the right keywords is not enough: you must track the rankings of your pages for those keywords and gather insights on how to improve your positions. This can involve suggesting new lexical fields, auditing your website, checking your backlinks… and even watching what your competitors are doing.
The tools in this article will not only help you monitor your website's performance but also track your competitors.
While free tools are useful, they are not as comprehensive as the premium tools mentioned above. If you're starting out, it's wise to begin with these free solutions, which are quite instructive. Then, as you progress, you can invest in one of the premium tools.
Also read: SEO: 9 tools to track the evolution of your keywords
