7+ Best Keyword Tracking Tools: Reviews, Features, and Pricing

Keeping tabs on keyword rankings is essential for search engine optimization. It shows how well your site is doing, what’s trending, and where your competition stands. With the best keyword tracking tools, you can spot changes, fine-tune your content, and zero in on what matters. Plus, staying on top of keyword rankings lets you adjust your content strategies quickly if certain terms start slipping or trends shift.

At tiny lever, we do all the keyword tracking and analysis work. We stay on top of trends, checking which are the most effective keywords. With our in-house strategies, we can help websites climb the rankings on Google. And when it comes to content planning, we create top-notch content tailored to the specific keywords you want to rank for.

With our extensive expertise in keyword research and optimization, we will lay out the features and pricing of the best keyword tracking tools. From industry giants like Semrush and Ahrefs to up-and-coming platforms, we'll explore how they can help you monitor your search engine rankings, analyze your competitors, and boost your website's visibility in the SERPs. After reading, you'll find the ideal SEO tool for your demands and budget.

Let’s get started!

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Keyword Tracking Tool

Every keyword tracking software shares the same goal of improving your SEO performance. However, they have unique offerings and different capabilities. Here are key factors to consider before investing in one.

Accuracy and Data Reliability: Look for a tool that accurately ranks keywords based on search intent and pulls data from trusted sources. For example, Ahrefs is known for its large database of over 28 billion keywords. This is helpful for comprehensive and reliable data for strategic planning.
Frequency of Updates: Consider how often the tool refreshes data, as this impacts your ability to respond to ranking changes. SEMrush, for instance, offers daily ranking updates, allowing you to adjust your strategy quickly based on the latest SERP movements.
Competitor Analysis Capabilities: Select a tool with robust competitor tracking features. This insight helps you identify opportunities, understand market trends, and refine your keyword strategy based on competitor performance.‍
User Interface and Usability: Prioritize tools with intuitive dashboards and easy-to-understand visualizations. A well-designed UI saves time and reduces the learning curve. With these, users can easily access and interpret the data they need.‍
Integration Options: Choose a tool that integrates seamlessly with other SEO platforms. Many tools are directly integrated with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These can help you comprehensively view your SEO performance and combine ranking data with traffic and conversion metrics for deeper insights.

9 Best Keyword Tracking Tools

Selecting the best keyword tracking tools is crucial because it lets you focus on the keywords that matter most to your business. With a reliable tool, you can maximize your investment, find growth opportunities, and keep up with competitors.

1. Ahrefs - Best for Competitor Insights And Advanced Tracking

Ahrefs’ advanced Rank Tracker feature lets users track keyword rankings over time on desktop and mobile in over 190 countries. It provides detailed insights like historical ranking data, average position, and Share of Voice metrics. With this information, users can more clearly understand their visibility and competition.

Notable Features of Ahrefs

Advanced Rank Tracker: It allows users to monitor their keyword rankings over time, providing scheduled performance updates for desktop and mobile across 190 countries.
Historical Data Insights: Users can access a comprehensive history of their keyword positions, enabling them to analyze trends, average position changes, and traffic impact over time.
Share of Voice Metrics: Tracks the percentage of clicks your site receives from organic search, offering valuable insights into your competitive position and visibility in the search landscape.

Ahrefs Pricing Plans

Ahrefs offers various pricing plans that allow users to monitor their SEO performance and optimize their strategies effectively.

Lite ($129/month): Designed for individuals and small websites, with up to 750 tracked keywords for essential SEO management.
Standard ($249/month): Ideal for growing businesses, offering tracking for up to 2,000 keywords to support multiple projects.
Advanced ($449/month): Tracks up to 5,000 keywords for in-depth campaign analysis.
Enterprise (Starts at $14,990/month): Customized for enterprises, with the capability to track up to 10,000 keywords and dedicated support for comprehensive SEO strategies.

2. Semrush - Best for In-Depth Analysis And Position Tracking

Semrush is one of the best keyword tracking tools, offering detailed insights into keywords, backlinks, and competitor strategies. Its advanced position tracking and site audit features allow companies to stay updated on their website’s search engine rankings and health in real time.

Notable Features of Semrush

Position Tracking: Location and device-based insights give a complete picture of your site’s performance across different search conditions.
Keyword Magic Tool: Access an extensive keyword database to drive effective content strategies by pinpointing new keywords and competitive metrics. The tool also reveals keyword gaps for more precise and impactful campaign targeting.
Backlink Analytics and Audit: Discover and track backlink opportunities while monitoring your site’s link health for optimal SEO performance. The tool identifies harmful links so websites can maintain a strong backlink profile.

