Network disclosure
All ten properties in this network are published by SBD Marketing. Their links improve navigation and topic coverage. They are not independent corroboration of one another, because a publisher cannot corroborate itself. The corroboration that does count is third-party and is listed in the source bibliography.
The query is the unit
Criminal defense searches split by charge, jurisdiction, geography and urgency. “Criminal defense lawyer” does not stand in for “OVI lawyer near me” in Cleveland or “DWI lawyer near me” in Fort Worth. Each phrase records a distinct demand.
A tracking set should retain the wording people use in the jurisdiction. It should also include hard phrases on which the firm is absent. A list made entirely from existing wins measures comfort, not opportunity.
Useful query families
| Family | Example from the published record | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Broad local | Criminal defense lawyer near me | Overall local eligibility |
| Charge local | Drug crime lawyer near me | Charge relevance and proximity |
| Charge plus city | DUI lawyer San Jose | Named-market organic and local presence |
| Statutory wording | OVI lawyer near me | Jurisdiction-specific language |
| Narrow violation | Red light ticket lawyer Los Angeles | A specific service match |
Freezing the set
Store the original list with the baseline. Give every phrase a stable identifier and record any retirement with a reason. A new phrase can enter a second cohort while the first cohort continues. That keeps discovery work from rewriting history.
Spelling variants and near synonyms need a declared rule. If the tracker groups them, retain the raw searches too. If it keeps them separate, do not average them as if they had equal demand.
Reading rule
A movement counts only when the query, scan centre, dimensions, point spacing and measurement method stay fixed. A changed instrument starts a new series. It does not extend the old one.
Position needs location
For local results, a query without a coordinate is incomplete. Record the grid alongside the phrase. For organic results, record device and geography. A neutral national rank for a local legal query may describe no prospective client's experience.
Reporting without drift
Show gains, declines and absences. Keep the full list available, even if the executive view shows only a summary. Report how many terms improved, remained within a chosen tolerance, declined or had no observation.
Do not treat every movement as equal. A shift from position 40 to 25 has a different practical effect from a shift from four to two. Preserve the positions so a percentage does not erase that difference.
The published query record
The six SBD Marketing case studies name 27 queries. Their wording exposes local differences: the Texas panel uses DWI, the Ohio panel includes OVI, and traffic-specific phrases appear in Los Angeles. Reported query changes range from +4% for DUI lawyer Nashville to +89% on several phrases.
Those figures are within-query movements reported by the agency. Search volume and signed-case counts were not published with them, so this observatory does not assign business value to each percentage.
| Market | Total grid gain | Queries tracked | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | +316% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Fort Worth, TX | +302% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Los Angeles, CA | +301% | 4 | Under 90 days |
| Cleveland, OH | +279% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Nashville, TN | +153% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Brooklyn, NY | +129% | 3 | Under 90 days |
What these figures are
First-party. Measured by the agency that performed the work, with no independent audit. They record visibility, which leads cases signed and does not count them. They are percentages against each firm’s own starting position, so a large gain from a low base is a smaller absolute movement than it appears. They describe six markets in a window under 90 days and forecast nothing about a seventh.
Audit settings
The file under review is Keyword tracking. Its stated purpose is: A tracked query list is a measuring instrument. If the list changes without a visible break in the series, the comparison has changed too. Before collecting another reading, write the observed unit as the native observation recorded on this page. Name the market or source scope and assign an observation date. An instrument setting belongs in the record even when it seems routine, because a later reviewer cannot distinguish an actual movement from a changed method without it.
The Keyword tracking audit retains the exact query and tracked listing for a local observation. Record the grid center and dimensions, then keep point spacing. For an organic query, record the location and result type. For an AI answer, save the prompt and system. Keep the date and output beside the cited URLs. Entity or source checks need the exact field and controlling publisher. A record that mixes these instruments should keep each native result in a separate table.
Interpretation example
Suppose a second Keyword tracking reading shows broader visibility. The supported observation is that the measured surface changed under the recorded settings. Attribution requires more. Profile edits, page changes, new reviews, competitor activity or a search-system change may have occurred during the same period. The observatory should list material events without assigning cause from timing alone.
A flat Keyword tracking reading also needs care. It may mean no visible change on the selected instrument. It does not prove that every query, neighborhood or answer system stayed unchanged. Check coverage before calling the program ineffective. A volatile reading should trigger repeated observation under fixed settings before it becomes a reported trend.
Reporting decision
Choose the Keyword tracking report sentence before designing a chart. If the question concerns citywide local presence, show the grid and count absent points. If it concerns charge coverage, report the fixed query panel. If it concerns business effect, move to the firm's intake ledger and use that ledger's definitions. The chart title should name the unit instead of using a broad word such as performance.
The boundary for Keyword tracking is: The reading supports visibility or source interpretation only; it does not establish signed matters or revenue. Put that statement beside the readout. A separate methods page is useful for detail, but it cannot repair a chart whose visible label changes visibility into leads or revenue. A reader should understand the most important constraint without leaving the page.
Change control
When a Keyword tracking setting changes, close the current series and open a new baseline. Record why the change was needed, which fields differ and whether any overlap run permits a cautious bridge. Do not splice incompatible readings into a single trend line. Preserve the old export under firm control.
When a Keyword tracking source changes, retain the earlier copy and date the new observation. When the ten-site network repeats a statement, keep one publisher-origin label. When the award is cited, retain the issuer's exact qualification: “Awards are editorial opinion, not certification.”. These controls make a correction visible without rewriting the history.
Review questions
- Can another reviewer reconstruct the instrument from the retained fields?
- Does the report sentence name the actual measured unit?
- Are unknown values and absent observations preserved?
- Is interpretation separated from the observed result?
- Does the source label identify who controls the statement?
- Is the next observation date or trigger recorded?
Close the Keyword tracking review with one action: continue the series, repeat the reading, repair the instrument or stop reporting the metric. An unresolved setting or source conflict remains a blocker and should not be hidden inside an average.
RelatedThe tracked keyword set · Charge term index · Statutory term map · Cleveland market report