Keyword Research and Rank Tracking in GoHighLevel SEO

Keyword strategy is at the heart of SEO.  In this article, we’ll walk through how to use keyword tracking tools effectively. You’ll learn how to discover new keyword ideas, evaluate their potential, set up tracking for your target keywords, and interpret the results. We’ll also discuss credit usage (so you don’t run out of your monthly lookups) and share tips to maximize value from these features.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Keyword Research: Discover SEO Opportunities
  • How to use Keyword Research in GHL:
  • Quota Usage:
  • Using the Insights:
• Keyword Rank Tracking: Monitor Your SEO Progress
  • Setting up Rank Tracking:
  • Quota and Limits:
• Maximizing Value from Rank Tracking
• Best Practices & Saving Lookups
• Troubleshooting & FAQs for Keywords Tools

Keyword Research: Discover SEO Opportunities

The Keyword Research tool allows you to search for keyword ideas along with important metrics (like search volume, difficulty, CPC, etc.). It’s similar to tools like SEMrush’s Keyword Magic or Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer.

How to use Keyword Research in GHL:

1. Open the Advanced SEO:
   Go to Keywords > Keyword Research

2. Enter a Seed Keyword:
   Type a broad term related to your niche (e.g., “teeth cleaning”). You can also enter a competitor’s domain if supported.

3. Specify Location/Language (if available):
   Filter results by country or language (e.g., “United States - English”).

4. Initiate Search:
   Click search to fetch related keyword suggestions.

5. Analyze Results:
   Columns may include:

   • Keyword

   • Search Volume

   • Keyword Difficulty

   • CPC

   • Trend

   • Intent

6. Refine and Filter:
   Narrow results using filters (e.g., volume > 100, difficulty < 50).

7. Select Keywords of Interest:
   Save to a list or note them down for future use.

Example:
You search “teeth cleaning” and receive 200 suggestions like “teeth cleaning cost” with 1,000 searches/month and moderate difficulty - a potential content topic to save.

Quota Usage:

• You get 100 Keyword Research lookups per month.

• Each search = 1 credit, but may return dozens/hundreds of suggestions.

• Be smart with usage:

  • Avoid redundant seeds (e.g., “dentist” vs. “dentistry”).

  • Use filtering to dig deeper without more queries.

  • Use a mix of broad terms, questions, and competitor domains.

Using the Insights:

Aim to build a target keyword list for content or optimization:

• Long-tail keywords: Ideal for blogs and FAQ pages.

• Buyer intent keywords: Great for conversions.

• Questions: Excellent for blog/Q&A/FAQ schema.

• High-volume core keywords: Ensure your main pages cover these.

You can run more searches for subtopics or explore “Questions” and “Related” tabs (each may count as a separate lookup).

Keyword Rank Tracking: Monitor Your SEO Progress

Once you have your keyword list, the Rank Tracking tool helps you monitor performance over time.

Setting up Rank Tracking:

1. Create a Rank Tracking Project:
   Go to Keywords > Rank Tracker in Advanced SEO. Click “New Project”.

2. Name the Project (e.g., your website or client).

3. Specify the Domain to track (e.g., example.com).

4. Select Search Engine and Location (e.g., Google US, or city/state for local relevance).

5. (Optional) Set competitors or tags.

6. Add Keywords to Track:
   Paste keywords (from research or GSC). You can group by tags/topics.

7. Set Update Frequency:
   Choose Daily, Every 3 Days, Weekly, or Manual. Weekly is ideal for most.

8. View Rank Tracking Data:
   Columns include:

   • Current Rank

   • Change

   • Base Rank / Start

   • Best Rank

   • Search Volume

   • URL (if applicable)

   • Last Checked

9. Charts and Trends:
   View trend lines per keyword and project-wide metrics (e.g., # of keywords in top 10).

10. Competitor Tracking:
    If added, compare your ranks with theirs.

Quota and Limits:

• You can track up to 5 projects and 1,000 keywords total.

• Rank tracking is a continuous quota (not monthly reset).

• You can swap keywords in/out, but can’t exceed 1,000 simultaneously.

Tips:

• Track only the keywords that matter most.

• Weekly checks are often enough.

• GSC tracks 10k keywords passively – use that for discovery, not manual tracking.

Maximizing Value from Rank Tracking

• Focus on Important Keywords: Track high-value or competitive keywords.

• Leverage GSC Auto-Tracking: Use manual tracking for strategic terms only.

• Tag and Segment: Filter by service, intent, etc.

• Monitor Competitors: Spot opportunities or threats by comparing trends.

• Use Alerts (if available): Get notified about rank drops or gains.

• Report Progress: Show rank improvements in client/internal reports.

Best Practices & Saving Lookups

• Plan Your Research Queries: Stick to 5–10 quality seed terms for new projects.

• Combine Research with Content Planner: Use Content Planner’s clustering to reduce manual lookups.

• Update Rank Tracking Wisely: Daily isn’t necessary for all keywords.

• Rotate Seasonal Keywords: Swap in campaign terms when relevant.

• Review GSC Keywords: Use these insights to guide future research or tracking.

Troubleshooting & FAQs for Keywords Tools

• No Suggestions Found: Try a broader or better-spelled keyword.

• Volume/Difficulty Seems Off: Use GHL data directionally; it may not match other tools.

• Rank Tracker Not Updating: Ensure it’s scheduled; run manual update if needed.

• Site Not Ranking: You may be outside top 100 results – optimize or hold off tracking.

• Competitor’s Site Showing: Ensure you added the correct domain.

• Removing a Keyword: Frees up a slot but erases history – export if needed.

• Local vs National Tracking: Use Local SEO (heatmaps) for Map Pack rankings; Rank Tracker is for organic results.

Armed with keyword research and tracking, you can identify where to compete and measure your progress in the rankings.