As someone who has built websites professionally since 2019, I’ve learned that knowing where your site ranks is not just a “digital skill”—it’s the only way to understand whether your online presence is working or wasting potential.
My name is Eventus Offiong Okon, a Nigerian web designer and digital strategist. Over the years, I’ve ranked client websites across different industries, improved visibility for local businesses, and used real data—not guesswork—to guide every decision.
In this guide, I will show you clearly how to check the ranking of any website, the tools I use personally, and what those rankings actually mean for your business growth.
Before we dive in, let’s get one thing right:
Website ranking is not about impressing Google. It’s about understanding how real people find you—and how far you are from the customers searching for what you offer.
Now let’s go deeper.
What Website Ranking Really Means
Website ranking simply refers to where your website appears on search engines like Google when people search for a specific word or phrase. If your business sells shoes and someone types “affordable sneakers in Nigeria,” your ranking determines whether you appear on page 1, page 5, or nowhere at all.
The higher your ranking, the more traffic you get. According to multiple SEO studies, the first page of Google captures over 90% of all search traffic, while the first five results get almost 70% of the clicks. That means if your website is not ranking, you are losing business—daily.
And that’s why knowing how to check your rank is a must.
How to Check Your Website Ranking Accurately
Here are the same methods and tools I personally use when monitoring client websites.
Use Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is the most accurate, most trusted, and completely free tool from Google itself.
Once your site is verified, GSC can show you:
Your average ranking for every keyword
Which pages are ranking and how high
How many clicks and impressions each keyword brings
Where your ranking is improving or dropping
This is the tool I open first whenever a client asks, “How am I doing on Google?”
It offers raw, clean data directly from Google—not third-party guesses.
Use SEO Tools Like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest
While Search Console shows how your site performs, third-party tools show how every website performs.
Tools like:
SEMrush
Ahrefs
Moz Pro
Ubersuggest
These tools help you:
Track keyword rankings daily
Check competitors’ rankings
View keyword difficulty
Understand search volume
Discover new keywords you can target
Analyze backlink strength
Monitor ranking positions over time
For example, one client I worked with in 2021 saw their local business website move from page 6 to page 1 simply because we used SEMrush to identify keywords competitors were ignoring.
Use Manual Search (But with a Warning)
Simply typing your keyword into Google can give you a rough estimate—but it is often inaccurate because:
Google personalizes results
Your location affects rankings
Your search history influences what you see
Device type changes rankings
Logged-in Google accounts skew results
If you must check manually, always:
Use incognito mode
Turn on a VPN for location consistency
Log out of your Google account
But still—manual checking should never be your main method.
Use “SERP Checker” Tools for Neutral Results
There are neutral online rank checkers like:
SERPChecker by Mangools
SERPRobot
AccuRanker
These simulate unbiased Google searches and show you exactly where your site stands without personalization influencing the result.
Many SEO analysts use these tools to compare results from different countries and devices.
Which Method Is the Most Reliable?
If we are talking accuracy, Google Search Console remains the number one source of truth.
If we are talking strategy and competitive analysis, Ahrefs and SEMrush remain the most powerful.
In my practice, I combine both:
GSC for accurate ranking data
SEMrush/Ahrefs for competition insights and keyword opportunities
That combination has helped me grow new websites from zero traffic to thousands of monthly visitors.
What Ranking Data Actually Tells You (That Most People Ignore)
Once you understand how to check your ranking, the next step is learning what that ranking means. Over the years, I’ve seen owners misinterpret ranking numbers and make wrong decisions.
Here’s what ranking data truly reveals:
Whether your content matches search intent
Whether your site’s SEO is weakening or improving
Which pages Google trusts the most
Which keywords bring your highest converting visitors
Where you should focus your content efforts
Ranking data is like a mirror showing you how search engines and users truly see your site.
Why Your Ranking Might Change Daily
Rankings fluctuate for many reasons:
Google updates
Competitors publishing new content
Technical issues on your site
New backlinks (or lost backlinks)
Changes in user search behaviour
Mobile vs desktop differences
This is why I always remind clients:
Ranking is not a one-time check—it’s a continuous process.
Common Mistakes People Make When Checking Their Ranking
Let me highlight some mistakes I’ve seen frequently since 2019:
- Checking ranking only once and assuming it’s final
Relying only on manual Google search
Ignoring long-tail keywords
Not checking mobile ranking separately
Not analyzing competitor rankings
Forgetting to use Search Console query reports
Checking keywords they wish to rank for instead of the ones they actually rank for
Avoiding these mistakes alone improves your strategy by 50%.
How We Use Ranking Tools When Working With Clients
This section is based fully on my real process with businesses here in Nigeria.
When handling websites for clients, we follow a structured ranking and monitoring pattern:
We use Google Search Console weekly to track keyword positions
We use SEMrush/Ahrefs monthly to study competitor movements
We identify keywords climbing to page 2 or 3 and optimize them to reach page 1
We improve content structure based on ranking data
We fix underperforming pages that drop in ranking
We study user behaviour through Google Analytics
We create new articles based on emerging ranking opportunities
This is not guesswork—this is data-powered improvement.
Final Thoughts
Checking your website ranking is one of the most important skills for anyone serious about online visibility. Whether you’re a business owner, blogger, entrepreneur, or designer, this knowledge helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses online.
When you check your ranking consistently, you don’t just “hope” Google notices your site—you position yourself strategically to rise above your competitors.