The essentials
- The problem: local ranking changes with where you search from; a single search from the office tells you nothing.
- The method: take the position across a grid of points covering your catchment area, for 5 to 10 queries, every month.
- Tools: manual (a private window, mobile, actually moving around), grid tracking tools, local marketing platforms.
- Metrics: average position across the grid, share of points in the top 3, visibility radius.
Unlike classic SEO, where a page has one position for one query, Local ranking depends on the user's position: your business can be first at 500 metres, fifth at 2 kilometres and absent at 5. Tracking your position on Google Maps therefore means measuring a visibility radius across an area, not a rank. This guide presents the methods, from the simplest to the most complete, and the metrics to keep.
Why a search from the office isn't enough
- Google uses the device's position for searches without a town and for "near me"; from your own premises, you are almost always well placed.
- The Google account you are signed in to and your history personalise the results.
- A search including the town's name uses a different centre from your address.
- The visibility radius, the only useful information, appears only by comparing several points.
Method 1: the manual reading
- Choose 5 to 10 queries: the main activity, the activity + the town, the activity + a neighbourhood, specific services.
- On mobile, in a private window and signed out, run the searches from several real places in your area (at customers', in different neighbourhoods), or by simulating the position through a desktop browser's developer tools.
- For each point and each query, note your position in the local pack and in Maps, along with the competitors shown.
- Repeat every month.
Free, this method becomes tedious beyond three queries and a few points; it suits a single location in a low-density area.
Method 2: grid tracking tools (geogrid)
These tools simulate searches from a grid of points (for example 7 × 7 points 500 metres apart) centred on your business, for each query, and show a coloured map: green for the points where you are in the top 3, red for those where you are absent. They supply:
| Metric | Definition | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Average position across the grid | The average of the positions across every point | The overall trend |
| Share of points in the top 3 | The percentage of points where you are in the local pack | Real coverage of the area |
| Visibility radius | The distance up to which you stay in the top 3 | The objective to widen |
| Competitors by point | Who occupies the local pack where you don't | Targets for analysis |
The specialist tools (Local Falcon, LocalViking, BrightLocal, Localo and others) offer this tracking from €20 to €100 a month depending on the number of listings and queries. Marketing platforms sometimes include local tracking alongside the other metrics (reviews, listing actions, traffic). The criteria for choosing are those of any rank tracking tool, plus the grid and multi-listing support.
Method 3: the listing's own data
The statistics in Google Business Profile give no position, but they show the queries that brought the listing up, the number of views on Google Search and Maps, and the actions (calls, directions, clicks). A rise in Maps views over a month often reflects a widened visibility radius. That data complements rank tracking; it is detailed in tracking your listing's performance.
The pace and the thresholds
- Monthly for the grid reading: local positions change slowly, and a weekly reading adds noise.
- After every important action (a category change, a review campaign): a reading at 4 weeks to measure the effect.
- Alert : losing more than 20 points of top-3 share on a main query, or a new competitor appearing in the pack across several points.
Interpreting the results
| Finding | Likely diagnosis | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Top 3 only within 1 km | Weak prominence against the competitors | Reviews, citations, links, a local page (see action plan) |
| Absent everywhere on a specific query | Relevance: the category or service isn't declared | A secondary category, services, the site's content |
| Good coverage to the north, none to the south | A strong competitor to the south | Analyse their listing, consider a local page or a second location |
| A sudden fall across every point | A change to the listing, a suspension, an algorithm change | Check the listing, Search Console and the update news |
Rank tracking is one of the local SEO KPIs ; cross-referenced with actions from the listing and conversions in GA4, it lets you judge the real effect of each action. For a network, tracking is done listing by listing with a consolidated table, as described in multi-location local SEO.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's Google Business Profile module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How do you find your position on Google Maps?
By running searches from several points in your area, on mobile, in a private window and signed out, or with a grid tracking tool that simulates those searches and shows a map of your positions. A single search from your premises doesn't reflect the reality your customers see.
What is a geogrid tracking tool?
A tool that takes your local pack position from a grid of points (7 × 7, for example) a few hundred metres apart around your business, for each query tracked. It produces a coloured map and metrics: average position, share of points in the top 3, visibility radius.
How often should you track your local positions?
Once a month is enough for the full reading, since local positions change slowly; a weekly reading mostly adds noise. Take an extra reading four weeks after an important action (a category change, a review campaign) to measure its effect.
How many queries should you track for one location?
Five to ten: the main activity alone, the activity with the town, with one or two neighbourhoods, and two to five specific services. Beyond that, the tracking costs more than it brings. Choose the queries matching the calls you actually receive.