Rank tracking records where a URL appears in the SERP for a keyword, at a specific location, on a specific device, at a specific time. The result is a time series of positions that can be analysed for trends, seasonality, and the effect of on-page changes.
How it works
A rank tracker sends automated queries to a search engine from proxies that emulate the target location and language, parses the SERP, and records each domain's highest position along with any SERP features present.
Example
A UK retailer tracks 500 keywords daily from a London postcode on mobile. The dashboard shows a five-point drop after a Google core update, isolated to product-category queries.
How SEM Optimiser reports it
SEM Optimiser refreshes ranks daily by default, stores every SERP snapshot with a fetched_at timestamp, and represents "not ranking" as null — never as position zero or 101.
Related terms
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
A SERP is the page a search engine returns in response to a query, containing organic results, paid ads, and specialised features such as knowledge panels or AI Overviews.
- Share of Voice
Share of voice is the percentage of total organic search visibility a domain captures across a defined keyword set relative to its competitors.
- Average Position
Average position is the mean SERP position a URL held for a query across all impressions in a given date range.
- Impressions
An impression is recorded every time a link to your website appears in a user's search results, regardless of whether the user scrolls to see it.