Documentation

Getting Started with RankSift

Welcome to RankSift! This guide will help you set up your account, configure your data sources, and start tracking your growth.

1. Create Your Account

If you haven't already, sign up for an account. We offer a Free Tier for getting started, and paid tiers for serious indie hackers and agencies who need more power.

2. Connect Your Data Sources

RankSift powers its "Growth Engine" by analyzing data from your real-world performance. To get the most out of it, you need to connect your accounts.

Navigate to Settings in your dashboard to configure the following:

Google Search Console (GSC)

This allows us to analyze your organic search traffic, find content gaps, and track keyword rankings.

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Create a new Project (or select an existing one).
  3. Enable the Google Search Console API.
  4. Create a Service Account and download the JSON key file.
  5. Upload this JSON file in the RankSift Settings page.
  6. Important: Copy the "client_email" from the JSON file and add it as a user (with "Full" permissions) to your property in Google Search Console.

YouTube Data API

Required for the "Viral Video" tracker and competitive analysis tools.

  1. In the same Google Cloud Project, enable the YouTube Data API v3.
  2. Create an API Key (Credentials -> Create Credentials -> API Key).
  3. Paste this API Key into the RankSift Settings.

3. Check Your Maker Score

Once your data is connected, head over to the Dashboard. You will see your Maker Score, a 0-100 rating of your project's organic health.

Don't worry if it's low at first! The goal of RankSift is to give you a roadmap to improve it. Learn more about the Maker Score →