Have you ever felt like you weren’t making the best use of something you purchased?

Take that new DSLR camera you got before your last vacation, for example.

Have you really learned how to use all of its features to the fullest?

Probably not.

 

 

Similarly, if you’re using Monitor Backlinks to track your keyword rankings and competitors, you may not be taking full advantage of all the features.

In particular, we’re talking about keyword filters.

Using keyword filters can help you better understand and organize your ranking data, so you always know exactly where you stand in the SERPs.

This ultimate guide will help you understand:

• How to track your keyword rankings in Monitor Backlinks, and

• How to filter that keyword list and get your most relevant results right at the top.

How to Use Keyword Filters in Monitor Backlinks: The Ultimate Guide

This step-by-step guide will show you exactly why Monitor Backlinks is your best friend for keyword tracking, and how to use it to its full potential.

But if you’re not a current Monitor Backlinks user and still want to see what all the fuss is about?

Grab yourself a free 30-day trial to check out all these rank tracking features and more!

Keywords Overview

In the menu bar along the left side of your Monitor Backlinks dashboard, you’ll find the “Rank Tracker” tab:
 

 

On this page, you’ll see five main sections.

1. Keyword Quick Stats

Across the top are some quick stats for your website’s keywords:

 

 

If you’re just looking for quick keyword ranking information, this is the place to go. Here, you’ll see an overview of how many keywords have gone up or down, as well as the number of positions they’ve changed.

You’ll also see at a glance how many keywords you have ranking on the first page of Google.

2. Average Keyword Rankings Over Time

Below that, you’ll see a color-coded line graph of your average keyword rankings over a specified period of time:

 

 

The different colored lines show you the average ranking over time for certain keyword groups. In this example, the blue line is for “review”-related keywords, the purple line is for “affiliate”-related keywords, and the orange line is for “wordpress”-related keywords.

You can also see how these keyword groups compare to the average ranking of all your keywords (the green line).

Change the time period shown in the chart by clicking on the drop-down menu:

 

 

3. Competitor Comparison

Underneath this, you’ll see a chart that shows your average ranking alongside that of your competition:
 

 

Keeping track of your competition is always a good idea. With this chart, you get a quick overview of how well you’ve performed over time compared to your main competitors.

In this example, you can see that we’re outperforming all our competitors with an average ranking in the low #40s, while the competition all ranks below #100 on average.

4. Keyword Positions

To the right of the competitor comparison, you’ll find a bar graph of your keyword positions:
 

 

This chart is helpful if you want to quickly see where you rank for the majority of your keywords. Simply hover over the bars to see how many keywords rank in each position group and how they’ve changed over time:

 

 

In the example above, you can see that today the website ranks in the top 3 results for 27 keywords, compared to 21 keywords a year ago.

This data over time helps you to see whether or not you’re maintaining your position in the top 3 results in Google.

5. Keyword Ranking List

Finally, we come to the meat of the “Keywords” tab, the actual keyword rankings:
 

 

Here you’ll find a list of all the keywords you’ve added, how you currently rank for them, and some important information about each keyword.

Let’s dive in to these available metrics, and how they help you better understand your rankings.

Essential Metrics in Your Keyword Ranking List

You can find your keyword metrics right at the top of the list:
 

 

Here’s what they are, and what each one tells you:

• Keyword & Page: The actual keyword or key phrase that you’re tracking and a URL for the page on your website that currently ranks for that keyword.

• History: A miniature graph that shows you a brief history of your rank for this keyword.

• Ranking: The current position your website ranks for this keyword. You’ll also see if that position has gone up or down with the little arrow icon.

• Competitors’ Ranking: For all the competitors you track, you’ll see their current ranking position for the same keyword.

• Best: Your all-time best position for that keyword.

• Volume: The average number of searches per month for that keyword.

• Competition: A difficulty rating for how hard this keyword is to rank for.

• CPC: Cost-per-click, which gives you an idea of how valuable that keyword is.

By clicking on any of these metrics, you can re-sort the list.

For example, want to see all the keywords you rank highest for? Click on the “Ranking” metric to sort the list by your ranking position.
 

 

However, if you’re tracking a lot of different keywords, how can you find the information that you’re really looking for?

While sorting is helpful, filtering the results is even better.

How to Filter Your Keywords

To find your keyword filters, simply click the “New filter” icon at the top of the page. This will expand a drop-down menu with all of the available filters.
 

Let’s talk about each of the filters, and how they can help you get real insights into your keyword ranking situation.

1. Keyword Text

Use this filter to find specific keywords within your list that contain a certain word or phrase.

For example, let’s say I want to check how I rank for all keywords that include the word “affiliate.” All I have to do is type it in the keyword filter, then check the results:
 

 

 

2. Tags

If you want to group similar keywords together, tags are a really great tool.

In your keyword list, add tags by selecting keywords and then choosing the “Tags” drop-down at the top.

 

 

Once you’ve added tags to your keywords, you can filter the list by those tags. Then the list will show only tags that belong to the group you’ve selected.

For example, let’s say you wanted to check your ranking for how-to and other informational keywords. You could create a tag called “Informational,” and tag all relevant keywords. Then, filter to see just those tagged keywords.
 

 

Monitor Backlinks also allows you to do the opposite: Filter by excluding tags.

So, if there’s a certain group of keywords you don’t want to see, you can exclude it from the list.

Following on from the example above, you might want to see how you rank for non-informational keywords. In that case, simply select “is not”  with the “Informational” tag.
 

 

3. Ranking

Filter by ranking to see only the keywords where you rank in a certain position.

For example, want to check which keywords you’re ranking for on the first page of Google? Simply select “Ranking>is less than or equal to>1o” to see all keywords ranking from 1-10.
 

 

5. Volume

You can use this filter to see only keywords that have a certain range of search volume. This is great if you’re looking to see where you rank for commonly-searched keywords.
 

6. Ranking Change

Using this filter, you’ll be able to see all the keywords that have changed position recently.
 

 

This filter is great if you’re trying to see the results of your SEO efforts on certain keywords.

For example, have you recently given an SEO makeover to some outdated content? Filter for position changes to see how your work is affecting your keyword ranking!

7. Date Added

If you just want to see the keywords you added within a certain period of time, this is the filter for you!

For example, let’s say you added 20 new keywords last month, and have been steadily trying to rank for them. Simply filter for keywords added last month, and you’ll see what you’ve been able to accomplish.
 

 

Keyword Filters Wrap-up

Trying to rank on Google is hard enough.

Keeping track of your rank shouldn’t be part of the problem.

That’s why Monitor Backlinks makes it easier than ever to track and analyze your keyword ranking.

So, are you ready to master your keyword filters?