Rank Monitoring Skill

Procedures for monitoring search rankings and detecting changes.

Check Frequency

• Primary keywords: Daily
• Secondary keywords: 3x/week
• Long-tail keywords: Weekly
• Competitor content: Daily

Data Sources

DataForSEO

# Australian SERP check
location = "Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
device = "desktop"  # Also check "mobile"
language = "en"

SEMrush

database = "au"  # Australian database

Google Search Console

country = "aus"
dimensions = ["query", "page", "device"]

SERP Feature Tracking

Monitor for:

• AI Overviews (top priority)
• People Also Ask (PAA)
• Featured Snippets
• Local Pack (Google Business)
• Reviews (star ratings)
• Image Pack

Alert Triggers

CRITICAL

• Lost #1 for primary keyword
• Traffic drop >30%
• Competitor outranks on brand term

WARNING

• Top 10 keyword moved 3+ positions
• New competitor content
• Negative review posted

INFO

• Minor position changes (1-2)
• New keyword opportunity
• Backlink gained

Historical Data Storage

{
  "keyword": "water damage Brisbane",
  "date": "2026-01-06",
  "position": 2,
  "serp_features": ["PAA", "Local Pack"],
  "competitors": {
    "competitor1.com": 1,
    "competitor2.com": 3
  },
  "ai_overview": true,
  "cited_in_ai": false
}

Response Actions

Lost #1:

1. Review competitor content
2. Check for algorithm update
3. Audit technical SEO
4. Plan content refresh

New Competitor:

1. Analyze their strategy
2. Identify content gaps
3. Plan counter-content
4. Monitor their backlinks

SERP Feature Lost:

1. Review schema markup
2. Check content structure
3. Optimize for feature
4. Monitor recovery