Why AWR result may be different?

Occasionally we receive inquiries from customers saying that they are experiencing issues with the results returned by Advanced Web Ranking, being different that the results from their browsers. But with this article, I am looking to explain why the results returned by Advanced Web Ranking can be different and what you can do about this.

1. Different Data center

The main search engine that causes these discrepancies is, as you may guessed, Google. The results returned by Google are different in Advanced Web Ranking than your browser because Google uses different data centers to return results personalized for different regions.

This is the case when you are checking the rankings for one of your clients abroad and the reports you send from Advanced Web Ranking do not match what your clients see in their browsers.

In order to make sure that you send them accurate results use the Google Preview Tool or proxies.

2. You are logged into your Google Account

Another reason why the results may be different is that Google personalizes the results returned  in the search page using your Google account and sometimes it returns different results for you than for other people.

To check that this does not cause the results to be different, when you are cross checking the results, just make sure that you are not logged in your Google Account.

3. Proxies

We have received inquiries from customers over time who used proxies for their internet connection and direct connection in Advanced Web Ranking. Others used direct connection for their browser and proxies for Advanced Web Ranking.

But in order to make sure that the results are returned correctly, you need to use the same type of connection for Advanced Web Ranking as for your browser when cross checking the results.

4. Different number results

Advanced Web Ranking offers you the possibility to change the number of results displayed per page, through the [Set number of results per page for all search engines to] option from the [Settings] -> [Performance] -> [General Performance Settings] menu. But making this change may lead to have slightly different results returned by Advanced Web Ranking. This is because the data is gathered in a different way that how it’s displayed in your browser.

However, if you choose to change these settings, make sure that you will use these preferences also in your browser. In this way, you will be sure that the results will not be different.

5. API keys

When using API keys the results displayed in Advanced Web Ranking can be slightly different than the ones you see in your browser. This is because the search engines have limitations on the results they return. For example Google returns only 64 results when using an API key and this may result in having slightly different website ranking results in Advanced Web Ranking.

6. Browser cache

The cache of your browser can also be a reason why results are different, so after you checked all the cases before be sure you delete you browser’s cache or cross check with a different browser.

7. AWR issue

If none of the cases before applies, then we will need to have a look at your project and see if there is anything wrong with the settings of your search engines. So if you encounter this problem, please use the [Report Error] option from the [AWR Options] -> [Support] menu and we will look into that problem as soon as possible and get back to you with a solution.

If you find this article useful, have questions or want to get in touch with us let us know by leaving a comment below.