# FAQ

> Answers to the most common questions about credits, rankings, the map, AI visibility, the site audit, teams, clients and your data.

## Credits and billing

**Do I pay when a job fails?**
No. Credits are reserved when you start and charged only for what was delivered. Failed parts come back automatically. See [How credits work](/docs/credits).

**How do I know what something costs?**
Every paid button shows its price before you click, and the [price list](/docs/credits-prices) shows all current prices. If the price changes before you confirm, nothing is charged and you see the new price.

**What is free?**
Opening stored data, the dashboard, Search Console and Google Analytics, exports, the on-page tools, the site crawl results, Core Web Vitals within limits, and the AI assistant's ready answers.

**Do unused credits roll over?**
No. Plan credits reset every month, on the Free plan and on paid plans: unused plan credits end at the renewal date and the new period starts with a fresh allowance. Purchased top-ups do not end with the plan period; if a pack has a validity date, Billing shows it.

**Where are my invoices?**
Owners open **Billing › Manage billing** for the Stripe portal with all invoices.

## Rank tracking

**Why is my rank different when I search myself?**
Your own searches are personalised. Rankfinity searches from the project's location without history, on desktop and mobile separately.

**How often should I check rankings?**
Weekly is enough for most sites. Add [Daily watch](/docs/daily-watch) if you need to notice drops within a day for less.

**What does "Not in top 20" mean?**
Your site was not found within the depth you track. Increase the depth in project settings to look further.

**Does adding keywords cost credits?**
No. Adding is free; checks are charged when they run.

## The map

**Why is my map ARP high even though I'm first near my office?**
ARP averages all grid points and counts "not found" as 21. It measures visibility across your whole area. See [Map grid scans](/docs/map-grid).

**Does Rankfinity scan the map automatically?**
Only if you turn on **Map › Re-check**. Adding keywords or creating a project never starts a scan.

**How can I make map scans cheaper?**
Use a circle grid, a smaller grid, Smart scan, and a less frequent schedule. Project settings show a **Make it cheaper** suggestion.

**Can I stop a scan?**
Yes. Click **Stop**. The current keyword finishes; the rest is not scanned or charged.

## AI visibility

**Which AI platforms are covered?**
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode.

**Why am I not counted as mentioned when the answer names me?**
The name used is not in **AI Visibility › Settings › Brand names & aliases**. Add it and click **Recheck stored answers** (free).

**Why do results differ between "API" and "Live browser capture"?**
They are different ways of asking. Each platform counts only the method you chose; Rankfinity never mixes them.

**How often should I run AI visibility?**
Monthly or every two weeks gives a stable trend. AI answers vary from day to day, so compare trends, not single runs.

## Site audit

**Does the crawl affect my site's speed?**
The crawler is polite: it follows robots.txt and limits its pace and page count.

**Why did my health score change without changes on the site?**
New checks may have been added or the crawler reached new pages. **Site audit › Changes** shows exactly what changed.

**Can someone else fix the issues for me?**
Use **Copy fix prompt for your AI** and give the prompt to ChatGPT, Claude, a code editor or your WordPress developer.

## Google

**Is connecting Search Console safe?**
Rankfinity asks for read-only access. It cannot change your Google settings.

**Why is Search Console data a few days old?**
Google publishes it with a 2–3 day delay.

**Do team members need their own Google account connected?**
No. Projects sync with the owner's connection; everyone with access sees the data.

## Teams and clients

**How do I give my client access?**
Send a client link from **Reports › Client links** (no login), or give them a client account. Clients never see credits or prices. See [Team and client access](/docs/team).

**Can a client accidentally spend our credits?**
No. Clients cannot start paid actions or change schedules.

**Can I limit a member to some projects?**
Yes. **Settings › Team › Access** per member.

## Data and privacy

**Who can see my projects?**
Only your team, according to their access. Projects of other teams are invisible to you, and yours to them.

**Can I export my data?**
Yes. **My account › My data › Download my data**, once a day, and CSV exports on most tables.

**What happens when I delete my account?**
It is deleted seven days after you confirm by email; you can cancel until then. Financial records are kept as required by law.

**What happens to a deleted project?**
It stays in **Recently deleted** for 30 days and can be restored.

## Other

**Does Rankfinity work on a phone?**
Yes. Every screen works at phone width; wide tables scroll inside their box, and the menu is behind ☰. You can also install it as an app from your browser.

**Can I use Rankfinity from ChatGPT or Claude?**
Yes, through MCP. See [Connect Claude or ChatGPT](/docs/mcp).

**Which languages can I track?**
Rank tracking, keyword data and AI prompts work in the language and location you set for each project. The app itself is in English.

**How do I contact support?**
Email office@rankfinity.app, or ask the AI assistant inside the app.

## Shopify app

**Do I need a separate Rankfinity account?**
No. Installing creates it. "Open full view" opens the web app and is optional.

**Does the app change my store without asking?**
No. The scan and the previews only read. A change is written only when you approve it; changes that customers see ask a second time.

**What does "verified" mean?**
After writing, the app reads the item back from your store. "Done · verified" appears only if the new text is there. It does not mean your ranking will change.

**Can I undo a change?**
Yes, from Fixes. Undo costs nothing. If someone edited the item by hand afterwards, the app does not overwrite that edit: it tells you the item changed and leaves it as it is.

**What are credits?**
Credits pay for actions that fetch new data or write to your store. The cost is on each button before you confirm. A failed action is not charged. The scan, previews and Undo cost nothing. Plan credits reset every month; unused plan credits are not carried over.

**How am I billed?**
Through Shopify, on your Shopify invoice: plans as a subscription, extra credits as one-time packs. Uninstalling cancels the subscription.

**Can I change or cancel my plan?**
Yes, on Plan & credits. A higher plan starts at once; a lower plan starts with the next billing period. Cancelling a paid plan keeps it active until the end of the period you paid for, then your account moves to Free; there are no partial refunds. Cancelling during a free trial ends it at once and nothing is charged.

**What store data do you read?**
Products, collections, pages, blog articles, their SEO fields and image alt text, and URL redirects. Not customers, orders or payments. See the "Shopify app" section of the privacy policy.

**What happens to my data when I uninstall?**
The access token is deleted at once. When Shopify sends its deletion request (about 48 hours later) the store's data is deleted. The privacy policy lists what is kept and why.

**Why does Site audit say my store is password-protected?**
A crawler cannot open a store behind a password. Remove the password under Online Store > Preferences, or use the Home scan, which reads the store through Shopify.

**Why does a keyword show "Not in the results we checked"?**
The store did not appear in the results we checked for that term. A new or password-protected store is not indexed yet. It never means zero.