It got to a tipping point. Things had changed so drastically in the world of SEO that we reached a tipping point that made us ask, how could we best serve the needs of the industry in this new world of search? In what way could we bolster our reporting to better provide actionable data that was easy to decipher and that met the needs of the evolving world of SEO? So we did just that, we enhanced all sorts of reports to give you insights that would help you day in and day out. But we weren’t happy with that alone. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t drastic. It didn’t offer a new way to provide SEO insight, a way that matched this new
ranking environment. So we returned to the drawing board and came up with a set of new reports to track rank and site performance in all-new ways. Now we’re testing the waters in what we’re calling Beta Blitz!

 

What is Beta Blitz 2018 & What’s Driving the Need for New SEO Reporting? 

Beta Blitz is the culmination and combination of those reports we’ve bolstered and enhanced as well as a set of new reports that give you fresh and never before seen SEO insights. 

It’s beta because this is the world’s first look at these new SEO reporting options. At the same time, it’s not your run of the mill beta because it’s open to everyone! There’s no exclusivity when it comes to having data that aligns to the needs of the current SEO environment. Why should that be limited to a select and elite few? We didn’t think that was either fair or sensical. So this “beta” release is open to all. 

On to why we felt the need to create a whole new set of SEO reporting metrics and methods of analysis. Since 2016 we estimate that rank among the top positions (top 5 to be exact) has seen a nearly 40% erosion of their ranking stability. Rank is simply far more volatile now than it ever has been before. Volatility is the new norm.

So are SERP features. In the recent past, Google has gotten far more energetic in how it employs its SERP features. Whether it be multiple features targeting numerous intents, hybrid features that combine the function of multiple features, or the insertion of all-new feature formats (as we’ve seen with a slew of new Featured Snippet variations), Google’s SERP features have both big-win and big disruption potential. Google, via its SERP features, has become for all intents and purposes a competitor. Sites must now compete with Google’s SERP features in ways and to an extent that was unimaginable just a short time ago. 

 

What Can You Do With the New SEO Reports that are Part of the Beta Blitz? 

What are these new data abilities and insights that can help give your SEO efforts focus and enhancement? Let’s take a quick look at the new reports and how they offer you actionable SEO insights that are geared to deal with the problems facing
SEOs today. 

The Rank Insights Report showing rank trends over time on a per page basis 

Dealing with SERP Feature Competition & Rank Volatility with a Series of New Rank Insight Reports

Item #1 for us was to give you a way to deal with feature heavy SERPs and rank volatility. After numerous constructs, we decided the best way to tackle the endeavor was to offer an entire series of reports that focus on these very issues. We developed six reports that are meant to provide a well-rounded and highly actionable analysis of the SERP feature field and rank volatility environment. 

New SEO Reports for a New SERP Feature Paradigm

Traditionally, SERP feature competition has been equated with your feature wins versus that of the sites you compete with on the SERP. As we’re sure you know, it’s not that simple anymore. With SERPs that are simply laden with features that often don’t even contain a URL, the SERP features themselves are the competition. With this in mind, we created new reports that focus on SERP feature competition at both the site and result page level.

The SERP Features Rank Insights

SERP feature reporting has generally focused on what SERP features you’ve scored along with a tinge of what the competition has garnered. However, with Google themselves posting a competitive threat to your site’s traffic via these features, we felt it was important to view things from a page-level perspective. As opposed to simply offering what SERP features you have won vs. the competition, the SERP Features Rank Insights Report goes one step further and answers what features are on the page altogether. 

The SERP Features Insights Report showing both your and your competition’s SERP feature wins

We wanted you to be able to know not only what features the competition has, but what features pose competition to you inherently, whether it be a Direct Answer Box, a carousel, or a Knowledge Panel. We wanted you to have a full look at just how competitive a given keyword really is. Without knowing all of the features present on the page, whether yours, associated with other
sites, or with no organic URL connection, how can you truly know a SERPs traffic earning potential? 

Along a similar line of thinking, we’ve also added a separate section to the Rank Insights Report specifically designated for Featured Snippets. Why do Featured Snippets get their own report? Because they’re Featured Snippets. Like the SERP Features Rank Insights Report, you get a nice look at your and your competition’s Featured Snippet breakdown by position. Again, and as with the SERP Features report, you have the ability to drill down and see what URLs are ranking for the features and at what rank position, along with insights as to what other features are present on the results page. 

A per position breakdown of your Featured Snippet market share as compared to the competition

The Above the Fold & Meta Tags Rank Insight Reports 

Rank itself has undergone a metamorphosis as Google and its SERP features have become a genuine SERP competitor. That is, the significance of where you rank now is not synonymous with where you may have ranked in the past, even when ranking at the same position. With Google’s new SERP feature paradigm, the very potency of a given ranking position has changed. 

