| name | rank-tracker |
| description | Use when the user asks to "track rankings", "check keyword positions", "ranking changes", "monitor SERP positions", "how am I ranking", "where do I rank for this keyword", "did my rankings change", or "keyword position tracking". Tracks and analyzes keyword ranking positions over time for both traditional search results and AI-generated responses. Monitors ranking changes, identifies trends, and alerts on significant movements. For automated alerting, see alert-manager. For comprehensive reports, see performance-reporter. |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| metadata | {"author":"aaron-he-zhu","version":"2.0.0","geo-relevance":"medium","tags":["seo","geo","rank tracking","keyword positions","serp monitoring","ranking trends","position tracking","ai ranking"],"triggers":["track rankings","check keyword positions","ranking changes","monitor SERP positions","how am I ranking","keyword tracking","position monitoring","where do I rank for this keyword","did my rankings change","keyword position tracking"]} |
Rank Tracker
SEO & GEO Skills Library · 20 skills for SEO + GEO · Install all: npx skills add aaron-he-zhu/seo-geo-claude-skills
Browse all 20 skills
Research · keyword-research · competitor-analysis · serp-analysis · content-gap-analysis
Build · seo-content-writer · geo-content-optimizer · meta-tags-optimizer · schema-markup-generator
Optimize · on-page-seo-auditor · technical-seo-checker · internal-linking-optimizer · content-refresher
Monitor · rank-tracker · backlink-analyzer · performance-reporter · alert-manager
Cross-cutting · content-quality-auditor · domain-authority-auditor · entity-optimizer · memory-management
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]
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:
- Keyword ranking positions (current and historical if available)
- Target keyword list with search volumes
- Competitor domains and their ranking positions for key terms
- SERP feature status (featured snippets, PAA appearances)
- 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:
-
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 |
**Possible causes**:
- [kw 1]: [hypothesis - e.g., content refresh may have improved relevance]
- [kw 2]: [hypothesis]
### 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 |
**Likely factors**:
- [kw 1]: [hypothesis - e.g., competitor may have published updated guide]
- [kw 2]: [hypothesis]
> These are hypotheses based on available signals, not confirmed causes. Investigate each with the relevant skill (on-page-seo-auditor, content-quality-auditor, backlink-analyzer) to confirm.
**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]
Validation Checkpoints
Input Validation
Output Validation
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
- 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
Rank Change Analysis Framework
Why Rankings Move — Root Cause Taxonomy
| Category | Causes | Detection Method |
|---|
| Algorithm Updates | Google core update, helpful content update, spam update | Check Google Search Status Dashboard, SEO news |
| Competitor Action | New content published, content updated, new backlinks | Monitor competitor pages, SERP changes |
| Your Changes | Content edit, technical change, migration | Cross-reference with deploy/change log |
| SERP Feature Changes | New featured snippet, AI Overview added/removed | SERP monitoring tools |
| Seasonal Patterns | Predictable demand shifts | Year-over-year comparison |
| Technical Issues | Crawl errors, speed degradation, indexing problems | Search Console, crawl reports |
| Link Profile Changes | Lost backlinks, new backlinks, disavow | Backlink monitoring |
Rank Change 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? |
Position Distribution Benchmarks
Click-Through Rate by Position
| Position | Desktop CTR | Mobile CTR | Notes |
|---|
| #1 | 31.7% | 24.0% | 10x more than position #10 |
| #2 | 14.7% | 13.1% | ~50% drop from #1 |
| #3 | 10.7% | 9.5% | Significant value |
| #4 | 6.7% | 6.1% | Still above fold usually |
| #5 | 5.1% | 4.6% | Often near fold |
| #6 | 4.1% | 3.5% | Below fold on most devices |
| #7 | 3.4% | 2.8% | Rapidly diminishing |
| #8 | 2.9% | 2.3% | |
| #9 | 2.5% | 1.9% | |
| #10 | 2.2% | 1.6% | Bottom of page 1 |
| #11-20 | <1.5% | <1.0% | Page 2 — minimal visibility |
Note: CTR varies significantly by query type, SERP features, and industry. These are averages.
CTR Impact of SERP Features
| SERP Feature Present | Effect on Organic CTR |
|---|
| Featured Snippet (you own) | +20-30% CTR for your result |
| Featured Snippet (competitor) | -15-25% CTR for position #1 |
| AI Overview | -10-30% CTR for all organic results |
| PAA boxes | -5-10% CTR for positions 3-6 |
| Shopping results | -10-20% CTR for commercial queries |
| Knowledge Panel | -5-15% CTR for navigational queries |
SERP Volatility Context
Algorithm Update Impact Assessment
| Update Type | Typical Impact | Recovery Time | Response Strategy |
|---|
| Core update | ±20-50% traffic shifts | 3-6 months (next core update) | Improve content quality broadly |
| Helpful Content | Content quality focused | 1-3 months | Remove/improve unhelpful content |
| Spam update | Penalizes manipulative tactics | Varies (may require disavow) | Clean up link profile, remove spam |
| Product Reviews | Review content specific | 1-2 months | Improve review depth and expertise |
| Link Spam | Targets artificial links | 2-4 months | Disavow toxic links, build quality links |
Tracking Configuration Best Practices
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
|---|
| Check frequency | Daily for top 20 keywords; weekly for others | Balance accuracy vs. API costs |
| Location settings | Match target market; track local separately | Rankings vary by location |
| Device tracking | Track mobile AND desktop separately | Mobile rankings differ significantly |
| Competitor tracking | Track 3-5 competitors for key terms | Context for your own movements |
| SERP features | Track which features appear | Explain CTR changes |
| Keyword grouping | Group by topic cluster, intent, funnel stage | Identify patterns, not just keywords |
Reference Materials
- Tracking Setup Guide — Configuration best practices, device/location settings, and SERP feature tracking setup
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