Let me start by saying this:
I have nothing against SerpBook.
I actually think it's an extremely useful and powerful marketing tool...
...if your only concern is keyword rank tracking.
That's it's bread and butter. And it tracks keywords with the best of them.
But ask it to
- show you your top competitors' backlinks
- track your site's key ranking metrics
...and it simply falls short.
But there is a tool out there that not only gives you top-notch keyword rank tracking but also all of the above.
It's called SEOptimer
So if you're wondering whether there's a SerpBook alternative that offers a bit more SEO bang for your buck, you're gonna want to read this.
SEOptimer: A SerpBook Alternative for Keyword Rank Tracking
(Quick Disclaimer: It's important to note that the stated features, pricing, etc. in this post are accurate as of the date of this posting, and that the author, yours truly, is providing as accurate information for each service as possible based on his own personal observations. I am also not a regular user of SerpBook, but signed up for their free 7-day trial.)
It goes without saying that keyword tracking is an important point of comparison when comparing two keyword tracking-focused tools.
As such, this section will focus on the core keyword tracking functions provided by both Monitor Backlinks and SerpBook and compare them accordingly.
Functions like:
- Number of keywords you can track,
- Keyword tracking metrics and capabilities, and
- Competitor keyword analysis.
Let's get started.
Number of Keywords You Can Track
Both SEOptimer and SerpBook have tiered membership plans that offer different levels of benefits, including number of keywords that can be tracked.
SerpBook currently highlights three main membership packages on their site:
With the following "number of keywords tracked" options (from lowest priced to highest priced):
- 500 keywords
- 1,000 keywords
- 2,000 keywords
SEOptimer currently offers three plans based on the number of keywords you want to track:
With the following "number of keywords tracked" options:
- 20 keywords
- 100 keywords
- 250 keywords
As a point of comparison.
SerpBook's Personal Daily membership ($42/month) offers 500 keywords while SEOptimer's White Label and Embedding membership ($59/month) offers 250, but then also includes all of our SEO tools including:
- SEO auditing
- White label reporting
- Keyword research
- SEO crawling
- Backlink research
Search Engines Tracked
SEOptimer focuses on tracking keyword rankings for Google and Bing.
SerpBook tracks keywords for the three major search engines: Google, Yahoo and Bing.
Ranking Updates
SEOptimer updates ranking information every seven days, giving you a snapshot of where each of your keywords currently rank on Google.
SerpBook provides daily on-demand updates for each of the three search engines. It also offers a bi-hourly update option for a higher monthly premium.
Historical Ranking Statistics
SEOptimer gives you a historical breakdown of how your keywords have performed on a weekly, monthly, tri-monthly and lifetime period.
SerpBook also provides historical ranking statistics using easy-to-read graphs:
Report Generation
SEOptimer lets you download your keyword ranking data into a .csv file that you can open and review in any spreadsheet application. Users can also download this data in PDF or Excel format, as well as print the keyword rankings.
SerpBook also provides report generation in the form of .csv and .pdf file formats:
Both Monitor Backlinks and SerpBook allow you to customize the keywords generated in any given report.
Number of Users Allowed
SEOptimer doesn't give you the option to add additional users.
SerpBook allows you to add an unlimited number of users to your account, regardless of the membership plan you choose.
Competitor Keyword Analysis
This powerful feature is unique to SEOptimer.
SEOptimer lets you add up as many competitors as needed to your account.
I can't express enough how valuable this is for getting an accurate assessment of the competitiveness of your site's SEO in relation to your top competitors.
Extra SerpBook Features Not Included in SEOptimer
SerpBook also tracks keywords for YouTube videos (if you publish videos for or on your site).
Comparing SerpBook to SEOptimer for Keyword Rank Tracking
If you look at the sheer number of features and keywords you're able to track, it's clear that SerpBook is in the lead.
But my question to you would be this:
Are all of the extra bells and whistles really necessary to your site's success?
I mean, sure... you can track keywords on Google, Yahoo and Bing.
But when more than 90% of the world's searches are done on Google, do Bing and Yahoo really even matter?
Next, SerpBook gives you daily updates compared to Monitor Backlinks' weekly updates.
But ask yourself how often you'll actually be checking your keyword rankings. Are you really gonna log on and check every day?
Not likely. That time could be much better spent on more important SEO-based tasks (like content optimization, influencer outreach, etc.).
And here's the kicker:
Do you really only need keyword tracking? Or would it be in your best interests to use a similarly priced tool that offers a more complete SEO package?
If you're not sure what I mean, I'm going to explain it right now.
SEOptimer: A SerpBook Alternative for Backlink Management
To put it bluntly, SerpBook does not offer any backlink monitoring services.
That's no fault of SerpBook. It's just not their thing. They choose to focus solely on keywords, and good on them for doing that.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how many keywords you can track if none of them are ranking at the top of Google.
Backlinks, on the other hand, are key. So it's of the utmost importance that you have the ability to easily and confidently track what's happening with each of your page's backlinks.
Here's a brief overview of the backlink features you'll get in addition to quality keyword tracking when you use SEOptimer:
Backlink Management in One Central and Convenient Location
The Backlink Research module lists out all of your site's backlinks and gives you valuable information about each link:
Information like:
- Anchor text
- Domain Authority and Page Authority
- Referring Domains
- TLD and Country
All of these data points are key in knowing and understanding the quality of the links that make up your site's link portfolio.
Which brings me to the next feature...
Reverse-engineering of Your Competitors' Top Backlinks
As I touched on earlier, SEOptimer lets you analyze any competitor's website.
This is a priceless feature giving you access to:
- All new links pointing to your competitors' sites
- Key data about each link
Monitor Backlinks Pricing vs. SerpBook Pricing
(Note: Both SEOptimer and SerpBook offer discounts for annual subscriptions. For simplicity's sake, this section focuses solely on monthly subscription rates and comparably priced packages.)
When compared side-by-side, SEOptimer's prices are very competitive to SerpBook's.
For instance, let's take SEOptimer's top plan and compare it to SerpBook's Agency membership.
SerpBook's plan is a bit more expensive $131/month compared to SEOptimer's $59/month.
But look at what you get with each:
SerpBook gives you access to its entire suite of keyword tracking features.
SEOptimer gives you access to its entire suite of keyword tracking features plus its entire suite of backlink management features, keyword research, and SEO reporting and auditing features.
SerpBook gives you 1000 keywords to track compared to SEOptimer's 250 keywords (still a significant amount).
SerpBook gives you daily updates. SEOptimer gives you weekly updates.
And here's something else to consider:
Let's say you're really into the features and number of keywords that SerpBook offers, so you choose to go with them. But you still want a way to conveniently manage your backlinks.
That most likely means that in addition to signing up for a SerpBook membership, you'll need to also sign up for a backlink management service.
Summing It All Up
I'll put it like this:
If you already have a backlink management provider that you're thrilled with and your only concern is keyword rank tracking, then you honestly can't go wrong with SerpBook.
It's a powerful piece of keyword tracking software that delivers all of the important keyword tracking features to its users.
But if you either don't currently have access to backlink management software or are looking for a more complete SEO package, then I can say with full confidence that SEOptimer is right up your alley.
Not only does it boast first-in-class backlink tracking but also top-shelf keyword and competitor tracking, all in one convenient and easy-to-use package.
At the end of the day, regardless of which option you choose, just make sure you find a solution that not only tracks your site's keywords but also provides you solid SEO-focused tools that will help propel your site and its pages to the top of Google.
