Honest RankIQ Review: Is it Worth it? How to Get it for $49 [2023]

Seek ye the diamond in the rough. A search engine optimization tool (SEO tool) that works, but doesn’t cost a fortune.

You’ve heard of RankIQ. Perhaps you even heard it mentioned on The Blogging Millionaire podcast a few times – or several times for that matter.

But you’re asking yourself: Is it too good to be true? Is RankIQ legit?

Well, today you’re in luck.

I am not only a user of RankIQ, ($49 standard plan) but I also happen to be a user of several competitor platforms and services including SEMRush ($119 standard plan) and Topic ($99 standard plan).

This is why I feel more than qualified to offer my two cents.

And in this article, I’m going to talk about RankIQ’s pros, RankIQ’s cons, how I personally use the platform, how to get it for a bargain and whether or not it’s “worth it”.

Read Also: Is it worth it to start a blog? How we made $250k in 2 years [2022]

Editor’s Note: I cannot tell you how intimidating it is to compete with a bunch of other pro bloggers who all use RankIQ and listen to The Blogging Millionaire podcast to get this article to rank on the first page of Google search results. But I’ve finally made it – which in itself, is a testament to the power of this platform.

What is RankIQ?

But first, for the uninitiated, I’ll provide a brief overview of the platform.

RankIQ is a self-described AI-powered SEO toolset. It claims to help its users “write blog posts that rank on Google’s 1st page”.

And the price point is designed for bloggers on a budget.

It’s the brainchild of SEO expert Brandon Gaille. Gaille is also the host of The Blogging Millionaire podcast. And I doubt that little factoid comes as a huge surprise because if you’re a regular listener to The Blogging Millionaire podcast you might have noticed that he plugs RankIQ a million gazillion times.

I will include a biography on Gaille and his interesting journey from SEO master to RankIQ founder at the bottom of this article for those who are interested. He also goes into depth about the story on his podcast in the episode entitled “How I Went from Zero to 6 Million Monthly Sessions“. It’s worth a listen.

Who are RankIQ’s competitors?

RankIQ’s direct competitors include the much more well-known SEMRush and AHrefs – both of which have much higher barriers to entry at $99-$119 monthly compared to RankIQ at $49.

And RankIQ, while much more limited feature-wise than its more robust competitors, manages to provide a lot of bang for that buck.

RankIQ’s primary features and services include:

• A Keyword Library (aka Keyword Research tool)
• The Ranking Tool
• A Content Optimizer
• An AI SEO Content Report

And if I’m being completely honest, those are really the only features a blogger actually needs anyway. Especially when just starting out. After all, who really uses all of the other features and services offered at SEMRush and AHrefs. Not me.

OK, rarely me. This is an honest review after all.

How much does RankIQ cost?

At the time of this writing, RankIQ’s price is $49 for a standard plan (normally $99 per month) – which is an absolute bargain compared to similar platforms.

In fact, RankIQ is the most affordable SEO toolkit that I’ve ever personally encountered.

And you can upgrade – or even downgrade – as needed.

RankIQ’s five different subscription tiers range from $29-$199.

All new subscribers begin with the standard plan.

The biggest difference between the plans is the number of content optimization reports you are allotted each month – more on that later.

How to change your RankIQ subscription plan

Active subscribers to RankIQ can change their base subscription after the first month as needed.

To change your subscription, use the following steps:

1. Login to RankIQ
2. Click on Your Name in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
3. Choose “Upgrade” from the dropdown
4. Then click on “Update Plan“
5. Finally, select your new plan

At the time of this writing, the current pricing for RankIQ is as follows.

RankIQ Pricing

Plan	Reports/Mo.	Price/Mo.
Lite	8	$29
Standard	16	$49
Pro	36	$99
Agency	80	$199

How to get a free trial of RankIQ

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, RankIQ does not offer a free trial.

But at these prices – do you really need a free trial? I think not.

How does RankIQ work?

As mentioned previously, my company actually subscribes to a number of SEO platforms. But our sites have grown so large in recent months that we were in need of a supplemental service. We burn through our monthly allotted Topic optimizations and SEMRush reports like fireworks on the fourth of July.

But instead of upgrading our other accounts, we thought it might be clever to use an entirely separate service.

Our suspicions – which proved to be correct – were that RankIQ’s algorithm would be a bit different, and therefore provide unique insights that we might not be getting with SEMRush.

So how does RankIQ work? How do we use the platform?

Read on young SEO padawan.

As I stated earlier, RankIQ has all of the crucial features that a blogger needs to get their sites to rank. So let’s walk through each.

RankIQ’s Keyword Library

RankIQ’s Keyword Library work’s similarly to SEMRush’s Keyword Research tool.

