The free, reliable way to check where your website ranks on Google is Google Search Console. Its Performance report shows which searches your site appeared for, how often it was seen and clicked, and its average position, all based on searches real people made. Typing your keyword into Google yourself only tells you what Google showed you, in that place, at that moment.
Why searching for your own keyword gives the wrong answer
Most business owners have typed something like "electrician Gravesend" and scrolled to find themselves. The trouble is that the page you see is shaped around you.
Google's own documentation explains that results depend on when, where and on what device someone searches, and on their recent history. In practice:
- Location. You at your desk can see different local results to a customer ten miles away.
- Device. Results are tailored to your screen type, so a phone and a laptop can differ.
- Personalisation. If you are signed in, Google can use your search history to change the order of results. Even with personalisation off, Google says it still uses your location, language and device type.
- Time. Google explains that searches just minutes apart can show variations, as new content is added and ranking changes roll out.
And a manual search checks one phrase, when customers use dozens.
How to check your rankings in Google Search Console
Search Console is a free service from Google.
- Add your site as a property. A Domain property covers every version of your site (www, non-www, http and https) and usually needs verifying with a DNS record; a URL-prefix property is narrower but offers more ways to verify. Google's setup guide explains both, and says data should begin to appear within a few days.
- Open the Performance report for Search results. By default it shows the last three months.
- Switch on all four metrics above the chart: clicks, impressions, CTR (click-through rate) and average position.
- Look at the Queries tab. These are the actual searches your site appeared for, each with its own figures. That table is the honest answer to "where does my website rank?"
What does "average position" actually mean?
Google defines it as the topmost position any link to your site reached, averaged across all the queries your site appeared for. In Google's example, if your site showed at positions 2, 4 and 6 for one query, it counts 2. If it showed at 3, 5 and 9 for another, it counts 3. The average is 2.5.
Google's help pages add some useful detail:
- Position counts from the top of the results. In most cases every link in a block shares that block's position, so a carousel or knowledge panel with several links counts as one position.
- A position is only recorded when your link gets an impression. If your page sits on page three and the searcher never gets past page one, nothing is logged.
- The chart shows your whole site; the table shows the average for each query, page or other row.
- Google recommends watching how position changes over time, not just the figure itself.
Results pages vary in layout, so the number will not map neatly onto "page one" or "page two". Treat it as a direction of travel, not a precise address.
How to check one keyword or one page
For one keyword, click the query in the Queries table and the whole report filters to that search. Switch to the Pages tab to see which page Google is showing for it. To group similar searches, click + Add filter, choose Queries, then "Queries containing", and type a word such as "boiler". Google says the match is not case-sensitive but is otherwise exact.
For one page, click it in the Pages tab, then switch back to Queries to see every search it appears for, often including phrases you never thought to target.
If you only serve UK customers, use the Countries tab to filter to the United Kingdom so overseas searches do not blur the picture. The Devices tab splits desktop, mobile and tablet.
One caveat: Google leaves some queries out of the report to protect searchers' privacy. These anonymised queries are dropped when you filter by query, so filtered totals can look smaller than the headline figures.
Why impressions matter as much as position
An impression means someone saw, or could have seen, a link to your site in the results. Being third for a phrase almost nobody searches for is worth less than being ninth for one your customers use every day.
Impressions also explain a common puzzle: your average position can get worse while your visibility improves. If your site starts appearing for new searches further down the page, those appearances drag the average down, even though you are seen in more places. Always read position alongside impressions and clicks.
Google suggests looking for queries with high impressions and a low click-through rate as a chance to improve your page title and description. If you rank and get clicks but still no enquiries, that is a different problem, covered in why your website gets traffic but no leads.
What does a rank tracker add, and is it worth paying for?
Rank tracking tools are services, usually paid, that check a fixed list of keywords on a regular schedule from a location and device you choose.
What they add over Search Console:
- Keywords you do not appear for yet. Search Console only records a position when you get an impression; a tracker can show a new page climbing from nowhere to page three.
- A consistent snapshot, with the same search from the same place each time.
- Competitors' positions alongside yours.
- With local trackers, map positions across the towns you serve.
They still cannot show what every customer sees, and daily checks can tempt you to react to normal ups and downs.
A tracker is usually worth paying for if you serve several towns, track a large number of keywords, compete in a crowded market, or are launching pages for searches you do not appear for yet. A single-location business with a small site will usually manage with Search Console. Prices vary widely, so check each vendor's current UK pricing.
A simple monthly routine
Once a month, set aside half an hour with Search Console open.
| Step | Where in Search Console | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Compare with the previous period | Date filter, then Compare, with Weekly or Monthly selected above the chart | Whether clicks and impressions are trending up or down |
| 2. Check your main searches | Queries tab | Changes in position and impressions on the searches that bring enquiries |
| 3. Check your key pages | Pages tab, then click a page | New searches each important page is picking up |
| 4. Find easy wins | Queries with plenty of impressions but few clicks | Page titles and descriptions worth rewriting |
| 5. Spot near misses | Queries with an average position roughly between 8 and 20 | Pages that may be close to the top results and worth improving |
| 6. Write it down | A simple spreadsheet | Your ten most important searches, month by month |
Google suggests weekly or monthly views when comparing periods, because they smooth out differences between weekdays and weekends.
Then choose one or two changes to make; change everything at once and you cannot tell what worked. For realistic timescales, see how long SEO takes.
What to do if you are on page two or nowhere
If you are on page two
Page two is closer than it feels. Google is already showing your page for that search; it just is not ranking it among the top results yet.
- Look at what the page-one results have in common, remembering your view is personalised. What do they answer that your page does not?
- Make your page a better answer. Use the words customers actually type in your title and main heading, and add the details they want, such as areas covered and what is included.
- Link to the page from other relevant pages on your site. Google's SEO Starter Guide notes that Google primarily finds pages through links from pages it has already crawled.
- Give it time. The same guide suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change has helped.
If you are nowhere
If a search you care about is missing from your Queries table:
- Check the page is indexed. The URL Inspection tool in Search Console shows whether a page is in Google's index and why Google could or could not index it.
- Check you have a page that genuinely targets that search, rather than hoping your homepage covers everything.
- Check the phrase is realistic. A service plus a town is usually a more sensible first target than a broad one-word phrase.
For the most common causes, read why your website is not ranking on Google.
Local businesses should also check their Google Business Profile. Once verified, it has its own Performance section showing how people find the profile on Search and Maps, including the search terms they used. Our Google Business Profile setup guide covers the rest.
If you would rather not do this yourself
Most business owners can run this routine themselves. If you would rather have someone go through the data with you, explain what it means and make the changes, that is what our SEO service is for. We will not promise you a position, because nobody honestly can, but we will tell you plainly where you stand.