SERP Rank Trackers - Distorting Keyword Value?

[Lawrencess]

How do the popular cloud SERP rank trackers gather their data? Do they use a proxy to do a google search each and every time it updates the rank? Or do they use some other method I am unaware of. If they search on google.com.au using an overseas IP, are these still tallied as local searches?

I run a few niche offline businesses. Market research, and proper keyword research is vital to targeting my SEO efforts. Some keywords may only have 1 or 2 daily searches, but bring in thousands of dollars of revenue a week.

My concern with the cloud rank trackers, is if they are updating every hour, and I am tracking my rank and my competitors rank, and he is doing the same, that is over 100 extra daily searches for the keyword.

This has the potential to drastically over-inflate the value of a keyword, and waste a lot of peoples money chasing phantom searches.

Is this a valid concern or am I just being mental?

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

I don't think you are being mental but you may be over thinking things... I doubt any rank tracking service will tell you exactly how their back end works.

Typically a rank tracker will not give you competition/searches but rather where your KW ranks for your particular site.

 

[Lawrencess]

Typically a rank tracker will not give you competition/searches but rather where your KW ranks for your particular site.

I understand this, but if they gather this data by providing a search, and then capturing the result, google.com will record a search for that keyword.

Later, when doing keyword research with other tools, the data will be padded with such phantom searches.

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

I understand this, but if they gather this data by providing a search, and then capturing the result, google.com will record a search for that keyword.

Later, when doing keyword research with other tools, the data will be padded with such phantom searches.

A rank tracker tracks ranks of KWs tied to a url.

I'd share the backend process my partners would have my head on a platter.

 

[Lawrencess]

A rank tracker tracks ranks of KWs tied to a url.

I'd share the backend process my partners would have my head on a platter.

Thanks so much for your input. Seems like I am a bit mental!

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

Thanks so much for your input. Seems like I am a bit mental!

Nah, you're not mental... you are just looking deeper than you need to do and that is not a bad thing at all.

I commend you for your efforts to know exactly what is going on behind the scenes.

 

[the_demon]

It will inflate the search volume slightly or more depending on how many people are tracking the keyword.