The 10 best rank tracker tools

If you’ve been creating keyword-optimised content, this roundup of the best rank tracker tools is just what you need to start checking your performance in SERPs. After all, search visibility is the ultimate goal of SEO content and rank tracker software is how you can measure that success.

There’s no shortage of SEO tools out there that have rank-tracking capabilities, but finding one that delivers the metrics you need in an interface that works for you is another matter.

Rank tracker software operates by regularly scraping SERPs and displaying those metrics in a dashboard view. This is usually the primary function of the tech for search engine optimisation. However, the best rank tracker tools also use all of that data to power other useful functions within their package such as:

Keyword research
Content gap analysis
Competitor comparison
Traffic drops and gains
Keyword search volume across different territories

Why is keyword rank tracking important?

In SEO, just like in other areas of business strategy, access to data helps you to build well-informed SEO content strategies based on fact rather than speculation.

Creating content is an investment of your business’s resources like any other. Rank trackers are the tools which allow you to measure your content’s performance. From here you’ll be able to see what’s ranking well for you and which keywords need optimising.

The big saving you get from choosing paid tools over manually checking positions in SERPs is time. Instead of checking and rechecking dozens or even hundreds of keywords yourself and noting them in spreadsheets, you can get a snapshot in seconds.

Ultimately, the huge benefit of rank tracker software is that it allows you to automate what would otherwise be a hugely time-consuming process that’s open to human error.

Our pick of the top 10 best rank tracker tools

Good rank-tracking software can be a pricey investment, meaning that it’s important to find one with features that work for you.

Here’s Embryo’s roundup of the best rank tracker tools available, including the ones that our award-winning SEO team use on a daily basis.

Ahrefs

Let’s start with an obvious choice. Ahrefs is a hugely popular rank-tracking site because of its versatility. Ahrefs offers a host of keyword rank tracking features including seeing historical performance graphs, banklink profiles, competitor analysis and SERP feature tracking across 190 countries. You can also see performance against up to 10 different competitors.

SE Ranking

This is one of the best rank tracker tools for simply getting a clear and simple indication of how your site ranks through the ‘content score’ metric. This aggregates how your content is performing and can also provide recommendations for ranking improvements.

Being able to bucket keywords into different groups is a useful feature for tracking different groups of terms for the same client. Automated reporting is also possible through SE Ranking.

SERPWatcher by Mangools

This SEO ranking tool is pitched as the perfect beginner-friendly keyword-tracking software platform that has the ability to grow with your own digital marketing know-how. The interface and ‘performance index’ are an accessible and user-friendly way to start tracking keywords across a range of localities. It can also provide automated reports as well as handy rank change alerts.

SEMrush

If you’ve been in the SEO space for any length of time you’re likely to have heard of SEMrush because of their authority in the arena as thought leaders. SEMrush offers great rank tracking, keyword analysis, backlink checking, keyword volatility keyword performance across regions.

This is also one of the best rank trackers for integrating seamlessly with Google tools. This means that you can really get into the nitty-gritty of things like keyword cannibalisation, demographics and tracking rankings across different devices and locations. This is definitely a fun tool to play with for the data nerds.

Advanced Web Ranking

Advanced Web Ranking provides SEO rank tracking across multiple search engines, including Amazon, YouTube, Baidu, Bing and DuckDuckGo. This makes it a great tool for SEO for eCommerce. The rankings are available across 190 countries and can be filtered by device and locale. Compare SERP results with up to 50 competitors, meaning benchmarking is as easy as pie.

Serpple

When you use Serpple it’s clear that it’s the creation of an SEO veteran who has actually worked in the industry, because it includes smart, user-friendly innovations. The ability to group keyword rankings by web page is a great example of this. Competitor analysis, automated reporting and content auditing are other smart features. It’s also worth noting that it’s competitively priced for its output.

Accuranker

If you need extremely up-to-date rank tracking, Accuranker is the best rank tracker tool for this. The vast keyword database provides real-time ranking updates so that you can see exactly where you’re ranking in SERPs at any given time. The filtering and API integration are also impressive. The downside is that this tool is purely a rank tracker and doesn’t include the extra features you’ll find in the other packages on this list.

Nightwatch

There are some really nifty features to explore in this rank tracker pitched towards agencies. Robust, customisable reporting that you can even add your branding to is one. Identifying decaying content is another useful tool for alerting you to where your rankings are slipping. You can also perform ongoing monitoring of your competitor’s ranking metrics.

Wincher

With Wincher you can access on-demand ranking updates across desktop and mobile devices along with up to 2 years of historical data. This is possible across 180 countries and multiple locales. Customisable SEO reporting and Slack or email notifications for ranking changes also make it an agile tool to have in your arsenal.

Authority Labs

Authority Labs has good keyword rank tracking capabilities and filtering. The real silver bullet in their rank-tracking software is that it provides you with a list of keywords to track. These suggested keywords can save you heaps of time from your research and discovery phase and identify keyword opportunities you might have otherwise missed.

Their SEO tools also factor in results across both mobile and desktop, giving you a complete view of your ranking performance.

Final thoughts from an SEO expert

SEO expert Alisa Thorley explains what to focus on when investing in an SEO ranking tool.

‘Finding the right SEO rank tracking tool for you is crucial. It can mean the difference between ranking on page one or being buried on page five.

Look for tools that provide regularly updated ranking data across multiple search engines and devices so that you can identify opportunities and threats as they appear. After all, the more you know, the more reactive you can be.

Filtering capabilities are also essential to cut through the noise and plan impactful SEO strategies.’

Whether you’re just starting to track your progress in SERPs or are an old pro looking for new SEO ranking tools to try, we hope you find rank tracker software here that works for you. If you want expert help developing your SEO strategy, Embryo is always on hand to help. Just get in touch to see how we can grow your rankings.