Morning people! Just thought of a useful addition to this already great tool. We're obviously not JUST tracking all key phrases but also act on change in the rankings. It would be very handy if there was a smaal text input form element where you could scribble down a quick note as a reminder to yourself what you did to improve the ranking. When you come back a week later to look at it you can verify the change and remember what you did thus knowing whether it had a positive or negative effect. If you are just monitoring a small number of keywords/phrases it will be easier to just remember but I reckon for some it will be a useful addition. Perhaps it might not fit horizontally no more in the table next to the existing columns but maybe you could make this optional column a preference setting so people can choose whether to make use of it if you think it is feasible at all. Any feedback on this idea?
It's not a bad idea, but due to the size of the system there needs to be some trade-offs. And ultimately it's not meant as a "note taking machine". Already it's approaching a quarter million keywords (adding at a rate of about 1,500-2,000 per day). Adding more data to track across that many keywords ends up being gigs of more data on the backend... - Shawn
Wouldn't it, in a 'worst-case' , be just a few hundred meg? Let's say you would allow 256 characters and store it in a 'smalltext' sql db cell. Assume a million keywords tracked and assuming every single person would use it to it's full 256 character extent, then that would be just 256 megabyte in storage wouldn't it? (Or is one character not about equal to one byte?) I know storage is just one part, each time the data is requested will be more but still, I think it would be beneficial for most. So yes there will be additional server load time but it will make this tool also more complete in its role for monitoring and analysing search engine ranking positions and ultimately, helping SEO's better in doing a better job. There is a wealth of knowledge available here in the forums and elsewhere on the net but a little note of what was done in an attempt to increase the ranking, and seeing the results next to this note will make the SEO learning curve even steeper by showing each user the direct effects of what they did in the clearest way possible. This will make 'experimenting' with SEO tactics and techniques easier imho and will make it possible to let people see for themselves (more easily and clearly) as oppose to asking others what will happen if... Regardless though, I believe you have done and are still doing a great job Shawn!
I do like the idea, but for right now it just doesn't work in the frame of things. But I'm adding it to the list of things to do in the future. - Shawn