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Honest RankIQ Review: Is It Worth It for SEO? (2024)
Are you wondering if RankIQ is worth your time and money? Then you need this SEO review!
Optimizing your content for search engines is a BIG part of running a successful blog — hello, SEO expert here talking!
Bloggers have to churn out so much content to be successful.
If you’ve read my SEO guides, then you know that everything from getting the right combination of words (naturally) in your post to figuring out an engaging title to landing on the right word count is important.
But honestly, who has the time to manually figure that out? Not me, and I’m willing to bet you don’t either.
That’s where RankIQ comes in.
Let’s dive into this keyword tool to see how it can help you rank on the 1st page of Google.
RankIQ
RankIQ is the #1 content optimization tool for bloggers looking to rank on the first page of Google. With a keyword library of easy win keywords, a content optimizer full of LSI keywords, and ideal word counts based on competitors, this tool makes it easy to scale your blog’s traffic.
RankIQ is a powerful, AI-driven tool that can help you identify the right keywords for your blog, then tell you what a blog post on that specific topic needs to have in it. It helps you identify the best word count, words that need to be in the content, and provides you with a word processor right in their app to help you get the job done.
While there are a lot of similar tools out there, RankIQ is the one I rely on most. Mixed with my favorite AI writing tool, Jasper, it has my content creation system running at full speed.
I’ve been able to massively increase both my traffic and income thanks to tools like RankIQ that help make the entire content creation process considerably less manual. So, let’s dig into RankIQ and see why it’s actually worth the investment you’ll need to put into it (spoiler alert: it’s actually a really affordable tool!).
What is RankIQ?
RankIQ is an AI-based search engine optimization software designed specifically for bloggers.
It’s packed with features that can help you find the right words to create content on (the Keyword Library), analyze what’s already ranking on Google (AI SEO Report), and optimize your own content so it can climb those rankings (Content Optimizer).
You might have heard about RankIQ on The Blogging Millionaire podcast (the host is the name behind the brand). But even if you haven’t, if you’re a blogger looking to create rankable content this is a tool that can help you out.
Brandon Gaille developed the tool after his SEO students kept saying the same thing: I wish there was a keyword list that I could pull from cause I hate keyword research.
So he made one! And it’s full of high traffic keywords in a variety of niches.
It’s one of the easiest ways for beginner SEO bloggers to find low-competition keywords and do a full content analysis to write winning new posts.
Give yourself the best chance for ranking on the first page of Google without spending your entire budget on an SEO manager.
Who is RankIQ For?
RankIQ is specifically built for bloggers looking to rank content for a target keyword.
Because the tool was built by a blogger, it is specifically designed to make niche blogging easier (and it works).
The tool can help you create everything from a solid title and outline, to properly optimizing your posts giving them the best chance to rank. While it’s easy enough for new bloggers to get the hang of it, experienced bloggers will also find it helpful.
You can also use it for old posts. If you have old underperforming posts, you can put in the specific keyword you were targeting and get a list of LSI keywords that you can optimize it for.
I’ve made RankIQ a staple of my content audits since it gives my old posts a better chance of ranking higher on Google.
Do Experienced Bloggers Need RankIQ?
You don’t NEED RankIQ as an experienced blogger… but it can certainly make your content creation and optimization process both faster and easier.
It’s a tool built with every level of blogging in mind — from beginner to experienced, so regardless of where you are in your blogging career, it can positively contribute to your blog.
It’ll save you a lot of time on keyword research tools hunting for the next best keyword. The list of keywords he provides are ready to be run through the content optimizer and in a matter of minutes you’ll have a guide of what to include in your post.
Ultimately, RankIQ helps you take the guesswork out of keyword research and optimization, saving you time to focus on other aspects of running your site.
RankIQ Alternatives
WriterZen
WriterZen is a newer player in town. It just came off its recent AppSumo deal (unfortunately you missed it) and it tries to tackle both AI content writing and optimization all in one. While it doesn’t have the same keyword library that you’ll find in RankIQ, it does have a tool that allows you to research keywords, group similar terms and ultimately find the best words for your blog.
