If there is one tool that has completely changed the game for me in regards to blogging, it is hands down RankIQ. RankIQ has really helped me optimize three big components of my blogging business that I often forget about: LSI keywords, title creation, and competition analysis in regards to word count and content quality.

This is not a review of RankIQ, but rather a look at how RankIQ has helped me with my blogging on this site and some of the key features I think will benefit niche bloggers and businesses the most in the goal of landing a 1st page Google ranking!

Also, this post was created in mid-November 2021, using the RankIQ tool. So if you are discovering this post from a Google Search, that should prove how well it works!

NOTE: I am part of the RankIQ Affiliate Program, so this article does contain affiliate links for RankIQ. If you are interested in trying RankIQ for yourself after reading my thoughts on the tool, I would appreciate you using one of the links below, as it helps support my content creation efforts on this blog. Thank you so much for your support!

How RankIQ Has Worked for Me

Since I started using RankIQ in early October 2021, and focusing my efforts on the elements the tool recommends, I have seen a 98% increase in ranked keywords, a 458% increase in overall session traffic to my website (compared to the same period a year ago), and… wait for it… a 720% increase in blog post specific traffic.

What has really driven this huge increase in traffic has been my ability to rank for keywords faster after hitting “Publish”. One of the early posts I created with RankIQ showed up in search in just five days. A couple of posts later, another ranked after four days! With just a little bit of hard work to hit the suggested word count and using the right keywords really has given me the best chance of delivering a comprehensive piece of content that has the highest traffic potential.

In all honesty, nothing else has really changed with my blog post creation process. The only new factor I introduced was using RankIQ.

Early Skepticism Turned to a Successful Outlook

I have to admit, I was skeptical about RankIQ when I first heard about it. I was listening to the host of The Blogging Millionaire podcast, Brandon Gaille, when he mentioned the new product. What caught my attention was Brandon talking about using IBM Watson for keyword analysis and how it was helping bloggers rank faster. Now up to that point in time, October 2021, I had never paid for a keyword research tool. I had hacked together some free tools to build a process to get me the bare minimum of what I needed. My site's objective right now is to drive awareness traffic, not make money, so the thought of paying for a tool was kind of out of the question.

However after a couple more podcasts and hearing Brandon talk about RankIQ, I decided to give it a try. I committed to try it for 30 days and if I didn't like it, I would just cancel.

My first impression was how easy RankIQ is to use. With other keyword research tools, there are often numerous steps to get at what you want, but with RankIQ you simply punch in the target keyword you want an analysis on and you are given everything you need on one page. LSI keywords, title suggestions, and a competitive analysis. It is all right there so you can get done what really matters… creating the content. RankIQ is like search engine optimization in a box, already assembled and ready to use!

That is where RankIQ's biggest game changer comes into play. RankIQ has a built-in text editor, complete with all the LSI keywords on the right side of the screen. (LSI is Latent Semantic Indexing, which are terms and phrases that are similar or related to a webpage's target keyword that search engines use to deeply understand content on a webpage.) You start with a content grade of an 'F', but as you type content, add in the LSI keywords, and format headings, your score increases. Once you reach RankIQ's recommended word count and your content report grade is up to an A++, you are ready to take that content to your CMS and publish!

The content optimizer alone is worth the price of admission. Recently I tried Jarvis, the AI content creation service, thinking I could maybe publish more content on a monthly basis if I had artificial intelligence writing some of it for me. I didn't care for it personally, the writing did feel robotic (which technically, it was) and while the RankIQ content optimizer doesn’t write any words for you, having the LSI listing right there in the right panel really helps give you direction on what you should be writing. The content optimizer is by far one of my favorite features in RankIQ.

Optimizing Old Posts

Not only has RankIQ been a great addition to my process of creating new blog posts, but I have been also loading in old underperforming post content and optimizing it based on RankIQ’s recommendations. The early results have been amazing. In October 2021, after optimizing some older posts that had been published for about a year and were not getting any traffic, a number of them started to get ranking keywords and have seen early signs of traffic growth. RankIQ is great for content analysis and content optimization.

RankIQ also helped me make some tough decisions on content to get rid of. After running some keywords I had targeted for some older posts, I found that I couldn’t compete to the level needed to rank and make progress. That was good to know because then it was easier to delete those posts and move on. A couple got added to a future revision list.

