Export Format is the artifact type RankGear writes a result out as — HTML, TXT, Markdown, PDF, CSV, TSV, or XLSX. It decides the shape and portability of the file, not the analysis inside it.
| Term | Export Format |
|---|---|
| Category | Reports, Workbooks and Exports |
| Also known as | File Format |
| Where it appears | Supplemental Content, evaluation exports, and reports |
What it means in RankGear
When you save an analysis, a supplemental-content pull, or a report out of RankGear, you pick a format for the file. That choice is the Export Format. It governs how the data is packaged — a spreadsheet workbook, a self-contained web page, a plain-text dump, or a print-ready document — while the measurements, scores, and run metadata underneath stay exactly the same. The same run can be written to more than one format, so a single evaluation might leave you with an XLSX workbook for digging into numbers and an HTML companion for sharing.
How to interpret it
Read the format as a delivery choice, not a data choice. Tabular formats — CSV, TSV, XLSX — keep rows and columns intact for sorting, filtering, and re-analysis; XLSX preserves multiple sheets and the summary legend, while CSV and TSV flatten to a single sheet. HTML and PDF are presentation formats: open the summary and legend first, then follow the structure into the detail sections. Markdown and TXT are the most portable and the easiest to paste elsewhere, at the cost of styling. Whichever you pick, keep the run metadata with the file so the numbers stay traceable to the settings that produced them.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| XLSX | Multi-sheet workbooks, re-analysis, keeping the legend |
| CSV / TSV | Single-sheet tabular data for import into other tools |
| HTML | A self-contained, shareable page with structure and links |
| A fixed, print-ready snapshot for hand-off | |
| Markdown / TXT | Lightweight, portable text you can paste anywhere |
Example
You finish an evaluation of a target page and export it twice: once as XLSX so you can sort factors by their measured values across sheets, and once as a self-contained HTML report to send to a client. Both files describe the same run and the same measurements — only the packaging differs. The client opens the HTML page in a browser and reads the summary; you keep the workbook open to trace individual factor rows.
Important considerations
- The format changes packaging only. It never alters the underlying measurements, scores, or comparisons, so switching formats is not a way to get different results.
- An exported file is a snapshot of one run. When you compare exports, compare like-for-like settings, and do not treat formatting or styling as additional evidence.
- Provider-derived and comparative metrics inside an export are indicators, not Google scores — correlation is not causation, and a well-formatted report does not make a page rank.
- Preserve the run metadata when you share an artifact, so the numbers stay tied to the settings that produced them.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.