RankIQ Review: The Best SEO Tool for Bloggers (2024)
In this post, I am going to personally review a popular SEO tool for bloggers. RankIQ is, in my opinion, the best search engine optimization tool currently on the market!
Both new bloggers and established blogging pros can benefit from it to improve their content and create fast-ranking blog posts.
This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking one of those. I only recommend resources I use and love! Read my full disclosure.
While I have only been using RankIQ consistently for a few months, I made it my goal to use it for ALL the new content I am producing for Blogging She Thrives. As the blog continues to grow, I will be tracking my progress and sharing it with you here.
Below, is my honest RankIQ review and my thoughts about the tool so far. And because I know that diving into new software can be overwhelming, I have also created a detailed RankIQ tutorial that you can follow if you decide to give it a try.
Update: While searching incognito, I found that my blog post on How to Start a Blog with Lyrical Host has quickly ranked in Google’s Top 3!
The first two articles on the list are by Lyrical Host themselves! Plus, this was less than a month from launching the blog AND exactly 10 days after publishing that specific post…
If that isn’t a huge win, tell me what is 🙂 We all know Google takes a while to even index new sites, let alone bring them all the way up to the top!
RankIQ Review: My Key Takeaways
- RankIQ is easy to use and doesn’t require any prior knowledge of SEO
- It is made by a pro blogger, for bloggers at all levels
- The Keyword Library lists thousands of low-competition and high-traffic keywords in hundreds of blogging niches
- RankIQ’s content optimizer helps create SEO-friendly blog posts that can rank on the first page of Google search results quickly
- It is one of the most affordable SEO tools on the market
- Also acts as a blog content planner
- Its Rankings Audit tool is easier to read than Google Search Console’s reports
What is RankIQ?
RankIQ is an AI-based SEO toolset created specifically for bloggers. It makes SEO simple regardless of your level of expertise and delivers results fast!
As bloggers, we’re always on the lookout for tools that can help us draft high-quality content, and RankIQ does precisely that!
There are hundreds of SEO tools out there… but RankIQ sets itself apart with its smart use of artificial intelligence and competitive pricing.
What does it do exactly?
RankIQ analyzes the top-ranking content for any given keyword, extracts its essential components, and serves you with a personalized, data-backed recipe for fast-ranking blog posts.
Essentially, it analyzes your blog posts next to the highest-ranking articles by other content creators and provides you with actionable insights to produce better content.
The various tools you can access as a RankIQ user eliminate the guesswork in content creation!
It determines the best keywords to target, lists the related terms that you should be using in your post, and helps you craft engaging blog post titles for a better chance of ranking high on Google.
The best part?
RankIQ has a user-friendly interface that makes the entire process hassle-free.
From crafting SEO-optimized headlines to acting as a digital blog planner, it streamlines the process of coming up with winning posts and organizing your editorial calendar, too.
To sum up, RankIQ offers an easy, tailored, and intelligent way to improve your blog’s SEO and get more organic traffic, regardless of your blogging niche or level of expertise.
Click here to learn more about RankIQ!
Who’s the founder of RankIQ?
Brandon Gaille is the founder and mastermind of RankIQ. He is a respected industry expert, a top SEO strategist, a fellow blogger, and the host of the Blogging Millionaire Podcast.
RankIQ’s Unique Features
Done-for-you keyword research:
RankIQ’s team of SEO experts has put together a massive list of the lowest-competition keywords with the highest traffic potential. You’ll find these in the Keyword Library, which is organized by blogging niche.
While the tool already covers over 500 separate niches, if you can’t find yours, you can simply send them a request for it to be added for you.
Some of RankIQ’s biggest niches include:
- Arts & Crafts (with over 18,000 keywords currently listed)
- Beauty (with over 19,000 keywords currently listed)
- Business (with over 25,000 keywords currently listed)
- Fashion (with over 45,000 keywords currently listed)
- Food (with over 130,000 keywords currently listed)
- Gardening (with over 21,000 keywords currently listed)
- Health (with over 32,000 keywords currently listed)
- Home (with over 19,000 keywords currently listed)
- Mom (with over 22,000 keywords currently listed)
- Nutrition (with over 22,000 keywords currently listed)
- Outdoors (with over 24,000 keywords currently listed)
- Personal Finance (with over 23,000 keywords currently listed)
- Travel (with over 78,000 keywords currently listed)
After picking a topic, you’ll get a table like the above with a list of pre-researched low-competition phrases with significant traffic potential.
