Why are the months incomparable?
Because the pin, grid, keyword list, rank rule or device changed between exports, so the two tables are not the same measurement.
Typical pattern: January used a 7×7 at 1 km; February used a 5×5 at 2 km after someone “tidied” the project; the slide still says “average rank improved.” The job is report settings, not a new ranking story.
Is this the tracker versus Google?
No. That guide is the same recipe still disagreeing with what you see in Search or Maps on a phone.
Diagnose that on why a rank tracker disagrees with Google. Stay here when last month and this month cannot be compared because the process drifted.
Is this two tools disagreeing?
Only if two products run at the same time with different engines, not if one monthly file changed its own settings.
Use why two rank-tracking tools show different results for vendor disagreement. Stay here for one reporting process that will not sit month-on-month.
Is this one geo-grid recipe change?
That sibling is the grid recipe itself moving — a common cause of incomparable months.
Use why changing geo-grid settings breaks comparison when the grid is the setting that moved. Stay here when keywords, rank rules or the whole monthly process drifted, not only the grid.
Recipe
Pin, grid, keyword list, rank rule? Write the settings that produced the table.Last
What did last month’s export use? A moved pin or new keyword set breaks the series.Now
What does this month use? If they differ, you do not have one trend.Sibling
Tracker versus Google is different Use that guide if the same recipe still disagrees with Search.Next
Do not average unlike grids Freeze the recipe or label a new series.
What should you freeze or relabel?
Freeze pin, grid, keyword set, rank rule and device if you want one trend. If you must change a setting, start a new series and label it — do not splice it into the old chart.
Google does not publish a single official local rank. Source: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google. Do not invent a blended “score” from unlike exports.
Comparability decision table
| What you see | What it usually means | Decision | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword list or rank rule changed | The monthly process drifted | Freeze the recipe or start a new series | That you can average the two tables |
| Same recipe; tracker ≠ phone | Tracker versus Google | Use the tracker-versus-Google guide | That this page is that disagreement |
| Two vendors, two numbers | Tool disagreement | Use the two-tools guide | That one vendor is “the official rank” |
| Only the grid size moved | A geo-grid recipe change | Use the geo-grid settings guide | That a larger grid is a ranking win |
What should I not do?
Action checklist
- Write the current recipe on the report cover.
- Compare it with last month’s export settings.
- If they differ, stop the trend line and start a labelled series.
- If the same recipe disagrees with Google, switch guides.
- If two tools disagree, switch guides.
- If only the grid moved, switch to the geo-grid guide.
When professional help makes sense
Help is useful when several people can edit the tracking project and nobody wrote the recipe down. It cannot produce an official Google rank.
Sources and further reading
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Google Search Central: How Search works
Monthly rank tables that will not compare?
Otepsphere can freeze or relabel the reporting recipe — without averaging unlike grids into a trend.
Contact OtepsphereWho writes this
This page is published by Otepsphere, a specialist Local SEO consultancy. A named founder biography, photograph and professional profiles will be added here only when they have been verified. Until then, treat Otepsphere as the responsible organisation rather than a fictional expert.