Skip to content

Getting started with RankGear

To run your first analysis: install RankGear, add at least one SERP provider key in Settings, then enter a keyword and target page on Analysis Run and press Run. Off-page and entity factors need their own provider keys, but you can start with organic on-page analysis using a single SERP provider.

1. Install RankGear

Download the desktop app for macOS 14+ (Apple silicon) or Windows 11 (x64/ARM64) and open it. RankGear runs entirely on your machine; reports are written to a local folder you choose in Settings.

2. Connect your provider accounts

RankGear brings the analysis engine; it uses your accounts for external data. In Settings → API & Providers, add the keys you have: a SERP provider (for the result field), optionally a Local Business Data provider (for Maps), an entity provider, and an AI provider (Claude or OpenAI) for optional interpretation. Keys are stored in a protected local credential store — the interface only ever sees that a key is present, never its value.

3. Run your first Analysis Run

  1. Enter a keyword and your page

    Set the query and the target URL (or domain) you want to place in the field.

  2. Choose the field

    Pick depth (start with Top 10), country, language, device, and a deficit strategy (Average is a good default).

  3. Run and read top-down

    Open the dashboard on the optimization score and the Do-This-First fix, then work down the roadmap. Open any factor to see the evidence behind it.

Correlation, not causation. Your first score is a starting point, not a verdict. It shows how your page compares to the field today — changing it is judgment, and rankings move for reasons beyond any one page.

Next steps

Read the glossary to decode the terms, see how RankGear measures, or jump into Content Intelligence to build a brief from the field.