Julia Burova at Wincher’s SEO Blog recently featured my responses to how I use rank tracking to boost organic traffic. My responses are below but be sure to check out the full article.
As Wincher is a keyword rank tracker, we often get customers asking us how to use SEO rank tracking data in the most efficient way. Even for SEO experts mastering rank tracking it isn’t an easy task. It requires basic knowledge in different digital fields, lots of practice and attention to detail.
So, we decided to ask the experts in the digital marketing niche. Below, you’ll find a bunch of helpful tips and tricks on how to use rank tracking data and metrics to increase your positions and see which of your SEO efforts are delivering the results you desire.
Wincher: What are the most important factors for you when choosing the right rank tracking tool?
The most important factor in choosing a rank tracking tool is a no brainer and it’s having access to accurate, on-demand data. You’ve got to be able to trust that the reporting from the tool is the reality. Next, access to competitive reporting gives your keywords a relative position against competing domains and content.
Knowing where you stand is an important first step in prioritizing SEO efforts. Finally, the ability to slice and dice the data into geographies and devices gives you valuable granularity into how (and where!) your keywords are performing well or where improvement is needed.
Wincher: How do you use rank tracking data? Just as a visual picture of the current situation or as a resource for improvements?
Rank tracking data has to be more than just a visual picture of the current situation. If you’re not using it as a resource for improvements you’re going to like looking at the data less and less over time. Monitoring your positions gives you the ability to tweak content, emulate and improve upon competitor strategies, and provide a pathway to ranking success. Trending ranking positions over time is one of the most important things you can do to know if your strategy is working or needs to be revised.
Wincher: There is a quite frequent situation when website owners and marketers permanently track ranking for 20-30 keywords without doing keyword research and adding new keywords to check the positions. What is your opinion about that?
Set it and forget it works great with slow cookers, not so much with SEO. Even in industries where the keyword pool is relatively narrow and shallow you’ve got to have a cadence for proper keyword research and making changes to your position tracking list. There’s a 2nd order effect of not actively managing keywords in position tracking and it’s that you won’t have the content that speaks to “new” keywords. You can’t stagnate.
Thanks for the feature Julia and Wincher!