Whereas ranking on page one of the SERP used to be paramount, it’s simply not enough at this point. What good is ranking on page one with a Direct Answer, Related Questions Box (People Also Ask), and a video carousel at the top of the page? Who exactly is going to scroll down to the 4th or 5th position (or even the 3rd) if they are buried under a pile of SERP features?  

In this ranking environment, we find ourselves in a situation where page one placement is nothing compared to showing above the fold. Ranking above the fold at least gives your site visibility even when faced with stiff SERP feature competition. Which is precisely why the Above the Fold Rank Insights Report was the very first idea we focused on. 

A keyword ranking in the top position on the SERP showing beneath the fold despite it being the first organic result

Almost simplistic, the report tells you if any and all of your keywords are visible and indeed rank above the fold. (Of course, you can set this report to show what is above the fold for a variety of screen resolutions.) 

What’s not simple, though,
is which ranking positions show above the fold on a given SERP. Ranking in the 2nd or 3rd position is not a guarantee for above the fold ranking. In fact, with multifaceted Featured Snippets, even the top spot on the SERP can show below the fold. It all depends on the SERP and the features Google shows on it. The Above the Fold report tells you exactly which of your top ranking keywords have true visibility power.  

The Above the Fold Report showing the layout of the actual SERP for the keyword indicates why this result shows below the fold despite it ranking #1

To help you qualify your site’s “SERP appearance” we’ve also created the Meta Tags Rank Insights Report. The report helps you understand how the pages on your site “come across” on the SERP. The report indicates the propensity of your URLs to either contain short or long titles and descriptions when showing on the SERP. That is, Google often truncates titles that are too long. This tool will tell you when truncation may be occurring. Simply click on a bar within the Title Length Distribution Graph to see which of your pages may have a title being cut off on the SERP. You can also see which titles have room for more characters, giving you the opportunity to add attractive phraseology to your titles.

The same holds true for your descriptions. There are cases where Google may be cutting off critical phraseology and cases where you have more room to add content that may attract more clicks. Here too, a simple click on any of the bars within the Description Length Distribution Graph will bring up the specific pages you wish to analyze and optimize. 

Keywords
shown within the Meta Tags Report according to descending title and description lengths 

At the same time, you can see the title and description length of each of your pages alongside the page’s rank. The upshot is that if there is a ranking pattern/trend that correlates with title/description length, you’ll be able to clearly isolate it. 

Pinpointing Keyword Volatility & Targeting Keywords for Optimization 

Like with above the fold ranking, knowing where you rank per se isn’t enough any longer. Knowing where a keyword places you on the SERP, in a highly volatile ranking context, isn’t going to give you everything you need to make informed optimization decisions. Consistency and opportunity are the new names of the game. To understand the true power, or limitations, of a
keyword means knowing how consistent it is. At the same time, a more volatile environment also opens up new opportunities. Where a site may have consistently ranked in a top ranking position in a more stable environment, volatility opens up new opportunities for top spot rankings. 

In order to help you truly understand the significance of your rankings, to help you better qualify what your rankings mean, and to help you both prevent serious ranking losses and find substantial ranking opportunities, we’ve created the Rank Fluctuations & Behavior Report. 

Using the report tells you in unequivocal terms which keywords are stable, unstable, on the decline, on the rise, and are potentially cannibalized. More than anything, the report identifies keyword opportunity for you by telling you which of your keywords are at risk and which contain additional ranking potential. 

Other than having access to some highly actionable and unique data, the Rank Fluctuations & Behavior Report is simply a time saver. Having your keywords segmented by volatility saves you from having to scour through potentially hundreds of keywords in order to determine which are in need of your attention. At the same time, knowing which keywords represent either a risk or opportunity lets you act quickly to take advantage of an often changing and limited search market.

An ‘unstable” keyword within the Rank Fluctuations and Behavior report with the expanded Trends Graph indicating the keyword’s rank and volatility over time 

The Rank Fluctuations & Behavior Report is an exceptional tool that not only provides rank insight from a stability perspective but offers you the ability to prioritize your SEO efforts. By identifying keywords that are potentially at risk or that present an opportunity, the report helps to direct your SEO efforts and make them more efficient. 

Putting It All Together Rank, SERP Features, & SERP Performance 

 

How do you put it all together? It was a question that really bothered us. How do you take all of the data from these new reports and how do you put it all together? How do you summarize it in a way where you can really see where things stand with your site on the SERP? 

We very much wanted to give you a way to be able to see what your rank, what your SERP feature scenario actually means for your site. So we created the Search Console Rank Insights Report – which pulls ranking data and integrates it with Search Console metrics for a more comprehensive performance picture.  

