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So you've got a website, right?

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And you really wanna know how it's doing on Google

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for the keywords that actually matter to your audience.

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Sounds simple.

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Yeah, sounds simple, but then you try to figure out

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where you actually land on that search results page,

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the SRP, for maybe dozens, even hundreds of keywords,

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and checking manually every day.

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Forget it.

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Oh, absolutely, it's just, it's not feasible.

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Way too time consuming.

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Exactly, and finding a tool that does it

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without costing a fortune or overwhelming you

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with a million features you'll never use, that's tough too.

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It's easy to get buried in information.

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It really is.

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I mean, understanding your ranking is so basic

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to knowing if your website's even working,

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if people are finding you,

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but just getting that info reliably, efficiently.

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Yeah, that's often the tricky part.

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And that difficulty,

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that's exactly why we do the deep dive.

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We take the source material that you, the listener,

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share with us, and for this one,

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we've got notes from a GitHub repo

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and some intro docs about a particular tool.

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All right, and we act as your guides, basically.

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We pull out the main points,

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explain how it all hangs together,

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and help you get up to speed fast,

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sticking really closely

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to what's actually in those documents.

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So our mission for this deep dive,

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we're unpacking an open source tool called SerpBear.

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Based only on the sources we have,

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we're gonna look at what it is,

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what features the docs say it has,

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get a handle on how it actually works behind the scenes,

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and walk through the setup steps they lay out.

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We really wanna make this clear,

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especially if maybe you're just starting out

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with this kind of Serp-y tracking software,

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trying to keep it beginner friendly.

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Absolutely.

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Think of this as your quick guide

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to understanding the specific approach

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to tracking your search rankings,

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all based on the info provided.

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Okay, let's do it.

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But first, before we jump in,

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a huge thank you to the supporter of this deep dive,

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SafeServer.

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Yes, thanks, SafeServer.

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SafeServer is a fantastic partner.

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They can handle the hosting for software

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just like the one we're discussing, SerpBear,

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and really support you in your whole digital transformation.

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You can find out more over at www.safeserver.de.

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That's www.saferver.de.

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Check them out.

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Okay, so, SerpBear, let's unpack it.

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Right at the top, the sources use two key phrases,

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open source and search engine position tracking

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and keyword research app.

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So the main idea seems to be, well,

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tracking where your keywords rank on Google

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and telling you when things change.

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It's the core description from the sources, yeah.

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It's built to be open source,

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so the code's out there for anyone to see your tweak

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and it's really focused on Google position tracking

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and helping with keyword research.

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Okay, so not just tracking where you are now

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but also helping find new keywords.

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That's interesting.

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Now the docs list several features.

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One jumps out immediately, unlimited keywords.

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Yeah, that sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

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Yeah.

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Especially compared to a lot of paid tools

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that have strict limits.

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It really does.

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The sources say word for word almost,

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unlimited domains and unlimited keywords

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for tracking SERPy positions.

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But, and this is important,

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we need to connect that claim

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with other bits in the documentation.

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There's like a little asterisk footnote.

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Ah, okay.

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The fine print.

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Sort of.

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It comes up again in the getting started bit

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and a comparison table they include.

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It clarifies things.

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Okay, so based on the sources,

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what's the real deal with unlimited?

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Well, the sources explain that while SERP Bear itself,

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the software, doesn't count the number of keywords

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you put in, the actual number of searches

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it can run each day or month.

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That depends entirely on the external scraping service

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you hook it up to.

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Ah, okay.

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So SERP Bear doesn't do the searching itself.

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Not directly, no.

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And that asterisk footnote,

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it qualifies unlimited lookups by saying something

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like free up to a limit and points to the free plan

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of a service like Scraping Robot as an example,

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which apparently gives you 5,000 lookups a month.

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Right, I see.

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So the software can handle unlimited,

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but the work of checking the ranks is done by another service

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and that service might have limits or costs.

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That's a really key distinction.

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Exactly.

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It really highlights the whole model of this tool, doesn't it?

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You get the software, which is flexible,

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but you need to bring your own engine, so to speak,

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to actually do the Google checking.

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Yeah, it does.

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And that ties right into how it works,

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which the sources also cover.

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So how does SERP Bear check those rankings?

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According to the docs.

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It uses third-party website scrapers or proxy IPs.

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The sources explain it like this.

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Think of a scraper as a sort of automated mini browser.

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It goes to Google, types in your keyword,

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and then scans the results page to find your website.

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SERP Bear itself just tells one of these external services

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to do that.

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The docs list examples like Scraping Robot, SERP Appy,

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SERP Choppy, or they mention you could

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use your own set of proxies if you have them.

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Gotcha.

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So SERP Bear is like the control panel,

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and it sends the orders out to one of these external scraping

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services.

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That makes total sense now why the number of checks

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depends on that service.

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Precisely.

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That's the core way it gets the ranking info.

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OK.

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What about some of the other features mentioned?

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You said notifications earlier?

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Right.

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Email notifications.

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The sources say you can get alerts about position changes,

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keywords moving up or down, and you can choose how often.