Next to each keyword phrase, the tool will show you:
- The competition level: normally up to 30 as RankIQ’s main goal is to give you options for keywords you can actually rank for.
- Visits per Year: unlike other mainstream SEO tools that usually show you the expected impressions you can get in a month, RankIQ lists the yearly visits your optimized content could get. Since the idea of using RankIQ is to go after low-competition keywords, these numbers aren’t normally huge. But in the end, if you can get a few of your articles ranking on the 1st page of Google, you should achieve big traffic gains, even as a brand-new blogger.
- Time to Rank: this column scores the expected time to rank from Ultra Fast to Long. Some users have reportedly been featured on page 1 of Google only a few hours after publishing a new post!
- Report: the last section to the right of the Keyword Library results has a button to run a report directly from there. While the orange plus button at the very beginning will simply add any term to your saved keywords, the green “Run Report” button will automatically generate an AI SEO report for that specific term or phrase, right from inside the library.
I have personally used very few of the keyword terms listed for my niche. At the moment, I still prefer to conduct my own keyword research elsewhere and then use RankIQ to optimize my content.
That’s mainly out of habit! However, I have seen plenty of RankIQ users achieve huge (and speedy!) success after tackling the terms available in the Keyword Library, so I’ll certainly have another go at it myself.
More about my experience in the pros and cons section, below.
AI SEO Reports:
To me, the heart of RankIQ is in its AI SEO Reports.
Think of these reports as your personal SEO consultant, analyzing your competitors, and giving you actionable tips to outrank them.
Your role? Simply implement the recommendations within a helpful and well-structured piece of content, and watch the magic happen!
Trust me, the reports are easy to read and understand, even if SEO has felt like a puzzle to you before!
Each report is generated based on real-time data, giving you credible insights to help your blog content rank higher and faster.
So if you’re tired of the SEO grind and want to work smarter, not harder, RankIQ will become your blogging secret weapon!
Each report starts with the recommended score and word count you need to aim for, and a Google ranking analysis that displays the competition level and the anticipated time to rank.
After those, there’s a list of topics (or related terms) that search engines expect to find in your new post.
And then comes the title analysis.
RankIQ lists the words that Google likes to see in blog post titles for your target keyword. As you type, the title grader will give you a real-time score, so you’re sure to use the right combination of words.
It is extremely helpful for coming up with a click-worthy, top-notch title, and understanding whether you’ve made it too short or too long.
You also get to see a list of the current top-ranking titles for your chosen phrase, which you can use as inspiration when coming up with yours.
This is invaluable for creating unique titles that stand out.
And, at the very end of the report, you’re presented with Google’s top 3 results for the same topic.
This is useful to understand what types of posts you’ll be competing against. Besides seeing the number of words those bloggers wrote, you can click through to get some inspiration on how to structure your own post.
Content Optimizer:
The content optimizer helps you rate the blog post you’ve produced next to RankIQ’s AI SEO suggestions.
As you work on your article, RankIQ counts the number of words you’ve written and shows you a general content grade (from F to A++), so that you can see where you stand in comparison to Google’s top performers.
This is a game changer if you have limited time to analyze each of the posts that are already ranking! In all fairness, we’re all busy, right?
It helps you put together the most comprehensive piece of content on any given keyword, in no time!
On the right-hand side of the content optimizer, there’s a list of terms that you should aim to include, presented to you in order of importance.
While you must keep your content readable and only include the terms that make sense, this comes in handy when structuring your post to ensure that you’re covering all the relevant topics.
These related keywords are pulled from Google’s top-ranking posts and show you exactly what Google expects to find in yours.
Personally, to make sure that my content flows in the best possible way for my readers, I like to draft my blog posts on a Google Doc first. I then copy them into the Content Optimizer to add the final touches.
However, you can certainly produce your entire blog posts right from within the tool. It will even save your progress automatically so you can access those posts again and continue to make improvements over different work sessions.
