The Best SERP Tracking Tools for SEO in 2023

If you are an SEO professional or a website owner, you know how important it is to track your rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). SERP tracking tools help you monitor your position for your target keywords, analyze your competitors, identify opportunities and threats, and optimize your SEO strategy accordingly.

However, not all SERP tracking tools are created equal. Some are more accurate, reliable, and user-friendly than others. Some offer more features, integrations, and support than others. Some are more affordable, scalable, and flexible than others.

So how do you choose the best SERP tracking tools for SEO in 2023? What are the criteria and factors that you should consider? What are the pros and cons of each tool? How do you use them effectively to achieve your SEO goals?

In this blog post, we will answer these questions and more. We will compare and contrast some of the best SERP tracking tools for SEO in 2023, such as Bing Webmaster Tools, Google Search Console, Ahrefs Rank Tracker, Moz Pro Rank Tracker, and SEMrush Position Tracking. We will highlight their features, advantages, and disadvantages. We will also provide some examples of how to use them effectively.

By the end of this blog post, you will have a clear idea of which SERP tracking tools are best suited for your needs and budget. You will also learn some tips and tricks on how to use them to improve your SEO performance and outrank your competitors.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools is a free service provided by Microsoft that allows you to monitor and optimize your website’s performance on Bing and other search engines. It offers a variety of features and tools that help you with:

Keyword research: You can use the Keyword Research tool to discover new keywords related to your niche, and analyze their search volume, competition, and trends.
Site audit: You can use the Site Scan tool to crawl your website and identify any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Performance reports: You can use the Performance reports to track your impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), average position, and device type for your target keywords.
Backlink analysis: You can use the Backlinks report to see who is linking to your website, what anchor texts they are using, and how authoritative they are.
Disavow links: You can use the Disavow Links tool to remove any unwanted or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
URL inspection: You can use the URL Inspection tool to see how Bing crawls and indexes your web pages, what issues or warnings it finds, and how to fix them.
URL submission: You can use the URL Submission tool to submit new or updated URLs to Bing for faster indexing and crawling.
Sitemaps: You can use the Sitemaps tool to submit your sitemap files to Bing and monitor their status and coverage.
Robots.txt tester: You can use the Robots.txt Tester tool to check if your robots.txt file is working properly and blocking or allowing the right pages.
Markup validator: You can use the Markup Validator tool to check if your web pages have valid structured data markup that can enhance your appearance on the SERPs.

Pros of Bing Webmaster Tools:

It is free and easy to use. You just need to verify your website ownership using a meta tag, an HTML file, a DNS record, or a CNAME record.
It provides comprehensive and detailed data on your website’s performance on Bing and other search engines.
It supports multiple languages and regions. You can choose from over 40 languages and over 100 regions for your reports and settings.
It integrates with other Microsoft products and services. You can connect your Bing Webmaster Tools account with Microsoft Advertising, Microsoft Clarity, Microsoft Edge DevTools Preview, Microsoft Rewards, etc.

Cons of Bing Webmaster Tools:

It only covers Bing and its partner search engines. It does not provide data on Google or other major search engines.
It does not offer advanced features or tools that some other SERP tracking tools do. For example, it does not have rank tracking alerts, competitor analysis, keyword difficulty scores, etc.
It does not have a mobile app or a browser extension. You have to access it through a web browser on a desktop or laptop.

How to use Bing Webmaster Tools effectively:

Use the Keyword Research tool to find new keyword ideas for your content creation and optimization.
Use the Site Scan tool to audit your website and fix any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Use the Performance reports to monitor your rankings, traffic, and CTR for your target keywords. Identify any trends or patterns that might indicate opportunities or threats.
Use the Backlinks report to analyze your backlink profile and see how it compares to your competitors. Identify any gaps or opportunities to improve your link-building strategy.
Use the Disavow Links tool to remove any toxic or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Use the URL Inspection tool to see how Bing crawls and indexes your web pages. Fix any issues or warnings that might prevent your pages from ranking well.
Use the URL Submission tool to submit new or updated URLs to Bing for faster indexing and crawling. You can also use the API to automate this process.
Use the Sitemaps tool to submit your sitemap files to Bing and monitor their status and coverage. Make sure your sitemaps are updated and accurate.
Use the Robots.txt Tester tool to check if your robots.txt file is working properly and blocking or allowing the right pages. You can also use the API to automate this process.
Use the Markup Validator tool to check if your web pages have valid structured data markup that can enhance your appearance on the SERPs. You can also use the API to automate this process.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free service provided by Google that allows you to monitor and optimize your website’s performance on Google and other search engines. It offers a variety of features and tools that help you with:

Keyword research: You can use the Search Analytics report to discover new keywords related to your niche, and analyze their impressions, clicks, CTR, and position.
Site audit: You can use the Coverage report to crawl your website and identify any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Performance reports: You can use the Performance reports to track your impressions, clicks, CTR, average position, and device type for your target keywords.
Backlink analysis: You can use the Links report to see who is linking to your website, what anchor texts they are using, and how authoritative they are.
Disavow links: You can use the Disavow Links tool to remove any unwanted or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
URL inspection: You can use the URL Inspection tool to see how Google crawls and indexes your web pages, what issues or warnings it finds, and how to fix them.
URL submission: You can use the URL Inspection tool or the Sitemaps tool to submit new or updated URLs to Google for faster indexing and crawling.
Sitemaps: You can use the Sitemaps tool to submit your sitemap files to Google and monitor their status and coverage.
Robots.txt tester: You can use the Robots.txt Tester tool to check if your robots.txt file is working properly and blocking or allowing the right pages.
Markup validator: You can use the Rich Results Test tool or the Structured Data Testing Tool to check if your web pages have valid structured data markup that can enhance your appearance on the SERPs.

Pros Google Search Console:

It is free and easy to use. You just need to verify your website ownership using a meta tag, an HTML file, a DNS record, a Google Analytics code, a Google Tag Manager code, or a Google Sites verification.
It provides comprehensive and detailed data on your website’s performance on Google and other search engines.
It supports multiple languages and regions. You can choose from over 100 languages and over 200 regions for your reports and settings.
It integrates with other Google products and services. You can connect your Google Search Console account with Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Data Studio, Google My Business, etc.

Cons of Google Search Console:

It only covers Google and its partner search engines. It does not provide data on Bing or other major search engines.
It does not offer advanced features or tools that some other SERP tracking tools do. For example, it does not have rank tracking alerts, competitor analysis, keyword difficulty scores, etc.
It does not have a mobile app or a browser extension. You have to access it through a web browser on a desktop or laptop.

How to use Google Search Console effectively:

Use the Search Analytics report to find new keyword ideas for your content creation and optimization.
Use the Coverage report to audit your website and fix any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Use the Performance reports to monitor your rankings, traffic, and CTR for your target keywords. Identify any trends or patterns that might indicate opportunities or threats.
Use the Links report to analyze your backlink profile and see how it compares to your competitors. Identify any gaps or opportunities to improve your link-building strategy.
Use the Disavow Links tool to remove any toxic or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Use the URL Inspection tool to see how Google crawls and indexes your web pages. Fix any issues or warnings that might prevent your pages from ranking well.
Use the URL Inspection tool or the Sitemaps tool to submit new or updated URLs to Google for faster indexing and crawling. You can also use the API to automate this process.
Use the Sitemaps tool to submit your sitemap files to Google and monitor their status and coverage. Make sure your sitemaps are updated and accurate.
Use the Robots.txt Tester tool to check if your robots.txt file is working properly and blocking or allowing the right pages. You can also use the API to automate this process.
Use the Rich Results Test tool or the Structured Data Testing Tool to check if your web pages have valid structured data markup that can enhance your appearance on the SERPs. You can also use the API to automate this process.

