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The search engine optimization (SEO) industry has experienced rapid changes, particularly with recent artificial intelligence (AI) advancements, but some things still stand. Keywords remain integral to SEO strategy and won’t take the backseat anytime soon. Identifying and inserting the right keywords in your site works wonders for search engine rankings.
But, how do you know the right keywords for your website and how your site ranks for these keywords? Keyword tracking tools make this task easy. They analyze your site’s position for various keywords and also suggest the best keywords to target. With an advanced keyword tracking solution, you wouldn’t have to stress about growing your presence on search engines. This guide describes the best keyword tracking tools you can use in 2025.
Keyword tracking tools: What to look for
When choosing an SEO keyword tracking tool, you should pay close attention to these factors:
- Accuracy. The first consideration is finding a tool that’ll provide accurate information about your keyword rankings. While no tool is 100% accurate, a great deal of accuracy is essential, as it determines how you’ll plan your future SEO strategy.
- Reports. The best SEO keyword tracking tools let you create customizable, visually appealing reports. For example, you can create a report that outlines the most popular keywords, the average number of search queries per keyword, and your website’s rank for each keyword. This report can be presented in a visually appealing format to your management team.
- Integration. A keyword tracking tool is just one part of your SEO toolkit. An ideal tracking tool should integrate seamlessly with other SEO tools used by your business. It should have direct integrations or API access to create custom integrations when direct ones aren’t available.
- Usability. User-friendly keyword tracking tools make work easier for SEO professionals. You need an intuitive platform with a well-designed interface that’s easy to navigate.
- Pricing. Keyword tracking tools have a wide price range, from low-cost basic platforms to the most advanced, expensive ones. You need a tool that maximizes the features you’ll get for your budget.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) features. AI has spawned a rapid productivity boost in the SEO industry. To stay ahead of this change, you need a keyword tracking tool that harnesses AI to analyze your keyword rankings and also provides general tips to boost your rankings.
SEO keyword tracking tools compared
Based on extensive research and testing, we’ve curated the top SEO keyword tracking tools your business can use in 2025. Let’s explore what makes them the best choice.
Tool | Best for | Standout features | Pricing |
---|---|---|---|
Nightwatch | Localized SEO | Highly localized keyword tracking | Starting from $39 per month |
SERPWatcher by Mangools | Low-volume keyword tracking | Customizable keyword ranking alerts | $25 to $65 per month |
KeySearch | Affordability | Extensive keyword metrics | $24 to $48 per month |
Rank Tracker by SEO PowerSuite | Customizable reports | Advanced reports with customizable filters | $349 to $899 per year |
Ahrefs | Large businesses | Massive keyword database | $129 to $449 per month |
Semrush | SEO agencies | Comprehensive keyword tracking, research, and SEO analysis | $140 to $500 per month |
Looker Studio Dashboard (Google Data Studio) | Free keyword tracking | Visually appealing reporting templates | Free |
Ranktracker | High-volume keyword tracking | AI-assisted keyword tracking and research | $24 to $209 per month |
AccuRanker | Precise results | Real-time keyword tracking updates and detailed reporting | Starting from $129 per month |
Nightwatch

Nightwatch is an advanced SEO platform that heavily incorporates artificial intelligence (AI). It provides AI-powered keyword analysis that helps your site rank high on Google and other search engines. You can get accurate data on each keyword, such as its monthly search volume, CPC bids, and competitiveness.
This platform’s database contains millions of keywords, both in English and other languages. You can monitor keywords and your website rankings in specific countries, making it perfect for businesses with global audiences. If your website targets users worldwide, with localized versions for each country, Nightwatch is the perfect keyword tracking tool.
SERPWatcher by Mangools