RankIQ’s Support and Community
RankIQ’s support is fast and efficient. I’ve contacted them a few times since I started using the tool and am always pleased with the level of customer service.
Natalie Gaille usually responds to messages quickly, within 2 to 4 hours.
Besides 1:1 email support, another perk RankIQ users get is joining their exclusive Facebook group. The community is active and people are always willing to offer advice on various blogging-related matters, from website optimization to ad network recommendations.
I have quickly found this group to be one of the most engaging and helpful among the various Facebook groups I am part of.
Of course this is just a bonus and not the reason for getting RankIQ! But I still think it’s important to know the type of support and blogging community you’d be getting into.
Who is RankIQ for?
RankIQ is specifically built for bloggers and content creators looking to find the best keywords for their niche, and to go after topics with high traffic potential.
Because the software was designed by a top blogger who understands what it takes to increase your Google rankings, it is easy to use and can save you much time.
Whether you’re just starting a blog for the first time, or you are an established blogger already, RankIQ is for you! It helps you create new blog posts and update old underperforming posts, thanks to the useful content optimizer tool.
Related post: How to Start a Blog (Guide for Beginners) + FREE Checklist
RankIQ’s Users Reviews
RankIQ’s reviews speak for themselves, so I’ve decided to show you a few of my top picks:
“RankIQ is the best SEO site hands down! Their keyword library is massive and relevant. The filters help narrow my search so I can quickly build my keyword library with little effort or time on my part. The reports that I run are extremely helpful in helping me write accurate and effective content.”
Source: G2
“I found the headline writer extremely useful – I have always felt like this wasn’t a strength of mine and this tool is helping a lot.”
Source: GetApp
“Using Rank IQ is teaching me to write for SEO optimization. I love that I have a magic formula for writing without having to do the research myself. It is extremely easy to use and helps me understand how to write for what people are searching for instead of my own personal preferences.”
Source: G2
“RankIQ has changed the way that I create content for my website, they have a simple to use website that allows me to simply choose my niche, key topics and then it lays out the blueprint of what I need to write.”
Source: G2
“RankIQ is so easy to use and very intuitive. It gives you all the information you need to write a successful blog post that WILL rank on Google. Plus, the suggested keywords will help you make your articles more beneficial for your readers. I can’t recommend it enough!”
Source: G2
My Honest RankIQ Review
I know that investing in new software can be scary. With so much advice on starting blogs for free, one can be doubtful about the use of paid tools.
I’ll be honest… I only decided to invest in RankIQ myself several months after learning about it. My initial plan was to test it out for a month and then cancel my subscription.
The truth is that I was hooked from day 1! It really helps create and analyze content in a way I haven’t found elsewhere.
Plus, I have got to admit that I was impressed by Brandon Gaille’s study on Mediavine blogs using Rank IQ:
“A recent 1-year study of 2363 Mediavine blogs found that the Mediavine blogs using RankIQ increased their Google traffic 468% more than the Mediavine blogs not using RankIQ.”
I had to see its power for myself!
Since the last quarter of 2023, I used RankIQ to write faster and better posts for this site. I love its content optimizer, which shows me the exact keywords other bloggers are using to rank, and helps me think outside the box.
If you optimize your content correctly, using low-competition keywords, your posts WILL start to rank! And they will eventually move higher in search for other related terms too.
So even as a brand-new blogger, RankIQ can help you write content that has the opportunity to rank well over time!
I can’t tell you if using RankIQ will make you a millionaire. So far, it hasn’t made me (nor have I used it long enough)!
But it certainly encourages me to aim for better (I am always trying to get those green scores, of course!) and it has helped me increase page views quickly!
Pros & Cons of RankIQ
To me, RankIQ’s pros outweigh the cons by far!
I honestly believe it’s a great tool to kickstart your blogging business or grow an existing blog by optimizing its old content further.
Here are my thoughts, in a nutshell:
Pros
✅ The content optimizer will help you create excellent new content and optimize old blog posts faster;
✅ You’ll gain access to a hand-picked keyword library of terms that will fast-track your blog’s rankings on search engines;
✅ It also acts like a digital content planner, which is super helpful for keeping track of past and future publications;
✅ The title optimizer and overview of the top winning posts by other bloggers helps you craft better titles;
✅ If you blog in a niche that hasn’t yet been explored, you can ask RankIQ’s team to find the right keywords for you, and those will be added to the keyword research library in no time;
✅ There are plenty of tutorial videos that make it easy to use the tool, even if you’re a complete beginner;
✅ Affordable price point when compared to other SEO software options.
