RankTank Credit Usage Explained [RankTank Documentation]

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====== RankTank Credit Usage Explained ======

Recently I've been receiving alot of queries like the one below:

**"Today I scanned 1128 keywords, but 3207 credits were deducted. Please fix this problem as soon as possible, and refund 2079 credits, otherwise there is no shortage of tools in the market."**

There seems to be a common misconception that scanning a keyword position using both the [[getting_started|RankTank Google Sheet (Original)]] and [[RankTank Google Sheet Extension]] will result in 1 credit per keyword result returned. This is in fact, not true, since Google removed the &num=100 parameter in September 2025. Now SEO tools make 10 requests to return and search the Top 100 results - instead of just a single request. This increased our infrastructure cost to provide the service by 10x.

At RankTank, when using the new [[RankTank Google Sheet Extension]], we have decided to only scan Google pages until your keyword is found. This means your credit usage will be dynamic. The extension will show you the credits used per keyword as well as the total and you may adjust the depth parameter in order to decide whether to search deeper into Google SERPs, consuming more credits.

{{:depth-setting-where-do-i-rank-seo-2025-google-sheets.png?800|}}

We have also recently defaulted the depth for all users not having a setting to 30 (Page 3, Top 30 Results, Max Credits 3). For example: Depth 100, Max Credits 10, Google Page 10 (100 Results) or Depth 30, Max Credits 3, Google Page 3 (30 Results). The [[RankTank Google Sheet Extension]] will now also show you "Not Ranked (Top 30) or Not Ranked (Top 100)" depending on the depth chosen to clarify the amount of pages we have scanned for your keyword.

**Important Note:** The [[getting_started|RankTank Google Sheet (Original)]] will always use 10 credits per keyword scanned as it always scans a depth of 100 regardless. This cannot be set and cannot be changed. Should you wish to have more control then switch to the new improved [[RankTank Google Sheet Extension]].

**Important Note:** We do not refund credits used, make sure you understand how to use the sheet before complaining and requesting a refund. Nowhere on our website or the tool itself do we claim that one keyword uses 1 credit. The alternative is to make for example the $9/month package use 1 credit per keyword by charging you $90/month instead of $9/month.