The report filename convention is the naming pattern RankGear stamps onto every exported artifact — target domain, keyword, date, time, and file type — so a new run never silently overwrites an earlier one.
| Term | Report Filename Convention |
|---|---|
| Category | Reports, Workbooks and Exports |
| Also known as | Filename Convention |
| Where it appears | Generated artifacts |
What it means in RankGear
When RankGear finishes an analysis and writes an artifact to disk — a workbook, an HTML companion, an export — it builds the filename from the facts of that run rather than a generic label. The pattern weaves together the target domain, the keyword you analyzed, and a date-and-time stamp, then closes with the file type. Because two runs of the same keyword on the same domain differ by their timestamp, each export lands under its own distinct name. That is the whole point of the convention: reports accumulate side by side in a folder instead of one clobbering the next, and the name alone tells you what was analyzed and when.
How to interpret it
Read the filename as run metadata, not decoration. The domain and keyword segments identify what the artifact measures; the date and time identify which run produced it. When you open a folder of exports, sort by that timestamp to trace how a keyword’s analysis changed across sessions, and keep the full name intact when you share a file — renaming it to something friendlier discards the very context that lets a colleague know it is a snapshot of one specific run rather than a live or current view.
Example
You analyze the keyword “managed it services” for example.com in the morning, tweak a couple of settings, and run it again after lunch. Instead of a single report.xlsx that the second run overwrites, you find two workbooks whose names carry the same domain and keyword but different time stamps. Both sit in the folder untouched, so you can open them side by side and compare the two runs directly.
Important considerations
- Each named artifact is a snapshot of one run under one set of settings. When you compare two files, compare like-for-like configurations — differences may reflect changed inputs, not changed results.
- The filename records identity and timing; it is a bookkeeping aid, not evidence. The naming pattern itself has no bearing on rankings and does not affect the underlying measurements inside the file.
- Preserve the generated name when archiving or sharing. Renaming or truncating it strips the run metadata that distinguishes one export from another and makes later comparison harder.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.