Cons
❌ Keyword density isn’t factored in.
While you do get a list of the keywords that Google expects to see in your blog post presented in order of importance, the content optimizer doesn’t mention the number of times each keyword should be used;
❌ Unused reports are lost when the allowance resets (at the beginning of every month).
This means that you should run reports even when you’re not producing new (or editing old) content, to make the most out of your subscription;
❌ Running a report often takes more than a few seconds. Although that’s not a big deal, I do find that response time could be improved;
❌ Some of the high-traffic keywords displayed in the library seem quite random for some niches (most are great, though!).
As I started exploring the library for myself, I personally found it challenging to think of the type of content I could write for most of the listed topics in my niche.
A lot of the “blogging” niche was about HTML, Squarespace… and many other technical topics that aren’t at all my focus, at Blogging She Thrives.
Here, I want it to make it easy for new and intermediate bloggers to grow their blogging business. When I do mention tech – because there’s no blogging without it – I want to skip the overwhelming jargon and make it simpler.
That’s why I have continued to conduct my own research on KeySearch and then used RankIQ for the SEO reports and the content optimizer.
And while I still have a long list of ideas I can create content around, I’ve finally sent in a request for more relevant keywords to be added for me.
Brandon is currently updating the library based on MY ideas. Isn’t that so cool?
RankIQ’s Pricing
RankIQ offers the best value for money among the top search engine optimization and keyword tools currently on the market.
With options for all levels, it can be useful to both solo bloggers and full teams of content publishers.
What I love about their pricing model, when compared to other types of software I use, is that you get access to all their tools, regardless of the plan you choose.
The different price tiers are solely based on the amount of content briefs (or AI-based SEO reports) that you can run each month.
Here’s a quick visual on how RankIQ’s pricing compares to its competitors:
RankIQ subscription plans
As of publishing this post, you can still get your hands on RankIQ for 50% off their regular rate of $99 per month.
While I don’t know for sure when the price will increase, you can subscribe to the standard plan for only $49, on this page.
Here are the different plans RankIQ currently offers:
- RankIQ Lite at $29, includes 8 monthly SEO reports
- RankIQ Standard at $49, includes 16 monthly SEO reports
- RankIQ Pro at $99, includes 36 monthly SEO reports
- RankIQ Agency at $199, includes 80 monthly SEO reports
Click here to sign up for RankIQ and get started today!
How do you get more SEO reports on RankIQ?
As soon as you join RankIQ, you’ll have access to the Standard plan, which includes 16 reports, and costs $49 per month.
However, if you find that 16 isn’t enough, you can easily get more. Simply click the orange “Upgrade” button at the top of the screen, or find the same option from the hamburger menu on the left.
What RankIQ plan should I subscribe to?
When you join RankIQ for the first time, you’ll be automatically subscribed to their Standard plan. And, as mentioned above, you can request to change plans from inside your member’s area.
With the lite plan, you get to run up to 8 reports per month, and the higher tiers go all the way up to 80 monthly SEO reports.
This being said, I do think the standard plan is great for most bloggers!
It allows you plenty of room to run reports on any keywords you need so that you can improve your blog’s stats efficiently.
With 16 monthly AI SEO reports, I would suggest the following strategy:
- Use 8 of those reports to create new blog posts
- Use the other 8 to optimize old, underperforming posts
If you have been blogging for 12 months or longer, you want to give special attention to the content you created before using RankIQ and find opportunities for improvement.
You can get the necessary data for the keywords you targeted in the past, and use RankIQ’s content optimizer to improve those posts and increase their rankings and page views.
Frequently Asked Questions about RankIQ
Do you need to use RankIQ to be a successful blogger?
No, you don’t need to get RankIQ to be successful at blogging. But it can help achieve faster results!
Essentially, RankIQ’s most valuable input evolves around handing you a keyword list of topics you can actually rank for and then grading the content you produce to help you achieve the best possible ranking position.
It saves you time and helps you work more efficiently.
