Keyword Monitoring: Why & How Bloggers should Implement it
When you start a blog you will have to master the complicated and confusing world of SEO to be successful. The internet is full of conflicting opinions but one thing that remains steady is targeting keywords and keyword monitoring.
As travel bloggers, we are targeting keywords in the travel niche. It would be nice if we could simply write about our travel experiences. But without targeting specific keywords it is very hard to be successful as a blogger nowadays. The competition is too high!
Plus, once you have found good keywords to target you have to make sure they perform over time. That is where keyword monitoring comes in.
In this article, I will explain all you need to know about keyword monitoring. Including how and why to implement it on your blog and the best tools to use when doing so!
Check also: Must-Have Tools for Successful Bloggers 🚀
What is Keyword Monitoring?
If you are this deep into SEO, you will understand what keywords are. You will need to research target keywords with your blog to drive traffic to it.
So what is the difference between Keyword Monitoring and Keyword Research?
Keyword Research: Is the process of finding and discovering keywords with high volume and low competition that you will be able to compete with on your blog. They should also be relevant to the niche you target on your blog.
Keyword Monitoring: Is tracking how those keywords you found during your research perform over time. You will need to monitor how your keywords perform in rankings, monitor how search trends change and adjust your content strategy according to the changes.
Most bloggers are well aware of the need to do keyword research. But where most fail is continuing to monitor keywords, myself included!
So let’s find out all the reasons why keyword monitoring is so important for bloggers.
Why should Bloggers be doing Keyword Monitoring?
1. Improve Rankings in Search Engines
Keyword Monitoring is important to maintain your position in Google search rankings. Most bloggers, including me, usually complete their keyword research, write the article, and forget about it.
The problem with this is that certain keywords may perform poorly over time. This may be due to changes in the Google algorithm or search trends.
Either way keyword monitoring is the best way to keep an eye on any changes and ensure that you keep a high ranking in search engine results.
2. Find Longtail Keywords
One of the keys to writing comprehensive content is researching longtail keywords. This is because longtail keywords often reflect a user’s search intent better than short keywords.
So if you fully answer longtail keywords your content will be more likely to be comprehensive. Longtail keywords often have lower search volume but will usually have lower competition.
This makes them great targets if you are a new blogger and you will have a higher chance of ranking. By using keyword monitoring you can track longtail keywords that are trending and use them to create comprehensive content that is likely to rank high.
3. Maximize Money Making Opportunities using Keyword Monitoring
Keyword monitoring is also crucial to maximize the amount of money you can make from your blog. One of the key money-making opportunities for bloggers is affiliate marketing. However, the commission you make from different affiliates can vary drastically.
So if you want to maximize the money from your site you need to target profitable keywords. Monitoring keywords that are related to affiliate programs that offer a good payout is a good way to maximize the income from your blog.
For example, you run a technology blog and notice that searches for cameras and laptops are trending. But you know that the payouts for camera affiliates are more profitable. Then you can focus on content related to cameras to maximise your money-making opportunities.
4. Track Industry Trends
As a blogger tracking trends within your industry is vital if you want to create content that resonates with your audience.
Keyword monitoring is one of the best ways for bloggers to do so. By tracking trending keywords you can stay ahead of the herd and create content before it becomes too saturated.
Whether you are a food, travel or technology blogger, trends change quickly and if you do not stay on top of them you will be left behind. Blogging is a full-time job!
5. Content Planning and Organization
Keyword monitoring can also help you in planning your content calendar. If you monitor keywords you can see what keywords are popular at certain times of year and plan content according to trends.
For example, if you have a travel blog you may notice articles about the “best place to spend Christmas in Mexico” become popular in November and December.
Then you can wait until just before December to publish content related to Christmas in Mexico. This maximizes the number of readers of your content and will drive the most traffic to your blog.
Now that you know all the reasons why keyword monitoring is important for bloggers, let’s find out all the best tools out there to monitor keywords for your website.
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Best Keyword Monitoring Tools for Bloggers
1. Semrush (Best Keyword Tracking Tool for Advanced Bloggers)
If you are serious about Keyword Monitoring, one of the best tools for rank tracking you can use is Semrush. They are well-known to anyone involved with SEO and a keyword powerhouse.
That’s why Semrush is not the cheapest option. But if your budget allows they will offer the most comprehensive tools for effective keyword monitoring on your site. Plus so much more!
