Opening Rankbench0.0s
Getting startedCreating your Rankbench accountReading your site before you sign upAdding your first websiteProving your site is yoursWorkspaces, the switcher and your viewYour dashboardHow Rankbench tells you thingsRankbench Pro and billing
Your workspace and accountYour website and its settingsWorkspace settingsPeople and rolesInviting a website to RankbenchYour profile and accountThe assistantThe audit log
Site audit & search growthThe SEO overviewRunning the site auditThe site health scoreThe Fixes tabFindings, and how to read oneWorking your fix listThe kinds of fix, and how to triageEverything Rankbench looks forInternal linksTopicsPages nothing links toPast auditsConnecting Google Search ConsoleThe Search tabCompetitorsAuthorityThe page connections map
Guest postsGuest posting on RankbenchSubmitting your first guest postImporting from Google DocsWriting in the Rankbench editorReview and sendWhen the editors ask for changesTracking your guest postsThe Content LibraryOpening your site to guest postsWriting your guest post rulesReviewing a submissionFinal review and the Approver rolePublishing and the live check
Link exchangeLink swaps on RankbenchSetting up your site for swapsPages you sharePages you published elsewhereFinding a site to swap withSending a swap requestReviewing a swap request you receivedAsking a partner for a linkAnswering a link requestWhen the page is published somewhere you cannot editHow Rankbench keeps watchThe partner ledgerPlacements and agreements from older swapsThe automatic backlink exchangeAutomatic exchange settings and creditsReading your placementsCollaboration requests on published articles
Content calendarThe content calendarSetting up your calendarWhere the keywords come fromReading the calendarSteering a day before it is writtenThe day page and the editorRefreshing your topicsConnecting where it publishesPublishing and what happens nextBrief and settingsCovers and the pictures insideAll articles, and the rewrites the audit asks for
TutorialsHow to add your website and get it workingHow to run your first site audit and ship the fixesHow to connect Search Console and win more clicksHow to write a guest post that gets acceptedHow to accept guest posts on your site without losing qualityHow to do your first link swapHow to keep your links aliveHow to plan and publish a month of contentHow to invite a teammate, a client's site, or an agencyHow to get started with the automatic exchangeHow to use articles you published elsewhere in link swapsHow to get answers from the assistant
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Open Rankbench →
Getting startedCreating your Rankbench accountReading your site before you sign upAdding your first websiteProving your site is yoursWorkspaces, the switcher and your viewYour dashboardHow Rankbench tells you thingsRankbench Pro and billing
Your workspace and accountYour website and its settingsWorkspace settingsPeople and rolesInviting a website to RankbenchYour profile and accountThe assistantThe audit log
Site audit & search growthThe SEO overviewRunning the site auditThe site health scoreThe Fixes tabFindings, and how to read oneWorking your fix listThe kinds of fix, and how to triageEverything Rankbench looks forInternal linksTopicsPages nothing links toPast auditsConnecting Google Search ConsoleThe Search tabCompetitorsAuthorityThe page connections map
Guest postsGuest posting on RankbenchSubmitting your first guest postImporting from Google DocsWriting in the Rankbench editorReview and sendWhen the editors ask for changesTracking your guest postsThe Content LibraryOpening your site to guest postsWriting your guest post rulesReviewing a submissionFinal review and the Approver rolePublishing and the live check
Link exchangeLink swaps on RankbenchSetting up your site for swapsPages you sharePages you published elsewhereFinding a site to swap withSending a swap requestReviewing a swap request you receivedAsking a partner for a linkAnswering a link requestWhen the page is published somewhere you cannot editHow Rankbench keeps watchThe partner ledgerPlacements and agreements from older swapsThe automatic backlink exchangeAutomatic exchange settings and creditsReading your placementsCollaboration requests on published articles
Content calendarThe content calendarSetting up your calendarWhere the keywords come fromReading the calendarSteering a day before it is writtenThe day page and the editorRefreshing your topicsConnecting where it publishesPublishing and what happens nextBrief and settingsCovers and the pictures insideAll articles, and the rewrites the audit asks for
TutorialsHow to add your website and get it workingHow to run your first site audit and ship the fixesHow to connect Search Console and win more clicksHow to write a guest post that gets acceptedHow to accept guest posts on your site without losing qualityHow to do your first link swapHow to keep your links aliveHow to plan and publish a month of contentHow to invite a teammate, a client's site, or an agencyHow to get started with the automatic exchangeHow to use articles you published elsewhere in link swapsHow to get answers from the assistant
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How to add your website and get it working

Updated September 11, 2026 · 4 min read

This guide takes one site from nothing to verified, audited and one fix better. It takes about an hour, and most of that is waiting for a DNS record to spread.