Is RankIQ relevant after Google’s Helpful Content Update?
Yes! In fact, it has become even more important for bloggers to use tools that can help them please Google and create high-quality posts.
According to a recent study by Brandon Gaille, only 3% of RankIQ users received the unhelpful sitewide tag, experiencing a traffic loss of 50% or more.
The bloggers who were already writing most of their content on low-competition keywords consistently, and following RankIQ’s guidance to enhance their blog posts, weren’t hit as hard.
How is RankIQ different from other SEO tools?
RankIQ is made for bloggers. That’s not usually the same with other SEO tools, which normally target Digital Marketing experts.
It can save you weeks of doing the keyword research yourself and avoid errors when you don’t know how to use those other tools correctly. This means you can actually compete for a first-page Google ranking, even as a newbie.
While it is true that tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Surfer SEO offer a few additional capabilities, those are also a lot more expensive and require a steep learning curve!
I find that the most comparable to RankIQ is Surfer SEO, which I tested as a Digital Marketing student a couple of years ago.
However, the prices are much higher than the deal you can currently get with RankIQ.
The only other SEO tool I continue to use next to RankIQ (but which I recur to on and off, as needed) is KeySearch.
I do think KeySearch is very reasonably priced as well, and I occasionally like to take a look at what’s going on there. Also, I like to use KeySearch’s competitor analysis tool, which isn’t a feature that RankIQ offers.
While this isn’t something I do too often (hello comparison syndrome!), I do think it’s important to know what your competitors are up to.
However, if you’re just dipping your toes into blogging, you might find yourself stuck on finding good blog post ideas. This is where RankIQ outshines any other tools and what makes it so different.
While with the mainstream SEO tools you need to have a starting point in order to get stats and additional keyword suggestions, RankIQ hands you the best terms to focus on according to your blogging niche.
It also gives you an idea of how long it might take to rank for any specific topic, as well as information about the number of page views you could aim for.
What is the difference between RankIQ and KeySearch?
RankIQ is quite different from KeySearch. In fact, I think these tools complement one another, rather than standing as competitors. I wouldn’t necessarily refer to RankIQ as a keyword research tool, but rather a content optimization tool.
It offers you a full SEO report for the keywords you input (or find in the keyword library), helps you write a winning SEO title, gives you a list of LSI keywords to use, and then grades your content based on the top-ranking results.
If you’re looking for a keyword research tool, though, RankIQ isn’t the right choice.
While, as we’ve seen, it does give you access to a keyword library, that’s made of pre-researched phrases. You’ll have all the information you need on those terms, but you can’t do your own research inside the tool like you would in KeySearch.
RankIQ is ideal for those who:
- don’t know how to do keyword research properly,
- or prefer not to spend time on the task,
- want to use low-competition keywords with a high traffic potential,
- are looking for a simple tool that doesn’t require SEO knowledge or a learning curve, and
- are willing to write about the suggested topics.
Besides, its content optimizer is a lot more robust and intuitive than the one offered by KeySearch.
On another hand, KeySearch wins when it comes to doing manual keyword research by yourself since you can get further information from the tool.
Unlike RankIQ, it won’t offer you a list of pre-selected topics to write about. You need to do the research yourself and be able to understand the reports so that you know exactly which phrases you should target.
Do you need RankIQ as a brand-new blogger?
You don’t necessarily need any tools at all, as a brand-new blogger. And I don’t like telling new bloggers that they must have this or that. I didn’t invest much in my first couple of blogs either.
However, tools can help!
If you’re going to invest in any software to speed up your blogging success, I’d say RankIQ should be among your priorities.
Bloggers in all niches are getting fantastic results from using RankIQ’s keyword library.
Also, RankIQ is the only SEO tool that has done the keyword research for you!
Their team of SEO experts continues to research new topics daily and has already hand-picked a huge list. These are keywords with the least competition and the highest traffic potential in over 500 separate niches.
For example, the fashion niche library has over 45,000 unique low-competition phrases, broken down into 34 sub-niches, like sustainable fashion, sunglasses, maternity, and more.
This is huge!
And it would take you months to get anywhere close to what they’ve already done for us. Plus, you’d need to know how to do keyword research effectively…
RankIQ is super easy for beginners to use and makes SEO a piece of cake. They also rank #1 on G2 out of hundreds of SEO tools.
