Call us today (858) 427-0825 Get Started Today
Services
Making the Best of the Rank
Search Engine Optimization
Function in Excel
Social Media Marketing
Paid Advertising
Website Design And Development
Case Studies
About
Team
Blog
Apr 5 UsBy Amanda Thomas
Contact 1727 2
Category: Tips, Tools and Tutorials
Excel is a helpful resource for storing, sorting
and managing data. However, generating
reports and using the Sort button still
requires you to manually sort your
information (unless you want to delve into
Macros). When all you need is a brief look at
a few of the highest or lowest figures in your
spreadsheet data, without having to re-sort
your data each time, you might want to
consider adding a RANK function in your
spreadsheet.
Whether you want to see which keywords have been generating the most amount of
conversions, or which Internet marketing services are showing the most ROI, you can use
the RANK function along with your Analytics data. Here is a way to set up your
spreadsheet to show your highest values using a formula without having to touch the
sort button or create a single macro.
The Function of the RANK function
The most basic use of the RANK function is to return the rank of a number within a set of
numbers. This can be incredibly useful when applied to budgets and determining where
your highest expenses or, conversely, highest revenue is coming from. The syntax for
using RANK is:
=RANK(number,ref,[order])
Number – the cell you are ranking (e.g. B2).
Ref – the data set that you are comparing the ranked cell to (e.g. $B$2:$B$21) – don’t
forget to keep those $ in there to denote an absolute reference.
[Order] – the order of rank (1st = 1, 2nd = 2, etc.) – you will have to update this number
when you copy the formula to make a list of rankings.
The RANK function can be a bit tricky to customize for various applications, but once
you’ve got it down, you can use your RANK-enhanced formulas to replace your need for
the sort button. Here is one way to combine several functions to achieve the Best Rank
(pun intended) formula on your spreadsheet. This is going to be an extensive use of
functions so be prepared to use the RANK, INDEX, MATCH, SMALL, LARGE, COUNTIF, IF,
ROW, IFERROR and SUM functions.
Step 1: Organize Your Data
In this example, I’ve created a list of 20 “categories,” which are listed below. Next to each
are the corresponding values, (which I have denoted as their revenue). Next I will be
creating more columns on the right of this data set called: ROW, RANK, TIE BREAK, BEST
RANK, LARGEST VALUEST, SMALLEST VALUES, HIGHEST and LOWEST. All of these
columns can be hidden for aesthetics at a later time.
Step 2: Create your formulas
ROW
– this will allow you to reference the
row # of the cell for each name.
=ROW(A2)
RANK
– (a nested formula using an conditional formula –[IF]– to prevent the calculation of
blank cells which will produce an error along with the RANK function to find the largest
values in our revenue column).
=IF(B2>0,RANK(B2,$B$2:$B$21,1),0)
TIE BREAK
– sometimes, you run into a tie – or in this case, the same values; this formula helps to
break any ties by using the COUNTIF function to find any duplicate values in addition to
the RANK function. The RANK function is utilized to give priority to the ties that have the
lower ROW numbers/higher in your list.
=IF(COUNTIF($B$2:$B$21,B2)>1,RANK(D2,$D$2:$D$21,1)/100,0)
BEST RANK
– this is a simple SUM formula (using an IFERROR formula to make sure we don’t get any
errors in our ranking values) that adds the original RANK value to our TIE BREAK value
which will give us a new list of RANK without ties.
=IFERROR(SUM(E2+F2),0)
LARGEST VALUES
– the LARGE function is utilized to determine what the largest value is associated with
having the highest BEST RANK. It may seem repetitive, but this helps provide back up of
any errors or ties.
=(MATCH(LARGE($G$2:$G$21,1),$G$2:$G$21,0
(the number 1 – in red – will need to be changed accordingly to 2, 3, 4, etc. down the
column)
SMALLEST VALUES
– the obverse of the LARGEST VALUES, this formula uses the SMALL function to
determine what the smallest values are associated with having the highest BEST RANK.
=(MATCH(SMALL($G$2:$G$21,1),$G$2:$G$21,0))
(the number 1 – in red – will need to be changed accordingly to 2, 3, 4, etc. down the
column)
HIGHEST
– using the INDEX and MATCH functions, you can find out what name is associated with
having the largest BEST RANK values.
=INDEX($A$2:$B$21,H2,1)
LOWEST
– the opposite of the HIGHEST formula, in that it helps you use INDEX and MATCH to find
the smallest BEST RANK values.
=INDEX($A$2:$B$21,I2,1)
You can even merge some of your formulas in some of the columns, like changing the
HIGHEST formula to:
=INDEX($A$2:$B$21,(MATCH(LARGE($G$2:$G$21,1),$G$2:$G$21,0)),1)
(this combines the LARGEST VALUES formula [in red] with the existing HIGHEST formula
[in blue]…just don’t forget to change the value of the first 1 as you copy the formula down
the column).
Step 3: Hide the columns
you don’t want to view
Once you’ve finished with these
formulas, you can hide the columns
you don’t wish to see and just keep
your HIGHEST and LOWEST columns.
Just select your Columns and right
click and select Hide. Or, if you plan on creating a dashboard for your data, you can make
references to the HIGHEST and LOWEST values so you can have that data available
elsewhere, without having to move your spiffy new RANK formulas.
And, if you don’t have the time to go through this whole process by hand, and could use a
little help, feel free to download the spreadsheet (click here). If you need to expand the
list of names and revenue, make sure to Unhide (select column C through K, right click
and select Unhide) the columns and copy the formulas as far down as you need.
And, as an added bonus, in the ListWithoutBlanks tab, you can use similar formulas to
generate a “shortened” list that will automatically omit any blanks.
Bio Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Latest Posts
Amanda Thomas
SEO Manager
Amanda is the SEO Manager for BRIM and is responsible for assisting the
project managers with the daily tasking to the SEO team.
« Know Your Site Before You SEO
In Other News…Internet Marketing Recap – 4/4/2011 to 4/8/2011 »
Comments
Pingback: COUNTIF formula misses out certain values
Pingback: Functions similar to SMALL or overcome limitations of
SMALL
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Name *
Email *
Website
Comment
Post Comment
Search Blog Posts
Search
Drop Us A Note
Name
Email
Phone
Website URL
GET STARTED TODAY >>
Categories
Company News & Events
Content Marketing
Conversion Rate Optimization
General Online Marketing
Graphic Design
Industry News
Lead Generation
Marketing
Other
Pay Per Click
Podcasts
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media
Tips, Tools and Tutorials
Videos
Web Design & Development
Tweets Follow
BRIM Agency @BRIMagency 14 Jun
Don't make the same mistake again!
bit.ly/1Hs8JC9
pic.twitter.com/4B5c2uyf5L
Expand
Tweet to @BRIMagency
Services
SEO
Paid Advertising
Website Development
Social Media Marketing
Company
About
Team
Contact Us
Blog
Sitemap
Address
10590 W Ocean Air Dr.
Suite #220
San Diego, CA 92130
(858) 427-0825
[email protected]
© BRIM Agency, Inc. 2014 All rights reserved Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