Track the value of your rankings by viewing it in accordance with Search Console data 

The report does a few things in order to qualify your ranking situation such as: 

• Reveals your top keywords along with their keyword difficulty score (which helps you understand how secure a keyword may be), as well as rank and clicks data.
• Provides the keyword difficulty for your top keywords, so that you know how hard it would be for the competition to rank for that keyword (thereby indicating how “secure” your garnering of the keyword is). 
• Indicates your CTR for all of the keywords you hold at a specific rank position. 

New Site Intelligence & a Bolstered Keyword Research Suite 

As mentioned, our evaluation of where things stand in SEO moved us to create all-new reports as well as bolster some of the tools Rank Ranger already provides you with. To this extent, we’ve created a new toolset for site intelligence and upgraded our keyword research reporting. Here’s a quick overview of what is now offered to you as part of our Beta Blitz. 

Deeper and Better Site Analysis Data 

Though SEO’s changes have shifted the traditional ways we think about rank and so forth, the foundations of SEO are more important than ever as well. To this extent, we wanted to offer a more powerful site analysis experience with all new metrics to boot. Simply, digging deep into
your and your competition’s site is only growing in importance as SERP competition and volatility keep increasing. 

Page Level Site Insights

We’ve made it even easier to dig deep into any site on the web. If you want to unveil a site’s performance and pick apart its top performing pages, you can easily do so. Tap into which page on a site scores the most keywords or traffic across any relevant country. More, we’ve pulled out a page’s top keyword in order to help you isolate a page’s true potency. To top it off, we’ve added a Keyword Difficulty score to better help you evaluate ranking potential across multiple markets.  

A site’s top URLs showing according to the number of ranking keywords found on each page 

Site Insights at the Keyword Level 

In conjunction with the page level report just discussed, we’ve also created insights at the keyword level as well. Offering per market data, the upgraded report not only gives you access to all of the keywords that a site ranks for but also what SERP features that keyword brings up on the SERP! 

The Site Explorer showing a sites keyword performance underneath aggregate data 

The report also tells you which page on the site is the top page for a given keyword all while shedding light on the keyword’s click costs and keyword difficulty. Lastly, you can see where the site ranks on the SERP for any of its keywords!  

Unparalleled Site Competition Insights 

 

We’ve always given you access to your top competitors, but now we’re taking our organic competitor analysis to a new level. Enter any URL and see which competitors share the most keywords per global market. 

To streamline your analysis we’ve also added the Common % metric, which helps you quickly pick out which sites present the greatest amount of keyword overlap. 

At the same time, we’ve come up with an insightful and easy to use visual to help you compare the strength of your site to that of the competition. The Intersection Chart visually juxtaposes the number of your unique keywords as compared to a competitor’s all while showing the amount of keyword overlap you both share. 

The Site Explorer’s Intersection Chart shows both the number of unique and common keywords on your pages vs. the competition’s domain

Exquisite Paid Site Insights 

Accompanying the bolstered insights provided by the Site Explorer for organic results, we wanted to take care of your paid campaigns as well. As with organic search, winning in the paid arena has gotten much harder as time has progressed. We understand that every edge you can get is vital to your success. With this in mind, we went about trying to offer you as much paid search insights as possible from as many vantage points as possible. More, we wanted to give you information that actually makes a difference, that you can use in order to make actionable decisions. 

Boosted Paid Keywords Site Analysis 

We wanted to give you a well-rounded set of data on all of the keywords a site is ranking for within Google Ads. So, of course, you can see each keyword’s SERP ranking, average CPC cost, and so forth. 

However, to give you a bit more to chew on, we also tell you where the ads
shows (top or bottom), along with how difficult that keyword is to rank for. There’s no point in knowing your competitor’s paid keywords if you don’t know which ones are worthwhile prospects for your own PPC efforts. 

But we took this one step further… you can now also see the actual ad for each and every keyword!

Paid keyword insights showing the actual ad on the page as well as where on the SERP ads were shown per keyword (top or bottom) as sorted by keyword difficulty 

As an aside, we also created a separate report where you can see all of a site’s Google Ads in full, along with how many keywords trigger the ad to display on the SERP. 

See how many keywords trigger any of a sites Google Ads 

Tip-Top Paid Page Analysis 

As mentioned, we wanted to offer you data from multiple perspectives. Thus, along with paid keyword site analysis, we also offer you a look at a site’s paid campaigns at the page level. That is, you can see the top pages that are part of any site’s paid campaigns. Knowing which pages a competitor is targeting with their ads could help you improve your own PPC strategy. 

The Site Explorer showing page level paid insights according to site traffic 

Specifically, you can see how many paid keywords rank for a specific page, along with the amount of traffic these keywords bring to the site. Here too, and via the keyword difficulty score, you can see how difficult any keyword is to garner. 

