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SERP Keyword Hybrid Tracking Explained

Understand how hybrid tracking combines continuous tracking with manual updates for flexibility and cost control.

Updated this week

What it is

Hybrid Tracking is Keyword.com’s method of collecting Google ranking data at different depths and frequencies to balance accuracy, context, and cost.


Why it exists

  • The majority of organic clicks happen in the Top 20 results

  • Deeper rankings (Top 100) are useful for context, diagnostics, and prioritization

  • Updating all 100 positions constantly creates unnecessary cost and noise

Hybrid Tracking delivers frequent Top 20 precision and regular Top 100 visibility.


How it works

Tracking depth now depends on your plan type:

Plan Type

Daily Frequency

Top 100 Frequency

Hourly (legacy)

Top 20 (6× per day)

Top 100 (weekly on Monday)

Daily

Top 20 (daily)

Top 100 (weekly on Monday)

Weekly

Top 20 (weekly)

Top 100 (monthly on 4th Monday of the month)

  • Top 20 results = “high-impact” data for your keywords

  • Top 100 results = broader context, updated less frequently

Free on-demand refreshes now return

  • Top 20 results on days where we collect Top 20 results from Goolge

  • Top 100 results on days where we collect Top 100 results from Google

If you upgrade to SERP100 tracking, your on-demand refreshes will include the full Top 100 all the time.


Update timing

Every day at 00:00 UTC, all keywords within the Keyword.com platform are queued for automatic updates. The update schedules are as outlined below:

Keyword Refresh Cycle

Frequency

Time(s)

Daily

Daily

00:00 UTC

Weekly

Mondays

00:00 UTC

Bi-hourly (legacy)

Daily

Starts at 00:00 UTC and will be updated 6 times during the day

⚠️ Note on Mondays: Since Top 100 updates are processed on Mondays, expect keyword updates to take longer to complete on those days.

Important notes about timing:

  1. Queue processing: The automatic refresh queue begins processing all keywords daily at 00:00 UTC (or on Monday 00:00 UTC for weekly refreshes). Depending on the total number of keywords, the refresh process may take some time to complete across all accounts.

  2. Dashboard update time: The "last updated" time displayed in your project dashboard reflects when the last keyword in your account was updated. This timestamp is shown in UTC format.

  3. Individual keyword updates: To see the exact update time for each keyword, view the information individually within your account in the table.

  4. On-demand refreshes: Triggering a manual refresh will override the automatic update for selected keywords. The "last updated" timestamp will reflect this manual refresh time.

  5. Bi-hourly update requirement (legacy): To maintain bi-hourly updates, login at least once every 3 days. Otherwise, your account will switch to daily updates until you log in again. This ensures efficient use of resources for active users.


Impact on reporting

Because not all depths are refreshed every day:

  • Some days may not have newly scraped ranks for deeper positions

  • Reporting behaviour depends on the Maintain Continuous Rank (MCR) setting

See the Maintain Continuous Rank (MCR) article for a detailed explanation.


When to consider full Top 100 tracking

  • You monitor large keyword sets outside the Top 20

  • You need daily visibility into deeper movement

  • You require full-depth reporting for audits or diagnostics

Contact support to enquire about full SERP 100 tracking.

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