You added keywords from the organic ranking list to the Rank Tracker, but many show as Not Ranking. Or you updated a heatmap and the platform still shows an older version. Both issues are common and usually have simple causes. This article explains why they happen and how to fix them.
🔎 Why Rank Tracker Can Differ From the Organic List
The organic ranking list and the Rank Tracker are two different tools that collect data in different ways. Because of this, the same keyword can show different results in each.
- Organic list: shows keywords your site was found ranking for, based on previously collected search data. It reflects a snapshot from a point in time.
- Rank Tracker: checks a specific keyword against your chosen settings (location, device, language and search engine) and looks for your exact domain or URL in the results.
If any of those settings differ from the data behind the organic list, a keyword can appear as Not Ranking even though you rank for it elsewhere.
⚙️ Common Reasons Keywords Show as Not Ranking
- Location mismatch: the organic list may reflect a country-level view, while your tracker is set to a city or region. Rankings can change a lot between locations.
- Device mismatch: a keyword may rank on desktop but not on mobile, or the reverse.
- Language or search engine differences: tracking in a different language or search engine than the original data can change results.
- Domain or URL mismatch: the tracker may be set up for www while your rankings are on the non-www version, or on a subdomain. Check that the tracked domain matches the live version of your site.
- Ranking beyond the tracking depth: if a page ranks below the number of results the tracker checks, it will show as not ranking.
- First check still pending: newly added keywords may not have completed their first scan yet. Early results can be empty or incomplete.
- Natural ranking changes: rankings move daily. A keyword in the organic list may have dropped out of the results by the time the tracker checks it.
🛠️ How to Fix Keywords Showing as Not Ranking
- Open your Rank Tracker project and review its settings: domain, location, device, language and search engine.
- Compare them with the settings you use when viewing the organic list. Update the tracker so they match.
- Confirm the tracked domain matches the version of your site that appears in search results (www vs non-www, http vs https, subdomains).
- Wait for the next scheduled update, or trigger a manual refresh if the option is available, so the keywords are checked again with the corrected settings.
- Search the keyword yourself in a private or incognito browser window, using the same location and device. This helps you confirm whether your page is really visible for it.
- If a keyword is still not ranking, check whether it ranks lower than the tracking depth. If so, it is not a tracking error. The page simply needs more optimization to climb.
🗺️ Why a Heatmap May Look Out of Date
Heatmaps are built from a scan of a location grid for a specific keyword. After you update or rerun one, the old version can still appear for a few reasons:
- The scan is still processing: larger grids take longer. Until it finishes, the previous results may stay on screen.
- Browser cache: your browser may be holding on to the earlier version of the page.
- Different date or version selected: the view may be set to an earlier scan date rather than the latest one.
- Different keyword, location or grid: a new scan with changed settings is saved as its own result. You may be looking at the earlier one.
🔄 How to Refresh a Heatmap
- Wait a few minutes after starting the update, especially for large grids or many keywords.
- Reload the page with a hard refresh. On Windows use Ctrl + F5. On Mac use Cmd + Shift + R.
- Check the scan date shown on the heatmap and select the most recent one.
- Confirm the keyword, business location and grid size match the scan you just ran.
- If it still looks old, log out and back in, or open the platform in a private window to rule out browser cache.
- Try a different browser or disable extensions that might block updated content.
✅ Tips to Prevent These Issues
- Set up your Rank Tracker with the same location, device and language you care about before adding keywords.
- Add keywords in small batches first and check that the early results look reasonable.
- Give new keywords time to complete their first check before judging the results.
- Treat the organic list as a guide for finding opportunities, and the Rank Tracker as your source for ongoing, settings-specific monitoring.
- Always check the scan date on a heatmap before comparing it with earlier results.
💬 Still Need Help?
If keywords still show as not ranking after matching your settings, or your heatmap still will not update, our team can take a closer look. Please have your project name, the keywords affected and the heatmap location ready.
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.