Semrush Pricing Plans

Before selecting Semrush’s plan, explore these tailored pricing options to match your business needs and project scales.

Pro ($139.95/month): Includes SEO, PPC, and research tools, supporting up to 5 projects and tracking 500 keywords with 10,000 results per report.
Guru ($249.95/month): Offers all Pro features, content marketing, multi-location tracking, and historical data, supporting 15 projects and 1,500 keywords.
Business ($499.95/month): This plan is tailored for large agencies and enterprises and covers advanced analytics, API access, and extended limits. Users can manage up to 40 projects and 5,000 keywords, along with 50,000 results per report.

3. SE Ranking - Best for Daily Updates And Competitor Tracking

SE Ranking provides advanced keyword rank tracking and SEO tools to deliver accurate keyword positions and in-depth competitor insights across every major search engine. The tool’s suite includes automated reporting, project grouping, and client-friendly dashboards. It focuses on detailed metrics like traffic forecast and content quality to help marketers fine-tune strategies, prevent ranking drops, and make proactive adjustments.

Notable Features of SE Ranking

Real-Time Keyword Tracking: Tracks your keyword rankings daily across Google, Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube.
Competitor Insights and Share of Voice: This feature analyzes competitive rankings and traffic share for competitors’ keywords. It keeps your team informed of changes in market share and identifies new opportunities for increased visibility.
Automated Reporting and Client Access: This tool generates professional SEO reports. Users can customize reports and offer platform access to clients.

SE Ranking Pricing Plans

Find the perfect SE Ranking plan for your needs. Users can enjoy free migration plus a 20% discount with an annual subscription:

Essential ($65/month): Offers one manager seat, tracking for up to five projects, and 500 keywords tracked daily.
Pro ($119 to $199/month): Designed for small teams and agencies, it offers three manager seats, tracking for up to 30 projects, and 2,000 to 3,500 keywords tracked daily.
Business ($259 to $599/month): Built for larger agencies, with five manager seats, unlimited projects, and 5,000 to 15,000 keywords tracked daily.

4. Wincher - Best for Basic Tracking And Reports

Wincher simplifies SEO with tools that boost online visibility. It tracks keyword performance and finds new opportunities, helping businesses and agencies shape their SEO strategies. The user-friendly platform allows you to monitor competitors, discover valuable keywords, and create customized reports. As one of the best keyword tracking tools, every marketing effort is backed by actionable insights.

Notable Features of Wincher

Rank Tracker: Tracks your keywords’ positions in Google, providing daily updates to inform you about your performance.
Keyword Explorer: Users can easily identify high-volume keywords with low competition, giving them a competitive edge in their SEO efforts.
Gorgeous Reports: It offers automated, manual, and white-label reports that present performance data beautifully. Users can automate report generation or tailor reports to meet their needs.

Wincher Pricing Plans

Here’s an overview of Wincher’s pricing plans with the specified tracking limits and price ranges:

Basic ($49/month): Ideal for smaller businesses, this plan allows tracking up to 500 keywords with daily ranking updates for ten websites and access to core tools like the Rank Tracker and AI Content Outliner.
Standard ($89 to $287/month): A popular choice for growing companies, this plan tracks between 1,000 to 4,000 keywords with daily ranking updates for unlimited websites and additional features such as multiple users and white-labeled reports.
Professional ($319 to $2,255/month): Supports tracking of 5,000 to 50,000 keywords with daily ranking updates for unlimited websites and advanced features like external user access and priority support.

5. Moz Pro - Best for Simple Competitor And Location Insights

Moz Pro is a comprehensive SEO platform designed to enhance your website’s visibility and performance in search engines. With powerful tools for keyword research, rank tracking, and competitive analysis, Moz Pro equips businesses to make data-driven decisions that drive traffic and conversions. Users can effortlessly monitor their SEO metrics and discover actionable insights to outperform their competition

Notable Features of Moz Pro

Comprehensive Keyword Explorer: This tool lets users discover high-traffic keywords with over 1.25 billion indexed options. It helps them identify valuable keywords that significantly improve their site's visibility and organic reach.
Advanced Rank Tracking: Monitor your site’s rankings on both desktop and mobile across more than 200 countries. This feature provides users with in-depth insights into their keyword performance and the effectiveness of their SEO strategies.
In-Depth Competitive Research: Analyze your competitors’ SEO strategies and identify gaps in your approach. Moz Pro’s competitive research tools enable users to uncover actionable insights to inform and enhance their SEO efforts.

