SERPs Result Mismatch: Sequence Stats Ranking Gap Analysis

Siti NuradillaTati Khumairoh
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Siti Nuradilla, 

Tati Khumairoh

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Last edited at by Rifqi Ardhian

illustration of SERP result mismatch between the manual and automated checking

Table Of Contents

    Usually, the majority of people check website ranking manually by entering keywords into search engines and searching for website domains one by one. Of course, this approach takes time and is less efficient.

    In response to this, many SEO tools have been initiated to track the rankings automatically, one of which is Sequence Stats. However, every available tool can experience the incompatibility of ranking results compared to a manual way.

    Therefore, the explanation below will take you to see the gap that Sequence Stats has in checking the ranking on the Google search engine.

    The Importance of Ranking in SEO

    In the SEO field, getting the first ranking on Google is very crucial. This is necessary to assess website performance, article performance, and competitors.

    Getting the first ranking on Google requires optimization of the article. However, before you optimize the articles on your website, you need to know the ranking of the articles to be optimized.

    Seeing the ranking on an ongoing basis must also be done to determine whether there is an increase in performance after optimization.

    Get to Know What SERP Is

    SERP is known as Search Engine Results Page on Google. SERP contains results provided by Google when you search for certain keywords or topics. The SERP consists of several sections: Organic Search Results, Google Ads results, Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, and Video Results.

    In short, when you type certain keywords on Google, you will get the desired page through the SERP.

    Sequence Stats: Automate Ranking Reporting

    Sequence Stats function as a rank tracker tool for keywords in the SERP. Sequence displays the ranking distribution across all the keywords you'll be tracking for the past seven days.

    Sequence displays the ranking distribution for each keyword. It also displays keyword metrics with a visualization that makes it easier for you to understand and analyze the rankings data.

    Sequence Stats is very concerned about the ranking distribution according to the time zone that has been set by the user. Another advantage that Sequence Stats has is that you can see the organic and the absolute ranking. For more details, you can see the Rank Dashboard.

    The Gap in The Automate and Manual Rank Reporting

    Differences in ranking results between those seen by one person and another, including differences in the results of automatic rankings from Sequence Stats and manual rankings are influenced by several components.

    These components include your location (internet IP), incognito mode, browsing history, and personal browser. This can affect the display of keyword results that you search for manually in the SERP.

    Therefore, it is normal for gaps in the SERP of different people and locations. However, Sequence tends to provide a relatively low gap between automatic checking and manual checking. We provide an analysis of gaps in rankings in SERP.

    Case Study: Gaps in Ranking

    We have simulated manual rank checking and automated using https://app.sequence.day. The study focused on four niches including finance, education, travel & transport, and brands.

    We chose the Financial Services Authority (OJK) for the finance niche, Brain Academy for the education niche, Indonesia Travel for the travel & transport niche, and AQUA for the brand niche. In this simulation, five keywords are used in each niche.

    We conducted an analysis based on the three available charts, including:

    • Keyword Daily Ranking Graph, this graph can see the distribution of keyword positions in the SERP from Sequence ranking (automatic) and manual ranking from day to day.

    • Graph of Average Gap on Keywords. This graph can show the average ranking gap on each keyword. You can also see which keywords have stable rankings.

    • Average Daily Difference in Keyword Rankings. This graph can see the average difference in rankings from Sequence Stats and manual rankings which can be seen from day to day.

    Manual rank tracking is done every 4 AM for approximately 30 minutes on 20 keywords. We apply several test criteria, namely using a browser in incognito mode, using Google.co.id, and Bahasa.

    Financial Services Authority (OJK)

    We input two keywords that contain the brand mention of the five selected keywords. Keywords that contain brands have a top 5 ranking and financial inclusion keywords are in 2nd position. Below is a keyword graph with daily positions at the Financial Services Authority or OJK (https://www.ojk.go.id/).

    Figure 1. Daily Keyword Ranking at OJK

    Figure 1. Daily Keyword Ranking at OJK

    Based on the position distribution of each keyword, the keywords containing brands and financial inclusion have an average gap that is small or close to 0.

    A difference close to 0 means that the automatic ranking (using Sequence Stats) and manual ranking result is in the same position. Here is the data

    Figure 2. Average Keyword Gaps at OJK

    Figure 2. Average Keyword Gaps at OJK

    If we look at the average difference in the daily rankings, it can be seen that the gap tends to be stable. This means that the gap is indeed influenced by the stability of the daily position. The trial on day 3 experienced a high gap reaching 4.2.

    This is due to the difference in ranking on the keyword “apa itu investasi” on day 3. Here's a chart you can explore.

    Figure 3. Average Daily Keyword Ranking Gap at OJK

    Figure 3. Average Daily Keyword Ranking Gap at OJK

    Brain Academy

    The keywords we entered do not contain the Brain Academy brand mention with ranking distribution in the top 20. Below is a graph of keywords with daily positions on Brain Academy. (https://www.brainacademy.id).

