View Google Search Rankings by Location

For business owners and digital marketers, understanding your local search ranking on Google is essential for attracting nearby customers and boosting your online visibility. The way your business appears in search results can make a significant impact on customer acquisition, especially as more people rely on search engines to find local products and services.

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) has become a critical part of any digital marketing strategy. It helps ensure that your business is seen by those who are actively looking for your offerings in your specific geographic area. The higher your local ranking, the more likely potential customers are to visit your website or location, increasing the chances of conversions and sales.

In this article, we’ll explore a variety of methods to check your local ranking on Google. From using specific tools designed to track rankings in different locations, to manually searching and comparing results, we’ll provide practical tips to help you understand where your business stands in local searches. This insight is invaluable in ensuring that your business stays competitive in your target market and can inform your strategies for improving visibility and customer reach.

By regularly monitoring your local search rankings, you can make data-driven decisions on how to adjust your SEO efforts, ensuring that your business continues to attract new customers and retain a strong presence in your area.

Why Do Search Results Vary By Location?

Google places a strong focus on local relevance when delivering search results, aiming to give users the most helpful information based on where they are.

To determine a user’s location, Google considers several factors such as:

The device’s location, whether from Wi-Fi, mobile triangulation, or GPS.
Places marked on Google Maps.
The home address linked to the user’s Google account.
Previous activity across Google platforms.
The IP address used for browsing.

These factors allow Google to customise search results, which means two people in the same area could see different results for the same query. This localised approach makes it crucial for businesses to rank well in local searches, particularly for those that depend on foot traffic or local customers. Since most people don’t scroll beyond the first page of results, ensuring your business appears prominently in local searches is key to staying competitive.

Optimising your website is crucial for making sure your business shows up in local search results. But how can you know if your efforts are paying off?

It wouldn’t be practical to travel to different areas just to see how well your site ranks in various locations.

Luckily, Google offers tools that let you check your local search rankings from anywhere. Here’s a simple guide on how to do it:

Add A Local Parameter To Your Search

Google has a feature that lets you search for local businesses in a different area, even if you’re not physically there. To do this, simply add “&near=cityname” to the end of your search URL.

For example, if you’re in Kansas City and want to compare how a coffee shop chain, “Jitters,” ranks against its competitors in Seattle, you can start by searching for “coffee shops near me” on Google.

Once the results load, look at the URL in your browser. Scroll to the end of the URL and add “&near=Seattle.” Hit enter, and Google will display results as if you’re searching from Seattle, allowing you to assess the competition there without needing to be on-site.

Change Your Regional Settings

You can manually adjust Google’s regional settings to view search results for a specific country, rather than being limited to results influenced by your current location, IP address, or other factors. This is particularly useful if you’re trying to understand how your business or competitors perform in a different market.

To change these settings, start by navigating to Google.com. In the bottom right-hand corner of the page, you’ll see an option labeled “Settings.” Click on that, and from the dropdown menu, select “Search Settings.” This will take you to a page where you can customise various aspects of your Google search experience.

Scroll down to the section called “Region Settings.” Here, you’ll find a list of countries. You can select any country that you want to view search results for. Once you’ve made your selection, save the settings, and Google will start showing you search results as if you were browsing from that country.

For example, let’s say Jitters, a coffee shop chain, recently expanded and opened a new location in Lisbon, Portugal. By selecting Portugal in the region settings, you can now check how well Jitters ranks in local search results within that region. This allows you to see the competitive landscape without physically being there.

However, it’s important to note that if you don’t add the local search parameter we discussed earlier (“&near=cityname”) to the search URL, the results you see will still be influenced by your actual location or broader regional settings. For instance, while setting the region to Portugal will give you country-level results, if you’re specifically interested in Lisbon, you’ll still need to manually input the city parameter to narrow down the search results to that specific area.

By customising both the region and local search parameters, you’ll gain a clearer picture of how businesses perform in various markets, whether you’re evaluating your own company or keeping an eye on the competition. This method saves you time and resources, eliminating the need to travel while still providing detailed insights into local search rankings in any country or city.

Manage Your Work & Home Locations On Google Maps

Google’s local search function is designed to make finding relevant information faster by using machine learning to identify your commonly visited places, like your home and workplace. It tracks your regular commute and uses that data to offer more personalised search results.

