Q: Can I check rankings through the random proxy servers?
A: If you check 'Use proxy servers while querying search engines' and turn on the 'Use proxy servers retrieved by Web CEO from public proxy listings' option (File> Settings> SE requests> Connection), the program will get and use the proxy list without notification.
The list will be valid during the whole ranking scanning session provided it does not exceed two hours. However, if connection errors are encountered, and re-scanning is required, the program will update the list of proxies before initiating the re-scanning. The program will also update the list if you start a new report in two hours.
If you would like to use proxy servers of your own choice, you can check 'Enter proxy addresses manually' and type in the proxy addresses and ports.
Q: Can I import the list of competitors or should I add each one manually?
A: Yes, you can import the list of all your competitors. In the Profile manager go to the 'Add competition' tab and press the 'Import from' button. You can import the list from clipboard, from the text file or from another project, using the 'Advanced import' option.
Q: Can I see how many pages of my site are indexed by search engines?
A: Yes, you can. You can run two ranking reports to see it. The program gives you the number of pages that search engines have in their indices as well as their list.
The '2. Indexed pages' report gives you the list of pages indexed by at least one search engine. You can sort the list by clicking on the 'SEs total' to see the site pages in descending order.
The '4. Competitors' indexation' report gives you the numbers of your site's and your competitors' pages indexed by the major search engines.
Q: Can you add more search engines for the `Indexed pages` and `Competitors Indexation` reports?
A: We can add all search engines that support syntax for querying pages from a certain domain (such as site:domain.net).
If you know of such search engines, click 'Suggest a Feature' in the Web CEO Support Center or contact support@webceo.com. We usually add new search engines within a week.
Q: Does Google approve of Web CEO`s Ranking Checker?
A: Any software program sending automated queries to Google violates Google's Terms of Service. There is no software of this kind approved by Google. So, to strictly follow Google's rules, you should check your site rankings manually.
However, there is a workaround -- Google provides Web APIs for software developers, so you too can use a Google license key.
To get access to the Google Web APIs service, you have to own a Google Account. The thing is Google stopped accepting new sign-ups for the Google SOAP Search API. This change does not impact current users of the service, i.e. the existing users can still execute queries. So if you had received your token earlier, you can use it in Web CEO, but if you don't have a token, you won't be able to get a new one any more.
If you already have a Google Search API Account, you should take the following steps to use it in Web CEO:
- Go to Web CEO's 'Settings' in the 'File' menu.
- On the 'Settings' window, go to the 'SE requests' tab.
- Click 'Search APIs', select 'Google API', and enter your license key.
Q: How can I check to see if my site is present in the sponsored results?
A: There are several types of sponsored results that search engines display:
- top sponsored results (shown at the top of the web (organic) results);
- sidebars (most often placed to the right of the web results);
- bottom sponsored results (shown at the bottom of the page under the web results).
If the option to 'Disregard sponsored results' (on the 'Scan rules' tab in your ranking profile) is selected, the Ranking Checker reports only the top sponsored results. Note the 'Disregard sponsored results' option is checked by default, so you can only see the organic search results in ranking reports unless you change this setting.
Some search engines redirect the URLs of their sponsored results, so it's not always easy to find out the correct destination URL. The program can solve this task by following the redirects. You should select 'Follow sponsored links' in the Redirects settings window (File -> Settings -> SE requests -> Safety and accuracy -> Redirects -> Custom redirects -> "Setup" -> Follow sponsored links & Redirect type check as Quick (server-side)).
In this case, the program will try to define the URL of the sponsored result without going to the destination URL. However, the search engine may prevent the program from detecting the correct URL, so this method is not 100% accurate. If you select the 'Deep (+ Meta refresh)' redirect type check, the program will find the correct destination URL, but it will click on the sponsored results, which is not good for you or your client's advertising budget.
Q: How can I exclude keywords that were not found by search engines from reports?
A: The Ranking Checker includes a number of preset filters assigned to help you viewing the reports conveniently.
In case you need to see only the ranked results, you should do the following:
- Click on the Filter button (the default filter is 'All Results', so unless you've changed it, the filter button is named 'All Results').
- Select 'Ranked' on the drop down list. The program will hide the non-ranked results.
