Story Based Question
You own a local auto repair shop, and your goal is to increase your online visibility and bring in more customers from the surrounding neighborhoods. You’ve been optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) profile, gathering reviews, and tweaking your website for local SEO. But how do you actually know if all these efforts are paying off? You want to track your local search rankings to see where your business stands.
You’re not sure how to go about it—should you rely on Google searches? Or is there a better way to monitor your rankings for the key terms that matter most to your business? And how can you tell if you’re improving in local search results over time?
Exact Answer
To track local search rankings, use local SEO tracking tools that monitor your business’s performance in specific geographic areas for relevant keywords. These tools provide data on your rankings in search engines like Google, focusing on local search results, including the Local Pack and organic listings. Popular tools like Google Search Console, BrightLocal, and Moz can help you track where your business appears in search results, allowing you to monitor your progress and adjust your strategy.
Explanation
Tracking your local search rankings helps you understand how well your SEO efforts are working and identify areas for improvement. Local rankings are crucial because they determine your visibility in search results, especially in the Local Pack (the map section of search results). Here’s how you can effectively track your local search rankings:
1. Use Local SEO Tools
Specialized local SEO tools, like BrightLocal, Moz, SEMrush, and Whitespark, allow you to track your rankings for specific keywords in targeted locations. These tools can show how your business ranks for various search terms, like “auto repair near me” or “best mechanic in [Your City],” and give you insights into where your website stands compared to competitors.
These tools can even track rankings for Google’s Local Pack, which is especially valuable if your business is aiming to rank in this prime position.
2. Monitor Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) offers free data about how your website appears in Google search results. While it doesn’t give you exact rankings, GSC can show the average position of your site for different keywords, the number of impressions (how often your site appeared in search results), and the click-through rate (CTR) for each query. You can use this data to see if you’re making progress in local search visibility.
3. Track Keywords in Local Areas
When you track rankings, it’s important to focus on local keywords that are relevant to your business. For example, instead of just tracking “auto repair,” track more specific terms like “auto repair in [Your Neighborhood]” or “mechanic near [Your City]”. This will give you a clearer picture of how your business is performing in the local market.
4. Keep Track of Competitors
Monitoring your competitors’ rankings is just as important as tracking your own. Many local SEO tracking tools allow you to track your competitors as well, so you can compare how your business ranks in the same searches and gain insights into what’s working for them.
5. Look at Google My Business Insights
If your business has a Google My Business (GMB) listing, you can also check the GMB insights to see how often your business profile appears in local searches and how people are interacting with it. These insights can give you valuable information about your visibility and how well your GMB efforts are performing.
Example
Let’s say you own the local auto repair shop. Here’s how you can track your rankings:
- Using BrightLocal: You sign up for BrightLocal and set up a local search tracking campaign for keywords like “auto repair in [Your City]” and “best mechanic near me.” BrightLocal shows you that your business is ranking on the second page for “auto repair in [Your City]” and on the first page for “best mechanic near me,” but not in the Local Pack.
- Google Search Console: You log into Google Search Console and find that your site appears for “auto repair” with an average position of 12, but you notice that it’s performing much better for “brake repair near me,” which shows up at position 5.
- Google My Business Insights: You check your GMB Insights and see that your listing appears in 500 local searches over the past month, and 40 people clicked on your phone number to call. You realize that although your ranking isn’t ideal yet, your GMB listing is driving meaningful engagement.
- Competitor Tracking: You also track your competitors and see that their listings show up more often in the Local Pack, meaning you need to focus on getting more reviews and possibly improve your NAP consistency.
As you monitor these metrics over time, you adjust your strategy—maybe you focus more on gathering positive reviews or optimizing your website with better local keywords. After a few months, you notice your business appearing in the Local Pack for several important keywords, and your overall visibility in local search has significantly improved.
Tracking local search rankings is essential for understanding how your SEO efforts are impacting your visibility. By using local SEO tools, monitoring Google Search Console, and keeping track of your competitors, you can gauge your progress and make data-driven decisions to improve your ranking.