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Any Danger In Checking Ranks Regularly?

by Jon Paella
11 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I'm wondering if there's any danger in checking your ranking consistently. I mean, if you have many websites like 50 or 100 or more, whether you're using a paid web tool (e.g. micrositemasters) that automatically do it everyday or every few hours, or if you have your own manual tool (I have SEO Rank Checker) and do it from your own IP address, would Google be suspicious as to why a bunch of sites are being checked so quickly one after another using the same ip address?
#checking #danger #ranks #regularly
  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Unless I completely misunderstand how rank checkers work, there is no way for Google to know which site you are checking.

    The rank checker is entering a search query and looking for where a particular site shows up. It's not clicking on that site. It is not doing anything with that site. It is basically just scraping the URLS from the SERPs.

    For all Google knows, or any other search engine you are checking, you could be checking any one of the sites that shows up.
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    • Profile picture of the author anwar001
      Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

      Unless I completely misunderstand how rank checkers work, there is no way for Google to know which site you are checking.

      The rank checker is entering a search query and looking for where a particular site shows up. It's not clicking on that site. It is not doing anything with that site. It is basically just scraping the URLS from the SERPs.

      For all Google knows, or any other search engine you are checking, you could be checking any one of the sites that shows up.
      You have given a perfect answer. Even I used to wonder about this earlier, but you have put my fears to rest with your logic.
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  • Profile picture of the author bb785
    If you are checking from a tool that makes queries from your IP, you may eventually trigger the "robots message" and Google will stop taking your queries temporarily. I have event triggered this running manual queries using a lot of modifiers.

    As far as hurting rankings or something, I would say that is probably not going to happen.
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  • Profile picture of the author WebMeUp
    No harm to your web site, since the machine simply enters the query instead of you, then tells you where it sees your site in the SERPs.

    The only thing that may happen is your IP address getting blocked for up to 2 hours only. And that's only if the tool is set up in such a way that it uses the client's machine to send out queries.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jon Paella
    Yes, I understand they don't actually click on the website. But they do stop checking once they see your website. I'm just wondering if it's done so regularly whether Google will be able to eventually find out which site is being checked. Of course the regular checking and stopping (when the website is found) needs to be from the same ip address consistently. That would surely leave a pattern if it's done too many times.

    Google would be able to tell I'm sure but I guess the question is whether they actually bother doing so.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by Jon Paella View Post

      Yes, I understand they don't actually click on the website. But they do stop checking once they see your website. I'm just wondering if it's done so regularly whether Google will be able to eventually find out which site is being checked. Of course the regular checking and stopping (when the website is found) needs to be from the same ip address consistently. That would surely leave a pattern if it's done too many times.

      Google would be able to tell I'm sure but I guess the question is whether they actually bother doing so.
      I use PowerSuite's Rank Tracker. I have it check for multiple URLs up to #100, 500, whatever. Change that setting so it goes to whatever # you tell it to search through and doesn't just stop when it finds yours. Most rank trackers let you do that.

      Problem solved.
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  • Profile picture of the author MatthewWoodward
    The main danger in checking your rankings over and over is wasting time and not creating more links with the time your wasting.

    You'll also be subject to stress, worry and fear everytime your rankings show the slight hint of a drop.

    It's a counter productive waste of time.
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  • Profile picture of the author thatkeywordguy
    Originally Posted by Jon Paella View Post

    I'm wondering if there's any danger in checking your ranking consistently.
    I have wondered about this quite a bit.
    Especially since the new patent filing last week.

    I wouldnt worry about it.

    Then again, they used to say the "negative seo" would never exist either.
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  • Profile picture of the author ThatAblaze
    I would say this goes right up there with "if I type in the wrong password, can the website store my wrong guesses and try to steal my logins on other websites?" The answer is the same: While technically it could happen, it would take so much sorting, fuzzy logic, and micro management to implement that no one in their right mind (except the police, maybe) would even try. If they did try they would end up with such a logistics nightmare that they would give the whole thing up before getting anything out of it anyway.

    However, in the extremely unlikely event that they did do this it would be really easy for you to fork them up. Just query the PR of cnet or yahoo or amazon in the middle of your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author hbteos234
    I'd say the only downside to checking your ranking frequently is the 'possibility' that your ip may get blocked. No effect whatsover on your site
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