Similarly, you can apply other useful preset filters such as 'In top 10', 'Changed', 'Added', etc., and even create filters according to your own criteria.
Q: How can I recommend new search engines to the Ranking checker?
A: Click 'Suggest a New Feature' in the Web CEO Support Center or contact support@webceo.com. We usually add new search engines within a couple of weeks days.
Q: How can I specify the date to compare my current rankings to?
A: With the Web CEO 7.0 version you can compare your current ranking results with the results of any previous scanning. Press the small black arrow next to the 'Previous' button and select the date of scanning you would like to compare your results to.
Besides, you can also compare your current results to the best results for a definite period. To do this, press the small black arrow next to the 'Best' button and select the period from the drop-down menu.
Q: How can I use the same list of search engines in all reports?
A: You can make a list of your favorite search engines and use it across profiles.
1). Click 'Edit profile' (or configure a new profile if you run the Ranking Checker for the first time).
2). On the 'Select search engines' tab, click the 'Favorites' button, select 'Organize favorites'.
3). In the 'Favorites Manager' window, check only those search engines you need. Press OK.
4). If you need another list of favorites, the in the 'Favorites manager' press 'Add' and name the new list. Then check the necessary SEs and press 'OK'. You can create as many lists as necessary, edit the created favorites lists and rename them.
All the favorites lists will become available on the 'Favorites' menu.
Q: How do I add and remove keywords?
A: To add a keyword, you should take the following steps:
1) Open Profile Manager: on the Profile dropdown list, select 'Edit Profile'.
2) Go to the 'Add keywords' tab. Here you can unselect the unnecessary keywords by removing checkmarks near them. To add new keywords, click 'Add', then enter the new keywords, each on a separate line. Click 'OK'.
You can also import keywords from your site's meta tags, from the text file, from clipboard or from another project.
To import keywords from another project, press 'Import from' -> 'Advanced import'. You will be given a list of Web CEO tools where you can import keywords from.
- Select the necessary site/project from the drop-down menu.
- Double-click on the tool's name: you will be given a list of profiles.
- Define the profile you would like to import keywords from and press 'OK'.
Note: You can't edit misspelled keywords; you can only delete them and add correct ones. If you don't want to use some keywords in your current profile, just uncheck them. In case you want to permanently delete some keywords, you should right-click on a keyword and select 'Delete' from the popup menu, or else highlight a keyword and press the 'Delete' button.
Once again, when you delete a keyword in this way, it will be permanently deleted from all profiles created within the selected project.
Q: How do I know that the Ranking Checker shows me the same results as the search engines?
A: While checking your site's positions Web CEO also takes a snapshot of the SE results page where your site is found. This snapshot is cached and you can view it directly form the Ranking Checker window: please point to the result you want to ensure, right-click it and select 'View cached results' in the pop-up menu.
Q: How do I select search engines based on a language or country?
A: If you need region- or language-specific search engines, you can select them in an easy way:
1) In the 'Profile Manager' window, go to the 'Select search Engines' tab.
2) Click on the 'Check' button, and then select the target country on the 'Check by country' menu (or the target language - 'Check by language'). Please have a look at the screenshot attached.
3) Check 'Only show selected', and the program will filter out all but your regional search engines.
Q: Is there a possibility to check rankings for multiple domains simultaneously?
A: Yes, you can add domains to be considered your site mirrors.
1) Click on the Profile button located on the toolbar above the report.
2) On the Profile dropdown list, select 'Edit Profile'.
3) In the Profile manager window, click on the '3. Set scan rules' tab.
4) Enter the domain masks, each on a separate line. You can use an asterisk (*mirrror.com) to substitute multiple characters.
5) Click 'OK' to finish editing the profile.
As a result, the program will provide all found rankings in one report regardless the domain.
Q: What is the "Ranking score" report? Why do I need it?
A: The ranking score report is helpful to evaluate your site's visibility on search engines against your competitors'. It's especially valuable if such checks are made regularly, for example, once a month to see if your search engine visibility increases or decreases compared to your competitors.
The program queries SE for the given keywords, gets SERPs and then searches for your and your competitor sites' results on them. Then it calculates scores for the key phrases; the scores depend on the site rankings, key phrase competition and search engine importance.
