GUIDE TO CHECK YOUR WEBSITE RANKINGS IN GOOGLE
Checking your website's rankings in Google search results is crucial for monitoring its overall performance and visibility. Google owns 89.74% of the global search engine market share, so your visibility in its search results is directly tied to how much organic traffic your site can receive. A higher ranking indicates that your site is more relevant and popular in the eyes of Google algorithms.
While Google doesn't directly reveal ranking data, numerous third-party tools can provide insightful ranking reports to help you track your website's position. This guide will explore the significance of rankings, various factors impacting them and the best tools to check your website's rankings in Google.
Why Website Rankings Matter
Your website's ranking indicates its position in Google's search results pages for relevant queries. The higher your site ranks for a search term, the more visible it is to users searching that keyword.
Higher visibility leads to more clicks and traffic to your site. In fact, statistical data shows that the top five organic results account for about 67% of all search traffic, and about 75% of users never scroll past the first page of Google search results. This means if your site isn’t ranking on page one, it’s likely missing out on the vast majority of search traffic.
Rankings also influence your site's authority and credibility in Google's eyes. A consistently high ranking reflects the relevance, quality and trustworthiness of your content.
Monitoring rankings helps you identify new SEO opportunities and also assess the impact of your optimisation strategies. Tracking ranking changes provides actionable insights to boost your rankings further.
Key Factors That Impact Rankings
Google's ranking algorithm analyses hundreds of signals to determine a website's position. Here are some of the crucial factors that can influence your site's ranking:
- Page speed: Faster loading pages enhance user experience, so Google favours faster sites.
- Mobile friendliness: With growing mobile usage, mobile-responsive sites rank better.
- On-page SEO: Keyword optimisation, meta tags, heading tags, content quality etc. impact rankings.
- Backlinks: Securing backlinks from authority sites boosts rankings.
- User engagement: Time on site, bounce rate and other engagement metrics are ranking factors.
- Site architecture: Proper internal linking structure and site navigation help Google crawl your site better.
- Page experience: Core Web Vitals like CLS, LCP, FID etc. determine page experience rankings.
Top Tools to Check Google Rankings
Now let's explore some of the best tools to monitor your website's current ranking position and track it over time:
1. Google Search Console
Best for: Free access to real Google search data.
Google Search Console is an essential, no-cost tool for monitoring your organic visibility on Google. It shows which keywords your site appears for, your average position, impressions, clicks and click-through rate.
- Check your rankings under Performance > Search Results
- Filter by device (mobile vs desktop), date range, country and page
- See which queries are driving traffic to specific pages
- Export keyword data for further analysis in Excel or Google Sheets
Ideal for identifying low-hanging fruit—terms you're ranking on page 2 or 3 for that could be improved with targeted content or link-building.
2. SEMrush
Best for: Competitor comparison and keyword strategy.
SEMrush’s Position Tracking tool helps you track daily changes in keyword positions, SERP features (like featured snippets) and visibility score.
- Track keyword rankings at national or local level
- Compare your visibility against up to 5 competitors
- View changes in SERP features like People Also Ask or Maps
- Access historical ranking data and growth trends
- Get scheduled email reports with ranking movement
This tool is a great fit for SEO agencies and marketers running several campaigns at once — we’re big fans of it at Go Mungo SEO.
3. Ahrefs
Best for: Detailed SEO and keyword traffic insights.
Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker offers accurate, reliable keyword tracking across multiple search engines and devices. It also estimates the potential traffic and value of each keyword.
- Track rankings for desktop and mobile separately
- Monitor top 3, 10, 20 and 100 positions
- View keyword difficulty, CPC and traffic potential
- Visualise progress using graphs and shareable reports
- Combine with Ahrefs’ Site Explorer for deeper insights
Ahrefs is a favourite among SEO pros thanks to its mix of rank tracking, backlink analysis, and content audits — though it can be a bit pricey.
4. Moz
Best for: Easy-to-use interface and actionable reporting.
Moz Pro includes Rank Tracker and the MozBar, a browser extension that shows on-page metrics and keyword rankings directly in the SERP.
- Track rankings by keyword, location and device
- Set alerts for ranking drops or gains
- Use MozBar to instantly see keyword difficulty and domain authority
- Group keywords by campaign or topic cluster
- Export performance data for client reports
Moz is ideal for smaller teams or those new to SEO who want simplified dashboards with powerful features.
5. SERPstat
SERPstat is more than just a keyword tracker — it's a full-suite SEO platform. Its real-time ranking data lets you monitor how your keywords perform on Google, Yandex, Bing and other major search engines. You can drill down by location and device, making it ideal for local and mobile SEO insights.
Key features include:
- Competitor tracking – see how you stack up against rivals for shared keywords.
- Keyword grouping – organise keywords by intent or theme for better analysis.
- Historical data – track keyword performance over months or years.
- Market share metrics – get a bigger picture of your SEO visibility within your niche.
Ideal for agencies, in-house teams and SEO freelancers looking to combine rank tracking with deep keyword research and competitor intelligence.
6. Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking has been a trusted rank tracking solution for over a decade — known for its accuracy and depth. It provides daily, weekly, or on-demand keyword tracking for Google, Bing, Baidu and more, across desktop and mobile.
Here’s what it can do:
- Localised SERP tracking – perfect for businesses targeting specific cities or regions.
- Side-by-side competitor comparisons – visualise how your rankings perform against up to 50 competitors.
- Pixel position tracking – see exactly where your listing appears, accounting for rich results, ads and SERP features.
- White-label reports – great for agencies needing branded PDFs or live dashboards for clients.
Its user-friendly dashboard makes large-scale keyword monitoring easy, even for teams managing hundreds or thousands of keywords.
Tips for Monitoring and Improving Rankings
- Track rankings consistently to spot trends and developments. Changes can signal algorithm updates or competitor activities.
- Analyse ranking reports to find high-potential keywords where your site ranks well. Optimise these pages further.
- Identify low-ranking but valuable keywords to create high-quality, optimised content targeting them.
- Research competitors ranking above you to analyse their strategies and improve your own content/backlinks.
- Set ranking goals and use tools to monitor progress. Adjust SEO efforts accordingly to achieve targets.
- Beyond rankings, track overall organic traffic and conversions to determine SEO ROI.
Monitoring your website's ranking position in Google is imperative to gauge its overall performance and discover new opportunities. While Google doesn't reveal explicit rankings, third-party SEO tools provide all the data you need to track rankings.
Focus on boosting elements like page speed, user experience and backlink quality to improve rankings. Consistent tracking and competitor analysis will give you insights to refine your SEO and content strategy for higher rankings. Use this guide to find the best tools for checking your website's rankings in Google.
Start improving your website's ranking today! Use our guide to find the right tools or contact our SEO agency in London for personalised assistance.
