Rank Tracking

Rank tracking is watching where a site's pages are shown for chosen queries. The main difficulty is that there is no single "place in results". Google's methodology help says: a position number can mean different things in different situations, so you should not make simple assumptions. Search Console's average position is often set against the "exact position" from a tracker. Below: what Search Console actually counts, what limits any tracker and how to follow positions without fooling yourself.

The basis is Google's help on the methodology of counting impressions, clicks and position and on the Performance report. Context is in the lessons on Search Console and SEO KPIs.

What Search Console actually counts

The rules for counting position are in the methodology:

• Each element in results occupies a single position, however many links it has. Almost everywhere all the links of an element get the position of the containing element;
• For a query the topmost position of the site is taken, and then averaged across queries. Google's example: for query 1 the site is at positions 2, 4 and 6, and 2 is counted; for query 2 at 3, 5 and 9, and 3 is counted; the average position is (2+3)/2 = 2.5;
• A position is recorded only for a link that was shown. If a result was on page 3 and the user viewed page 1, no position is recorded. A dash in the table means there were no impressions, for instance on mobile with zero impressions;
• Ads are not positions. Ad blocks do not occupy a position;
• Compound elements. In some compound elements, such as list/detail rich results, the position may be the position within the container, not the rank of the container itself.

It is true that without a filter off-target queries enter the average, but "average over all variants" is imprecise. More precisely: it is the average of top positions over the queries in which the site got impressions. Queries are filtered as in the report: by page, country, device, search type. To see position for target queries, filter the report by query or by page. More on filters is in the lesson on Search Console.

"The report says 5 but in search it's 8"

Google answers this question in its help: the value is the average position for all searches, and for your specific search your position might be different because of your search history, location and other variables. The Performance report says the same in other words: even if a query appears in the list, you might not see the site in results, because results depend on the time, place, device and recent history of the person searching.

Hence a conclusion about the accuracy of trackers. A tracker checks results under set conditions: a chosen region and a chosen device. That is one sample. It is useful for trends, but it is not "the position for all users". So the phrase "exact position" presents a sample as the truth. Google's recommendation applies to both tools: monitor change in position over time, particularly sudden position changes, as well as absolute position. The help on common tasks at the same time advises focusing more on trends in impressions and clicks than on position alone.

Position means different things

Google gives an example: the value 11 might be the top right position in a knowledge panel, the first item on page 2 or the second or third row in image results. And a knowledge panel at position 6 can be very prominent although the number is "big". Hence the rules:

• compare position within the same form of results: the search type, device and country must match;
• look at the form of the results page for the query, not only at the number: see the lesson on the anatomy of a SERP;
• separate queries by intent: search intent determines what is shown at all.

About "position 0"

The tip "track featured snippets: they bring traffic from position 0" needs correcting. In Search Console's methodology there is no such position: a featured snippet is an element with a link to its source that typically occupies position 1, and clicks on the link in it count as ordinary clicks. Google's page on featured snippets describes them as special boxes where the descriptive snippet is shown first. Tracking such blocks is useful, but read "position 0" as a feature of the results page, not a position in the report.

How to set up monitoring without fooling yourself

1. Define the question. "Is visibility for a query group growing?" calls for Search Console; "where are we for this query in this city on mobile?" is already a one-off check;
2. Work in groups. Brand, informational, commercial. The size of the set is set by the task, not by a number: the familiar "50-200 queries" is practice, not a rule;
3. Fix the conditions. Country, language, device, search type;
4. Look at impressions and clicks together with position. Position rose but clicks did not — probably the snippet or the form of results is at fault, not rank: see CTR anomalies;
5. Look for growth points. Our growth-point finder shows queries already reaching the first page, and the period comparison shows which pages rose or fell;
6. For large volumes use the Search Console export: it gets around the 1000-row limit.

How third-party trackers collect data

There is a legal nuance that is often left unsaid. Google's spam policies have a section on machine-generated traffic: automated queries to Google, including scraping results for rank-checking purposes without express permission, violate its spam policies and the Google Terms of Service. This is not an assessment of particular services but the wording of the documentation. The practical conclusion: before buying a tool or writing your own script, find out where its data comes from, and do not automate queries to search yourself. The most dependable basis is Search Console data: Google forms it uniformly for all properties.

What is not in the documentation

• A claim that a tracker gives "the exact position" for all users;
• "Position 0" as a position in the report;
• Norms for the size of a query set and the frequency of checks;
• A recommendation of particular paid services.

Checklist

1. It is clear that in Search Console position is the average of top positions over queries with impressions.
2. Positions are compared under the same search type, country and device.
3. Tracker results are treated as a sample under set conditions.
4. Position is read together with impressions, clicks and the form of results.
5. Trends are followed, especially sudden changes.
6. It is known where the tool gets its data and whether such collection is allowed.

Mistakes

• Treating a tracker's position as the position for all users.
• Taking "5 in the report" for "fifth place in any search".
• Speaking of "position 0" as a number in the report.
• Comparing positions for different devices and countries.
• Chasing position while ignoring clicks and the snippet.

What comes next

Next is the module on algorithm updates: start with the lesson on core updates, and for analyzing drops see the lesson on traffic drops.