RankIQ is a newer SEO tool that was created specifically for bloggers. I’ve been using it for the past few months and have seen great results – here is my full (unsponsored) review.
Over the years, I have tried many different SEO tools. I love trying new things to see if they’ll work for my business.
Most often, I’m disappointed, or I go back to using something I’ve always used. But recently, I heard about a tool called RankIQ – and I have to admit – I’m hooked.
It approaches SEO in a different way than I’ve seen before, and after using it for a couple months now, I can safely say that I am seeing results that I’ve never seen before.
One thing I keep thinking about with this tool is “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I have always THOUGHT I knew a lot about SEO, but it turns out, maybe I wasn’t as savvy as I thought – at least when it came to writing SEO-optimized posts.
I am a part of the RankIQ affiliate program, but this post is not paid or sponsored. I pay for it every month!
What is RankIQ?
RankIQ is an SEO tool that uses AI that was built specifically for bloggers.
It tells you:
- Exactly what words and phrases to put in your title and your content
- Provides you with a a word count that you should aim for.
- Offers you with a huge library of low-competition keywords for tons of different niches
For the monthly fee, you get 16 reports for different keywords. You can pay for more if you find you need it. The credits do expire at the end of the month, so make sure you download reports!
It’s very simple and streamlined and cuts out a lot of the fluff you might see with other tools. I feel like it’s pretty user-friendly (though I don’t love the interface for writing posts. I got used to it pretty quickly though).
How Much does RankIQ cost?
It costs $49 a month for 16 reports for the standard plan. However, as I was digging around on the website, I found there are other plans available:
- Lite Plan – 8 reports a month for $29
- Pro Plan – 36 reports a month for $99
- Agency Plan – 80 reports a month for $199
SIGNUP HERE
How I use RankIQ for Blogging
I use RankIQ in a few different ways. Here is a video I did that goes more in-depth for the strategies below:
Getting New Content Ideas
I go through the Keyword Library for my various sites and find new keywords. I arrange it by time to rank, and I pick the keywords that I feel I can rank quickly for. These tend to have lower search volume but you might be surprised!
I usually go into one of the libraries for my niche, or I’ll type in a word, and then I’ll save them to my own person keyword library to use later.
Composing New Posts
Once I’ve decided on the keyword I want to use (whether it’s one from the library or one that I found outside of it), I’ll run the report. I go in and create an outline with all the words I want to use until I get rated an A++.
I don’t really love composing the posts in there, so I just do the outline and write out a few things before transferring to WordPress. Before I publish, I move it back to RankIQ to ensure I met the word count and other requirements.
Updating Old Posts
I have been slowly updating old posts on some of my different websites that I think could have some new breath breathed into them!
This is what has been the most eye-opening! I put posts in that I thought were really optimized well…but I almost always get an F! It’s really helped me find ways to make my posts more complete.
The Results I Have Seen
Just about every post I have written or updated with RankIQ has immediately either ranked on page 1 or 2 or improved in ranking. I have been using this on Clarks Condensed, which is very established, but also on my newer sites, Simply Side Dishes, The Breastfeeding Mama, and Magical Family Travel Guide, which have a lot lower domain authority.
It’s been incredible to see these small sites ranking against some of the bigger guns in their industries!
What if my niche isn’t covered?
While there is a huge library of keywords, not all niches are in there yet. Thankfully, they are really great about building custom libraries for people. You can request one custom library a month, and then you’ll have tons of ideas.
I have requested a couple of different libraries, and they’ve all been created within a month. They work hard to make sure you get a good library of keywords and not just a bunch of fluff.
Isn’t everyone going to be writing about the keywords?
I was worried about this, too, but from what I understand, once a certain number of people download a report (not sure how many), it is removed from the library.
Downsides
- While the program itself isn’t glitchy, I don’t love that it logs you out after a certain period of time. I was writing some posts in it while we were driving, and all of the sudden I got logged out and I lost all the work! I wish there was a way to just stay in all the time.
- There is a learning curve – though I don’t feel like it’s hard to use. It’s just a different approach.
- I also find the posts a little painful to write – haha! This has gotten better with time, but it’s different than my usual approach to writing. In many ways, though, it has made the process easier because I know exactly what to focus on!
- If you don’t use your credits, you lose them. I’ve lost a fair amount of credits because I didn’t use them in time. It’s such a bummer!
Is there a free trial?
Nope, there isn’t one currently! But you can cancel at any time, so you are not locked in for a year or anything. You can also buy more credits if you run out!
Rank IQ Lifetime Deal
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a lifetime deal on tools that I know I’m going to use on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there is not currently a RankIQ lifetime deal. I believe some of the early adopters may have gotten a sweet deal like this, but right now, the only option is to signup for one month at a time.
Can this replace all my other SEO tools?
Nope. I still use UberSuggest and SEMRush (and sometimes Serpstat) for a lot of keywording. This tool is great in collaboration with them. I personally use UberSuggest more than SEMRush, and they have a lifetime deal that’s pretty sweet.
Is it easy to use?
There is a learning curve, and I don’t love the interface. But once you get a groove down, it works pretty well!
How do you decide what posts to update?
I go into SEMRush for my site, I filter posts that I am ranking for then rank between #9 and #30, and then I sort by volume – and I just pick those posts to start with!