The Buyer Dashboard: Track and Manage Every Order

The status board

Orders are grouped into columns: Awaiting Acceptance, In Progress, Delivered and Completed, mirroring a simple pipeline you can scan without opening each order.

A red badge appears on any order needing action from you — most commonly a delivered order sitting in its review window.

Filtering the list

The filter bar above the board lets you narrow by site, date range or target URL, which is the fastest way to check the full order history for a single page before placing another order on it.

• Filter by site to review a publisher relationship over time
• Filter by target URL to see accumulated anchors for a page
• Filter by date range for monthly reporting

Opening an order card

Clicking any card opens the full order detail with brief, payment amount, messaging thread and delivery status. This is also where you'll find the Approve and Raise Issue buttons once an order is delivered.

Exporting for reporting

The Export button above the board produces a CSV of the filtered view, useful for pulling a month's placements into a client report alongside ranking movement from RankTracker.

Why this matters

Neglecting to properly manage your orders on the Buyer Dashboard can lead to significant budgetary waste and missed opportunities for link acquisition. For instance, if you frequently allow order deadlines to expire without extending or cancelling, your escrowed funds remain locked for longer periods. This reduces your immediate working capital, preventing you from swiftly capitalising on new, high-value link prospects that emerge. A well-managed dashboard ensures funds are always available for critical campaigns.

Conversely, diligently monitoring order statuses and acting promptly ensures your link building efforts remain efficient and cost-effective. Imagine a scenario where a vendor repeatedly fails to deliver. If you don't use the dashboard to identify and address these underperforming orders quickly, you continue tying up budget that could be reallocated to more reliable suppliers. Proactive management thus directly impacts your ROI from link building, protecting both your investment and campaign momentum.

Managing Funds and Refunds: A Workflow

Understanding the flow of your funds within the escrow system is critical for budgetary control. When you place an order, the agreed amount is immediately moved from your available balance into an escrow holding. This protects both parties: the vendor knows funds are secured, and you know payment isn't released until delivery is approved. Monitoring the 'Escrowed' column helps you track committed but unspent capital, informing your decision-making on future acquisitions.

Should an order be cancelled or a dispute resolved in your favour, these funds are promptly returned to your available balance. It's imperative to regularly check your notifications and the 'Refunds' section to confirm these transactions. Timely reconciliation ensures your budget figures are always accurate, preventing overcommitment and allowing for immediate redeployment of capital towards successful link placements or other strategic initiatives. A clear understanding of these movements underpins effective campaign liquidity.

Key actions for fund management:

Immediately verify fund return after order cancellation or dispute.

Reconcile dashboard balances with your internal tracking regularly.

Prioritise orders with funds held in escrow for review.

Understand the typical refund processing time for planning.

Do it now

Log into your Rankar account and navigate to the Buyer Dashboard. Review your current orders, specifically noting any orders that have been in 'Pending Action' or 'Awaiting Your Approval' for longer than 48 hours. This immediate check will highlight any bottlenecks in your current workflow and allow you to take prompt action, ensuring funds are not unnecessarily tied up.

Action steps:

Access the Buyer Dashboard.

Sort orders by 'Last Activity' in ascending order.

Identify orders requiring your attention or nearing deadline.

Take appropriate action (approve, request revision, or extend deadline).

Key takeaways

• ✓Scan the status columns rather than opening every order individually
• ✓Use filters to review order history per site or per target URL before reordering
• ✓Watch for the red action badge on delivered orders
• ✓Export the filtered view as CSV for client reporting

Do it now

Place orders correctly and understand how escrow protects the budget. Browse real placement inventory.