What Keywords Am I Already Ranking For? (Without Paying for Ahrefs)
You're publishing content but have no idea which keywords bring traffic. Ahrefs charges $129/month to show you. But Google already has this data — for free.
The Problem With Guessing Keywords
Most site owners pick keywords based on gut feeling. They write a blog post about "best project management tools" and hope it ranks. But they never check:
- •Am I actually ranking for that keyword?
- •What position am I in?
- •Are there easier keywords I'm already close to ranking for?
Without this data, you're flying blind.
Step 1: Connect Google Search Console (Free)
Google Search Console (GSC) shows you every keyword your site appears for in Google search — including:
- •The exact search query users typed
- •How many times your site appeared (impressions)
- •How many clicks you got
- •Your average position (1 = top result)
If you haven't set up GSC yet:
- Go to [search.google.com/search-console](https://search.google.com/search-console)
- Add your domain
- Verify ownership (DNS record or HTML file)
- Wait 2-3 days for data to populate
Step 2: Find Your "Almost Ranking" Keywords
The goldmine is keywords where you're on page 2 (positions 11-20). These are the ones where a small improvement can move you to page 1 — where 90% of clicks happen.
In GSC, go to Performance → Search Results → sort by Position. Look for:
| Position | What It Means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | You're winning | Protect this — don't change the page |
| 4-10 | Page 1 but below the fold | Optimize title, add content, get backlinks |
| 11-20 | Almost there | Best ROI — small fixes can jump you to page 1 |
| 21-50 | Long shot | Needs significant content improvement |
| 50+ | Not competitive yet | Consider targeting an easier variant |
Step 3: Import Keywords Into a Rank Tracker
Manually checking GSC every day is tedious. Instead, import your top keywords into a rank tracker that monitors them automatically.
With SEOBolt:
- Go to Rank Tracker
- Click "Import from GSC"
- See all your ranking keywords with clicks and positions
- Check the ones you want to track (keywords with clicks are pre-selected)
- Click "Import" — done
Now you'll see position changes over time: "seo audit tool" moved from #14 to #8 this week.
Without SEOBolt: You'd need to manually copy keywords from GSC, paste them into a spreadsheet, and check rankings one by one. Or pay $129/month for Ahrefs.
Step 4: Optimize Your "Almost Ranking" Pages
For each keyword in positions 11-20:
- Check your title tag — Does it include the exact keyword? Is it under 60 characters?
- Check your content — Is it comprehensive? Does it answer the search intent?
- Check your page speed — Is it under 3 seconds?
- Check internal links — Are other pages on your site linking to this one?
Use the [Content Optimizer](/dashboard/content-optimizer) to score your page against the target keyword. It shows exactly what's missing.
Step 5: Monitor and Repeat
SEO isn't set-and-forget. After making changes:
- •Week 1-2: Google re-crawls your page
- •Week 2-4: Rankings start shifting
- •Month 2-3: Traffic changes become visible
Check your Rank Tracker weekly. Look for:
- •Keywords moving up → keep doing what you're doing
- •Keywords dropping → investigate (competitor published better content? page speed degraded?)
- •New keywords appearing → opportunities you didn't know about
The Cost Comparison
| Tool | Monthly Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | $129 | Keyword rankings + search volume + competitor data |
| SEMrush | $139 | Similar to Ahrefs |
| Google Search Console | Free | Your actual keywords + clicks + positions |
| SEOBolt + GSC | $0-49 | GSC import + rank tracking + site audit + content optimizer |
You don't need to guess what keywords to target. The data is already in your Google Search Console. [Start importing your keywords now](/register).
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