All their services are aimed at helping businesses optimize their online presence. That’s why their core features include SEO tools such as keyword research & monitoring, on-page SEO, competitor analysis, rank tracking, backlink monitoring and site audit.
Not to mention a bunch of AI marketing tools and voice search SEO which both hold lots of potential for new and advanced bloggers.
Pricing per month:
– Pro $129.95 for 500 keywords
– Guru $249.95 for 1,500 keywords
– Business $499.95 for 5,000 keywords
– Sign up for their 7-Day Free Trial!
2. Keysearch (Best Keyword Monitoring Tool for New Bloggers)
If you have a lower budget or are just starting, then one of the best keyword monitoring tools for bloggers is Keysearch.
The top selling point of Keysearch is the price. The Starter Plan is only 24 USD per month which is quite easily the cheapest tool out there. But you can only track 80 keywords per month. While with the Pro Plan you can track 200 keywords.
For most beginner bloggers this will be enough keywords to track. But if your blog expands you may want to be able to track more keywords with a tool such as Semrush.
Pricing per month:
– Starter 24 USD for 80 keywords
– Pro 48 USD for 200 keywords
– Limited free trial if you create an account
3. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another one of the most well-known tools for SEO. For bloggers serious about SEO, Ahrefs has a range of powerful keyword-tracking features.
However, is not the best option for bloggers who are just starting. This is because many of the tools available will take a while to understand for a beginner.
But if you have a large blog with a lot of traffic and want to level up your SEO game, Ahrefs is a good option for setting up keyword monitoring reports.
Pricing per month:
– Lite 129 USD for 750 keywords
– Standard 249 USD for 2,000 keywords
– Advanced 449 USD for 5,000 keywords
– No free trial
4. MozPro
Moz is a company many bloggers may know because of the super handy Moz Bar. It allows you to see the Page and Domain Authority of a website while you browse the internet.
We have used it since day 1 of our blogging career! It is a super useful tool that I highly recommend you use as a blogger.
But what many people do not realize is that you can also do keyword monitoring with Moz. Moz Pro is also a good option for new bloggers as the starter plan is quite cheap. For 49 USD you can track 50 keywords per month.
Pricing per month:
– Starter 49 USD for 50 keywords
– Standard 99 USD for 300 keywords
– Medium 179 USD for 1500 keywords
– Large 299 USD for 3,000 keywords
– Sign up for their 30-Days Free Trial!
5. SE Rankings
SE Rankings is another SEO tool that is great for beginners to SEO. It lacks some of the more advanced tools that some users may require.
But if you are just starting out it has everything you need. A huge advantage of SE Rankings is the amount of keywords you can track for a fairly low price.
The essential plan starts at 52 USD and allows you to track 500 keywords. This is more than enough for most bloggers, myself included! So SE Rankings is a good option if you want to track a lot of keywords but not spend a lot of money.
Pricing per month:
– Essential 52 USD for 500 keywords
– Pro 95.20 USD for 2,000 keywords
– Business 207.20 USD for 5,000 keywords
– Sign up for their 14-Day Free Trial!
6. Mangools
Mangools is another great keyword monitoring tool for beginner bloggers. It is simple and easy to use and the basic plan starts at 29.90 USD per month. This plan gives you the ability to track 200 keywords which is more than enough when you start out.
Mangools is a bit newer to the scene but has good reviews. So it is another good option if you want a keyword monitoring tool that will not break the bank.
Pricing per month:
– Basic 29.90 USD for 200 keywords daily
– Premium 44.90 USD for 700 keywords daily
– Agency 89.90 USD for 1500 keywords daily
– Limited free trial if you create an account
Now you know all about Keyword Monitoring for Bloggers!
I hope this article made the world of keyword monitoring clearer for you. There are so many aspects to SEO that it can easily feel overwhelming, especially if you are just starting.
But as long as you stick to it, over time it will start making sense and pave your road to success. Good luck on your SEO journey!
Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or say thanks with a virtual coffee if this article has helped you out 💛 Also, make sure to check out our other blogging resources which we have linked below for you!
- Must-Have Tools for Bloggers
- Best Digital Nomad Health Insurance
- Best Mexican Cities for Nomads
- 30+ Tips to extend your travels
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Hi, I am Allan, a travel, health and fitness fanatic from New Zealand. I'm a former lawyer who turned into a full-time nomad in 2020. For the last 4+ years I've been traveling the world. I'm always on a hunt for good food, activities on a budget and workouts on the go. I hope you find my tips helpful and get inspired to travel more!
