Are you putting up some great content, but not getting as many views as you’d hoped? Don’t panic — it’s not uncommon for this to be the case. The ranking of your keywords might be limiting your content exposure. Fortunately, you can learn how to check keyword ranking and make any necessary adjustments to give your content a search engine optimization (SEO) boost.
Why is it important to know your keywords’ ranking?
As you probably know, your content is ranked by search engines based on how relevant your content is to a search term. The more your content uses keywords that your audience is likely to search for, the more likely it is that you’ll show up on the first page of search results — and users are unlikely to click beyond that first page, according to Forbes.
Understanding your keyword ranking can help you rank higher in search results, better reach your intended audience, and identify new keyword opportunities if your content isn’t performing as well as you would like.
What tools can help?
There are a number of tools to help you see how your keywords are ranking. Here is a list of six free online tools reviewed by Shout Me Loud:
- SEMrush
- Ahrefs
- SERPWatcher
- Google Rank Checker
- SERP’s Keyword Rank Checker
- SEOCentro Rank Checker
Most keyword research tools, like the ones we’ve listed above, take only 10 to 15 minutes to use. With a small investment of time, you can analyze your keywords and make any adjustments to boost your content rankings. Most of the tools also have blogs, featuring tips on how to check keyword ranking and other advice.
Which keywords should you consider using?
In general, when considering keyword ranking, you should look for a few specific features. You should consider keywords that:
- Have a moderately high search volume — but not too high, because these become too competitive.
- Are relevant to your business model or objective.
- Fit naturally within your content.
- Will match searcher intent.
Simply picking high-ranking keywords and using them as much as possible is not your best strategy. In fact, stuffing your content with keywords will work against you by harming your ranking, according to Search Engine Watch.
How can you make adjustments to your ranking?
Once you’ve looked at your keyword rankings, you can adjust your rankings by asking yourself questions like:
- Do your keywords fit the article topic?
- Do your keywords answer the real challenges of your audience?
- Do your keywords make use of concrete and authentic language that searchers might use?
- Are your keywords free of marketing and/or business jargon?
If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, you might want to try using different keywords.
Once you understand how your keywords are ranking and make any necessary adjustments, your content will be more easily found by your audience, and you’ll enjoy increased traffic to your website.
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