Keyword monitoring
The purpose of this article is to show you how to monitor your keyword positions in Google's search engine.
Sections in this article
Introduction
There are a few free tools on the Internet for measuring where your keywords rank in Google. But, by far the best one is the “Free Monitor for Google” by CleverStat.
There is also a paid for version called “Accurate Monitor for Search Engines”, which is even better and covers multiple search engines.
Setting up the keyword monitor
To start the ball rolling you need to download the free keyword monitoring software from the link below.
Once you have installed the software, you will need to do the following:
- Click Project from the menu at the top and choose Add URL.
- Type in your website address. You don’t need to use the HTTP bit.
- The next screen will ask you for some keywords. Enter all the keywords that are relevant to your website and click the Add button.
- When you have added all the keywords, click on OK.
- Before you start searching click on Options on the menu bar at the top then click on Preferences.
- Where is says Check first xx results, change this to 30.
- Where it says country, make sure this says United Kingdom (English) or the country that you live in.
- Where it says Google friendly mode, change this to SAFE.
Don’t go overboard and try searching 100 deep, it's pointless, it will take forever and you will probably get your IP blocked by Google. Anyway, if you’re not in the top 30, you’re not really going to be seen, so focus your time on other things to make you rank well:-)
You can now click the search button and sit back. If you prefer, you can also run you keyword positions by hand.
Competitors’ keyword positions
If you’re interested in doing this for one of your competitors’ websites, repeat the whole process above and use your keywords.
Now, it can take about 30 seconds per keyword to complete, so 20 odd keywords could take around 10 mins to complete. So, now would be a good time to jot some competitors down, ready for checking later.
Once your keywords have been completed, you will see your keywords and the current positions they are in Google’s search engine. You will also see a list of the top 30 websites ranking for that keyword on the right as well.
Did you know that you can export your keywords? Click on Project > Keywords then Export. When you need to add these keywords for the competitors’ URL, choose the import option and save yourself a load of typing!
Monitoring your keywords
Each week, your keywords may move up or down depending on Google and it’s many search updates or your competitors improving their on page SEO or backlink strategy.
The simplest, cheapest way to record your keyword positions is in a spreadsheet. Place the keywords down the left and the week number across the top and jot them down. If you are a wiz with Excel then you can just import them in.
If you want a prebuilt spread sheet for doing all this for you, then one is available here.
