rank-tracker

Rank Tracker

Tracks, analyzes, and reports on keyword ranking positions over time. Monitors both traditional SERP rankings and AI/GEO visibility to provide comprehensive search performance insights.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up ranking tracking for new campaigns
• Monitoring keyword position changes
• Analyzing ranking trends over time
• Comparing rankings against competitors
• Tracking SERP feature appearances
• Monitoring AI Overview inclusions
• Creating ranking reports for stakeholders

What This Skill Does

1. Position Tracking: Records and tracks keyword rankings
2. Trend Analysis: Identifies ranking patterns over time
3. Movement Detection: Flags significant position changes
4. Competitor Comparison: Benchmarks against competitors
5. SERP Feature Tracking: Monitors featured snippets, PAA
6. GEO Visibility Tracking: Tracks AI citation appearances
7. Report Generation: Creates ranking performance reports

How to Use

Set Up Tracking

Set up rank tracking for [domain] targeting these keywords: [keyword list]

Analyze Rankings

Analyze ranking changes for [domain] over the past [time period]

Compare to Competitors

Compare my rankings to [competitor] for [keywords]

Generate Reports

Create a ranking report for [domain/campaign]

Data Sources

See CONNECTORS.md for tool category placeholders.

With ~~SEO tool + ~~search console + ~~analytics + ~~AI monitor connected: Automatically pull ranking positions from ~~SEO tool, search impressions/clicks from ~~search console, traffic data from ~~analytics, and AI Overview citation tracking from ~~AI monitor. Daily automated rank checks with historical trend data.

With manual data only: Ask the user to provide:

1. Keyword ranking positions (current and historical if available)
2. Target keyword list with search volumes
3. Competitor domains and their ranking positions for key terms
4. SERP feature status (featured snippets, PAA appearances)
5. AI Overview citation data (if tracking GEO metrics)

Proceed with the full analysis using provided data. Note in the output which metrics are from automated collection vs. user-provided data.

Instructions

When a user requests rank tracking or analysis:

1. Set Up Keyword Tracking -- Configure domain, location, device, language, update frequency. Add keywords with volume, current rank, type, and priority. Set up competitor tracking and keyword categories (brand/product/informational/commercial).

2. Record Current Rankings -- Ranking overview by position range (#1, #2-3, #4-10, #11-20, etc.), position distribution visualization, detailed rankings with URL, SERP features, and change.

3. Analyze Ranking Changes -- Overall movement metrics, biggest improvements and declines with hypothesized causes, recommended recovery actions, stable keywords, new rankings, lost rankings.

4. Track SERP Features -- Feature ownership comparison vs competitors (snippets, PAA, image/video pack, local pack), featured snippet status, PAA appearances.

5. Track GEO/AI Visibility -- AI Overview presence per keyword, citation rate and position, GEO performance trend over time, improvement opportunities.

6. Compare Against Competitors -- Share of voice table, head-to-head comparison per keyword, competitor movement alerts with threat level.

7. Generate Ranking Report -- Executive summary with overall trend, position distribution, key highlights (wins/concerns/opportunities), detailed analysis, SERP feature report, GEO visibility, competitive position, recommendations.

   Reference: See references/ranking-analysis-templates.md for complete output templates for all 7 steps.

Validation Checkpoints

Input Validation

• Keywords list is complete with search volumes
• Target domain and tracking location are specified
• Competitor domains identified for comparison
• Historical baseline data available or initial tracking period set

Output Validation

• Every metric cites its data source and collection date
• Ranking changes include context (vs. previous period)
• Significant movements have explanations or investigation notes
• Source of each data point clearly stated (~~SEO tool data, ~~search console data, user-provided, or estimated)

Example

User: "Analyze my ranking changes for the past month"

Output:

# Ranking Analysis: [current month, year]

## Summary

Your average position improved from 15.3 to 12.8 (-2.5 positions = better)
Keywords in top 10 increased from 12 to 17 (+5)

## Biggest Wins

| Keyword | Old | New | Change | Possible Cause |
|---------|-----|-----|--------|----------------|
| email marketing tips | 18 | 5 | +13 | Likely driven by content refresh |
| best crm software | 24 | 11 | +13 | Correlates with new backlinks acquired |
| sales automation | 15 | 7 | +8 | Correlates with schema markup addition |

## Needs Attention

| Keyword | Old | New | Change | Action |
|---------|-----|-----|--------|--------|
| marketing automation | 4 | 12 | -8 | Likely displaced by new HubSpot guide |

**Recommended**: Update your marketing automation guide with [current year] statistics and examples.

Tips for Success

1. Track consistently - Same time, same device, same location
2. Include enough keywords - 50-200 for meaningful data
3. Segment by intent - Track brand, commercial, informational separately
4. Monitor competitors - Context makes your data meaningful
5. Track SERP features - Position 1 without snippet may lose to position 4 with snippet
6. Include GEO metrics - AI visibility increasingly important

Rank Change Quick Reference

Response Protocol

Change	Timeframe	Action
Drop 1-3 positions	Wait 1-2 weeks	Monitor -- may be normal fluctuation
Drop 3-5 positions	Investigate within 1 week	Check for technical issues, competitor changes
Drop 5-10 positions	Investigate immediately	Full diagnostic: technical, content, links
Drop off page 1	Emergency response	Comprehensive audit + recovery plan
Position gained	Document and learn	What worked? Can you replicate?

Reference: See references/tracking-setup-guide.md for root cause taxonomy, CTR benchmarks by position, SERP feature CTR impact, algorithm update assessment, tracking configuration best practices, keyword selection and grouping strategies, and data interpretation guidelines.

Reference Materials

• Tracking Setup Guide — Configuration best practices, device/location settings, and SERP feature tracking setup

Related Skills

• keyword-research — Find keywords to track
• serp-analysis — Understand SERP composition
• alert-manager — Set up ranking alerts
• performance-reporter — Comprehensive reporting
• memory-management — Store ranking history in project memory