Ahrefs Rank Tracker

Ahrefs Rank Tracker is a paid service provided by Ahrefs that allows you to track and analyze your rankings on various search engines for your target keywords. It offers a variety of features and tools that help you with:

Keyword research: You can use the Keywords Explorer tool to discover new keywords related to your niche, and analyze their search volume, difficulty, clicks, CTR, and trends.
Site audit: You can use the Site Audit tool to crawl your website and identify any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Performance reports: You can use the Rank Tracker tool to track your impressions, clicks, CTR, average position, and device type for your target keywords. You can also see how you rank for different locations, languages, and search engines.
Backlink analysis: You can use the Site Explorer tool to see who is linking to your website, what anchor texts they are using, how authoritative they are, and how they affect your rankings.
Disavow links: You can use the Disavow Links tool to remove any unwanted or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Competitor analysis: You can use the Competing Domains tool or the Content Gap tool to see who are your main competitors for your target keywords, what keywords they rank for, and how you can outrank them.
Rank tracking alerts: You can use the Rank Tracker tool to set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

Pros of Ahrefs Rank Tracker:

It is accurate, reliable, and user-friendly. It updates its data every day and provides clear and intuitive reports and graphs.
It offers advanced features and tools that some other SERP tracking tools do not. For example, it has keyword difficulty scores, SERP features analysis, historical data, etc.
It supports multiple languages and regions. You can choose from over 170 languages and over 200 regions for your reports and settings.
It has a mobile app and a browser extension. You can access it through your smartphone or tablet, or through your web browser on a desktop or laptop.

Cons of Ahrefs Rank Tracker:

It is not free and can be expensive. You have to pay a monthly or annual fee depending on your plan and usage. The cheapest plan starts at $99 per month.
It does not cover all search engines. It mainly focuses on Google and its partner search engines. It does not provide data on Bing or other major search engines.
It does not integrate with other products or services. You have to use it separately from other tools or platforms that you might use for your SEO strategy.

How to use Ahrefs Rank Tracker effectively:

Use the Keywords Explorer tool to find new keyword ideas for your content creation and optimization.
Use the Site Audit tool to audit your website and fix any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Use the Rank Tracker tool to monitor your rankings, traffic, and CTR for your target keywords. Identify any trends or patterns that might indicate opportunities or threats.
Use the Site Explorer tool to analyze your backlink profile and see how it compares to your competitors. Identify any gaps or opportunities to improve your link-building strategy.
Use the Disavow Links tool to remove any toxic or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Use the Competing Domains tool or the Content Gap tool to see who are your main competitors for your target keywords, what keywords they rank for, and how you can outrank them.
Use the Rank Tracker tool to set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

Moz Pro Rank Tracker

Moz Pro Rank Tracker is a paid service provided by Moz that allows you to track and analyze your rankings on various search engines for your target keywords. It offers a variety of features and tools that help you with:

Keyword research: You can use the Keyword Explorer tool to discover new keywords related to your niche, and analyze their search volume, difficulty, clicks, CTR, and trends.
Site audit: You can use the Site Crawl tool to crawl your website and identify any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Performance reports: You can use the Rankings tool to track your impressions, clicks, CTR, average position, and device type for your target keywords. You can also see how you rank for different locations, languages, and search engines.
Backlink analysis: You can use the Link Explorer tool to see who is linking to your website, what anchor texts they are using, how authoritative they are, and how they affect your rankings.
Disavow links: You can use the Link Explorer tool to remove any unwanted or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Competitor analysis: You can use the Keyword Explorer tool or the Rankings tool to see who are your main competitors for your target keywords, what keywords they rank for, and how you can outrank them.
Rank tracking alerts: You can use the Rankings tool to set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

Pros of Moz Pro Rank Tracker:

It is accurate, reliable, and user-friendly. It updates its data every week and provides clear and intuitive reports and graphs.
It offers advanced features and tools that some other SERP tracking tools do not. For example, it has SERP features analysis, historical data, keyword lists, etc.
It supports multiple languages and regions. You can choose from over 40 languages and over 200 regions for your reports and settings.
It integrates with other products and services. You can connect your Moz Pro Rank Tracker account with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Data Studio, etc.