Note

Before you start: an email address or a Google account, and access to your site's DNS or theme. There is no card to enter and no plan to choose.

Step 1: Sign up and pick the audit

  1. Go to /register and sign up with an email and password, or with Google.
  2. On Get started, choose Audit my own site.
The Get started screen asking what you want to do first, with three cards
The other two cards are real routes too. The audit is the one that gives you something to act on today.

Step 2: Add the site and check what it read

  1. Paste your homepage into Confirm website. With or without https:// is fine.
  2. On Website profile, read what Rankbench wrote about you and correct anything wrong.
The website profile step with the name and description read from the homepage
Other sites read this description when deciding whether to work with you, and the content calendar starts from it later.

Step 3: Verify with a method you won't undo

Verification is re-checked, not passed once. If the proof disappears, the site drops back to unverified and everything that depends on it stops. So choose the proof you are least likely to delete by accident.

  1. Pick the DNS record, or Google Search Console if the domain is already in your account.
  2. Add it, close the tab, and come back later. An empty first check only means DNS is slow.
The verification panel showing four methods, with the homepage tag expanded and its snippet ready to copy
Four proofs, and any one is enough. Rankbench checks all of them at once.

Tip

The homepage tag is the quickest proof and the first thing a redesign deletes. A DNS record doesn't live on the website at all, so no redesign or migration can take it out.

When the check passes, the panel names the proof it found. Write that down so nobody removes it later.

The verification card in its verified state, confirming ownership
Verified, and the panel says which proof it found.

Step 4: Run the first audit

Press Run the site audit. Rankbench opens your pages one by one and follows the links between them. Nothing on your site changes. It takes a few minutes and you can leave the tab.

The audit in progress, counting pages audited against pages found
Pages found runs ahead of pages audited, because every page it reads turns up more links to follow.

Step 5: Read three things and leave the rest

The SEO overview with the figures across the top and the recommendation below
Everything you need today is at the top of the page.

Note down Site health. It scores structural checks out of 100 and says nothing about traffic or rankings, so it is only useful against itself next time. Glance at Fixes to do and don't worry about the size: the list is ordered by what each item costs you, so only the top matters. Then go to Recommended next.

Competitors, authority and the map can wait until next week.

Step 6: Take one fix all the way

  1. Open the first item under Recommended next.
  2. Press Add to my fix list.
  3. If it's a wording fix, press Copy AI prompt, paste it into the assistant you use, and edit what comes back.
  4. Make the change in your own CMS and publish it. Rankbench never edits your site.
  5. Come back and mark it done.
A finding opened with its figures, steps and evidence
What was seen, why it matters, and steps written for that specific page.

Step 7: Check it landed, then see what's next

Run the audit again once your change is live. The line comparing the two runs tells you whether the work landed. If the fix is still reported, the change was usually made in a preview and never published.

Then open your site's page. The checklist shows what's done and what comes next.

The site page checklist showing finished steps and the next one to do
Verification and the audit are done. Guest posts, swaps and the calendar can come in any order.

Tip

Connect Google Search Console this week. It takes two minutes, and about half of what Rankbench looks for comes from your own click and impression data.

What to do next

  • How to run your first site audit and ship the fixes
  • How to connect Search Console and win more clicks
  • How to plan and publish a month of content
How to run your first site audit and ship the fixes →

Still stuck?

Open Rankbench and the page this article describes — most screens explain themselves as you go.

On this page

Step 1: Sign up and pick the auditStep 2: Add the site and check what it readStep 3: Verify with a method you won't undoStep 4: Run the first auditStep 5: Read three things and leave the restStep 6: Take one fix all the wayStep 7: Check it landed, then see what's nextWhat to do next
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