Search Atlas includes four keyword tools: Keyword Research, Keyword Magic Tool, Keyword Rank Tracker, and Keyword Gap Analysis. This article covers the most common questions about using them.
What is the difference between the four keyword tools?
Keyword Research — look up metrics (volume, CPC, competition) for keywords you already know.
Keyword Magic Tool — enter a seed term and discover related keyword ideas you may not have considered.
Keyword Rank Tracker (KRT) — monitor your domain's actual Google ranking position for specific keywords over time.
Keyword Gap Analysis (KGA) — compare your domain against competitors to find keywords they rank for that you don't.
💡 A typical workflow: discover keywords in the Magic Tool → save the best ones → add them to a Rank Tracker project → run a Gap Analysis to find remaining opportunities.
How do I set up a Rank Tracker project?
Go to Keywords → Rank Tracker (Keyword Rank Tracker) in the left sidebar and click New Project. Configure:
- Domain to track
- Target country and location (for local rank tracking)
- Device type (desktop or mobile)
- Competitors to benchmark against
Add keywords by typing them in or using the + icon from Keyword Research or Magic Tool results. Save — your first data pull begins immediately. ✅
Why don't my Google Search Console positions match my Rank Tracker?
This is expected. GSC averages positions across all users, devices, locations, and query variants. KRT scrapes Google from a fixed location and device at a single point in time. Neither is wrong — they measure different things. 💡 Use KRT for competitive benchmarking and trend tracking; use GSC for real user traffic and impression data.
What is the Visibility Score?
The Visibility Score is the project-level metric summarizing your overall ranking health. It is the position-weighted average of estimated organic click-through rates for all tracked keywords ranking in the top 10, using standard CTR curves. A score of 100% means every tracked keyword ranks #1. If no tracked keywords rank in the top 10, the score shows N/A.
How do I add keywords to an existing Rank Tracker project?
From the Keyword Research or Magic Tool results, click the + icon next to any keyword and select your target project from the dropdown. You can also open your project directly and type keywords into the input field at the top of the keyword table.
My quota is draining faster than expected on the Keyword Magic Tool. Why?
There is a known frontend issue where clicking a search history entry may trigger a quota-consuming POST request instead of a free GET. This is being addressed by the engineering team. ⚠️ If your quota drains abnormally fast, contact support — they can review your usage log and issue a credit if the consumption was caused by this bug.
How does Keyword Gap Analysis work?
Enter your domain plus up to four competitor domains, set your target country, and submit. The tool fetches all keywords each domain ranks for and categorizes the overlap:
- Gap — competitors rank; you don't (highest priority opportunities)
- Unique — only you rank
- Common — both rank
- Weak — both rank, but competitors rank higher
- Strong — both rank, and you rank higher
Each KGA run costs 100 credits per competitor added from your Keyword Gap quota (separate from your general keyword lookup quota).
How often does Rank Tracker refresh positions?
You can set your project to refresh automatically on an interval (every N days), monthly on a specific date, or manually by clicking Refresh. The default auto-refresh is every 10 days. Manual refreshes can be triggered at any time from the project view. Rank data uses live SERP scraping (DataForSEO), so positions reflect real Google results at crawl time.
Why is Keyword Gap Analysis stuck loading?
DataForSEO fetches for large domains can take a few minutes. Wait 2–3 minutes and refresh the page. If it's been more than 10 minutes, contact support with the domains you entered.
What is a Keyword List vs. a Rank Tracker project?
A Keyword List is a saved collection of keywords for reference and planning — a research artifact. A Rank Tracker project is a live monitoring object that actively tracks your positions on Google over time. 💡 Keywords from a list can be added to a tracker project at any time using the + icon.
How do I track rankings for a specific city or region?
When creating or editing your Rank Tracker project, set the Location field to your target city, metro area, or region in addition to the country. KRT will scrape results geolocated to that specific area, which is essential for local businesses tracking local pack positions.