SERPWatcher is a tool that lets you track any keyword of your choice. Enter a keyword, and you’ll receive a detailed report about your site’s ranking for that keyword. You can compare multiple keyword rankings on the same dashboard, both for your site and that of competitors. Any tracking report can be shared with external stakeholders, and you can receive email alerts about specific keywords.
You can track keywords for free with SERPWatcher, but the free plan has daily limits on the number of searchable keywords. To remove these limits, you can pay for the Basic plan, which allows 100 keyword lookups per day, or the Premium and Agency plans, which allow 500 and 1,200 daily lookups, respectively. The Basic, Premium, and Agency packages cost $25, $35, and $65 per month, but you’ll get a major discount if you pay for 12 months in one go.
KeySearch

KeySearch is a keyword research tool with a noticeably intuitive interface. Its AI-powered keyword research helps you generate practical insights to increase your search rankings. You’ll enter your website address, then KeySearch will deeply analyze the website to suggest the best keywords and content ideas. It can also analyze your site’s rankings for specific keywords.
Along with keyword research, KeySearch can perform a comprehensive SEO audit of your website, then suggest broad strategies to improve your SEO rankings. It’s an all-in-one SEO tool you’ll appreciate using. You can choose the Starter or Pro plan, costing $24 and $48 per month, respectively. The Starter plan allows 200 daily keyword searches, and the Pro plan allows 500 daily searches.
Rank Tracker by SEO PowerSuite

Rank Tracker is a well-heeled SEO research tool that lets you track local and global keyword rankings. You can enter any keyword and get accurate results about your site’s rankings, both present and past. A noteworthy feature is the customizable reports you can generate on Rank Tracker, allowing you to compare as many keywords as you wish simultaneously. You can compare desktop and mobile keyword rankings separately, a feature many competitors don’t provide.
The free version of Rank Tracker lets you check keyword rankings, but with no saved data and a limited number of searches. If you upgrade to the paid version, you can monitor unlimited keywords and track multiple competitors. You can also crawl and audit your website to gain valuable SEO insights. The paid plans are Professional, Enterprise, and Max, costing $349, $599, and $899 per year, respectively.
Ahrefs

Ahrefs is one of the best-known digital SEO tools, with a 22% market share of the SEO software industry. Among its many features are advanced keyword tracking and competitor analysis.
With Ahrefs, you can easily discover which keywords your target audience searches for, then incorporate these keywords into your content to amass traffic. You can closely monitor your competitors’ keywords and stay ahead of them. Likewise, you can keep tabs on your search rankings and know when to adjust your strategy.
Other valuable features on Ahrefs include a comprehensive website SEO audit, traffic insights, social media management, and an AI content helper. Ahrefs is an expensive tool, with prices ranging from $129 to $449 monthly, but it’s worth it for big businesses that can afford the cost.
Semrush

Semrush is another highly popular SEO platform, with a 6.6% industry market share. Its database contains billions of keywords, much larger than most rivals, which you can easily track. Semrush can analyze your site and suggest the best keywords to rank high on general or localized search pages. It also provides other on-page SEO and content creation tips to boost your search rankings.
As a website owner, your aim is always to outrank competitors, and Semrush’s competitor analysis feature helps you do this easily. You can analyze your competitor’s websites and unpack their SEO strategies to stay ahead. Semrush provides many other features, from social media management to market research, ad management, and AI-assisted content creation.
Pricing plans include Pro, Guru, and Business, which cost $140, $250, and $500 per month, respectively. Although costly, Semrush is a productive keyword position tracking tool that will help you dominate search rankings.
Looker Studio Dashboard (Google Data Studio)

Google is the most popular search engine and, unsurprisingly, offers many SEO tools. Among these tools is Looker Studio, a free dashboard for visualizing keyword rankings sourced from the Google Search Console. This Console is another free tool that can monitor your website’s keyword rankings and suggest ways to optimize your site for higher rankings.
With Looker Studio, you can generate visually detailed reports about your site’s rankings. These customized reports help you understand search trends, which keywords to target, and how to optimize your content for better results. It’s a valuable free tool to include in your SEO toolkit.
Ranktracker

