rank-tracker

This skill helps you track, analyze, and report on keyword ranking positions over time. It 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

• Position Tracking: Records and tracks keyword rankings

• Trend Analysis: Identifies ranking patterns over time

• Movement Detection: Flags significant position changes

• Competitor Comparison: Benchmarks against competitors

• SERP Feature Tracking: Monitors featured snippets, PAA

• GEO Visibility Tracking: Tracks AI citation appearances

• 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]

Instructions

When a user requests rank tracking or analysis:

• Set Up Keyword Tracking

## Rank Tracking Setup

### Tracking Configuration

**Domain**: [domain]
**Tracking Location**: [country/city]
**Device**: [Mobile/Desktop/Both]
**Language**: [language]
**Update Frequency**: [Daily/Weekly/Monthly]

### Keywords to Track

| Keyword | Volume | Current Rank | Type | Priority |
|---------|--------|--------------|------|----------|
| [keyword 1] | [vol] | [rank] | Primary | High |
| [keyword 2] | [vol] | [rank] | Primary | High |
| [keyword 3] | [vol] | [rank] | Secondary | Medium |
| [keyword 4] | [vol] | [rank] | Long-tail | Medium |
| [keyword 5] | [vol] | [rank] | Brand | High |

### Competitor Tracking

Track these competitors for benchmark:
1. [Competitor 1] - [domain]
2. [Competitor 2] - [domain]
3. [Competitor 3] - [domain]

### Tracking Categories

| Category | Keywords | Description |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| Brand | [X] | Brand name variations |
| Product | [X] | Product-related terms |
| Informational | [X] | Educational queries |
| Commercial | [X] | Buying intent terms |

• Record Current Rankings

## Current Ranking Snapshot

**Date**: [date]
**Domain**: [domain]

### Ranking Overview

| Position Range | Keyword Count | % of Total |
|----------------|---------------|------------|
| #1 | [X] | [X]% |
| #2-3 | [X] | [X]% |
| #4-10 | [X] | [X]% |
| #11-20 | [X] | [X]% |
| #21-50 | [X] | [X]% |
| #51-100 | [X] | [X]% |
| Not ranking | [X] | [X]% |

### Position Distribution

Position 1: ████████ [X] keywords Position 2-3: ██████ [X] keywords Position 4-10: ████████████████ [X] keywords Position 11-20: ████████████ [X] keywords Position 21+: ██████████ [X] keywords

### Detailed Rankings

| Keyword | Position | URL | SERP Features | Change |
|---------|----------|-----|---------------|--------|
| [kw 1] | 3 | [url] | Featured Snippet | +2 ↑ |
| [kw 2] | 7 | [url] | PAA | -1 ↓ |
| [kw 3] | 12 | [url] | None | New |
| [kw 4] | 1 | [url] | Featured Snippet | — |

• Analyze Ranking Changes

## Ranking Change Analysis

**Period**: [start date] to [end date]

### Overall Movement

| Metric | Start | End | Change |
|--------|-------|-----|--------|
| Avg Position | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| Keywords in Top 10 | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| Keywords in Top 3 | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| Keywords #1 | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |

### Biggest Improvements 📈

| Keyword | Old Rank | New Rank | Change | Est. Traffic Impact |
|---------|----------|----------|--------|---------------------|
| [kw 1] | 15 | 4 | +11 | +[X] visits/mo |
| [kw 2] | 25 | 9 | +16 | +[X] visits/mo |
| [kw 3] | 8 | 2 | +6 | +[X] visits/mo |

**Why improved**:
- [kw 1]: [reason - e.g., content update, new backlinks]
- [kw 2]: [reason]

### Biggest Declines 📉

| Keyword | Old Rank | New Rank | Change | Est. Traffic Impact |
|---------|----------|----------|--------|---------------------|
| [kw 1] | 3 | 12 | -9 | -[X] visits/mo |
| [kw 2] | 7 | 18 | -11 | -[X] visits/mo |