Drool-Worthy Paid Competitive Insights 

Aside from being a great way to see a site’s most formidable paid competition, the insights at this level of site analysis give you multiple layers of insights. Firstly, we wanted you to be able to see both where a site’s paid efforts overlapped with another’s. To what extent is there commonality? Where is the commonality? 

At the same time, we thought it important to tell you where two sites split. That is, how many keywords are unique to a site and each of its competitor’s. Because while there may be high levels of keyword overlap, one site may still dominate overall, and it’s self-evidently important to know that. 

The Intersection Chart showing the number of unique paid keywords and shared paid keywords held by your and your competitor’s domain

More (and Better) Keyword Research than Ever Before  

Like rank, content marketing has changed significantly. The world has seen an influx of new content from every corner of the content world. New content isn’t raining upon us, it’s flooding us. It’s harder now to create 10X content than it was just a short time ago. When we sat down to upgrade our keyword research reports we wanted to give you something that would not only help you create new pages for your site or even help you structure a new site. We wanted to give you something that could not only help you optimize a page for the right keyword but help you find the right topic so that you can optimize a page that will be seen the world-over. 

The Overview section provides a summary listing of various keyword data-sets found within the Advanced Keyword Research Suite 

To do this, aside from seeing related keywords, we’re also showing you all of the topics associated with a specific keyword so that you can not only better research a topic, but pick up new ideas for new content. Inside the Advanced Keyword Research Suite each new topic is presented as a keyword, and when looking at all of the suggestions you can see how much volume a topic/keyword brings with it as well as a score indicating how difficult the topic/keyword is. 

Similarly, you can also see what questions users are asking about a topic. Here too, you’ll be able to see how difficult ranking for that particular question is. As a result, you’ll be able to not only identify potential topics for
content generation but know how viable ranking for such topic matter is as well. 

The expanded lists of related questions as found within the Advanced Keyword Research Suite 

More than that, the new keyword research suite allows you to create separate lists of keywords. Aside from offering an organizational upshot, having the ability to add keywords to separate lists is an easy way to take keywords from a given keyword search and organize them by sub-topics. In this way, you can create lists of keywords for multiple, yet related pieces of content and so forth. By adding keywords to a list you’ll also get aggregate data (i.e., Average CPC, Search Volume, etc.) that
applies to that specific list of keywords.   

Organize your keyword research by creating separate lists of keywords 

For your site per se, and the keywords you are already tracking, we’ve developed a new Keyword Insights Report so that you can access the information described above with greater efficiency. As in the Advanced Keyword Research Suite, you have access to the related keyword, related topics, and questions associated with any of your keywords. 

The Keyword Insights Report showing a summary of the multiple keyword banks as well as data on the keyword itself 

The report also provides you with a keyword’s:  

• Rank
• Search volume 
• Keyword Difficulty score

Here though, since it is your keyword in
discussion, you’ll also get a glimpse of what the SERP per se looks like for the search query. Meaning, you can see the sites that rank on page one of the SERP in order of rank.

The SERP Overview section of the Keyword Insights Reports allows you to see how the actual SERP looks for the keyword in question

The data here also includes each ranking site’s: 

• Associated SERP features 
• Title & description length
• Page traffic 
• Number of keywords the page ranks for
• Search volume

With this data, you get a real understanding of what your keyword’s mean from a competitive perspective. Of special note is the ability to see the other ranking keywords associated with a competitor’s page. By utilizing this data you’ll not only see how the competition is using the pages that rank for the same keyword you do but how deep and broad of a competitive threat they pose. 

It’s a Full-on Beta Report Blitz for All! 

We usually run beta releases like most anyone else. We create the reports and ask a select few to test them out. This is not a normal release. This is not a series of reports we created as part of our regularly scheduled maintenance and report generation. Beta Blitz is the offspring of an entirely new way we (and the industry) see SEO. It’s born out of thinking about how SEO has changed and where it’s quickly heading. 

How could we limit this beta release, which is entirely meant to deal with changing trends within the industry, to a select few within that very broad community? We don’t want limited feedback. We want feedback from the diverse voices within this wonderful industry. From this perspective, every “SEO” out there is equal. Whether you’re a big agency, an in-house SEO associate, or a boutique SEO business, you’re equally affected by Google’s changes and as such have an entirely equal opinion on how to best deal with these “evolutions.” 

That’s why Beta Blitz is beta, but it’s for everyone! 

Try the new reports today and please let us know what you think of them. What do you like, what would you want to see changed? We’d absolutely **** to hear from you! Share your feedback by clicking on the button below! Thanks!

 

[If you are an existing Rank Ranger user, you can find the beta reports under a new top menu tab called SEO. If you don’t have a Rank Ranger account, but would like to see the beta reports, simply sign up for a free trial – no credit card necessary.]