Ahrefs tutorialHow to Check Keyword Rankings in Ahrefs
Learn how to check keyword rankings in Ahrefs with Rank Tracker, including positions, movement, device and location data, and keyword history.
Quick answer
The quick answer
If you already track the keyword, open Rank Tracker, choose the project, and use the Overview report to see its current position and movement. If you want to discover every keyword a domain or page ranks for, use Site Explorer > Organic Keywords instead, because Rank Tracker only shows keywords added to that project.
Visual guide
The Ahrefs path
Click through the real product screens used in the steps below.
Step-by-step
How to Check Keyword Rankings in Ahrefs
- 01
Choose Rank Tracker or Organic Keywords
Use Rank Tracker when you want to monitor a chosen keyword list over time. Use Site Explorer > Organic Keywords when you need to find every keyword a domain or page currently ranks for, including keywords you have not added to a project.
- 02
Open Rank Tracker and choose your project
Sign in to Ahrefs, open Rank Tracker from the main navigation, and select the website you want to review. Rank Tracker reports are tied to a project, so confirm the correct domain and tracked location before reading the results.
- 03
Use the Overview report to find a tracked keyword
The Overview report combines the tracked-keywords table with visibility, average position, traffic, SERP feature, and position-distribution summaries. Find the keyword in the table, then read its latest position and comparison value to see whether it moved during the selected period.
- 04
Filter by position, device, tag, or location
Use the Positions filter to isolate gains, losses, or a ranking range. Then narrow the report by desktop or mobile, tag, and location. A focused view helps you separate one-day movement from a broader change affecting a topic, country, or device type.
- 05
Open Position History or the SERP details
Open the Position History dropdown to see the ranking progress for a tracked keyword over time. Open the SERP dropdown when you need to review the current first page of Google results and the competing pages behind a ranking change.
Read the report
What the main metrics mean
Position
The latest recorded ranking for the tracked keyword.
Change
How far the ranking moved during the selected comparison period.
Visibility
An estimate of the share of clicks your tracked rankings can capture.
SERP features
Special result types present for the keyword and whether your site appears in them.
Before you continue
- Confirm the tracked location matches the market you serve.
- Compare the same device type when reviewing a trend.
- Use tags to review a topic cluster instead of mixing unrelated keywords.
- Read the ranking history before acting on a single change.
FAQ
Common questions
Can Ahrefs check keyword rankings for a specific city?
Yes. Ahrefs Rank Tracker supports tracking by country, city, ZIP code, or postal code, so you can monitor the location that matters to your business.
Why is my Ahrefs ranking different from the result I see in Google?
Google can personalize results by location, language, device, and search history. Ahrefs reports the tracked location and device settings, which may differ from your manual search.
How do I see every keyword my site ranks for in Ahrefs?
Use Site Explorer > Organic Keywords to find every keyword Ahrefs has observed for a domain or page. Use Rank Tracker for a deliberate keyword list that you want to monitor by device and location over time.
Why is a keyword missing from Ahrefs Rank Tracker?
Rank Tracker only shows keywords that have been added to the project. Open the project’s Keywords report, choose Add Keywords, select the location, and add the keyword or keyword list to begin tracking it.
Should I react to every keyword ranking change?
No. Daily movement is normal, so review the ranking history and groups of related keywords before changing a page. A sustained decline across a topic is more useful than one isolated movement.
Sources and further reading
This guide was checked against Ahrefs product documentation:
Reviewed by Filipe Lins DuarteCo-Founder & CEOVast experience talking to customers and users to understand what good software looks like. Background spans commercial and product roles.
Checked by John RiceCo-Founder & CTO15+ years building tech products and web applications. Conducted hundreds of user interviews to know what a good product looks like.
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