**Why declined**:
- [kw 1]: [reason - e.g., competitor update, algo change]
- [kw 2]: [reason]

**Recommended actions**:
- [kw 1]: [action to recover]
- [kw 2]: [action to recover]

### Stable Keywords

[X] keywords remained within ±3 positions (stable)

### New Rankings

| Keyword | Position | URL | Notes |
|---------|----------|-----|-------|
| [kw 1] | [pos] | [url] | [notes] |

### Lost Rankings

| Keyword | Last Position | URL | Action |
|---------|---------------|-----|--------|
| [kw 1] | [pos] | [url] | [investigate/refresh] |

• Track SERP Features

## SERP Feature Tracking

### Feature Ownership

| Feature | Your Count | Competitor Avg | Opportunity |
|---------|------------|----------------|-------------|
| Featured Snippets | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| People Also Ask | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| Image Pack | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| Video Results | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |
| Local Pack | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z] |

### Featured Snippet Status

| Keyword | You Own? | Current Owner | Winnable? |
|---------|----------|---------------|-----------|
| [kw 1] | ✅ Yes | You | Maintain |
| [kw 2] | ❌ No | [Competitor] | High |
| [kw 3] | ❌ No | [Competitor] | Medium |

### PAA Appearances

| Question | Your Answer? | Position | Action |
|----------|--------------|----------|--------|
| [Question 1] | ✅/❌ | [pos] | [action] |
| [Question 2] | ✅/❌ | [pos] | [action] |

• Track GEO/AI Visibility

## AI/GEO Visibility Tracking

### AI Overview Presence

| Keyword | AI Overview | You Cited? | Citation Position |
|---------|-------------|------------|-------------------|
| [kw 1] | Yes | ✅ | 1st source |
| [kw 2] | Yes | ✅ | 3rd source |
| [kw 3] | Yes | ❌ | Not cited |
| [kw 4] | No | N/A | N/A |

### AI Citation Rate

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Keywords with AI Overview | [X]/[Total] ([Y]%) |
| Your citations in AI Overview | [X]/[Y] ([Z]%) |
| Avg citation position | [X] |

### GEO Performance Trend

| Period | AI Overviews Tracked | Your Citations | Rate |
|--------|---------------------|----------------|------|
| Last week | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |
| 2 weeks ago | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |
| Month ago | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |

### GEO Improvement Opportunities

| Keyword | Has AI Overview | You Cited? | Content Gap |
|---------|-----------------|------------|-------------|
| [kw 1] | Yes | No | Need clearer definition |
| [kw 2] | Yes | No | Missing quotable stats |

• Compare Against Competitors

## Competitor Ranking Comparison

### Share of Voice

| Domain | Keywords Ranked | Avg Position | Visibility |
|--------|-----------------|--------------|------------|
| [Your site] | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |
| [Competitor 1] | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |
| [Competitor 2] | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |
| [Competitor 3] | [X] | [Y] | [Z]% |

### Head-to-Head Comparison

**You vs [Competitor 1]**:

| Keyword | Your Rank | Their Rank | Winner |
|---------|-----------|------------|--------|
| [kw 1] | 3 | 7 | You ✅ |
| [kw 2] | 12 | 5 | Them ❌ |
| [kw 3] | 1 | 4 | You ✅ |

**Summary**: You win [X]/[Y] keywords vs [Competitor 1]

### Competitor Movement Alerts

| Competitor | Keyword | Their Change | Threat Level |
|------------|---------|--------------|--------------|
| [Comp 1] | [kw] | +15 positions | 🔴 High |
| [Comp 2] | [kw] | +8 positions | 🟡 Medium |

