Why Trends Move When you Change Search Terms or Brand Names

Sometimes a trend jumps even though nothing changed in AI answers. Often the cause is a change to what Rankscale measures.

Changes to your Search Terms

Your totals are based on the Search Terms, AI Engines and Regions that ran in the period. When that set changes, the totals change too.

• Adding many new non-branded Search Terms usually lowers your overall visibility for a while. New topics often start low.

• Removing weak Search Terms raises your totals without any real improvement.

• Adding or switching AI Engines changes the mix, because engines answer differently.

• An engine that is temporarily paused drops out of the period until runs resume.

Changes to your Brand Names

• Added Additional Brand Names or wildcards can find more mentions in new runs.

• Removed names can lower your numbers from that day on.

• Past results do not change on their own. To apply your new names to past data, recalculate them. 📄 Fixing Incorrect Brand Matches

How to Compare Fairly

• Make larger changes at once, then compare periods after the change with each other.

• Filter to a stable Topic or Tag, or pick specific Search Terms in the Queries filter, to compare like with like.

• Write down the date of each larger change, so you can explain a jump later.