The formula for the Ranking score is preset; however, you can change it according to your demands. Open the 'Profile Manager', move to the '5. Score settings' tab and click 'Formula'. You'll be able to modify the Search engine and Position weight. For example, you can give a greater importance to a regional search engine by increasing its weight. You can also edit the formula itself and use it to compare and evaluate sites.
Q: Why can`t I edit the misspelled keywords?
A: You can't edit the misspelled keywords because it contradicts the program logic. The software keeps track of ranking changes related to each keyword; if you were to edit a keyword, its history would show false data. This is misleading, so you can only delete the keywords and add the correct ones. If you don't want to use some keywords in your current profile, just uncheck them.
In case you want to permanently delete some keywords, you should right-click on a keyword and select 'Delete' on the popup menu, or highlight a keyword and press the 'Delete' button.
Once again, when you delete a keyword in this way, it will be permanently deleted from all profiles created within the selected project.
Q: Why do I get so many scanning errors?
A: It is very likely that you set the Ranking checker to query search engines using the proxy server and the proxy that the program connects through is not valid any longer.
- Select 'Settings' on the 'File' menu, then go to the 'SE requests' tab and click 'Connection'.
- Uncheck 'Use proxy servers while querying search engines' and run a test ranking report without proxies.
Q: Why do I get wrong results?
A: Why do I get wrong results?
We are extremely careful about the quality of our tools and do all in our power to provide accurate and reliable results. However, there are circumstances that can affect the accuracy of reports. Below are the most likely reasons:
1) Cached results:
Search engine rankings may fluctuate even within a day for the following technical reasons - database updates, temporary switches to older backups or use of different databases because of maintenance, etc. Often, the rankings change in a matter of hours or even minutes. Our Ranking Checker caches the retrieved search engine results pages -- it does not request them again on the same day. In other words, if the search engine rankings have changed within a day's time, our Ranking Checker may display different results than the search engine itself.
The cache expires in 24 hours, so if you need to refresh the results earlier, you must delete the cache manually. Open the 'Settings' window in the 'File' menu and select 'Cache' on the 'SE Requests' tab. Click 'Clear cache' and then re-run the ranking report.
2) Cookies:
Some search engines provide new users with different results than the content they display to their regular users. Cookies identify the regular search engine users. In this case, Web CEO plays a new user, and your browser is a regular user. Deleting your browser cookies will make the results match.
3) Browser language:
Make sure you use the same browser language in the Web CEO Ranking Checker and your browser. Open the 'Settings' window in the 'File' menu and select 'Connection' on the 'SE Requests' tab. You will find here the language Web CEO uses (and can change it). If you use Internet Explorer 6.0, then in order to find out its language check the 'General' tab of 'Internet Options' (Tools -> Internet Options -> General tab -> Languages). Please note that Web CEO copies your browser language settings when you first run the Ranking checker. Web CEO does not check the browser language settings after the initial set-up however, so if you change them on the browser, you must manually change them in Web CEO.
To resolve the cookies and browser language issues and have the program use your browser cookies and languages, select 'Settings' on the 'File' menu, then move to the 'SE requests' tab. Click 'Connections' and then check 'Use IE cookies and language settings when requesting search engines'.
4) IP-address of your PC or proxy server:
Search engines providing paid advertisement services often have IP filters for geographic targeting. This means that if you use a proxy server with an IP address that belongs to Spain , you will not see ads that are targeted geographically towards the US . Check to see that you use the same connection in your browser as you do in Web CEO. If you use the Ranking Checker's feature allowing you to connect via a random proxy server, make sure to turn it off.
5) The Web CEO Search engine Knowledge Base is out of date:
If none of the solutions above help, Web CEO's search engine Knowledge Base may be out of date. To correct this, update the Knowledge Base.
If this does not solve the problem, please answer the following questions:
What are your site URL(s) and the keyword(s) you used to check rankings for?
Which search engine(s) did you select?
Which position does your website have on that search engine when you check rankings using a browser?
Did you change settings for the search engine rules? If yes, please describe how you did.
Once you have the answers, please contact the Web CEO Support service at: support@webceo.com .
