RankAnalyst is licensed under GPLv3 and can be used free of charge as a virtual machine via VirtualBox — a browser-based analytics system. This guide walks you through download, import and configuration.
Note: The VM is based on Ubuntu Server 18.04.3 LTS and is not configured for secure public operation. Use is at your own risk — any liability for damages is excluded.
Search engines today reveal more about the market and competitors than ever before. RankAnalyst opens up this layer systematically — through four interlocking functions.
Keywords become context. Which topic areas work in a sector, how does Google classify content, which patterns emerge? Multidimensional correlation analyses examine why offerings are rejected — without narrowing the investigation parameters in advance.
Examine the strategic and operational approaches of competitors transparently. Whoever prevails in the market reveals planning and reaction patterns — insights that can be used for one's own positioning.
Google's algorithmic alignment with user behavior yields insights into the expectations and acceptance of the target audience. These feed directly into editorial optimization strategies.
Competitive landscapes as flow systems: three mechanisms shift positions — content quality (superior content displaces your own domain in topic areas), content typology (content format no longer matches the expectation — information vs. shopping) and content classification (Google reclassifies content and fundamentally changes the search results). RankAnalyst measures these flows and forecasts context shifts before they become measurable as visibility losses.
VirtualBox is available free of charge for Windows, macOS, Linux and Solaris. Install according to the instructions on the download page.
The RankAnalyst Server is available for download as a pre-configured virtual machine in version 0.955 (around 2.2 GB).
After starting VirtualBox, import the OVA file via File → Import Appliance. To make the VM reachable on the network, choose Bridged Adapter in the network settings.
Select the imported RankAnalyst virtual machine and launch it via Start.
Log in at the terminal: username rankanalyst, password rankanalyst (note: US keyboard layout — on a German keyboard, type rankanalzst). Open the configuration file with the following command:
sudo nano /var/www/html/common/config/main-local.phpEnter the credentials for the central mailbox, save with CTRL+O, and exit the editor with CTRL+X. On the next system start, no further login is required.
RankAnalyst Lab is now reachable at its IP address from any browser on the local network. The IP is displayed at terminal login or can be queried:
ifconfigIf no IP appears, check the VirtualBox network settings. Factory login: administrator admin, password rankanalyst.
RankAnalyst Server ships with two demo analysis projects: Schachtel-Shop (public, few records, with behavioral data) and dating portals (private, many records from competing domains).
phpMyAdmin is available for direct database access at http://[RANKANALYST-SERVER-IP]/phpmyadmin. Factory login: username and password both rankanalyst.
Server: IP address of the RankAnalyst Server · Username: raftp · Password: raftp. Access points directly to the html folder.
Automated updates are not yet supported. For a new version, set up a new VM and migrate project data from /var/www/html/DATA via FTP. Also use phpMyAdmin to copy and import the analysis and posts tables.
Version note: With version 0.955, the system is still in beta. Even though the core functions work largely without issues, errors in individual components cannot be ruled out.