So, still wondering if it’s worth it? Absolutely!
Can I use RankIQ for business, or is it just for bloggers?
No, RankIQ isn’t just for bloggers.
While it is blogger focused, it will be helpful to business owners as well. If you rely on content to build brand awareness and grow your clientele, RankIQ is a must-have!
By optimizing your new and existing content the right way, you’ll be putting your business in front of more potential customers and increase sales via organic search.
Plus, it spits out everything that needs to be done! You don’t need prior SEO knowledge or Digital Marketing expertise, to write content that ranks and increase your website traffic quickly.
What happens if several RankIQ users go after the same term from the Keyword Library?
Good question!
RankIQ’s team will remove keywords from the pre-researched terms after a certain number of reports have been run.
While it is known that some users run reports but never end up writing a post, those keywords will still be removed. This way, the Keyword Library stays up to date with the least competitive phrases.
New keywords are researched daily as well, so you’ll always find new topic ideas to write about.
Can I write about topics that aren’t listed on RankIQ’s keyword library?
Yes, I do this ALL the time!
You’re not limited to the existing keyword libraries.
In fact, so far, I’ve written very few articles on phrases suggested by RankIQ’s keyword library.
While that’s something I want to change in the near future, I already had a list of my own keywords, which I had researched on KeySearch before joining RankIQ.
I didn’t want to miss out on those opportunities, and I was inspired to write those posts.
So I pulled RankIQ’s AI SEO reports for each of those keywords, and then used that data to write my posts.
I also love the Content Optimizer!
It is extremely helpful for coming up with new ideas, structuring my articles better, and making sure I’m not missing out on any important topics. And, of course, once you’ve run a report, you can use the optimizer even if the terms you’ve chosen aren’t part of the keyword library.
How does the Rankings Audit tool work?
Once your blog starts collecting data from Google Search Console, you can connect your account to RankIQ and find all the information you need, straight from inside the platform.
They use Google Search Console’s API so you can be certain that you’re seeing the latest and most accurate metrics.
RankIQ’s rankings audit tool will help you identify your blog’s best performers, as well as the posts that are losing traffic.
This makes it effortless for you to get into those posts, and make the necessary improvements in a matter of minutes.
Is there a lifetime deal for RankIQ?
No, despite contradictory advice in several articles out there, RankIQ has never offered a lifetime deal. I’ve confirmed this information with Natalie Gaille myself.
They use software and resources that require recurring fees, so it has never been viable to have a lifetime plan.
Can I try RankIQ for free?
RankIQ doesn’t offer a free plan, nor does it include a trial.
However, the Standard plan is currently discounted and it’s only $49 per month. Other options start at as low as $29. The plans run month by month, so technically you could try it for however long you like.
I’m sure you’ll be 100% sold from day one, though… That’s what happened to me!
I genuinely believe this is an excellent price point for such a powerful SEO toolset. Click here to see their current offer!
Does RankIQ have an affiliate program?
Yes, RankIQ does run an affiliate program and, like most SEO tools, it’s rather generous.
You can grab your affiliate links easily right from your account’s dashboard and start promoting the tool if you want to.
You will get $100 for every person you refer to RankIQ and affiliates are paid within 14 days of the end of each month.
Their affiliate program’s high commission shows that both Brandon and the team behind RankIQ truly believe in the power of the tool they’ve created.
They’ll often pay more to a referrer than the cost of one month’s worth of a RankIQ subscription. That tells me they are confident about the results they get for each blogger that joins, and that users tend to stick around.
Loved this? Share it with the world before we wrap up… 🙂
Wrapping up: Is RankIQ worth the cost?
I do think RankIQ is worth it to both new and advanced bloggers. It offers the best value for money among other SEO tools.
Right now, you can still get it for 50% off, which is a steal considering all the different ways in which it can help your blog grow and increase traffic quickly.
Click here to watch Brandon’s tutorial video on how RankIQ works and explore its potential for yourself!
Read next: How to use RankIQ to boost your blog’s traffic
And, if you have any questions or would like to know whether your niche is already listed in RankIQ’s keyword library, drop a comment below.
I’ll be happy to help or look it up for you!