Cons of Moz Pro Rank Tracker:

It is not free and can be expensive. You have to pay a monthly or annual fee depending on your plan and usage. The cheapest plan starts at $99 per month.
It does not cover all search engines. It mainly focuses on Google and its partner search engines. It does not provide data on Bing or other major search engines.
It does not have a mobile app or a browser extension. You have to access it through a web browser on a desktop or laptop.

How to use Moz Pro Rank Tracker effectively:

Use the Keyword Explorer tool to find new keyword ideas for your content creation and optimization.
Use the Site Crawl tool to audit your website and fix any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Use the Rankings tool to monitor your rankings, traffic, and CTR for your target keywords. Identify any trends or patterns that might indicate opportunities or threats.
Use the Link Explorer tool to analyze your backlink profile and see how it compares to your competitors. Identify any gaps or opportunities to improve your link-building strategy.
Use the Link Explorer tool to remove any toxic or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Use the Keyword Explorer tool or the Rankings tool to see who are your main competitors for your target keywords, what keywords they rank for, and how you can outrank them.
Use the Rankings tool to set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

SEMrush Position Tracking

SEMrush Position Tracking is a paid service provided by SEMrush that allows you to track and analyze your rankings on various search engines for your target keywords. It offers a variety of features and tools that help you with:

Check and Read our Revie on SEMRush here.

Keyword research: You can use the Keyword Magic Tool or the Keyword Overview tool to discover new keywords related to your niche, and analyze their search volume, difficulty, clicks, CTR, and trends.
Site audit: You can use the Site Audit tool to crawl your website and identify any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Performance reports: You can use the Position Tracking tool to track your impressions, clicks, CTR, average position, and device type for your target keywords. You can also see how you rank for different locations, languages, and search engines.
Backlink analysis: You can use the Backlink Analytics tool or the Backlink Audit tool to see who is linking to your website, what anchor texts they are using, how authoritative they are, and how they affect your rankings.
Disavow links: You can use the Backlink Audit tool to remove any unwanted or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Competitor analysis: You can use the Competitive Research Toolkit or the Position Tracking tool to see who are your main competitors for your target keywords, what keywords they rank for, and how you can outrank them.
Rank tracking alerts: You can use the Position Tracking tool to set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

Pros of SEMrush Position Tracking:

It is accurate, reliable, and user-friendly. It updates its data every day and provides clear and intuitive reports and graphs.
It offers advanced features and tools that some other SERP tracking tools do not. For example, it has SERP features analysis, historical data, keyword lists, featured snippets opportunities, etc.
It supports multiple languages and regions. You can choose from over 100 languages and over 200 regions for your reports and settings.
It has a mobile app and a browser extension. You can access it through your smartphone or tablet, or through your web browser on a desktop or laptop.

Cons SEMrush Position Tracking:

It is not free and can be expensive. You have to pay a monthly or annual fee depending on your plan and usage. The cheapest plan starts at $119.95 per month.
It does not cover all search engines. It mainly focuses on Google and its partner search engines. It does not provide data on Bing or other major search engines.
It does not integrate with other products or services. You have to use it separately from other tools or platforms that you might use for your SEO strategy.

How to use SEMrush Position Tracking effectively:

Use the Keyword Magic Tool or the Keyword Overview tool to find new keyword ideas for your content creation and optimization.
Use the Site Audit tool to audit your website and fix any issues or errors that might affect your SEO performance.
Use the Position Tracking tool to monitor your rankings, traffic, and CTR for your target keywords. Identify any trends or patterns that might indicate opportunities or threats.
Use the Backlink Analytics tool or the Backlink Audit tool to analyze your backlink profile and see how it compares to your competitors. Identify any gaps or opportunities to improve your link-building strategy.
Use the Backlink Audit tool to remove any toxic or spammy links that might harm your website’s reputation or ranking.
Use the Competitive Research Toolkit or the Position Tracking tool to see who are your main competitors for your target keywords, what keywords they rank for, and how you can outrank them.
Use the Position Tracking tool to set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many SERP tracking tools available for SEO in 2023. Each one has its own features, advantages, and disadvantages. Depending on your needs and budget, you can choose the best one for you.

