Here are eight of the best free and paid keyword tracking tools to monitor your site’s keyword rankings and track relevant search terms for your business.
Price: Free
Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that provides detailed information about website traffic, user behavior, and conversions. With this tool, you can see the search terms driving traffic to your site, how long visitors are staying on your site, and whether they are converting into customers.
It also integrates with other Google apps in your tool stack, including Google Ads, Google Tag Manager, and Google Search Console. However, with the move to GA4, it requires some technical knowledge to set up and use effectively.
Price: Starts at $119.95 per month. It also has a free plan.
SemRush’s Keyword Magic and Keyword Manager tools allow you to track and analyze keywords for your website.
The Keyword Magic option shows the search volume, difficulty, and cost per click on each query. You can filter results to see related keywords and phrase matches. Once you have all your keywords, add them to Semrush’s Keyword Manager.
In the manager, you can categorize search queries and track real-time metrics — like volume, seasonal trends, SERP features, and the domains that are ranking on the first page for your keywords.
Price: Starts at $99 per month
If you have a small marketing budget, you can use Ahrefs’ free rank checker tool to track keyword rankings for specific search queries.
All you need to do is enter the keyword, URL (or domain), and location into the tool’s input boxes.
The rank checker will automatically scan and display your current SERP position for the keyword.
For specific data, consider using Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker. This paid tool allows you to track multiple keywords simultaneously. You’ll find data like:
You can also compare your keyword rankings with competitors to know how to better optimize your SEO efforts.
Pricing: Starts at $26 per month (with a free trial)
Keyword.com’s rank tracker allows you to track rankings for all your site’s keywords simultaneously — as the name implies. You can also compare rankings over a specific period to know how well your SEO efforts are paying off.
In addition, this tool shows you keyword trends to help you identify SERP opportunities early and boost rankings ahead of the competition. Keyword is suitable for local keyword tracking, agency and enterprise keyword tracking.
Pricing: €49 per month. It also has a 10-day free trial.
Something that stands out with this tool is the ease of use. It’s very easy to set up your account and start tracking keywords. This is perfect for freelancers and smaller agencies looking to avoid the complications of enterprise SEO tools.
SerpWatcher provides daily rank tracking, historical data, and competitor analysis. It allows you to monitor your site’s rankings and track your competitors’ performance. It also provides valuable insights into your keyword’s performance and allows you to identify new opportunities for growth.
Pricing: Starts at $99 per month
Moz Pro allows you to set up campaigns for keywords and track what’s working and what’s not. You can view the SERP changes for the keyword over time and even compare your competitors’ performance data to yours — to see if your strategy is working or needs improvement.
In addition, you can filter the data sets for granular results — such as a specific location and devices (web vs. mobile).
Pricing: $116 per month. It also has a 14-day free trial.
AccuRanker is a real-time rank tracker that allows you to track your keywords and monitor your website’s search engine rankings in real time. It provides valuable insights into your keyword’s performance and allows you to identify new opportunities for growth.
One of the benefits of AccuRanker is its user-friendly interface and fast, accurate results. However, it can be expensive for small businesses, and it may not provide as many features as other SEO tools.
Pricing: Free
In Google Search Console, you can view the keywords individual web pages rank for. It also shows you the performance data for all your site’s keywords — including the total number of clicks, impressions, average position, and click-through rate. These pieces of data help you identify and optimize underperforming content to rank higher in the search results.
You can also submit sitemaps and individual URLs for crawling and indexing, review search traffic data and resolve page loading issues.
Download a PDF version of the full Guide on Keyword Research, Tracking and Monitoring.
