📊 Pull Historical Rank Tracker Data by Quarter

🔍 Overview

Many customers need to see where a site ranked on specific dates, such as the last day of a quarter, and compare those snapshots over time. A common example is reviewing a keyword group on September 30, June 30, and the following September 30, then picking the highest-traffic keywords that have data for every date.

This article shows how to build that comparison in Rank Tracker, how to exclude branded keywords, and what to check if a keyword is missing data.

📋 Before You Start

Check these points first. They explain most of the questions we receive about historical pulls.

• Rank Tracker only holds data for dates it has already checked. It cannot create rankings for a date before a keyword was added, and it cannot show future dates.
• Each keyword has its own start date. A keyword added in January 2026 will have no data for September 30, 2025.
• Settings must match. Compare keywords using the same location, device, and search engine on every date.
• Keyword groups are a filter, not a time frame. A group shows the keywords you tracked in it, and you choose the dates separately.

🛠️ Step-by-Step: View Rankings for a Specific Date

1. Open Rank Tracker from the main navigation and select the project for your domain.
2. Choose the keyword group you want to review, for example your top keywords group. If you want every tracked keyword, leave the group set to all keywords.
3. Open the date selector and choose the first quarter-end date you need, such as September 30.
4. Review the rankings shown for that date. Record them or use the export option if it is available on your plan.
5. Repeat for each additional date, such as June 30 and the next September 30.
6. Combine the results in a spreadsheet, with one row per keyword and one column per date.

Menu labels can vary slightly depending on your plan and the current version of the platform. If you cannot find the date selector, look near the top of the rankings table where date and comparison options are usually placed.

🚫 Exclude Branded Keywords

To find your best non-brand keywords, remove any keyword that contains your brand name.

1. Open the keyword filter above the rankings table.
2. Add a filter for keywords that do not contain your brand term. For example, to exclude Club Automation terms, filter out the brand name and common variations.
3. Check the filtered list for misspellings or spaced variations of the brand, such as a version with the words separated.

If your plan does not offer a text exclusion filter, export the list and remove branded rows in your spreadsheet. Search for the brand name in the keyword column and delete matching rows.

🚀 Find the Top 10 Highest-Traffic Keywords With Data on Every Date

1. With your brand filter applied, sort the keyword list by estimated traffic or, if that is not available, by search volume.
2. Export or copy the full list for each date you need.
3. In your spreadsheet, line up the keywords so each one has a ranking for every date.
4. Remove any keyword that has no ranking recorded on one or more of those dates.
5. Sort the remaining keywords by traffic or volume and keep the top 10.

Do this in order. Filter out the brand terms first, then keep only keywords with complete data, then take the top 10. If you take the top 10 first, you may end up with fewer than 10 keywords after removing the incomplete ones.

💡 Tips for Accurate Comparisons

• Use the same date format everywhere. Confirm the time zone and date are the same when you export, so you do not pick up the day before or after.
• Look at the nearest check if a day is blank. If no check ran on an exact date, use the closest recorded date before or after it and note that in your report.
• Separate ranking from traffic. Traffic figures are estimates based on position and search volume. They do not replace analytics data.
• Save a copy of each export. This gives you a stable record for quarterly reporting.
• Keep your keyword group consistent. If keywords were added to or removed from the group during the period, the comparison may not be like for like.

❓ Troubleshooting Common Issues

• A keyword shows no data for an older date: It was likely added to tracking after that date. Check when the keyword was first tracked.
• Fewer than 10 keywords have data on all dates: Widen the keyword group, or report on the keywords that do qualify and note the gap.
• A requested date is in the future: Rankings will only be available once the date has passed and a check has run.
• Rankings look different from a manual search: Results vary by location, device, and personalization. Confirm your tracking settings match what you are comparing against.
• The export is missing columns: Make sure the columns you need, such as volume or traffic, are turned on before you export.

💬 Need More Help?

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.

To speed things up, include your project domain, the keyword group name, and the exact dates you want to compare.