Ranking

Where Am I

[fashezee]

How can I determine my position within the search results for a particular keyword
without having to go from page to page?

[digitalghost]

If you aren't on page one, you have more work to do. :) If you make page one and aren't in the top three, you have more work to do. Once you manage to make the top three, you have to work to maintain the position.

Or you can spend time trying to figure out where you rank for a particular keyword...

[fathom]

When starting with a new client and not familiar with their ranks on specific keyword/keyphrases I type in the first term, place search preference on 100, select edit, find on the page and type their URL...

copy it (URL) and proceed to the next term and repeat.

This determines the work level needed, as I become familiar with their result I reduce the preference accordingly.

Use to use rank checkers but with ban potential, I avoid them.

[edited by: fathom at 6:10 pm (utc) on Feb. 1, 2003]

[fashezee]

Clients of mine would like to know, as well as my self exactly where our sites
are ranked. I am aware that not being on the 1st page is like not being there at all,
however, I would still like to know.

[digitalghost]

>>Clients of mine would like to know

Yep, they always want to know don't they? ;) And they'll keep wanting to know unless you start reeducating them.

If your clients are only concerned about a few words or phrases then long term viability for the site is already in question. A few keyphrases simply don't have the pull to drive large amounts of traffic that will convert to sales with a few exceptions and those exceptions still aren't worthy of a long term site strategy.

Frankly, worrying about the ranking for a few phrases is pointless. Check the logs and develop a strategy for targeting those phrases that produce a few referrals. If you pull 2-4 referrals a month from a phrase there's a potential for developing that phrase. Don't worry about the phrases that are generating hundreds or thousands of referrals.

Then work on 400 - 1000 phrases that will drive traffic. If you drive enough traffic to the site they will be too busy cashing checks and adding up sales receipts to worry about whether or not they are #1 for "furry pink widgets".

[fathom]

fashezee as digitalghost has correctly pointed out the exercise of rank checking is a pointless one since you need massive high ranks to truly get fruition.

Targeting a few extremely popular terms takes alot of time and knowhow to develop.

Rank checking is post analysis - and a good exercise for clients a daily logfile size at 100kb ranks are really bad... 1mb daily logfile ranks are fair (and you have something tangible to work with).

Over 10 mb - ranks are good

and if 20+ mb daily file - you deserve a huge bonus.