Rank Tracking Accuracy

What good is a rank tracker if you can’t trust it?

The accuracy of rank tracking data is not just something we take great pride in, but also the strongest value proposition we offer to clients in exchange for their trust.

While SerpWatch boasts a long list of features that tick almost every SEO box, it is data accuracy that is at the core of our product value.

In order to push your SEO strategy in the right direction, you want to be able to verify that the tool is showing rank tracking data that matches the actual search results.

Say, for example, that a tool shows your ranking has suddenly dropped dramatically. You would normally want to address the issue as soon as possible, but a knee-jerk reaction is the last thing you need.

Because what if your tool is glitching and your position hasn’t actually changed?

Sure, there are ways to manually check your rankings to make sure all is well, but if you had that kind of time on your hands, you wouldn’t need a rank tracking tool in the first place.

Due to Google’s unpredictable algorithms, a margin for error always exists. This is why SerpWatch has a unique system in place to ensure the data shown to the users is as accurate and reliable as possible.

Besides up-to-date SERP screenshots, SerpWatch also supports targeted rank tracking for different locations and an image verification function that acts as a defense mechanism against engine failures.

• Location Verification
• Image Recognition

# Location Verification

Local search intent is one of the many factors that can affect the appearance of SERPs.

While you could manually verify your keyword rankings by performing the same search from different physical locations, again this is something a rank tracker should do for you.

SerpWatch shows your keyword rankings based on the precise geo-location enabled by the UULE parameter.

When the UULE parameter is added to the URL of a SERP, it reproduces search results for the specified geolocation.

This is especially useful if your target location differs from your actual physical one or if you’re an SEO who runs campaigns for multiple clients in different locations.

You can always verify the precise location if you open the SERP screenshot and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

# Image Recognition

Seeing different ranking positions in the tool than what the actual SERPs show is a problem many rank tracker users face.

For example, a rank tracker may suddenly show that your keyword is no longer found in the Top 100 but when you open the SERP you realize your ranking position is the same it was yesterday.

To bypass this issue, SerpWatch has developed a unique image recognition function that prevents these drastic discrepancies from showing up in your ranking chart. 

Here’s how it works:

1. The app sends ranking data for verification to our engine
2. The engine opens Google and enters the data it received from the app
3. The engine takes a screenshot and parses the data 
4. If the engine doesn’t recognize the data, it sends it to the API endpoint for re-verification based on the screenshot it took
5. The engine analyzes the text from the screenshot with the help of an optical character recognition software
6. The software then passes the text onto the API for further processing
7. The API looks for your specified domain in the text and returns the results to you
8. If your domain is found in the text, then a failure message is sent to Slack and the data is re-checked
9. If, however, the domain is not found, it means the ranking data shown in the chart matches the SERP results.