While WriterZen is a great all-in-one tool for bloggers — especially new ones considering it gives you all the instructions you need to get going — it doesn’t quite tackle AI writing as well as Jasper. That said, if you only have enough cash to spend on one tool (WriterZen’s opening plan is $39 and gives you access to 50 content briefs per month), it might be for you.
Frase
Frase is the other big-name competitor to RankIQ. If you’re a budget blogger just starting out, their solo plan will set you back $15 per month and let you optimize four articles per month. This is the best tool for those that have a very limited budget (and time), and can only put together a few posts per month. That said, their second tier plan is $50 per month and gives you 30 articles to optimize.
The downside to Frase is that the pro add-on costs $35 per month and hides all their extra tools.
Keysearch Content Assistant
The Content Assistant in Keysearch is a powerful tool that can help you optimize your content for SEO. It runs both LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) and Must Words analysis to uncover hidden opportunities in your content.
With the Content Assistant, you can quickly identify what keywords and phrases are missing from your article or blog post, giving you an edge over the competition. This analysis ensures that you’re using all of the best words and phrases to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
And it’s included in your basic Keysearch plan for just $120 a year! This is great option for beginners on a budget as it shows about 20-30% of the LSI keywords that Rank IQ does.
SurferSEO
SurferSEO is the big game in town when it comes to content optimization. It’s largely considered to be the big game in town, though it depends on who you ask. In most cases, it’s what all the other programs get compared to. It serves essentially the same purpose as RankIQ, but it costs more to use it. Their starter plan will set you back $59 per month and let you access 10 content briefs. But some bloggers would argue that it’s a more established tool making it more reliable.
I don’t necessarily agree. As much as I enjoy using SurferSEO, I find RankIQ to be the better choice of the two. Ultimately, you get more bang for your buck and I love a good value situation. Their keyword database is a great tool for new bloggers getting established and struggling to identify the right keywords, and the Content Optimizer is very easy to use.
RankIQ Pricing: How Much Does RankIQ Cost?
RankIQ has four plans that range from $29 per month (the Lite plan) to $199 per month (the Agency plan). So no matter where you are in your blogging career, there is a plan that will fit your needs.
RankIQs Lite plan costs $29 per month and includes:
- 8 AI SEO reports/content briefs
- Access to the KW library
- Ranking tracking
RankIQs Standard plan costs $49 per month and includes:
- 16 AI SEO reports/content briefs
- Access to the KW library
- Ranking tracking
RankIQs Pro plan costs $99 per month and includes:
- 36 AI SEO reports/content briefs
- Access to the KW library
- Ranking tracking
RankIQs Agency plan costs $199 per month and includes:
- 80 AI SEO reports/content briefs
- Access to the KW library
- Ranking tracking
One of the things I like most about RankIQ is the fact that regardless of what plan level you’re at, you get access to all the tools.
The only real variance is the amount of AI SEO reports/content briefs that you can create.
How to Get the $29 Price
The RankIQ Lite plan isn’t actively available on their website, but you can access it if you’re looking for a smaller plan.
To access this plan, you need to reach out to them directly.
The trick is to stay for a month, then email them about getting access to the lite plan.
Note that this only gives you access to 8 reports per month.
RankIQ Features and Services
Keyword Library
RankIQ’s Keyword Library is a great resource when it comes to planning your content. Each keyword is selected and vetted by the app’s team to ensure you get access to the best ones to potentially rank for. The library is filled with low competition keywords that feature high(re) traffic, which can help reduce the tie you need to dedicate for research. The idea is that you can find a keyword, make a report and start writing — taking hours off your planning schedule.
Using RankIQ keywords is a great way to brain storm keyword ideas related to your niche. But I highly recommend doing keyword research of your own, taking time to independently vet any keywords before you start using them. I’ve previously found instances where the keywords weren’t as likely to rank for as RankIQ suggested. Doing the extra research from the beginning will help ensure you’re best spending your time creating content that works for your blog and can actually rank in Google search results.