The Key Features of RankIQ

If you are just getting started with blogging and you are serious about growing it the right way from the start, RankIQ is a perfect tool to get started with creating new posts. Instead of being overwhelmed with big, comprehensive keyword tools and SEO reports you don’t really need when you are first getting started, simply type in your keyword phrase and get back all you need to give you a better chance of getting on the first page of Google.

Title Analysis

Over the years of blog writing I have done, I have to admit that the title of the posts I write have been an afterthought. The title analysis section in RankIQ has changed that for me. I now spend a lot of time piecing together strong titles for my posts, which I am sure is benefiting me now and even more so in the future.

The Keyword Library

Another added benefit of RankIQ is the Keyword Research Library, which is a library of the lowest competition keywords with the highest search volume in a variety of blog niches. It is an instant access tool to start your exploration if your niche is one that is included. I believe I have even heard Brandon Gaille say on his podcast that if there is a niche you are in and it is not in one of the keyword libraries, if you reach out to him he will add it in.

Not Just for Niche Bloggers

RankIQ is very much positioned as a tool for niche site bloggers, which it definitely is good for. I also believe RankIQ is an excellent tool for corporate marketing teams. If you have a team of content creators and content publishers whose keyword research strategies include high traffic keywords and low competition phrases, RankIQ might be a good addition to your SEO toolset.

RankIQ Reviews on G2

RankIQ has proved to be a game changer for my blogging business, but you don’t have to just take my word for it. G2, the go-to place for business software reviews, shows RankIQ as a five-star service with over 330 reviews (as of June 2022). You can check out all of the reviews for RankIQ on G2 here, and read my review of RankIQ on G2 here.

RankIQ FAQs

Is RankIQ Legit?

As I noted earlier, I was an early skeptic of RankIQ. When I first signed up, I committed to three months, giving it the full treatment to see if the hype would hold up.  I can honestly tell you, and the results above show it, if you meet RankIQ’s recommended word count, meet or exceed the recommended content optimization grade, and craft a strong blog post title, you will see results.

How Much Does RankIQ Cost?

The listed price of RankIQ is $99 a month, but upon signing up, you will be offered the rate of $49 a month. I thought that was supposed to be a limited time offer, but that rate has not changed since I signed up in October 2021.

Does Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Really Work?

There is plenty of debate among blogging circles that AI services (for SEO, content writing, etc) are not very good. I disagree completely. Sure, AI for blogging is still in its infancy, but I can tell you from experience that tools like RankIQ and Jasper are changing the way I blog, for the better. Your experience may vary, but I do recommend as least trying AI tools in your content process and see how they fit in for your specific needs.

Who is RankIQ for?

RankIQ is a great tool for anyone who runs a blog, big or small.  As a solopreneur, I feel RankIQ gives me an advantage over my competition.

My Plan Moving Forward with RankIQ [Updated June 2022]

After my first month of using Rank IQ, I decided to keep using it for another two months, at which point I figured I would make a decision on whether or not I wanted to continue with my subscription. Again, my site is not in a position to make money yet, so carrying the subscription cost will ultimately be decided by whether or not I am continuing to see signs of growth around the high-quality content I have used RankIQ to craft.

June 2022 Update: When I originally published this article in November 2021, I had committed to keeping my RankIQ subscription through the end of the year, which I did. Every post I created in November and December 2021, a total of 10 blog posts all together, were “RankIQ’ed”. At the end of December, I decided to keep my RankIQ subscription active for another three months, because I was having such great success with it. I went on to publish another 12 blog posts using RankIQ.

In May 2022, I put my RankIQ subscription on hold. Knowing that I am not going to be publishing as much content through the summer months, I didn’t want to pay for the subscription. I may pick it up again in the fall.

That said, I have to say that RankIQ has made me a better writer in general. My last two blog posts were published without using RankIQ, and one of them started ranking in four days after publishing. I credit some of that to better understanding what to have in a post, thanks to RankIQ.

Despite the fact that I am currently not using RankIQ, I still strongly encourage others to use it and stand by its effectiveness.  I am positive that RankIQ will continue to be a part of my blogging process again in the near future.