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For years, I relied heavily on Google Search Console to understand how my SEO work was performing. And honestly, why wouldn’t I? Search Console is first-party data. It’s Google telling you what Google sees. For someone who’s been doing SEO for years, it feels like the most honest source of truth. But at one point, something didn’t add up.

The Problem: “Are My Keywords Even Ranking?”

While working on SEO for a client website, I noticed a pattern in Google Search Console: I could see branded keywords I could see some impressions But I could barely see the generic keywords I had actually optimized pages for And this wasn’t for a week or two – this went on for months. If I looked only at Search Console, it almost felt like:

“All this SEO work… and nothing is really ranking.”

That’s a dangerous place to be, especially when you know the on-page work is solid.

The Old-School SEO Mindset (That Held Me Back)

Like many marketers who’ve been in this space for a long time, I came from a very old-school SEO mindset

• Do solid on-page SEO
• Build relevant content
• Trust Search Console
• Avoid over-relying on tools

I’ve always used tools like SEMrush, but mostly for: keyword research competitor analysis audits I never fully leaned into Position Tracking. That changed one day.

• keyword research
• competitor analysis
• audits

I never fully leaned into Position Tracking. That changed one day.

Discovering SEMrush Position Tracking (Properly)

Out of curiosity (and frustration), I decided to try something different. I went into SEMrush → Position Tracking and:

• added all the keywords I had optimized for
• set the correct location and device
• tracked them consistently over time What I saw genuinely surprised me.

The Reality Check

Many keywords that Search Console wasn’t clearly showing were actually:

• Ranking in the Top 5
• Sitting between positions 6–10
• Or comfortably within Top 20–40

And the most important part?

Some of the most valuable keywords were already in the Top 5. They just weren’t visible clearly inside Search Console because:

• impressions were spread across variants
• data was sampled
• pages were ranking for multiple similar queries

Search Console wasn’t wrong, it was just incomplete for this use case.

Why This Changed My SEO Reporting Forever

From that point onward, Position Tracking became a non-negotiable part of my SEO workflow.

Here’s why it matters:

• It shows true keyword movement
• It helps you track specific intent-based keywords
• It gives clarity when Search Console feels vague
• It builds confidence – for you and your clients

Search Console tells you what Google sees. Position Tracking tells you where you actually stand. Both are needed.

SEMrush Became My Second Brain for SEO

I did my research, tested multiple workflows, and honestly, SEMrush has remained my second favorite SEO tool (right after Search Console).

But for visibility, confidence, and reporting, Position Tracking is one of its most underrated features.

And yes, SEMrush actively supports and engages with content where marketers share real use cases like this, which I genuinely appreciate.

Final Thought

If you’re doing SEO and relying only on Search Console to judge performance, you might be underestimating your results.

Sometimes, the keywords are ranking. You’re just not looking at them the right way.