I particularly like that there are A LOT of niches already in the Keyword Library database, so there’s plenty of potential there. However, if you need something specific that you can’t find, you can always reach out to the RankIQ team and request a niche be added. Note that it could take a while to see it actually show up.
AI SEO Report
RankIQ’s AI SEO Report is a valuable tool for content creators, as it identifies the topics that Google’s ranking algorithm favors. This helps to ensure that your content is up-to-date with the latest trends, and provides insights into what information may be missing from your current pieces of content.
The AI SEO content report provides an easy way to create an optimized piece of content for Google, which can potentially lead to increased website traffic and better search engine rankings. Combined with the content editor, you can create some seriously rankable content.
This report drummed up by RankIQs artificial intelligence tool includes:
- Suggested word count
- An analysis of topics Google wants and LSI phrases that you’ll want to cover
- Title analysis
- Competition analysis
- Suggested content grade — which you can test your content against using the editor
The AI SEO report helps you build a more comprehensive post plan for your website. The report tells you what to include AND compares their recommendations to the ranking competitive articles. But plans are built based on the number of reports you can run each month — that means you don’t want to run reports for EVERY keyword you come across.
Content Optimizer
The Content Optimizer allows you to compare the content you’ve created to RankIQ’s AI SEO report suggestions. This allows you to get a better picture of how optimized your content is. As you continue to optimize with the editor, you’ll see a real-time grade for your content. You want your content grade to match the suggested grade RankIQ gives you and this is the tool to make you happen.
This tool is integrated along with the AI SEO reports and it summarizes:
- Your word count versus what’s suggested
- Your content grade versus what’s suggested
- Topics you’ve included and those that you should include (the ones you’ve already used have a green check beside them)
What I like about the Content Optimizer is that you can score an A++ grade (the highest ranking achievement) without including every word. In fact, the tool is built to help ensure you aren’t content stuffing, which Google doesn’t like. Plus, there’s a word processor built right in, so you can do everything from inside RankIQ.
You can also use this content optimization tool to go through your old blog posts.
Rank Tracking
While RankIQ can help you create stellar content, it can also help you track your Google rankings as well. It connects directly with your Google Search Console and makes it easy to track the performance of your content right on Google.
To be clear, this is an added benefit to using RankIQ, not a specific reason to buy it. Rank tracking comes with a ton of tools, including Keysearch, Ahrefs, Semrush — and almost every other keyword research tool out there. You can also find specific tools for tracking your rankings (like True Ranker) if that’s what you’re looking for.
The added benefit of rank tracking inside of this tool, is you can continue to pick new keywords to create content around that will help boost the content you already have. It could be an all-in-one tool for the blogger with a limited budget.
Exclusive Facebook Group
Exclusive Facebook groups are all the rage with apps these days (hello, Jasper!), and RankIQ has one too. To be clear, this is an added benefit of having the tool NOT a specific reason to get it. Their group lets you connect with the RankIQ team to ask questions and get help, while also allowing you to connect with other bloggers that are trying to create stellar content just like you. It’s a really great way to find tips and tricks of the trade specific to the tools you actually use.
How Does RankIQ Work?
Step 1. Visit the KW library
When you’re ready to create some content and you first open RankIQ, you’ll want to head to the Keyword Library.
It’s like searching with a tool like Keysearch, only considerably more streamline. Here you’ll be able to quickly and easily uncover relevant keywords. They have a TON of niches available, but if you aren’t able to find what you’re looking for you can always ask them to add it.
As you search through the keywords, you’ll want to save the ones that are relevant. Don’t run a bunch of reports right off the bat considering you have a limited number per month. Instead, just grab what you’re interested in and save them.
