8 Important Features of a Rank Tracking Tool
I never thought I’d see the day when you would be able to pull up rankings accurately whenever, wherever. I’ve used desktop based and web based rank tracking tools and none of them ever came close with AccuRanker’s speed in pulling data.
We all Need Rankings
That’s why we’re doing SEO, right? Indexing and Retrieval – the first two major functions of a search engine don’t matter too much with SEO. What we’re really after is the third function – Ranking. That’s why we’re all here. And that’s why a good rank checking tool is extremely important.
Here’s what’s important for a rank tracking tool for me:
1) Cloud Based Auto Checker
There’s just so much work to do for me as the CEO of 2 companies (SEO Hacker Services and Qeryz) that I can’t afford to waste time opening a desktop rank tracking app and check my rankings manually. Don’t get me wrong, there are great rank tracking apps out there that run on desktop. The thing is, it’s just not my slice of cake.
Having a could based auto checking rank tracker also gives you the ability of historical data comparison. Yes you can have that with a desktop app but if you miss one week then your historical data gets skewed or incomplete. I’m not taking chances.
2) Accuracy
Some rank trackers are screwed up. And by screwed up I mean they miss the spot. 1 or 2 inaccurate rankings muddy the pool – you feel like you just can’t trust that rank tracker anymore. You feel like you need to go ahead and check the rankings manually using Google’s incognito browser – which is a bad idea.
Local results shouldn’t skew the data as well. Some rank trackers take local data into organic rankings and just skews everything. Local results should be an option that’s separately tracked by the rank tracker.
3) Ability to Check Local Results
It’s the age of local search. Everything’s going local because, hey, we can’t teleport yet. We’re pretty much stuck with where we are and we have to make the best of it. Rank trackers that can’t identify local search properly add the local result listing to the organic results. That’s not good.
A good local result check would separate the local listing data from the organic results listing. That way, you know if you’re ranking well organically on Google’s top 10 and if you’re ranking well on local search.
4) Ability to Manually Pull Data
I have a confession to make. I believe that there are more people out there than they’d care to admit who are like me – people who are obsessed with keyword rankings.
I know, I know. Content quality and engagement and all that, right?
That’s important and that’s why we have this blog and we write here once a week. But keyword rankings are addicting! You just can’t stop and get a whiff of where you are. So the ability to manually pull data is very important to me.
I want to get a whiff whenever I want, wherever I want. I don’t like to wait for the cloud’s refresh period to know where I am. I want to know it now.
5) Speed
When I manually pull my data, I don’t want the rank checker to tell me that I have to wait hours or days for my data to refresh. I just can’t wait for that and I just can’t hold the thought in my mind that I need to check back. I forget to check back. And chances are, you forget too.
When I hit the check button, I want the rankings to refresh in a matter of seconds. That’s important for me because I can make decisions and pivots in our strategy in a moment’s notice.
6) Reports
Email is my number one signal. As such, I want the rankings of my clients to be sent to me via email – every week. Just a summary of what’s happening. This also reminds me to check back in our rank tracking tool more often.
7) Users
As CEO, I just can’t do everything myself. I can’t put all the keywords there and augment some keywords I forgot. I have to delegate. So a tool with only 1 user or 2 users allowed is very limiting for me. I need some of my SEO strategists and project managers to be on the rank tracking tool so they can move without me.
At the same time, I know they have their own login so we don’t need to share passwords. I could also limit their access to some features. That’s important because often I find myself training a new SEO specialist and I don’t want that person to go ahead and break stuff inside and skew historical data.
8) Monitor my Competitors
A study of what my competitors are and are not doing and seeing the results in their rankings is worth its weight in gold. I check in often to competitor’s websites so I get to see the minute details and changes they do. The only way to know if it’s really taking effect on their rankings is to load them up on my weekly rank checker on the cloud.
A Rank Checker that Encompasses these 8 Features
I just can’t believe such a tool exists. I mean, I’ve used numerous rank checkers in my years as an SEO specialist – but they have all pretty much lacked in an area or two. So I was quite reluctant to try another one. What really caught me was AccuRanker’s promise of ‘Incredible Speed’.
So I went ahead to try it out.
I put in all of my clients and their keywords and checked out fast AccuRanker can pull my keyword data.
It also has the ability to pull keyword rankings data per keyword – which is just a little bit faster than pulling it en masse.
True enough, AccuRanker loads rankings lightning fast. After I executed a manual refresh, it was able to pull en masse for just a little over 5 seconds! For me, that’s extremely impressive.
AccuRanker was also able to hit all 8 of the things that matter to me when it comes to a rank tracking tool. It has the ability to add users, it’s cloud based, it’s accurate, it’s extremely fast, it’s able to clarify local results from regular organic listings, it’s able to send me weekly reports that’s customized to the data I need, and it allows me to manually refresh my rankings whenever I want.
It’s the shiznit.
What’s more impressive is that AccuRanker starts at a very low price of 19.95/mo and if you pay yearly, you even get 20% off.
