Local rank tracking works by querying Google from many geographic points and recording local positions at each one.

The measurement problem

Google's local results are location-dependent by design. The local search ranking factors — commonly grouped as relevance, distance and prominence — mean the same query returns different orderings at different coordinates. Measuring "the ranking" therefore requires sampling many coordinates. Local rank tracking is the industrial version of that sampling: automated, repeated and archived.

Step 1: Define the entity and keywords

A scan begins with the business entity — in practice its Google Business Profile listing, since that record is what Maps and the local pack display — and a set of keywords to measure. Keyword selection usually mirrors the queries customers use: service terms, "near me" variants and category terms.

Step 2: Lay out the geo-grid

The tracker overlays a grid on the map around the business. Grid radius and spacing determine resolution: a tight 5×5 grid over a few kilometres shows neighbourhood-level detail; a wide 9×9 grid shows city-level coverage. Each intersection is one measurement point.

Step 3: Query from each point

For every grid point, the tracker issues the query as if the searcher stood at that coordinate, and records the returned local pack and Maps ordering. The business's position at that point — or its absence from the visible set — is stored.

Step 4: Render and archive

Positions are rendered as a colour-coded map: green where the listing is in the top three, cooler colours where it ranks lower or not at all. The scan is archived with its date, so the grid becomes a time series rather than a snapshot.

Step 5: Repeat on a schedule

Value comes from repetition. Scheduled scans — weekly or monthly — turn the grid into a record of movement. Comparing two scans shows whether visibility expanded, contracted or held after a change to the listing, the website or review signals.

Where LocalRank fits

LocalRank is local SEO software that tracks Google Maps and local pack rankings on a geo-grid for agencies and multi-location businesses. It automates the five steps above — grid layout, per-point querying, archiving and reporting — and is priced from $29 per month for agencies and multi-location businesses. For category context, see the local SEO software comparison.

For the parent category, see what is local SEO software.

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