My Honest Review of RankIQ after 3 Months

This post may contain paid and/or affiliate links. I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our Privacy Policy.

As a new blogger, I was spending hours researching keywords and tools because I had no idea where to start.

One of the first bloggers I started following had recommended RANK IQ to her followers as a way to find high search low competition keywords. I was very interested because I was previously only using Keywords Everywhere, which is also a great tool but it requires much more manual research.

I took the leap and purchased a RANKIQ subscription which is $49 a month. To be honest, I wasn’t too worried about the price because the only other keyword tool I was using was only $10 for 1,000,000 searches.

When I first went to the homepage for RANKIQ, I was very confused and I didn’t know how to use the tool properly. I watched the 30-minute introduction video and after that, I was set.

After using this tool for 3 months, this is what my traffic on Google looks like.

That HUGE spike in traffic should tell you everything you need to know about RANKIQ.

How I use RANKIQ

Here’s a simple breakdown on how to use RankIQ:

1. Choose Your Keyword:
   First, I start by selecting a keyword from RankIQ’s keyword library. This library is organized by niche, making it easy to find relevant keywords. I usually look for keywords that have a good balance between search volume and competition
2. Run a Content Report:
   Once I have my keyword, I run a content report. This report gives me a comprehensive analysis of what top-ranking content looks like for that keyword. It includes word count, readability, and other important metrics like top-performing titles.
3. Craft Your Title:
   With the content report in hand, you can start working on the blog post title. RankIQ provides suggestions based on high-performing titles in my niche, helping me create a title that is both engaging and optimized for SEO.
4. Write and Optimize Your Content:
   Using the insights from the content report, I write my blog post. I make sure to hit the recommended word count and include the suggested keywords. RankIQ also grades my content from A++ to F, so I aim for the highest grade possible to ensure my content is well-optimized.
5. Check Your Competition:
   Before publishing, I take a look at the competition. RankIQ shows me what other top-ranking posts are doing well, so I can make sure my content stands out and covers any gaps. I also do a quick Google Search to see other articles ranking for my keyword.
6. Publish and Monitor:
   Finally, I publish the blog post and monitor its performance. RankIQ helps me track how well my content is ranking over time, allowing me to make adjustments if needed to improve its performance. They have a helpful tool called Rankings Audit where you can see where your blog post was ranking and where it is ranking now based on information from your Google Search Console.

It’s honestly such an easy tool to use.

Pros

I didn’t want to just include my pros for RANKIQ so here are my pros and others:

1. Affordable Pricing:
   RankIQ offers competitive pricing, making it one of the most cost-effective SEO tools available (source: Phillip Stemann).
2. Extensive Keyword Library:
   The platform provides a hand-picked keyword library that is regularly updated, ensuring access to high-quality and relevant keywords (source: Write Interactive).
3. Time to Rank Metric:
   RankIQ includes a unique “Time to Rank” metric, which helps users understand how long it might take for their content to rank on search engines (source: LinkedIn).
4. Content Optimization Guidance:
   The tool offers detailed content reports that provide insights into word count, readability, and keyword usage, helping users optimize their content effectively (source: Quick German Recipes).
5. User-Friendly Interface:
   RankIQ is designed to be easy to use, even for those who are not SEO experts. The interface is intuitive, making it simple to navigate and utilize its features (source: Software Advice).
6. Community Support:
   Users have access to a supportive Facebook group where they can ask questions and get advice directly from the founder, Brandon (source: Software Advice).
7. High-Quality Content Suggestions:
   RankIQ provides suggestions for high-performing titles and content structures, helping users create compelling and SEO-friendly blog posts (source: Quick German Recipes).
8. Keywords Get Removed: Once a keyword has too many people trying to rank for it, they remove it from the library so you are only getting updated keywords.

These features make RankIQ such a valuable tool for bloggers and content creators looking to improve their SEO and drive more traffic to their sites.

Cons

1. Limited to Blogging: RankIQ is primarily designed for bloggers, which means it might not be as useful for businesses or individuals looking to optimize other types of content, like e-commerce product pages or service descriptions (source: Software Advice).
2. Learning Curve: While the interface is user-friendly, there is still a learning curve for those who are new to SEO tools. It may take some time to fully understand and utilize all the features effectively (source: Write Interactive).
3. Keyword Database Size: Although the keyword library is curated, it might not be as extensive as some other SEO tools, potentially limiting the range of keywords available for niche topics (source: Phillip Stemann).
4. No Real-Time Updates: Unlike some other SEO tools, RankIQ does not provide real-time updates on keyword rankings or content performance, which might be a limitation for users who need up-to-the-minute data (source: Software Advice).
5. Dependency on External Tools: Users may still need to rely on other SEO tools for comprehensive analysis and tracking, as RankIQ focuses mainly on content optimization and keyword research (source: LinkedIn).

How I am using RANKIQ now

I still absolutely love this tool and it is still usually the first step in my process, I find myself wanting to use the reports less and less.

I like using the keyword library but I don’t find that I am using the reports feature as much which makes the $49 a month to run 16 reports not worth it for me. Especially, as a new blogger because I don’t have any posts to update yet.

However, they luckily have a $29 a-month option where you can only run 8 reports a month and I just recently downgraded my plan. This way I still have access to the keyword library but I don’t feel guilty not using all of the tools offered by RANKIQ.

I will still be using RANKIQ to find low-competition keywords for all of my blog posts and I am so grateful this tool exists. If you are new to blogging or you are just looking for tools to increase your blog traffic then I highly recommend RANKIQ.

Google traffic was on the back burner for me because keyword research is time-consuming and it also takes such a long time to rank, especially as a new blogger with low domain authority.

With RANKIQ, I am ranking on the first page of Google for blog posts I wrote 2-3 days ago. In my opinion, there isn’t any keyword research tool I would invest in to begin writing a blog other than RANKIQ.

For the last 28 days, this is what my Google traffic has looked like as a new blog.

I am almost at 1000 clicks a month from Google, as a blog that launched on March 29, 2024, and today is June 11, 2024.

Final Thoughts

If you are a blogger and you are looking to invest in ONE keyword research tool then it should absolutely be RANKIQ.

I would skip AHREFS, Keywords Everywhere, or any other SEO tool available to bloggers. I would go straight to RANKIQ and use that for all keyword research purposes.

The other great thing is this tool is also great for experienced bloggers. There are settings where you can search and start ranking for more competitive keywords. You can also update old blog posts that have lost some authority and start getting them ranking again using RANKIQ’s features.

I will continue to use RANKIQ for the next year and update this blog post with my final results are using it for a year.