Though they share similar names, Ranktracker is a different tool from the Rank Tracker we highlighted earlier. It’s a user-friendly SEO tool that enables you to find relevant keywords, monitor how well your site ranks for specific keywords, and audit your site to highlight SEO errors that need correction. With its keyword rank tracking tool, you can generate highly customized, visually stunning reports to evaluate your site’s performance for various keywords.
Complementary features include a tool to monitor your website’s backlinks, competitive search engine results page (SERP) analysis, and an AI-assisted content generator. Although not as broad as the likes of Semrush and Ahrefs, Ranktracker provides valuable features to help boost and maintain high search rankings.
Pricing ranges from $24 to $209 per month, depending on your plan. For instance, the $24-per-month Starter plan allows you to track 200 keywords daily, and the $209-per-month Hex Data plan allows 4,000 keywords daily.
AccuRanker

AccuRanker is a highly useful keyword tracking and reporting tool. It works well for analyzing large websites and getting keyword suggestions to boost search rankings. With AccuRanker, you can analyze many keywords and get real-time updates about your site’s rankings. You can customize your report with 50+ filters, which helps create detailed reports to evaluate your website’s search position.
AccuRanker incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze your website and suggest relevant keywords. It’s a user-friendly platform that directly integrates with many other SEO tools.
This platform has a unique pricing strategy based on the number of keywords you can analyze daily. Pricing starts from $129 per month for 1,000 keywords, $249 for 2,000 keywords, $369 for 3,000 keywords, and so on.
How to choose the right keyword tracking tool
Choosing the best SEO keyword tracking tool from the above options can get daunting, but let’s make it easier. The best choice is all about balancing costs against your desired features and integrations.
If you run a one-person or small business, consider budget-friendly options like Ranktracker and KeySearch. They don’t have the broadest SEO features, but they provide the core tools needed to track search rankings and know the relevant keywords to boost your rankings.
However, if you run a large website and can afford the most advanced options like Ahrefs and Semrush, go for it. These tools provide comprehensive features to raise your SEO game and outrank competitors. They also have the broadest library of third-party integrations, making them easy to integrate into your existing SEO workflow.
Tips for effective keyword tracking
Firstly, you should have clear ranking goals for your website. These goals are what you’ll measure your current ranking against and strive towards by adjusting your SEO strategy. For example, your goal can be to rank among the top ten for specific keywords. Then, you’ll constantly monitor your website’s position for these keywords and work toward your precise goals.
Keyword tracking tools provide valuable insights, and you should harness them to stay ahead of competitors. Don’t hesitate to monitor your competitors’ keyword rankings and aim to match or outperform them. These tools can also audit your website for SEO flaws and suggest improvements. You should adhere to these suggestions to help boost your rankings and avoid falling over time.
The future of keyword tracking tools
The future of keyword tracking tools revolves around artificial intelligence (AI). Expect more AI features to be incorporated into keyword research tools over time.
Already, several tools we mentioned incorporate AI in one way or another, mainly in analyzing websites to suggest relevant keywords and general SEO tips. AI isn’t yet as ubiquitous in budget-friendly tools as it is in expensive ones like Semrush and Ahrefs, but this gap will close over time. Given that 84% of marketers report using AI in their SEO workflow, this industry change is welcome.
Conclusion
Keyword tracking can’t be separated from your SEO strategy. You’ll need to track your website’s rankings for relevant keywords, then work to boost these rankings. You’ll also need to find the best keywords that will attract additional traffic to your website. Keyword tracking tools let you do this without stress, and we’ve described the best ones you can choose from.
From Ahrefs to AccuRanker, Semrush, and many more, there’s no shortage of advanced keyword tracking tools you can leverage to boost your search engine presence. With the information you’ve learned, you can pick the best choice for your website and grow your search rankings all the way to the top. Don’t hesitate to explore the Why SEO Serious blog for more information on boosting your search rankings and amassing traffic.
FAQs
However, Google’s free tools don’t provide the most advanced SEO features, such as comprehensive audits and AI-powered keyword suggestions. You’ll need a designated keyword research tool like Ranktracker and Semrush to get these features.
The best keyword research tools include Ahrefs, Semrush, KeySearch, and Nightwatch, among others. These tools deeply analyze your site to identify the best keywords that will help boost traffic.