Moz Pro Pricing Plans

Here’s an overview of Moz Pro’s pricing plans:

Starter ($49/month): Designed for small businesses or startups managing a single website, offering 50 tracked keywords and essential SEO tools.
Standard ($99/month): Ideal for small businesses requiring basic SEO capabilities, featuring 300 tracked keywords and expanded tracking and reporting tools.
Medium ($179/month): Perfect for those seeking ample limits with 1,500 tracked keywords and full access to keyword research tools, making it a popular choice among users.
Large ($299/month): Tailored for larger businesses and agencies that demand comprehensive data with 3,000 tracked keywords and extensive tracking capabilities.

6. Google Search Console - Best for Basic Keyword Performance

Google Search Console is a free tool and web service that monitors and optimizes your site's performance in Google search results. It provides insights into search queries, click-through rates, and average positions to identify keyword opportunities and improve your content strategy. With features like performance reports, link analysis, and indexing tools, Google Search Console is one of the best keyword tracking tools.

Notable Features of Google Search Console

Performance Report: Provides detailed data on search queries driving organic traffic to your site. Users can view metrics like clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position for the keywords your pages rank for.
Search Analytics: This analyzes your search traffic by queries, pages, countries, and devices. It is helpful for identifying top-performing keywords and pages and opportunities to optimize underperforming content.
Keyword Tracking Over Time: Tracks keyword rankings and performance trends over customizable date ranges. Enables you to monitor how your keyword positions and click-through rates change in response to SEO efforts or algorithm updates.

Google Search Console Pricing Plans

The Google Search Console API is free to use. However, Google imposes usage limits, imposing quotas on the number of API requests.

7. AccuRanker - Best for Real-Time Tracking And Frequent Updates

AccuRanker is an SEO tool with fast, accurate rank tracking. It offers enterprise-level insights and has a massive database of 24 billion keywords. Businesses can use their competitor analysis and segmentation features to gain an edge. With AccuRanker, you can make smart, data-driven choices to improve search visibility and stay ahead in any market.

Notable Features of AccuRanker

Dynamic Tagging: Simplifies complex keyword management by allowing users to create advanced filters and combine multiple AND/OR rule sets. This feature streamlines the organization of large keyword datasets.
Share of Voice: This metric calculates market performance by considering keyword rankings, search volume, and click-through rates. It provides a comprehensive view of a website's organic visibility and helps track progress in terms of actual traffic potential.
Pixel Tracking: Captures the exact X and Y coordinates of SERP elements, offering a detailed view of search result layouts. This feature enables SEO professionals to analyze above-the-fold content and optimize for various SERP features.

AccuRanker Pricing Plans

AccuRanker offers flexible plans based on keyword tracking needs. However, you need to contact them directly if you need to track over 100,000 keywords.

$129/month: Tracks up to 1,000 keywords with fast and accurate rank updates.
$1,329/month: Covers up to 20,000 keywords and includes advanced competitor insights.
$2,759/month: Monitors up to 50,000 keywords with full-scale analysis and custom features.

8. Nightwatch - Best for Data Segmentation And Competitor Tracking

Nightwatch is a robust rank-tracking tool for SEO-focused businesses that need precise, location-based data and automated reports. With its customizable tracking across global and local SERPs, Nightwatch uncovers hidden ranking opportunities. It seamlessly integrates with Google Analytics and Search Console so users can refine their strategies easily.

Notable Features of Nightwatch

Granular Precision Rank Tracking: Nightwatch monitors your keyword rankings with exceptional accuracy across multiple search engines and locations.
Custom Segmentation: Creates tailored audience groups based on specific criteria and segments. It provides targeted analysis and optimization, helping you reach the right audience with pinpoint accuracy.
Automated Reporting: Generates comprehensive, visually appealing reports with simple drag-and-drop functionality. Users can save time and resources by automatically delivering critical business insights to stakeholders for easy data-driven decision-making.

Nightwatch Pricing Plans

Nightwatch offers flexible pricing plans starting at $32 per month. Users who need to track more than 20,000 keywords can contact them through their website.

