Woorank's Unexpected Decline: A Reflection

Several years ago, when we surveyed Sitechecker’s clients who had canceled their subscriptions, we found that 10-20% of them had switched to Woorank. We considered Woorank one of our main competitors, as they were ranking well for valuable keywords, offered similar functionality, and had a comparable free trial funnel.

Over time, however, I stopped hearing about them from clients. A couple of months ago, while analyzing the SEO tools market, I noticed that Woorank’s search traffic had plummeted—by ten times—in October 2020, according to Ahrefs data.

It’s no surprise that just a month later, Bridgeline Digital, Inc. began the process of acquiring Woorank.

Our CEO had long cited Woorank as an example of a successful competitor. But when I explored their product, I couldn’t understand how they had sustained their success:

  • Prices were too high
  • The product was too limited compared to competitors
  • No recent interesting product updates

In my view, Woorank has become a dead product, despite still having some clients, traffic, and brand recognition.

What do you think? Am I wrong?

P.S. If you’ve ever used Woorank, please share your experience.

P.P.S. This is just one insight from the SEO tools market research that I’ll be publishing soon. Follow me so you don’t miss it.

3 Likes

In the beginning, it was a very useful and free tool, quickly gaining popularity. However, over time, it became a paid tool, and issues with its reports started to arise. As SEO evolved with Google’s algorithm updates, they needed to continue improving and innovating. Additionally, the cost of APIs for various base services increased significantly, while client budgets for SEO services stayed the same. Many businesses disappeared due to tough Google algorithm updates. As a result of these factors, including competition and market challenges, they experienced a significant decline.

2 Likes

Woorank has lost value, particularly after being acquired by Bridgeline Digital for around €1.4 million. Many users feel it’s limited and too expensive compared to other tools. While it still has some clients and brand recognition, its importance in the SEO market has declined.

1 Like

They were always disconnected from what users needed, possibly trying to market themselves as enterprise-level.