How Rank Tracking Works# Link to this article
Rankato checks each tracked keyword on a schedule from a neutral, location-specific search, records the position and the SERP layout, and keeps the history.
A ranking is not a single fact — it depends on where the search happens, on what device, and at what moment. Rank Tracker controls those variables so the history means something.
How a check runs# Link to this section
- Each tracked keyword carries a country and a device. Those are fixed at the point you add it.
- The search is performed without personalisation or search history, so the result is not skewed by a signed-in profile.
- Rankato records your best-ranking URL, its position, and the full layout of the page — which SERP features appeared and where.
- The result is stored with its timestamp and source, and added to the keyword's history.
Position means position on the page# Link to this section
Rankato reports the organic position as it appears, counting organic results only. Because AI overviews, ads and feature blocks push organic results down the page, position 3 today may sit far lower on screen than position 3 did a year ago. This is why the SERP feature record matters as much as the number.
Check frequency# Link to this section
Frequency is set by your plan. Every result carries the time it was collected, so you always know how old a position is rather than seeing an undated number.
What is not done# Link to this section
Rankato does not estimate a position it did not observe, does not back-fill history from before you started tracking, and does not interpolate across a gap. A missing check is shown as missing.
Written by Rankato