The Start Here Sheet is the workbook’s orientation page: it explains what the file contains, decodes the Factor IDs used throughout, and links you to the first available sheet in each report group.
| Term | Start Here Sheet |
|---|---|
| Category | Reports, Workbooks and Exports |
| Also known as | Start Here |
| Where it appears | Workbook Start Here |
What it means in RankGear
When RankGear finishes an analysis and builds the exportable workbook, the Start Here Sheet is the tab that opens first. It is a navigation and legend page rather than a data page: it summarizes what the run covered, spells out the Factor ID conventions so the numeric codes on the analysis sheets are readable, and provides jump links to the first populated sheet in each report group. It exists so that anyone opening the file — including someone who did not launch the run — can orient quickly and reach the underlying measurements without guessing at the sheet structure.
How to interpret it
Read the Start Here Sheet before diving into the detail tabs. Use its summary and Factor ID legend to establish context, then follow its links into the supporting sheets or report sections in the order that suits your question. Treat the run metadata it carries — keyword, settings, date, and scope — as the identity of the report: keep it intact when you share or archive the file so the numbers on every other sheet remain interpretable.
Example
You run a competitive analysis for “managed IT services,” and RankGear produces the workbook along with the selected HTML companion files. Opening the workbook lands you on the Start Here Sheet, where the summary confirms the keyword and run date, the legend translates the Factor IDs shown on the data tabs, and a link takes you straight to the first competitor comparison sheet. None of the underlying measurements changed — the sheet simply routes you into them.
Important considerations
- The workbook, including this sheet, is a snapshot of a single run. Compare like-for-like settings across reports rather than reading two workbooks generated under different configurations as directly equivalent.
- Formatting, links, and layout on this sheet are for navigation. They are not additional evidence — the evidence lives in the measured values on the data sheets.
- Provider-sourced metrics referenced elsewhere in the workbook are comparative indicators, not Google’s own scores; correlation with rank is not causation, and no single value here “makes” a page rank.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.