Rank Tracking Baseline Setup (Onboarding)
A checklist with 7 steps: Lock the keyword set to the client's revenue terms before any tracker is configured.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
What are the steps?
Rank Tracking Baseline Setup (Onboarding)
- 01
Lock the keyword set to the client's revenue terms before any tracker is configured
Pull 20 to 50 queries from search console, sales call transcripts, and the client's own pipeline language. Cap the list at what the retainer can support so nobody inherits a 400-keyword board in month two.
- 02
Separate branded, non-branded, and AI-prompt queries into distinct groups
Branded terms flatter the dashboard and hide real movement. AI-prompt queries (the questions a buyer would type into ChatGPT or Perplexity) need their own group because they behave differently from classic SERP queries.
- 03
Set the tracking cadence per group instead of globally
Daily checks on 10 to 15 money keywords, weekly on the long tail. Hourly refresh on everything is how agencies burn tracking credits and still miss the volatility that matters.
- 04
Record a baseline snapshot with date, device, and location settings written down
A rank number without its collection context is not evidence. Store device type, geo, and search engine alongside the number so a later dispute about movement can be resolved with the original parameters.
- 05
Add two to four competitor domains at group level, not URL level
Group-level competitor tracking shows category movement; URL-level tracking shows one page's fight. Start at group level and drill down only when a specific page is losing ground.
- 06
Capture AI citation baselines for the same core prompts
Query ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity with the client's category terms and log whether the brand is mentioned, cited, or absent. This becomes the comparison point when AI visibility enters the reporting conversation.
- 07
Publish the baseline to the client in the first 14 days
Send a one-page snapshot with the keyword groups, the starting positions, and the two metrics you will be judged on. Clients who see the starting line early argue less about the finish line later.