Dashboards

Date Ranges and Compare

Learn how Prism date ranges work, why they end three days ago, and how to compare with an earlier period.

5 min read Updated October 5, 2026

What is it?

Every Prism report shows data for a date range. Many reports can also compare your range with an earlier one, so you can see what went up or down.

Different screens have different date controls. This guide explains all of them.

Why use it?

To look at the right time window, such as the last week or last quarter.
To compare with the period before, or the same dates last year, to remove seasonal effects.
To understand why some dates can't be picked.

Before you start

Your Search Console and GA4 data syncs every day. Data runs through two days ago. See Data sync schedule.

How to use it

Open Advanced Analytics
On the Analytics (GA4 + GSC) screen, click Advanced Analytics.
Open the date picker
Click the date range at the top right.
Choose a range
Click a preset on the left, such as Last 28 days, or click Custom and pick days on the calendar.
Choose a comparison
Keep Compare on and pick Preceding period, Same period last year or Custom.
Apply
Click Apply. Click Cancel to close without changes.

Understanding the screen

Why ranges end three days ago

Google needs time to finish its numbers. Prism's data runs through two days ago. Report ranges end three days before today (T-3), because Search Console sometimes finishes later than two days. This way the newest day you see is complete.

Date pills

The quick pills are 7 days, 28 days and 90 days. Each one covers that many days, ending three days before today.

The full date picker

The full picker in Advanced Analytics has these presets:

Preset	How it is counted
Last 7 days, Last 28 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days	Ends three days before today
Today, Yesterday	Real calendar dates
This week (Sun - Today), Last week (Sun - Sat)	Real calendar dates
This month, Last month	Real calendar dates
Quarter to date	Real calendar dates
This year (Jan - Today), Last calendar year	Real calendar dates

On the right you see Start date and end date fields, a separate Compare start and end pair, and a calendar you can scroll across 14 months. Blue marks your main range. Amber marks the compare range.

While dates load, you see Loading available dates…. If nothing has synced yet, you see No synced data to pick from yet.

Synced days only

Every preset is trimmed to the days that have actually synced (GA4 and Search Console together). If a preset has no synced days at all, it is disabled with the tooltip No synced data in this range.

Compare modes

Mode	What it compares with
Preceding period	The same number of days just before your start date
Same period last year	The same calendar dates one year earlier
Custom	A second range that you pick

Preceding period is the default. In Advanced Analytics, Compare is on by default. Some sections need Compare. When it is off they show messages such as Turn on Compare to see movers.

How changes are shown

Counts (clicks, sessions, conversions) show a % change: (current − previous) ÷ previous.
Rates (CTR, engagement rate) show a change in percentage points, such as +1.2pp or pt.
If the previous value is 0 and the current value is more than 0, no change is shown, because a % change from 0 can't be calculated.

Which screen has which picker

Screen	Date control	Compare
Analytics (GA4 + GSC)	Pills 7 days / 28 days / 90 days + Custom (one-month calendar, synced days only)	Always the preceding period, no switch
Advanced Analytics	Pills + full picker	Compare switch with three modes
Unified Dashboard	None — GA4 and Search Console use the last 28 days	None
Category Builder health score	None — last 28 days vs the previous 28 days	Fixed
AI Visibility (LLM Tool)	One date, Select Date	Compared with the previous available date
Rank tracking	Start Date and End Date	—

Example

For example, today is 20 June. You pick Last 7 days. The range is 11–17 June, because it ends three days before today. With Preceding period, Prism compares it with 4–10 June. If clicks went from 400 to 500, the card shows +25%. If CTR went from 2.0% to 2.5%, it shows +0.5pp.

Tips

Use Same period last year for seasonal businesses, such as travel or retail.
Compare ranges of the same length. Preceding period does this for you.

Common issues

What you see	What to do
A preset is greyed out with No synced data in this range	Pick a range with synced days. A new connection loads up to 180 days of history.
No synced data to pick from yet.	Wait for the first sync to finish after you connect.
Turn on Compare to see movers.	Turn on Compare in the date picker.
No change on a card	The previous value was 0.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I pick yesterday in the date range?

Report ranges end three days before today. Search Console sometimes finishes its numbers later than two days, so Prism waits one more day to show only complete days.

Why is a preset greyed out?

None of its dates have synced yet. Prism disables it and shows the tooltip No synced data in this range.

Why is there no percentage change on a card?

The previous period was 0. A percentage change from 0 cannot be calculated, so Prism shows no change.

Why does CTR change show pp instead of %?

CTR is already a rate. Prism shows how much the rate moved in percentage points, for example +1.2pp.

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