    Figure 4. Daily Ranking of Keywords at Brain Academy

    Figure 4. Daily Ranking of Keywords at Brain Academy

    Based on the ranking distribution for each keyword, the keywords "bimbel online terbaik" are in the top 5 rankings. Meanwhile, the keywords "struktur organisasi kehidupan" and "tingkat organisasi kehidupan" are in the top 10 rankings.

    However, the keyword "struktur organisasi kehidupan" has a higher ranking viewed manually than the keyword "tingkat organisasi kehidupan". That is, the smaller the keyword ranking, the smaller the gap or the difference that tends to be closer to 0.

    A gap close to 0 illustrates that automatic rank checking (using Sequence Stats) and manual ranking result is in the same position. The following is the graph.

    Figure 5. Average Keyword Gap in Brain Academy

    Figure 5. Average Keyword Gap in Brain Academy

    If we look at the average difference in daily rankings, it can be seen that the gap tends to fluctuate. This means that the gap is influenced by the stability of the daily position.

    The second day trial experienced a high gap which is 2 points, due to ranking instability on the keyword "bimbel online untuk smk". Here's a chart you can review.

    Figure 6. Average Daily Keyword Ranking Gap at Brain Academy

    Figure 6. Average Daily Keyword Ranking Gap at Brain Academy

    Indonesia Travel

    The keywords that we enter do not contain the Indonesian Travel brand with ranking distributions that tend to be at rank 30-50. Below is a graph of keywords with daily positions in Indonesia Travel (https://www.indonesia.travel/).

    Figure 7. Daily Ranking of Keywords in Indonesia Travel

    Figure 7. Daily Ranking of Keywords in Indonesia Travel

    Ranking on the keyword "destinasi wisata jogja" did not get ranking on the Google, this was allegedly because the keyword was in rank 100+.

    Based on the ranking distribution for each keyword, the keywords "hotel terbaik di Bali" are in the top 10 rankings. Meanwhile, the keywords "tempat wisata di bandung" and "wisata di bandung" are in the same ranking distribution, namely at rank 26 - 30.

    However, the keyword "tempat wisata di bandung" has lower ranking stability than the keyword "wisata di bandung". That is, the higher the ranking stability for keywords, the smaller the gap or the difference that tends to be close to 0.

    A gap close to 0 illustrates that automatic rank checking (through Sequence Stats) and manual ranking result is in the same position. The following is the graph.

    Figure 8. Average Keyword Gaps in Indonesia Travel

    Figure 8. Average Keyword Gaps in Indonesia Travel

    If we look at the average daily ranking difference, it can be seen that the gap tends to range from 1.6 to 3. This means that the gap is indeed influenced by the stability of the daily position and the ranking of each keyword. Here's a chart you can review.

    Figure 9. Average Daily Keyword Ranking Gap in Indonesia Travel

    Figure 9. Average Daily Keyword Ranking Gap in Indonesia Travel

    AQUA

    We include three keywords that contain the AQUA brand mention from the five keywords selected. Three keywords with the AQUA brand are in the top 5 ranks, rank 10 – 20, and rank 20+ respectively. Below is a keyword graph with the daily position on AQUA (https://www.sehataqua.co.id).

    Figure 10. Daily Ranking of Keywords in AQUA

    Figure 10. Daily Ranking of Keywords in AQUA

    Even though the keywords "aqua 600 ml" and "aqua gelas" contain the word AQUA, the keyword rankings are at rank 10-20 and rank 20+. Therefore, the average difference between keywords tends to be high, reaching 4.86 and 3.43.

    Keywords that are in the top 5 rank have differences that tend to be close to 0 even though they don't contain the AQUA brand word. This means that the gap between the automatic rank checking on Sequence Stats and the manual ranking is very small. The following is the graph.

    Figure 11. Average Keyword Gap in AQUA

    Figure 11. Average Keyword Gap in AQUA

    If we look at the average difference in the daily rankings, it can be seen that the gap tends to be stable. This means that the gap is indeed influenced by the stability of rankings from day to day. 

    The gap on these keywords tends to be high because the majority of keywords are ranked 20+. Here's a chart you can review.

    Figure 12. Average Keyword Ranking Gap Daily in AQUA

    Figure 12. Average Keyword Ranking Gap Daily in AQUA

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, the ranking results from Sequence Stats and manual ranking have a tolerable gap. Big gaps tend to occur when keywords are in rank 20+, but gaps tend not to occur when keywords are in the top 20 ranks.

    Besides that, when it is viewed based on keyword ranking data, the gap is affected by the stability of the ranking on the keywords. If the ranking on keywords tends to be stable, then the ranking results from the Sequence have an average gap of less than 1.

    Get a tool that makes it easier for you to record the ranking of the keywords you have in the SERP through Sequence Stats.