However, it doesn’t always get it right. Sometimes, Google might still associate you with an old workplace, but this can easily be corrected by manually updating your details.

To set or update your home and work locations, simply open Google Maps, click on the Menu, and go to “Your Places.” From there, you can select “Work” or “Home” and enter the correct address. After saving, you’ll be able to search for places or services near these locations by adding terms like “near home” or “near work” in your searches.

This allows you to get more accurate results based on where you actually spend most of your time, improving your search experience.

Delete Location History In Your Google Account Activity Controls

Google’s apps and devices can track your movements in the background when location services are enabled. For example, if Google notices that you frequently visit a martial arts gym, it will assume that searches for “boxing” refer to the sport rather than cardboard boxes.

If you prefer not to have this tracking, you can easily delete your location history or turn it off. To do this, access the Location History section of your Google account, where you can toggle the setting on or off and choose which devices to track.

You also have the option to delete all or part of your location history using your browser or Google Maps. However, keep in mind that removing this information may result in the loss of some personalised features, such as tailored suggestions, traffic updates, and automatically generated Google Photo albums.

Override Your Location With Google Chrome Developer Tools

If you’re comfortable with technology, you can use developer tools in the Chrome browser to make Google believe you’re in a different location. This allows you to see how search results vary from various places.

To start, open DevTools and access the command prompt. Click on “Show Sensors” and press enter.

Under the Geolocations section, you can select a city from the list or choose “Custom Location” to enter specific longitude and latitude coordinates. Additionally, you can select “Location Unavailable” to view how your site appears when Google cannot determine a user’s location.

Change Location Settings On Your Device

Some smartphones and tablets offer a setting to change your virtual location. If your device lacks this feature, there are alternative methods to make your phone believe it’s in a different place.

One straightforward approach is to download an app that alters your GPS location. These apps can be found on the App Store for iPhones and on Google Play for Android devices.

Typically, these apps work by connecting to a different network provider, convincing your device that it is in the chosen location. As a result, your search results will reflect this new location rather than your actual one.

Experiment With Google Ads Preview And Diagnosis Tool

Google provides a useful tool called Ad Preview and Diagnosis, which allows you to see how your paid ads appear when people search for keywords related to your business in their local area.

Additionally, this tool offers a feature that lets you simulate Google searches from different locations. To use it, simply open the tool and select the Location dropdown menu. You can enter a specific country, city, or even a zip code.

This functionality gives you a comprehensive view of how your ads perform in various places.

Another benefit of this tool is the ability to switch between desktop and mobile views. This is important for ensuring your ads look good and function well on both types of devices, especially as more users access the web via smartphones.

Use A VPN To Change Your Location

You can eliminate location data from your search results by adjusting your device’s location settings.

A simple way to do this is by using a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs connect your device to a remote server before accessing the internet, masking your location and helping you bypass location-based restrictions. They also allow you to get search results as if you were in a different area.

However, one limitation is that most VPNs offer a limited number of IP locations. If you’re looking to check how your coffee shop ranks in searches from Vancouver, you may not find that option available.

Automate With Local Rank Checking Tools

Monitoring your business’s presence in local search results is straightforward when you have only a few locations. However, if our fictional coffee shop, Jitters, were acquired by a larger company looking to expand internationally, the task would become much more complex. You would need to track local search results for all 315 locations around the world, which would be overwhelming to manage manually.

Fortunately, there are tools specifically designed for this purpose. These rank checkers can automate local searches and generate reports, making it easier to analyse your visibility. With this data, you can quickly identify where to concentrate your SEO efforts for the best results.

Some popular options include:

– BrightLocal

– GeoRanker

– Whitespark

– Surfer Local

– Sitechecker

– Local Falcon

– AuthorityLabs

– ProRank Tracker

Location Is Everything

Google search results can differ based on the user, their location, and the device they’re using. This variation complicates the process of optimising your website for search engines.

Since Google prioritises local search results, it’s essential for your business to appear in searches conducted by people in your area. This is important whether you’re managing a single location or overseeing multiple branches.

The good news is that you don’t need to be physically in that area to see what local users see in their search results. There are several methods to check your rankings from different locations, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Whichever method you choose, it’s vital to adjust your SEO strategy to target customers in specific regions.