• Generate Ranking Report

# Ranking Performance Report

**Domain**: [domain]
**Report Period**: [start] to [end]
**Generated**: [date]

## Executive Summary

**Overall Trend**: [Improving/Stable/Declining]

| Metric | Value | vs Last Period | Status |
|--------|-------|----------------|--------|
| Total keywords tracked | [X] | [+/-Y] | [status] |
| Keywords in top 10 | [X] | [+/-Y] | [status] |
| Keywords in top 3 | [X] | [+/-Y] | [status] |
| Average position | [X] | [+/-Y] | [status] |
| Estimated traffic | [X] | [+/-Y]% | [status] |

## Position Distribution

Position 1: ████████████ [X]% Position 2-3: ████████ [X]% Position 4-10: ████████████████ [X]% Position 11-20: ██████████ [X]% Position 21+: ████ [X]%

## Key Highlights

### Wins 🎉
- [Achievement 1]
- [Achievement 2]
- [Achievement 3]

### Concerns ⚠️
- [Issue 1]
- [Issue 2]

### Opportunities 💡
- [Opportunity 1]
- [Opportunity 2]

## Detailed Analysis

### Top Performing Keywords

| Keyword | Position | Change | Traffic | Notes |
|---------|----------|--------|---------|-------|
| [kw 1] | 1 | — | [X] | Stable leader |
| [kw 2] | 2 | +3 | [X] | Growing |
| [kw 3] | 3 | +5 | [X] | Big improvement |

### Keywords Needing Attention

| Keyword | Position | Change | Issue | Recommended Action |
|---------|----------|--------|-------|-------------------|
| [kw 1] | 15 | -8 | Dropped | Refresh content |
| [kw 2] | 22 | -5 | Competitor surge | Analyze competitor |

## SERP Feature Report

| Feature | Count | Change | Competitor Avg |
|---------|-------|--------|----------------|
| Featured Snippets | [X] | [+/-Y] | [Z] |
| PAA | [X] | [+/-Y] | [Z] |

## GEO/AI Visibility Report

| Metric | This Period | Last Period | Trend |
|--------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| AI Overview appearances | [X] | [Y] | [↑/↓] |
| Your citations | [X] | [Y] | [↑/↓] |
| Citation rate | [X]% | [Y]% | [↑/↓] |

## Competitive Position

**Share of Voice Ranking**: #[X] of [Y] competitors

| Rank | Domain | Visibility |
|------|--------|------------|
| 1 | [domain] | [X]% |
| 2 | [domain] | [X]% |
| 3 | [domain] | [X]% |

## Recommendations

### Immediate Actions
1. [Action] for [keyword] - [expected impact]
2. [Action] for [keyword] - [expected impact]

### This Month
1. [Action]
2. [Action]

### Next Quarter
1. [Strategic action]
2. [Strategic action]

## Next Report

Scheduled: [date]
Focus areas: [areas to monitor]

Example

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

Output:

# Ranking Analysis: December 2024

## 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 | Why |
|---------|-----|-----|--------|-----|
| email marketing tips | 18 | 5 | +13 | Content refresh worked |
| best crm software | 24 | 11 | +13 | New backlinks acquired |
| sales automation | 15 | 7 | +8 | Schema markup added |

## Needs Attention

| Keyword | Old | New | Change | Action |
|---------|-----|-----|--------|--------|
| marketing automation | 4 | 12 | -8 | Competitor HubSpot published new guide |

**Recommended**: Update your marketing automation guide with 2024 statistics and examples.

Tracking Best Practices

• Track consistently - Same time, same device, same location

• Include enough keywords - 50-200 for meaningful data

• Segment by intent - Track brand, commercial, informational separately

• Monitor competitors - Context makes your data meaningful

• Track SERP features - Position 1 without snippet may lose to position 4 with snippet

• Include GEO metrics - AI visibility increasingly important

Related Skills

• keyword-research - Find keywords to track

• serp-analysis - Understand SERP composition

• alert-manager - Set up ranking alerts

• performance-reporter - Comprehensive reporting