How Your Results Are Measured
Where each number in your portal comes from, what is measured versus estimated, and when your data starts to appear.
Quick Answer
Your clicks and impact numbers come from Google Search Console, your rankings from weekly checks, and your AI results from weekly checks of AI answers. Measured numbers are never estimated, and the portal shows no fictional counts.
- Weeklyrank and AI checks
- Measurednot estimated
On This Page
Every number in your portal has a source. This guide explains where each one comes from, what is measured, and when you can expect data to show up.
The Short Version
- Clicks and impact numbers come from your Google Search Console.
- Money keyword positions come from weekly rank checks.
- AI results come from weekly checks of ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI answers.
- Your monthly report uses your own Google data.
- The portal shows measured signals from rankings, backlinks, and content, with no fictional counts.
Where Each Number Comes From
| Number | Where It Comes From |
|---|---|
| Tracked Search Clicks | From Google Search Console, for the searches we track, in the last 28 days. |
| Money Keywords On Page One | From weekly rank checks. |
| AI Answers And New Links | From weekly checks. The AI share counts the AI answers we checked this month that mention you. |
| Proof Of Impact | Measured before and after results from your Google Search Console. |
| Site Health | From audits that run weekly. |
| Your Monthly Report | The month's highlights from your own Google data, the work behind them, and what we're doing next. |
Each card on your Results page also says where its data comes from and when it was last updated. Choose Show numbers under any card for the full history.
Measured, Not Estimated
Where the portal says a number is measured, it is.
- Proof of Impact: "Every number comes from your Google Search Console. Nothing is estimated."
- Only rows with real Google Search Console data are marked Measured.
- Analytics tracking findings are measured findings from platform detectors, not estimates.
Some pages are predictions, and the portal labels them that way. Forecasts are traffic predictions and estimated revenue impact from ranking improvements. They are generated monthly based on your keyword tracking data, and predictions improve with more rank tracking history.
How Before And After Is Judged
For each fix we ship, Proof of Impact compares the changed page's 28 days on Google before the change with the 28 days after it.
- We also compare against your whole site over the same weeks. A page that only rose with the season isn't counted as a win.
- "Moved up" means the page gained at least one position, or beat your site's click growth by 15% or more, with nothing moving the other way. Smaller moves are "Held steady".
- A page still past page 5 of Google (position 50 or lower) isn't judged on rank. Moves that deep don't bring visitors either way.
- If Search Console isn't connected, these numbers come from the searches we track for you and cover fewer pages.
What Is Not Counted As A Result
Some numbers need extra verification before they are shown.
- Calendar and payment totals cover all connected business activity. They are not automatically attributed to website inquiries or SEO.
- Phone-link clicks are not completed calls. Analytics events are not unique inquiries.
- Consultations, paying clients and revenue are verified separately from calendar and sales records.
- If no successful submission event was observed in a window, that does not prove there were no inquiries.
- Unavailable totals appear as a dash.
When Data Starts Appearing
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Search clicks and traffic | Within a day of connecting Google. |
| Your first rankings | After the first weekly check, which happens every Monday. |
| A keyword trend | New keywords need roughly a week of tracking before a trend shows. The trend line appears after a second snapshot. |
| AI results | Your first result shows after the next weekly check. |
| AI Visibility Trend | After two recorded reports. |
| Monthly report | Generated at the start of each month, covering the previous month's data. |
| Page-one movement | Most clients see their first page-one movement in 60–90 days. |
Why Rankings Move
Rankings naturally fluctuate week to week. We flag a trend only after sustained movement, and your monthly report's narrative summary will call out anything that needs attention.
If A Number Looks Wrong
Message your team from the Help page, or see Portal Troubleshooting. To connect Google, see How To Connect Google Search Console. For plain-English definitions, see the SEO Glossary.