How to Get Rank Tracking Right
Monitoring where pages appear in search results for chosen keywords, across devices and locations.
Samir Haddad
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Reporting single-day rankings
- Tracking vanity keywords only
- Ignoring click data
- Treating position one as guaranteed traffic
What good looks like instead
- Track a representative keyword set
- Segment by device and location
- Compare rankings with clicks and conversions
- Watch trends rather than daily moves
- Note SERP feature changes
Why it matters
Rankings vary by person and place, so tracking needs context to be useful rather than misleading.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Personalization | results differ by location, device and history |
| Search Console | reports average position from real impressions |
| Volatility | positions move daily |
| Features | SERP features change what position means |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when ranking reports do not match business results.
Where this comes from
- Google Search Central — Search Console performance report
- Google Search Central — How Search works
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
We take on SEO Services work for teams who want it done once, properly. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it. Start a project.
Where to go next
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
