Why Rankings May Not Update Immediately# Link to this article
Positions refresh on your plan's schedule, not on demand. A position that looks stale is usually simply not due yet — and a position that differs from your own search is usually personalisation.
If a tracked keyword shows an older date than you expected, work through these in order.
1. The next check is not due# Link to this section
Checks run on a fixed schedule set by your plan. The timestamp on each row tells you when it was last collected. Adding a keyword queues an immediate first check; after that it joins the normal cycle.
2. You are comparing against your own search# Link to this section
Your browser searches are personalised by location, history and signed-in account. Rankato's are not. A difference of a few positions between what you see and what Rankato reports is normal and expected — Rankato's number is the more comparable one over time.
3. The keyword's country or device differs# Link to this section
Check the country and device on the tracked keyword. The same term on mobile in one country and desktop in another genuinely have different results.
4. The result genuinely moved and moved back# Link to this section
Google reorders results constantly. A single check catches one moment. This is why the history chart matters more than today's number.
5. Your workspace allowance is exhausted# Link to this section
If your plan's monthly allowance for SERP checks has been consumed, further checks pause until the allowance resets. The usage panel shows this explicitly. Rankato pauses rather than silently serving you an old number as if it were new.
6. There was a collection failure# Link to this section
If a check could not complete, Rankato records the gap rather than repeating the previous value. A persistent gap across many keywords is worth raising with support.
Written by Rankato