How to Check Keyword Rankings in Google Search Console

Google Search Console is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to SEO.

Google Search Console can be used to:

• Perform Keyword Research
• Audit Websites
• Handle crawling and indexing issues (technical SEO)
• Measure SEO Performance
• Track Brand Growth
• Find Quick Wins and Internal Link Opportunities

In addition to all of that, you can also use Google Search Console as an effective keyword tracking tool.

In this article, I’ll walk through the many ways you can use Google Search Console to monitor keyword rankings. 

Using Google Search Console To Track Keyword Rankings

While Google Search Console isn’t technically a keyword ranking tool, it still has plenty of use cases where you can track your website’s performance and see how keywords are driving traffic for your site. 

Google Search Console is one of the best tools in my opinion for giving rich insights into the keywords your site ranks for. 

In some cases, you can even use Google Search Console to help with keyword research and finding secondary keywords for content outlines. In this section, you’ll learn some of the ways you can use Google Search Console as a keyword ranking tool.

Load Up the Property You Want to Check in Google Search Console

First things first, you’ll want to load up the property you want to use for keyword tracking in Google Search Console. 

Set a Date Filter for the Last 28 Days or 7 Days to Get More Current Data

After you have your property set up, you’ll want to set your date range for the last 28 days or the last 7 days to have access to more current data.

The reason we do this is because the average position tends to be more accurate within a recent time frame.

Keyword rankings can fluctuate, so setting it for the last month ensures your keyword positioning is not only accurate but current. 

Toggle Average Positioning and Click on the Queries Tab

Now that we have our date range set up, you’ll want to toggle on average positioning and head over to the query dimension.

Here we’ll be able to see the queries your site ranks for and where they’re currently ranking. 

Review Queries with the Most Impressions and Clicks

The easiest keyword tracking method is to track the queries with the highest clicks and impressions.

This will help you segment your website and determine which keywords are the most valuable to your business. 

You’ll want to constantly monitor these keywords as these will be your main drivers of traffic. 

Whether they drive conversions or not is a different story, but you’ll still want to monitor them anyways. 

Use the Following to Check Keyword Rankings in Google Search Console:

While checking the top-ranking queries might be the easiest method, there are a few other ways you can track your keyword rankings in Google Search Console.

Here’s how to do it:

Low Hanging Fruit Queries – Keywords Ranking in Positions 4-20

These are keywords on your website that rank between positions 4 and 20. You can use these as a basis to see if your keywords are seeing any movement. If they’re sitting in this position, then they likely need a little additional work done to get them where they need to be.

If you want to find these queries, select the 3 bars and click the average position box.

It will then give you a prompt to filter by positions that are either equal, not equal, greater than, or less than.

In this case, you’ll want to see your filter to less than 20. Here you can either filter from highest to lowest, or filter impressions from highest to lowest to see which keywords have the most traffic potential. 

You can then reference this section and the keywords here to see if there’s been any improvement.

Top Ranking Queries – Keywords Ranking in Positions 1-3

Review keywords that rank in the top three positions. These high-ranking keywords contribute significantly to your website’s visibility and traffic.

Queries with Opportunities (Keywords Ranking in Positions 50+)

Identify keywords ranking beyond the first page (position 50 or higher). These keywords present opportunities for improvement and optimization to enhance their visibility.

Top Ranking RegEx Queries in Google Search Console

Consider using regular expressions (RegEx) to identify patterns in high-ranking queries. This helps uncover broader keyword opportunities and optimize content accordingly.

Click on an Individual Page to See Queries Attached to That Page

Explore the performance of individual pages by clicking on them. This provides insights into the queries associated with specific pages and helps you optimize them effectively.

Use the Search Appearance Tab to See Which Queries with Schema Are Driving Clicks

Under the Search Appearance tab, analyze the performance of queries that utilize schema markup. Schema-driven queries can drive higher click-through rates and contribute to improved visibility.

Why Use Google Search Console for Keyword Tracking

Google Search Console is an incredibly useful tool for tracking keyword rankings. You can use it to gain insights about your website’s performance, use it for data-driven decisions, and monitor your SEO campaign’s performance. 

Using Google Search Console for keyword tracking will also give you access to some of the most accurate data when it comes to query impressions. 

Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs only give you estimations of average monthly search volume, while Google Search Console will give you a more accurate picture of keyword data.

Using Google Search Console to Track Keyword Rankings

Tracking keyword rankings is a crucial aspect of any SEO strategy, and Google Search Console can help you monitor your website’s performance.