First, you’ll select a blog niche.

Then, you’ll set a number of filters that include a Competition Score, Visits, Rank, words to Include and words to Exclude.

What do you do if your specific niche isn’t listed?

Well, friends, this is where RankIQ’s biggest drawback lies.

RankIQ is still a fairly new company. And while they are actively improving their niche list and keyword database daily, you might not find your specific niche listed by default.

However, all hope is not lost.

Our niche wasn’t listed either.

And so, we just reached out to Gaille and his team, per RankIQ’s recommendation, and asked them to add our niche to the list (travel in Tennessee).

I’ll admit, it took them nearly a month to get it added and populate the database – like I said, big drawback.

But once they did, the Keyword Library started working like a charm.

In fact, because RankIQ hand-picks the keywords featured in their library, pretty much everything that makes the list are low competition keywords with high traffic potential right out of the gate. Which is kinda nice. I always get tired of filtering through SEMRush’s 10,000 useless keyphrases with zero-rank potential before I get to the goods.

And, RankIQ managed even to come up with some unique keyword ideas that we had never seen before on SEMRush – which was a nice little bonus.

RankIQ’s main level niches

Want to know whether or not your niche is on the platform? It’s your lucky day, I’ve compiled a list.

And if you still aren’t sure about your niche after reviewing this list, just comment below and I will be happy to personally check for you in exchange for you using my affiliate link should you choose to subscribe.

At the time of this writing, RankIQ’s current main level niches – and never fear most of these have dozens of subtopics not mentioned here – include:

Using the Keyword Library to find rankable topics

This is how we personally recommend using RankIQ’s Keyword Library when researching blog topics for new posts.

For this example, let’s research something fun, like cupcakes. Because I’m writing this review while hungry.

1. First, we select our Niche (Food: Cupcakes)
2. Next, we select our Competition Score (0 to 30)*
3. Then, we select our desired Visits per year (300 to 1000)
4. Next, we select our preferred time to Rank**
5. Finally, we select keywords we want to Include and/or Exclude (cupcake/vegan)

The Competition Score is equivalent to SEMRush’s Keyword Difficulty score. It’s basically an indication of how many other blogs are competing for the same or similar keywords. Generally speaking, the lower the number, the better chance you have to rank. I always advise new bloggers to look for high traffic keywords with competition scores less than 30.

Low competition, high traffic phrases are topics that Google wants content publishers to write about.

Time to Rank is a unique metric to RankIQ. And it does exactly what it sounds like it would do. It estimates how quickly it thinks it will take your blog post to rank for a specific keyword phrase.

After you’ve completed those steps, you’ll be given a list of keywords to choose from.

Now, it’s time to find some keywords and add them to our library.

To do this, just follow these two simple steps:

1. Put a checkmark next to keyphrases you want to add to your library
2. Click the blue button that reads “Add Selected to My KW Library“

Return to your KW Library when you are ready to write, select a phrase from the keyword list and run an content report if you so desire.

Rank IQ’s Content Optimization Tool and SEO Reports

RankIQ’s reports system is one of those things that I hesitate to tell people about because it’s been the secret ingredient in my ability to go from new blogger to pro blogger in a relatively short period of time.

The reports are comprised of two main components: A Content Optimizer and an AI SEO Report.

RankIQ’s Content Optimizer

If you’ve never heard of a Content Optimizer, it’s basically a tool powered by artificial intelligence that analyzes your new blog posts (and old blog posts too if the mood strikes) and produces a content grade, suggested word count and a list of suggested target keyword phrases.

We run every single new piece of content we write through a content optimizer. And we are currently in the process of going through our old posts as well.

RankIQ’s AI SEO Report

The AI SEO Report component includes a list of topics Google wants you to cover as well as a comprehensive Title Analysis.

In a nutshell, it’s like having a virtual writing assistant that helps content creators, like yourself, produce high-quality content for their readers. And if you employ this feedback effectively, your chances of ranking on the first page of Google will skyrocket.

It’s also worth a mention that these reports make a RankIQ subscription an absolutely incredible deal for the money.

Content optimizers are often sold as a very expensive standalone service elsewhere.

For instance, Topic’s baseline pricing for just 10 content briefs is $99 per month. RankIQ’s standard plan includes 16 content briefs for $49 per month.

	RankIQ	Topic
Briefs/Mo.	8	10
Price/Mo.	$29	$99
Briefs/Mo.	16	25
Price/Mo.	$49	$199
Briefs/Mo.	36	50
Price/Mo.	$99	$299
Briefs/Mo.	80	N/A
Price/Mo.	$199	N/A

With that said, RankIQ’s content analysis is quite a bit more simplistic than Topic’s and lacks some of the more advanced features like providing context on every suggested keyword. But I am happy to do my own research for the difference in price.