$32/month: Offers tracking for 250 daily keywords, 50 websites, and five competitors, along with various integrations and features like automated reports and AI suggestions.
$459/month: Users can track up to 6,000 daily keywords and 1,000 websites, and advanced features like unlimited white-label reports and API access are available.
$699/month: This plan tracks 10,000 daily keywords and 1,000 websites and provides comprehensive tools, including Looker Studio integration and unlimited user seats.

9. Keyword.com - Best for Enterprise-Level Tracking And Custom Reports

Keyword.com offers a fast, affordable, and accurate keyword rank-tracking solution for businesses of all sizes. Users can track SEO keyword rankings daily, weekly, or bi-hourly, providing invaluable insights into their performance and competitive landscape. The platform simplifies geo-location rank tracking, allowing users to optimize their websites for specific regions, cities, and zip codes.

Notable Features of Keyword.com

Daily, Weekly, or Bi-Hourly Ranking Tracking: Monitor your keyword rankings with flexible tracking options, including daily, weekly, or bi-hourly updates. This feature ensures you stay informed about your performance in real-time, enabling quick adjustments to your SEO strategy.
Comprehensive Geo-Location Tracking: Track your national, regional, and local rankings to the ZIP code. This granularity allows businesses to optimize their SEO efforts based on specific geographic markets, ensuring targeted visibility.
Automated Reporting and White-Label Options: Generate automated ranking reports that are easy to read and share with clients. With white-label capabilities, you can customize these reports to reflect your brand, enhancing client trust and communication.

Keyword.com Pricing Plans

Keyword.com’s pricing plans depend on the frequency of ranking updates and the number of keywords tracked. It ranges from 50 to 500 keywords.

Free Forever ($0/month): This free keyword rank checker is for individuals wanting to get started with rank tracking. It allows tracking of up to 10 keywords for free.
Business ($4 to $143/month): This plan depends on the ranking update frequency for growing agencies and businesses. It offers options for weekly, daily, or bi-hourly updates for tracking between 50 and 500 keywords.
Enterprise: Tailored for large SEO agencies and teams with customized rank tracking needs. It offers flexible solutions based on specific requirements and scaling beyond the standard plans.

How to Choose the Best Keyword Tracking Tool for Your Needs

Choosing from the best keyword tracking tools is essential to boosting your SEO strategy. With numerous options, consider your budget, evaluate necessary features, and explore trial versions to find the best fit for your needs. Taking these considerations ensures you select a tool that enhances your SEO efforts effectively.

Budget and Feature Prioritization: Start by determining your budget and prioritizing essential features. Consider tools like Semrush or Ahrefs for comprehensive SEO analysis, including keyword tracking, competitor analysis, and backlink monitoring. These tools offer robust features but come at a higher price point. For more budget-friendly options, look into Google Search Console or Wincher, which provide solid keyword tracking capabilities at a lower cost.
Trial Periods and Free Versions: Many providers offer trial periods and limited free versions to allow users to test different tools before committing.
Customer Support and Community Resources: Before you choose a tool, check the quality of customer support and community resources. For example, Semrush and Ahrefs have a great knowledge base, tutorials, and active user communities. These can help you get the hang of the tool and troubleshoot any issues.
Scalability for Growing Businesses: Pick a tool that can grow with your business. The best keyword tracking tools mentioned above have flexible pricing plans to track more keywords as your blogging expands. This way, as your SEO tasks and needs change, your tool can keep up without switching to another.

Key Takeaway

The best keyword tracking tools are essential for optimizing SEO performance. There are many options, ranging from all-in-one solutions to specialized trackers. Popular tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz provide insights into competitor analysis and content optimization. While effective, these tools can be expensive, making it hard for smaller businesses and solo marketers to maximize their uses fully.

On the flip slide, more affordable options like Wincher and Keyword.com offer simplicity and cost-effectiveness. These tools focus on keyword tracking and ranking data, featuring intuitive interfaces for SEO beginners. While they lack some advanced features, they provide accurate, real-time rankings and basic competitor comparisons. Remember, keywords are just one part of an overall SEO strategy. There’s much more to consider after doing keyword research.

Ready to unlock the full potential of your SEO strategy? tiny lever is an SEO marketing agency that goes beyond the best keyword tracking tools. We specialize in comprehensive keyword research, compelling SEO content creation, premium backlink building, and detailed performance reporting to keep you informed at every step. Contact us via david@tinylevermarketing.com or fill out this form to supercharge your content marketing efforts.