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Daily, weekly, or monthly.

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Useful, but how does it send those emails?

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Ah, well the sources say you need to set up SMTP details.

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SMTP.

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For someone maybe not familiar, what's that in simple terms?

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Sure.

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SMTP just stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

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It's basically the standard internet language computers

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use to send emails to each other.

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So you need to tell SerpBear how to talk to an email sending

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service.

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Like connecting it to Mailgun or something similar.

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Exactly.

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The sources actually mention Elastic Email or SendPulse

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as examples.

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And note that they have free options to get started.

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So you plug those details into SerpBear settings.

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OK, makes sense.

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So you need an email service for the alerts.

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The docs also mention an API.

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They do, yeah.

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A built-in API.

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The documentation suggests this is useful

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if you want to pull your ranking data out of SerpBear

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and maybe feed it into other tools you use,

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like custom dashboards or marketing reports.

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Right, getting the data out for other purposes.

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Cool.

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What about the keyword research part?

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How does that work according to the sources?

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So for this, the sources say it integrates with a Google Ads

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test account.

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That's an interesting detail, the test part.

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Yeah, why a test account, do they say?

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The docs don't really elaborate on the why.

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They just specify using a test account.

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But through that connection, SerpBear

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can apparently auto-suggest keyword ideas

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based on your site's content, and it can also

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show you monthly search volume data for keywords.

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It helps you find what people are actually searching for.

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Interesting.

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Using a test ads account for volume data.

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OK.

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And then there's also integration with Google Search

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Console, GSC.

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That's Google's own thing for site owners.

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Yeah, and the sources suggest this is a pretty powerful one.

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By linking SerpBear to your GSC account,

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you can apparently pull in actual data,

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like how many clicks and impressions

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your site got for specific keywords directly

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from Google's own reporting.

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Oh, wow.

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So that goes beyond just rank, right?

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That's real traffic data.

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Exactly.

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So let's just say it helps you see real visit counts,

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find new keywords you didn't even know you were ranking for,

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and spot your top performing pages and keywords by country,

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all using that real GSC data.

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Nice.

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So you get the rank position from the scrapers, maybe

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search volume estimates from the Google Ads test account,

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and then the actual performance data from GSC.

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That paints a much fuller picture, doesn't it?

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It does, according to the sources.

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It brings different data points together in one interface.

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What about using this on your phone?

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Any mention of that?

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Yep, the sources mention a mobile app.

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Specifically, they call it a PWA, a Progressive Web App.

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Ah, OK.

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So not a native App Store app, but one that works well

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in a mobile browser.

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Pretty much.

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It means you can access CertBare on your phone or tablet

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through the browser.

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But it's designed to feel more like using a dedicated app.

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Smoother experience on mobile.

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Good to know.

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And let's circle back to cost for a second.

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The sources make a point about zero cost to war and end.

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Yes, that's highlighted.

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The documentation specifically says

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you can run CertBare on platforms like MoGenius.com

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or Fly.io for free.

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So that's about the hosting cost for the CertBare software

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itself, right?

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Not the scraping costs we talked about.

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Exactly.

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It refers to the cost of actually running

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the application, the infrastructure for CertBare.

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On those specific platforms, the sources

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say that cost can be zero.

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It just reinforces that open source self-hosted model.

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You deploy it, you run it, and here are some potentially

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free places to do that.

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OK.

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So zero cost to host the app itself on certain platforms.

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Potentially free, up to a point.

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Or paid costs for the scraping service.

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It's definitely a different kind of cost structure

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than just paying one monthly fee for everything.

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Precisely.

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It's a key difference in the approach described

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in the source material.

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You trade off convenience for control and potentially lower

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direct software costs.

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And one last feature mentioned, exporting.

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Oh, yeah.

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Simple but important.

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Export CSV lets you download your keyword data

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into a spreadsheet file, which is always

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handy for doing your own analysis or making reports.

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OK, great.

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So that seems to cover the main features the sources lay out.

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The tracking via external scrapers, the notifications,

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the API, keyword research using that Google Ads Test account

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link, the really valuable GSE integration for real data,

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mobile access via PWA, potentially free hosting,

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and data export.

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Seems like a good summary based on the docs.

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Now, let's say someone listening is thinking,

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OK, this sounds kind of interesting,

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maybe worth trying.

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How do you actually get started?

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The sources give a step-by-step path, right?

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They do.

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They lay out a sequence.

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First step, deploy and run the app.

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Right.

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This isn't just a website you sign up for.

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You actually have to get the software code

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and run it somewhere, self-hosted.

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Exactly.

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The source is mentioned using Docker,

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which is a popular way to package and run software,

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or maybe running it without Docker,

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depending on your setup.

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But yeah, step one is getting it running.

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OK, you get it running.

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Then what?

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Step two, access the app and log in.

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Once it's running, you go to its web address and log in.

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Step three, add your first domain.

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Tell it which website you actually want to start tracking.

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Pretty straightforward so far.

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Add your site.

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What's next?

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Step four is key, and it loops back to how it works.