Which reminds me, I’d really appreciate it if you’d use my referral link if you are considering subscribing to RankIQ.

Speaking of which …

Does RankIQ have an affiliate program?

Yes! RankIQ has an amazing affiliate program that pays users $100 for every referral they make. So just to summarize, you can pay as little as $49 per month for this platform, and sell it as many times as you’d like for $100. Who doesn’t love that math?

Again, this is why I’d give you a big virtual hug if you used my link when purchasing. Please and thanks.

RankIQ’s exclusive Facebook group

And as if all of that isn’t already enough, active subscribers will also gain access to RankIQ’s exclusive member-only Facebook Group.

Is RankIQ genuine?

This is one of those weird SEO-recommended questions that Google came up with. I have no idea what it means. But sure, why not.

Yes, RankIQ is genuine.

Is RankIQ worth it?

Here’s the bottom line.

Overall, yes, I think RankIQ is absolutely worth the price. Especially if you actually care about how your website and blog articles rank on search engines like Google, and are invested in improving your overall web traffic.

But as with anything, there are a few pros and cons.

RankIQ cons

The biggest drawbacks, in my opinion, are:

• Limited niches available out of the box
• The KW Library can sometimes be a bit buggy
• The Content Optimizer lacks context for suggested keywords
• The user interface is a bit clunky

But every one of these drawbacks has a “pro” that outweighs the “cons”.

RankIQ pros

The biggest benefits, again in my personal opinion, include:

• Gaining access to all the basic keyword tools a blogger needs
• Being the cheapest SEO platform I’ve ever seen
• The hand-picked Keyword Library
• The unique time to Rank metric
• Including a Content Optimizer in its already silly cheap monthly subscription

If you found this review helpful, show a fellow blogger some love and use my referral link when signing up for RankIQ. Blog karma is real.

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About RankIQ founder Brandon Gaille

Brandon Gaille, creator of RankIQ has led an interesting life.

According to his own autobiography, he overcame being beaten up and bullied as a teen to building multiple million dollar companies in his early adult life.

Gaille’s early career

At the peak of his early career, his websites were generating more than 50 million unique visitors each month. He also helped build FreeCreditReport.com and Esurance.

“I partied with billionaires and drove around in a custom Dodge Viper ….” Gaille reminisces on his blog.

However, it all came crashing down when a sudden and mysterious health condition left him disabled in his 30s.

Gaille’s health crisis

And just like that, Gaille went from being a wealthy SEO expert and entrepreneur to broke and fighting for his life, barely able to function.

Gaille endured more than 100 diagnostic tests and procedures during his search for answers.

In a relatively short amount of time, his medical issues took him from millions to racking up over $390,000 in debt.

After seeing nearly 50 specialists, Gaille finally received a diagnosis. It turned out to be a rare illness called Dysautonomia.

Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous function. The nervous system, for those of you who slept through Science class, controls involuntary body functions like heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, hormones, body temperature and bladder function just to name a few.

But fortunately, it was treatable.

Nearly two years after receiving the correct diagnosis, Gaille’s good health had returned and he was able to get back to business.

Gaille credits God for his recovery. Which, is why, listeners to his podcast might notice an evangelical aspect to his character.

Gaille gets back to work

Gaille immediately returned to the industries he knew best – marketing and SEO.

He launched a marketing services business and erased half a million dollars in debt in a matter of months.

The marketing business led to the formation of a small business blog, which led to the formation of a course.

It was through his course that Gaille would discover another career-changing revealation.

His SEO students were regularly dropping out citing the unaffordability of SEO services like SEMRush ($119) and AHrefs ($99).

And content optimizers – like ClearScope ($170) and Topic ($99) – were even more cost-prohibitive.

It was at that point that Gaille recognized a need in the market for a more affordable option.

RankIQ is born

It took Gaille and his team 6-months to build the world’s first SEO service built by a blogger, for bloggers, for under $50 – RankIQ.

In less than a year post-launch, RankIQ had garnered nearly 2,000 paid subscribers.

Shortly thereafter, Gaille decided to close his course and turn his focus to RankIQ and his podcast, The Blogging Millionaire.

He uses The Blogging Millionaire podcast to teach, just like he used to through his paid course. And naturally, the podcast also serves as a great lead generator for RankIQ.

After all, after months of following Gaille’s advice, and seeing real results from that advice, we too were sold on the product. And honestly, we would have probably bought just about anything he was selling. Gaille clearly knows what he is talking about.

Today, The Blogging Millionaire podcast receives 1 million downloads annually.

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