However, no matter which tool you use, you should always remember that SERP tracking is not the end goal of SEO. It is only a means to an end. The ultimate goal of SEO is to provide value to your audience and solve their problems.

Therefore, you should not focus only on your rankings, but also on your content quality, user experience, and conversion rate. You should also keep up with the latest SEO trends and best practices to stay ahead of the competition.

We hope this blog post has helped you understand the best SERP tracking tools for SEO in 2023 and how to use them effectively. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. We would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading and happy ranking!

FAQs

What is SERP tracking?

SERP tracking is the process of monitoring and analyzing your position on the search engine results pages (SERPs) for your target keywords.

Why is SERP tracking important for SEO?

SERP tracking is important for SEO because it helps you measure your SEO performance, identify opportunities and threats, analyze your competitors, and optimize your SEO strategy accordingly.

How often should I track my SERPs?

The frequency of SERP tracking depends on your goals and resources. Ideally, you should track your SERPs daily or weekly to catch any changes or fluctuations in your rankings. However, if you have limited time or budget, you can track your SERPs monthly or quarterly to get a general overview of your SEO performance.

What are some of the best SERP tracking tools for SEO in 2023?

Some of the best SERP tracking tools for SEO in 2023 are Bing Webmaster Tools, Google Search Console, Ahrefs Rank Tracker, Moz Pro Rank Tracker, and SEMrush Position Tracking. Each one has its own features, advantages, and disadvantages. Depending on your needs and budget, you can choose the best one for you.

How do I choose the best SERP tracking tool for me?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The best SERP tracking tool for you depends on your goals, budget, preferences, and expectations. You should consider the following factors when choosing a SERP tracking tool:

Features: What features and tools do you need for your SEO strategy? Do you need keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis, competitor analysis, rank tracking alerts, etc.?
Accuracy: How accurate and reliable is the data provided by the tool? How often is it updated and verified?
User-friendliness: How easy and intuitive is the tool to use? How clear and helpful are the reports and graphs?
Support: How responsive and helpful is the customer support team? How accessible and comprehensive are the documentation and tutorials?
Price: How much does the tool cost? Is it worth the value and results it provides? Does it offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee?

You should compare and contrast different SERP tracking tools based on these factors and choose the one that best suits your needs and budget.

How do I use SERP tracking tools effectively?

To use SERP tracking tools effectively, you should follow these steps:

Set up your account and verify your website ownership.
Add your target keywords and choose your locations, languages, and search engines.
Monitor your rankings, traffic, and CTR for your target keywords regularly.
Analyze your performance reports and identify any trends or patterns that might indicate opportunities or threats.
Compare your performance with your competitors and see how you can outrank them.
Optimize your website and content based on the insights and recommendations provided by the tool.
Set up email alerts for any changes in your rankings, such as increases, decreases, new entries, or exits.

What are some of the challenges or limitations of SERP tracking tools?

Some of the challenges or limitations of SERP tracking tools are:

They do not cover all search engines. Most of them focus on Google and its partner search engines. They do not provide data on Bing or other major search engines.
They do not account for personalization. Search engines use various factors such as location, device type, search history, etc. to personalize the SERPs for each user. Therefore, the rankings you see on the tool may not match the rankings you see on the actual SERPs.
They do not measure conversions. SERP tracking tools only measure your visibility and traffic on the SERPs. They do not measure how many of those visitors actually convert into customers or subscribers. You need to use other tools such as Google Analytics or Google Ads to measure your conversions and ROI.