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You need to get a free API key from a provider

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like Scraping Robot, or choose a paid one.

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This is getting that engine we talked

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about, the scraping service.

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Exactly.

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The sources say you can skip this

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if you're using your own proxies.

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But for most people, it sounds like grabbing an API

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key from one of these services is the way to go.

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And then you have to tell SerpBear to use that key.

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Correct.

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Step five, set up the scraping API or proxy details

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inside SerpBear's settings.

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This is where you connect your running SerpBear app

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to that external service so it can actually

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start checking the rankings.

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OK.

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Connect the software to the data source.

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Makes sense.

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Then you add your keywords.

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Yep.

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Step six, add your keywords.

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The specific search terms you want

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SerpBear to monitor for the domain you added earlier.

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And there were some optional steps, too.

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Right.

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Step seven is optional.

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Set up those SMTP details in the settings

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if you want the email notifications.

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Like we said, connect it to an email sending service,

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maybe one of the free ones the source has mentioned.

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Got it.

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For the alerts.

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And step eight, also optional, integrate Google Ads,

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test account, and Google Search Console.

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That's if you want the keyword research data

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and those deeper insights about actual clicks

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and impressions from GSC.

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OK.

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00:11:27,980 --> 00:11:31,220
So the basic setup is get the app running, add your site,

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connect it to a scraper, add your keywords.

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The emails and the deeper Google integrations

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are extras you can configure after that core setup.

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That seems to be the flow outlined in the sources.

348
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Yeah.

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It really walks you through that self-hosted process

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and highlights the need for that external scraping component.

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It definitely shows you're more hands-on with this kind of tool.

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You have control, but also the responsibility

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for setting up these different pieces.

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And finally, just a quick note.

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The sources briefly mentioned the tech stack.

356
00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:00,640
Oh, yeah.

357
00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:01,640
Anything interesting?

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00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,600
It's built with Next.IS, which is a popular web framework.

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And it uses Sklite for the database.

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Just a little technical detail included.

361
00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:09,720
OK, good to know.

362
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,320
So we've kind of taken CertBear apart now

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based purely on the GitHub notes and docs you shared.

364
00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:18,200
If we boil it all down, what's the main takeaway

365
00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:19,840
from this deep dive?

366
00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,420
Well, based strictly on these sources,

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CertBear looks like a potentially powerful open

368
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source option if you want to host your own Google ranking

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00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:27,280
tracker.

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It seems to offer the core features you'd

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need tracking alerts, unlimited keyword capacity anyway.

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Right, capacity being the keyword there.

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00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,520
Exactly, plus those useful integrations

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with GSC and Google Ads for deeper data.

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But the big thing is the model.

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You deploy it, you run it, and crucially, you

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00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,160
need to connect it to and potentially pay

378
00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:49,960
for a separate scraping service to actually do

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00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,880
the rank checking, even if the CertBear software itself,

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00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,400
and maybe it's hosting on certain platforms, can be free.

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00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,680
So it puts you in the driver's seat for your data,

382
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maybe offers a different cost model than typical subscriptions,

383
00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,940
but it definitely requires more setup.

384
00:13:02,940 --> 00:13:04,280
It's a trade-off, isn't it?

385
00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:05,480
It really is.

386
00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,680
And that brings up a good thought for you, the listener,

387
00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:08,880
to ponder.

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Given this model open source software, self-hosted,

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00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,440
relying on external scrapers with their own free or paid

390
00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,760
tiers, how does that really stack up

391
00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:21,880
against the more traditional all-in-one paid SEO software

392
00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,520
where they handle everything behind one subscription fee?

393
00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:26,760
Yeah, what are the real trade-offs for you?

394
00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,040
Think about control versus convenience,

395
00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,280
cost structure versus simplicity,

396
00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,640
and maybe the technical skills needed versus ease of use.

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00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,120
It's a different way to get that crucial SRP data.

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00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:38,720
Definitely something to consider based

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00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:40,320
on your own needs and resources.

400
00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,280
And if you do want to dig into the nitty gritty

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00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,320
of deploying SerpBear or compare those scraping services

402
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:48,080
the sources mentioned, then checking out the actual source

403
00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,000
documentation in the GitHub repository

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00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:50,920
would be your next step.

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00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:51,480
Absolutely.

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00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:54,180
The sources are always the place to go for the full details.

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00:13:54,180 --> 00:13:55,640
And one last time, a big thank you

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00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,080
to SafeServer for supporting this deep dive.

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00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,960
Remember, they can help with hosting software like SerpBear

410
00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,120
and generally support your digital transformation efforts.

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00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,740
Find out more at www.safeserver.de.

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00:14:07,740 --> 00:14:14,040
That's www.saferver.detec.

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00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:15,800
Thanks again to SafeServer, and thank you

414
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,200
for joining us on this deep dive into SerpBear.

415
00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,380
We hope unpacking these sources helped clarify

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00:14:20,380 --> 00:14:21,680
what this tool is all about.

417
00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:22,680
I believe it was useful.

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00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,880
We'll catch you on the next one.