How to read the Keyword Ranking Report

The Keyword Report is the main key performance indicator for SEO success, it's important to monitor how your website ranks across the three major search engines: Google, Bing, & Yahoo!

The keyword ranking report allows you to track your site's progress in comparison to your competitors across a wide number of keywords (up to 30). It includes an enhanced keyword visibility graph, colour designations by rank, mobile rankings for Google, and localised rank data for Google, *Yahoo, *Bing etc (the latter by request only).

To read the report:

Columns

1. = keyword
2. = Google Global Searches - This figure comes directly from Google and gives the “average number of times this keyword is used in a Search query per month, Globally”.
3. = Google Local Searches - This figure comes directly from Google and gives the “average number of times this keyword is used in a Search query per month, in the area detailed”
4. = Ranking position - this is a snapshot in time showing the current ranking *POSITION (NOT page) of the website for the particular keyword.

*Note: there are 11 ORGANIC listings on each page of Google Search Engine Results Pages or otherwise known as “SERPs”

For example:

POSITION 1 = Top position of the ORGANIC listing of Page ONE of Google SERPs (now under Ads, Local Info Box, Knowledge Box
POSITION 11 = Last position of Page One of Google SERPs
POSITION 20 = Page Two of Google SERPs

Icon Index:


Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.34.11'Local listing ranking' on this report is indicated by the Map teardrop pointer.

Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.35.36'Adwords ranking' on this report is indicated by the dollar box ADs symbol.

Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.37.55Keywords with *Stars* = Recommended Keyword OR keywords which are already ranking.

Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.33.21. Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.34.54Knowledge Boxes

Knowledge panels are information boxes that appear on Google when you search for entities (people, places, organizations, things) that are in the Knowledge Graph. They are meant to help you get a quick snapshot of information on a topic based on Google's understanding of available content on the web.

Movement of keywords:

Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.33.57 Increase in position by 5 places for this keyword.

Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 10.34.02Indicates a drop in position by 2 places for this keyword


The Legend is viewed at the bottom of the last page of the report. See sample image below:

Legend - Keyword report

Primary Keyword

A Primary Keyword is used for the Home-page. This keyword should be an 'all-encompassing' term that describes your business or main service/product, e.g. 'self-storage' for a Self Storage company.


NOTE: To get the best ranking results for your website, the chosen Primary Keyword for the HOME page should be reflected in the following places within the content of the HOME page:

1. Header or H1 tag 
2. Header or H2 tag
3. The Introduction (mentioned at least once)
4. The Body of the content (2 to 3 times within the content - in a natural ‘readable’ flow)
5. Image (name and ALT tag)
6. Links - Hyperlinks to other service pages

When reviewing your report

When reviewing your Ranking Report, you'll note that some keywords have low search numbers e.g. 10, while some have very high numbers. Keywords with low numbers are often used by 'local' businesses, as many small bricks and mortar businesses only service a small geographical area and rankings can vary dependent on service/product etc.


Higher searched terms are generally harder to obtain a ranking position due to the popularity in the term and the number of competitors aiming for rankings for this term.

Before deciding on the ideal set of keywords, please review your competitors and other information sites such as Wikipedia to see whom you’re competing with before you decide on your Primary Keyword.

Historical Ranking Report

This is a relatively new report option that shows the ranking of individual keywords over time. 

The colour coding of the graph gives a great easy approach to see which words are ranking well, which are improving and which are not ranking at all.

 

More info and image to come.