Track keyword rankings with GitHub Copilot
Tracking keyword rankings with GitHub Copilot means asking Copilot Chat in agent mode, inside VS Code, to call StoreSEO's rank tools to add keywords, read your Google positions and compare competitors while your theme code stays open.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up GitHub Copilot for StoreSEO
Skip this if GitHub Copilot is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the GitHub Copilot page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to .vscode/mcp.json
Create or open .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace and paste this. VS Code uses a top-level servers key, not mcpServers, and a remote server needs type http.
JSON{ "servers": { "storeseo": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } } - 2
Start the server and sign in
Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette, pick storeseo and start it. If it asks you to sign in, pick your Shopify store in the browser and approve access. Then open Copilot Chat in Agent mode, check the tools icon lists StoreSEO and ask this.
PromptUse StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
How does this work in GitHub Copilot?
You are in VS Code with the storefront or theme project open, Copilot Chat in Agent mode, and StoreSEO started from MCP: List Servers. You ask for a keyword to be tracked or a report on the ones you follow, and Copilot calls storeseo_start, then storeseo_list_rank_locations and storeseo_list_rank_languages so the country and language match the tracker's lists exactly. VS Code shows a tool confirmation before an MCP tool runs, and StoreSEO tells the agent to state the keyword, market and device and wait for your yes before storeseo_add_keywords.
The editor makes the reading side practical. Copilot calls storeseo_list_keywords for the latest position, change, SERP features and competitor positions, and storeseo_get_keyword_history for the dated checks behind one keyword. Ask it to write the result to a notes file in the workspace, or to check your collection and product templates for the terms you rank poorly for. A keyword added a moment ago shows as pending, because StoreSEO queues the first rank check in the background and the position appears in the list later.
Competitors and clusters follow the same loop. storeseo_add_competitors accepts up to five domains in total, and a change means deleting the old domain and adding the new one, each after your yes. A cluster starts with the estimated AI credit being stated to you, then storeseo_generate_keyword_cluster, then polling storeseo_get_keyword_cluster until the background job finishes, and the related keywords come back sorted by search volume. Rank and competitor tools need the Pro plan, and on Copilot Business and Enterprise an administrator must enable the MCP servers in Copilot policy first.
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You: Which tracked keywords dropped out of the top ten?
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_keywords read-only
- storeseo_get_keyword_history read-only
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GitHub Copilot: Two keywords fell out of the top ten this month, and both lost ground to the same competitor. Want me to add a third competitor domain for comparison?
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You: Yes, add example-competitor.com.
- storeseo_add_competitors needs approval
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GitHub Copilot: Added. Its positions show up after the background checks run.
What to ask GitHub Copilot
Use StoreSEO to list my tracked keywords and write rank-notes.md in this workspace. Do not add or delete anything.
Track linen shirt for men in the United States on mobile. Confirm the exact location and language names first.
Which of my tracked keywords dropped out of the top ten? Show the history for each.
- Track shopify linen shirts and linen shirt for men in the United States on mobile.
- How have my tracked keywords moved this month, and where do my competitors rank?
- Show the rank history for organic cotton tote since July.
- Add example-competitor.com as a competitor.
- Build a keyword cluster for my best seller and tell me the estimated credit first.
- Which tracked keywords dropped out of the top ten?
What StoreSEO does: keyword rank tracking
StoreSEO checks your Google rank for tracked keywords by country, language and device, records the history and compares competitor domains. Keyword clusters group related keywords around a product's focus keyword with search volume and difficulty.
Requires: Rank and competitor tracking are Pro plan tools. Keyword clusters spend AI Content Optimizer credit.
- 1
Pick the market
The agent looks up the exact country and language names the tracker accepts, because new keywords must use them verbatim.
- 2
Add keywords
After your yes it adds keywords with a country, language and device. Checks run in the background, so positions appear later.
- 3
Read ranks and history
It lists your keywords with the latest Google position, change, SERP features and competitor positions, and reads the dated history for any keyword.
- 4
Compare competitors
Up to five competitor domains are tracked alongside your keywords. To change one, it is deleted and the new domain added.
- 5
Build a cluster
For a product with a focus keyword, StoreSEO generates a cluster of related keywords in the background; the agent states the estimated credit first and polls until it is ready.
Keyword rank tracking reference
| Search engine | Google; AI search engines are not tracked |
|---|---|
| Locations | 213 countries, country level only |
| Languages | 127 languages |
| Devices | Desktop or mobile |
| Competitors | Up to five domains; no edit, delete and re-add |
| Keyword limit | Counts against your plan's keyword limit |
| Deleting a keyword | Removes its entire rank history; cannot be undone |
| Keyword cluster | Built around the product's existing focus keyword, sorted by search volume, with relevance and difficulty |
| Plan | Pro plan for rank and competitor tools |
Rules GitHub Copilot follows
- On a plan without rank tracking, the agent explains the upgrade instead of calling the rank tools.
- Country and language names come from the lookup tools, never typed from memory.
- Deleting a keyword or competitor erases its history for good, so the agent confirms each one.
- A cluster needs a focus keyword set in the StoreSEO app; the agent states the estimated credit and waits for your yes.
In GitHub Copilot
Keep storeseo_add_keywords, storeseo_add_competitors and the two delete tools on VS Code's tool confirmation prompt. StoreSEO asks for your yes in the chat, and the editor's confirmation is the hard stop, which matters because deleting a keyword removes its whole rank history and cannot be undone. On Copilot Business and Enterprise plans the MCP servers in Copilot policy must be enabled by an organization admin, or the rank tools will not appear in agent mode.
What runs without asking. Reads such as SEO scores, store listings, settings and Google reports run straight away. Generating a preview spends AI credit but writes nothing, and StoreSEO tells the agent to say what a generation will cost before it runs one. Applying content, optimizing images, changing settings, publishing llms.txt or agents.md, writing a product description and deleting anything wait for your yes in the conversation. That yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server, so your client's own tool-approval setting is the hard stop.
Questions
Why do I not see StoreSEO rank tools in Copilot agent mode?
Check that the server is started in MCP: List Servers and that you are in Agent mode. On Copilot Business and Enterprise an organization admin must also enable the MCP servers in Copilot policy. Rank tools also need a Pro StoreSEO plan.
Can Copilot track keywords and edit my theme in the same session?
Yes. Copilot reads your workspace and calls StoreSEO for positions, so it can suggest where a term belongs in your templates. Adding or deleting keywords still waits for your yes, and VS Code's confirmation is the hard stop.
Which plan do I need for keyword tracking through an agent?
Rank tracking and competitor tracking are Pro plan tools. On other plans the agent should explain that instead of calling them. Keyword clusters work on plans with AI Content Optimizer credit.
Does StoreSEO track rankings in AI search engines?
No. The rank tracker checks Google results by country, language and device. AI visibility is handled by the GEO score, llms.txt and agents.md jobs instead.
Why are new keywords pending?
Rank checks run in the background. Adding a keyword queues the first check, and its position appears in the keyword list once that check completes.
What is a keyword cluster?
A group of related keywords built around a product's focus keyword, sorted by search volume and scored for relevance and difficulty. It shows which wider terms the product page can target.
Keep going
Keyword rank tracking with other agents
More GitHub Copilot guides