> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.surnex.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build a keyword tracking set

> Research widely, shortlist ruthlessly, and track only what earns its recurring cost.

Tracked keywords are the one thing in Surnex with an ongoing cost. Every tracked keyword is re-checked on your schedule — daily by default — so it draws on your quota every single day. Research is cheap; tracking is not.

This guide separates the two.

## 1. Research widely

Use [Keywords](/keywords/research), which has four tools:

**Domain Keywords on your own domain** — what you already rank for. The best starting point on an established site.

**Domain Keywords on competitors** — works on any domain. The fastest read of what a competitor is targeting, and the fastest source of terms you'd never have thought of.

**Suggestions** — up to 100 seeds in, 50 related keywords out. Good when you're starting from a topic rather than a list.

**Research** — up to 700 keywords in bulk, when you already have candidates from a brief or a brainstorm.

Bookmark anything plausible. Saving is free and unlimited; it costs nothing to be generous here.

## 2. Shortlist on the metrics

On [Saved keywords](/keywords/saved), work through your list against three questions.

**Is the intent right?** This decides more than anything else. Expand a row and check **Intent** — a transactional keyword needs a product page, not a blog post, and no amount of writing quality overcomes the mismatch. Cut anything where you can't or won't build the right page format.

**Is it winnable?** [Keyword difficulty](/keywords/metrics#keyword-difficulty) is green under 40, amber to 69, red above. But KD is relative to the whole web, not to you — judge it against your own [Domain Rank](/domains/overview). A KD of 35 is easy for an established domain and out of reach for a new one.

**Is it worth anything?** CPC is the best proxy for commercial value. High volume with a CPC near zero is informational traffic that rarely converts. Modest volume with a high CPC is a keyword people pay real money for.

The sweet spot on most sites is **low volume, low KD, high CPC** — small, winnable, and commercially real. High-volume head terms feel like the goal and usually aren't the place to start.

## 3. Track the shortlist

There's **no promote-to-tracking button**. Saved keywords are a shortlist; tracking is a separate step.

Since the [Tracking](/tracking/add-keywords) form accepts a comma-separated list, the practical move is to finish your shortlist, then paste the final set across in one go:

```
seo tools, rank tracker, backlink checker
```

Set location, language, and search engine once — they apply to everything in the box. To track one keyword in two markets, add it twice, once per location.

## 4. Size it against your plan

Tracked keywords are capped per plan and counted across the whole organization, not per project:

| Plan | Tracked keywords |
| ---- | ---------------- |
| Free | 10               |
| Pro  | 500              |
| Team | 2,500            |

Spreading Pro's 500 across five projects is 100 each. Plan the split before you fill it up on one site.

## 5. Tune the frequency

Before adding more keywords, consider checking the ones you have less often. On [Tracking → Overview](/tracking/overview), **Settings** offers Every day, Every 3 days, or Once a week.

Moving from daily to weekly cuts that consumption by roughly 85%. Most sites don't move enough day to day for daily checks to tell you anything a weekly check wouldn't — and 500 keywords checked weekly beats 100 checked daily for almost every purpose.

Daily is worth it when you're actively working on a page and want fast feedback, or during a migration.

## 6. Maintain it

A tracking set isn't set-and-forget.

**Pause rather than delete.** Pausing stops checks and keeps history; deleting destroys the history permanently. Note a paused keyword still counts against the tracked-keyword *limit* — pausing saves lookups, not slots.

**Review what's stuck.** A keyword pinned outside the top 100 for months is telling you the page isn't competitive. Either commit to fixing it or stop paying to watch it.

**Watch the ranking URL.** On [keyword cards](/tracking/add-keywords) and in [history](/tracking/keyword-history), the URL column shows which page actually ranks. When it changes, Google reinterpreted which of your pages is most relevant — often the real story behind a position swing.

**Add from what you learn.** [Domain overview → Top Keywords](/domains/overview) refreshes your view of what you rank for. Terms at 11–20 with real volume are the cheapest wins available.

## Next

* [Keyword metrics](/keywords/metrics) — what each number means
* [Ranking alerts](/tracking/alerts) — the thresholds that trigger a notification
* [Position changes](/tracking/changes) — reading movement over time