Comparing Rank-Tracking Methods: Browser vs. Crawler vs. Webmaster Tools

Deep down, we all have the uncomfortable feeling that rank-tracking is unreliable at best, and possibly outright misleading. Then, we walk into our boss’s office, pick up the phone, or open our email, and hear the same question: “Why aren t we #1 yet?!” Like it or not, rank-tracking is still a fact of life for most SEOs, and ranking will be a useful signal and diagnostic for when things go very wrong (or very right) for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, there are many ways to run a search, and once you factor in localization, personalization, data centers, data removal (such as [not provided]), and transparency (or the lack thereof), it’s hard to know how any keyword really ranks. This post is an attempt to compare four common rank-tracking methods: Browser – Personalized Browser – Incognito Crawler Google Webmaster Tools (GWT) I’m going to do my best to keep this information unbiased and even academic in tone. Moz builds rank-tracking tools based in part on crawled

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