# Ranks

Articles and backlink submissions on autopilot. Start for free with 1 project, 1 article and 1 backlink submission. No card required.

## Plans
- Free: 1 project, 1 article after blog setup, and 1 backlink submission per account. No credit card or expiry. Dashboard access remains free after the allowance is used.
- Paid: Starter $49/month for 1 project; Pro $99/month for 5 projects; Agency $199/month for 20 projects. Each project receives 1 article and 1 available backlink submission per day, with no monthly quota. Upgrading preserves existing projects and history. Free accounts are never charged automatically.
- [Pricing](https://ranks.so/#pricing)

## Article generation and publishing controls
- Daily controls recurring article generation on paid plans. Turning Daily off stops new scheduled generation, not an article already being processed. This is separate from Autopilot.
- Autopilot controls publishing, not whether new articles are generated. With Autopilot off, generated articles remain drafts for review. Supported automatic publishing runs checks and respects repository protections; those checks are not a requirement for human approval of every article.
- Articles can be inspected and edited before publishing. Copy prompt provides a manual integration path for other stacks. Automatic setup and publishing currently support Next.js App Router with TypeScript.

## Connecting a Next.js blog
1. Open Articles setup. Create a fine-grained GitHub token scoped to the website repository, with Contents and Pull requests read/write and Commit statuses read access. Never include the token in an article or public file.
2. Select the repository and production branch. Ranks inspects the repository to detect Next.js App Router with TypeScript. Choose the blog path, for example /blog. An incompatible existing route requires explicit replacement approval or a different path.
3. Choose whether Autopilot should publish automatically after checks. With Autopilot off, review the proposed setup before approving it. Click Continue to save the connection and start setup.
4. After the setup changes reach the production branch and deploy, inspect the live blog route. Review the first generated article and, after publishing it, check its live URL, text, links and cover. A generated draft is not proof of a live deployment.
- Repository checks or branch protections can prevent automatic merging. Do not disable protections merely to make publishing proceed. Initial setup validation is separate from a team's optional ongoing editorial approval policy.
- Daily generation and Autopilot can be changed independently in Articles. Daily backlinks is a separate switch in Backlinks. Disabling daily backlinks stops future scheduled submissions; an in-progress submission may finish. Existing listings remain available.

## Search performance
- Connect Google Search Console from the project dashboard with read-only access, then select a property available to your Google account. If no property is available, add the website in Search Console or connect an account with access.
- The Ranks overview displays search clicks, impressions and average position over time, plus top queries by clicks. Search Console supplies these metrics. Use Google Search Console directly for detailed page/query filters and URL Inspection; connecting it does not put every Google report inside Ranks.
- Vercel visitor analytics is a separate connection and metric from Google organic search clicks. Article and backlink activity can be viewed alongside performance, but a coincident change does not prove causation or guarantee growth.

## Evidence and limits
- Backlink submissions target available eligible directories. A successful submission does not guarantee publisher approval, a live backlink, search indexing, traffic or rankings.
- Public landing-page dashboard previews and example metrics are illustrations, not measured customer results. This product reference describes documented behavior, not independent performance tests.

## Blog
- [AI SEO Tools for SaaS Growth Workflows](https://ranks.so/blog/ai-seo-tools-for-saas): Compare AI SEO tools for SaaS teams by content workflow, publishing control, backlink model, integrations, and reporting.
- [Next.js App Router Blog Publishing Checklist](https://ranks.so/blog/nextjs-app-router-blog-publishing-checklist): Prepare a TypeScript Next.js App Router blog for automated publishing with routing, content, QA, and rollback checks.
- [How to Review AI SEO Articles Before Publishing](https://ranks.so/blog/review-ai-generated-seo-articles-before-publishing): Use a practical review process to check an AI SEO article’s intent, claims, product details, links, CTA, and originality before publishing.
- [SaaS Directory Listing Submission Checklist](https://ranks.so/blog/saas-directory-listing-submission-checklist): Prepare consistent SaaS directory listings with approved copy, assets, URLs, category choices, and clear ownership details.
- [How to Choose a SaaS Directory Submission Service](https://ranks.so/blog/saas-directory-submission-service-checklist): Use this pre-purchase checklist to assess relevance, approval handling, account access, link visibility, reporting, and workflow cadence.
- [How to Track SaaS Directory Submissions Reliably](https://ranks.so/blog/how-to-track-saas-directory-submissions): Build a submission record that separates submitted, live, rejected, and stale SaaS directory listings with clear follow-up actions.