Step 2. Go through your list of saved keywords
Once you’ve been through the keyword library, it’s time to head over to your saved keywords and see what you’ve come up with. I like to sort these by how easy to rank for RankIQ thinks they are. It’s important to note that how “rankable” these are will depend on your site, and while RankIQ tries to factor this in, I like to double-check. I like to punch the keyword into a third-party tool like Keysearch to see what comes up and whether or not I think it’s really worth it. Ultimately, this helps ensure that I’m making the best decisions based on accurate data and not entirely trusting a single tool to make those decisions for me.
Step 3. Run your reports
When you’ve picked the right keywords for you, it’s time to run your reports. You’ll have a maximum number of reports each month (which will coincide with whatever plan you have), so you won’t want to run them all at once.
This report will pull out suggested words to include in your title, tell you what word count you should go for, and provide you with keywords that should be included in your content to help you rank. I like to go through the suggested keywords to pull out headings and topics that I should be writing about.
Making a stellar outline is a really good way to ensure that creating content is as easy as possible. Seriously, it came make writing time fly!
Step 4. Write your content
While you can write inside of RankIQ, I prefer to write content in Jasper. This allows me to be more efficient in my writing by utilizing AI technology. Overall this part of the process makes writing super fast, so I’d highly recommend you check Jasper out.
Step 5. Optimize your content
Once I’ve hammered some great content out in Jasper, it’s time to pop right back into RankIQ. I paste my content back into the Content Optimizer and see how I did. Here’s where I have a chance to make sure the content contains enough suggested keywords that it will rank well on search engines. It’s not only the number of keywords that matter, but which keywords the content uses.
My aim is to match the suggested content grade with what my written piece is getting. This way I’ve got the best chance of ranking on Google (according to RankIQ). I will sometimes add additional keywords into the content if I’ve done independent research.
Step 6. Track your rankings and revise
One of the most important steps in running a successful blog that’s often missed is checking in on your rankings and analyzing your work. RankIQ has a built in rank tracker so you can check in on the content that you’ve created.
Connect your Google Search Console to RankIQ and check in periodically to see how you’re doing. If content isn’t ranking that should be, you want to make sure that you’re revising it. However, you don’t want to revise too soon. You’ll want to check in, at most, quarterly and, at least, annually.
Does RankIQ Have an Affiliate Program?
Yes, RankIQ does have an affiliate program — and it’s a pretty good one, too! The program pays out $100 for each signup, and they make their payments monthly. It’s a great way to make a little extra cash while promoting a product you love.
Signing up is easy, you can do it right inside your account.
Pros and Cons of RankIQ
Pros
I really like RankIQ, enough that I use it almost daily in my business. I like that it’s intuitive and easy to use, even if you’re a brand new blogger (though you’ll find it great to use even if you’re experienced). Right in RankIQ you’ll find a comprehensive list of high quality keywords, particularly IF you’re right in the niche. But if you can’t find your niche you’ll need to contact them and ask them to add yours.
RankIQ is also a great optimization tool because it’s more affordable than some of the other choices out there. Not only do you get more reports than many other services, you get access to their other features, regardless of what plan you’re on. There’s nothing locked behind any extra payments.
Cons
I don’t have a lot of issues with RankIQ.
The biggest thing I can think of is that it might be a hindrance to new bloggers that are hesitating to spend any money on their blogs. Of course, you could say the same for ANY program — and, honestly, if you’re trying to grow a successful blog, you’ll need to invest something in your blog.
The other big issue with RankIQ is that I highly recommend that you double-check your keywords. This adds additional time to your overall planning process, but in my experience it’s worth it.
Is RankIQ Worth It?
Ultimately, I think RankIQ is well worth it for travel bloggers.
The biggest reason I recommend it is that it’s affordable, easy to use, and made specifically for bloggers. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re an experienced blogger, their Keyword Library is a gold mine if you know what you’re looking for.
This gives you a real edge in your keyword research (but don’t forget to verify everything).
About RankIQ’s Founder, Brandon Gaille
Brandon Gaille, RankIQs founder, is a millionaire blogger. With that in mind, he definitely has the credibility to back up his blogger-focused tool.
You can listen to his podcast. The Blogging Millionaire, for free, and get invaluable insights into the world of blogging and how you can do it for profit. He has a course called The Blogging Millionaire Course, which is a bit pricey — but high impact bloggers do swear by it.
Brandon managed to build traffic to his blog and create a profitable site in less than two years. It’s quite the story, you should check it out.
Blogging Millionaire Podcast
The Blogging Millionaire Podcast is hosted by RankIQ’s founder, Brandon Galile. It’s primarily a single-man show that hears Brandon talk about how he’s monetized his blog and made millions.
He shares the best tips and tricks he’s learned over the years, and you can benefit from his knowledge. Everything from setting up your desk for success to creating strategies that work best to grow your traffic can be found there. Honestly, this show has a TON of great advice and it doesn’t cost you a penny to listen. If you’ve never checked it out before, I’d highly recommend it.
Does RankIQ Work for Travel Blogs?
As a travel blogger, I can positively affirm that RankIQ does work for travel bloggers … -ish.
I’ve been using it for a while now and I have a ton of high-ranking posts. However, I do recommend that you double-check any keywords before you start using them with a separate tool just to be sure.
I’ve found a couple keywords with it that were not easy wins. When I brought them to Brandon’s attention, they tried to refund me and cancel my account rather than simply fixing the list.
So do double check the keywords before you just run with them. I more so use it for the content optimizer and use my own keywords.
There are a ton of travel blogging niches inside the RankIQ keyword library, which is a great place to get started finding new ideas. Whatever travel blogging niche you’re looking for, chances are you can find it!
Does it work with zero volume keywords?
No, RankIQ doesn’t work with zero volume keywords. The tool looks at the top 10 results on Google. If those results are poor quality (aka. forums or irrelevant answers), it will pull unhelpful information.
Skip RankIQ for the Zero to Hero Keywords. Instead, use it for the ones with actual competition on page 1 of Google.
RankIQ Reviews
Posts I’ve Written With Rank IQ
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- Link Whisper Review: SEO Expert’s Take on the Internal Linking Tool
- Best Travel Blogging Courses: Which is Worth Your Money?
RankIQ
RankIQ is the #1 content optimization tool for bloggers looking to rank on the first page of Google. With a keyword library of easy win keywords, a content optimizer full of LSI keywords, and ideal word counts based on competitors, this tool makes it easy to scale your blog’s traffic.
Conclusion: Do You Need RankIQ?
You don’t NEED RankIQ, just like you don’t NEED any other tool to run your blog. However, there are some awesome tools that will make your life considerably easier and your content creation process run smoother, and RankIQ is one of those tools.
If you’re working on improving the ranking of your content and want to take things to the next level, RankIQ is seriously worth it.
It will help you save a ton of time in manual research to find the BEST keywords and create outlines that perform fantastically on Google. Especially when you pair it with a great AI writing tool like Jasper.
If you have multiple sites to find keywords and write content for, RankIQ can help you with that too. With their Keyword Library, you have an opportunity to take a deep dive into multiple niches.
Simply put, RankIQ is a great tool to help you improve your SEO and solid rankings. It’s affordable, easy to use, and it can save you a TON of time and work in the long one. I highly recommend taking it for a spin and letting me know what you think.
See More Amazing Blogging Tools And My Honest Reviews
- Ezoic Review: Will it Increase Your Blog Revenue?
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- Honest RankIQ Review: Is It Worth It for SEO?
- Try Interact Quiz Review: How I Grow My Email List By 1300+ Monthly!
- Lyrical Host Review: The #1 Host for Bloggers
- Travel Blogging Summit Denver 2022 Review & Key Takeaways
- My Honest Jasper.ai Review: The Best AI for SEO Blog Posts
- 19 Best Surfer SEO Alternatives for Bloggers
- 23 Best Ahrefs Alternatives For Bloggers (Free & Paid)
- 12 Best Ubersuggest Alternatives for Keyword Research
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