What is Local Rank Tracking (and why every local business needs it)

If you run a local business, whether it’s a coffee shop, a fitness studio, or a plumbing service, showing up when people search for services or products like yours in your area makes a huge difference. That’s where local rank tracking comes in.

In this article, we’ll break down what local rank tracking is, why it matters, and how you can use it to outrank other local businesses that want that same piece of the pie.

What exactly is local rank tracking?

Simply put, local rank tracking is the process of monitoring how well your business shows up in local search results. Instead of tracking your rankings for general keywords, local rank tracking focus on how your site ranks in specific locations. If you’re a coffee shop in Seattle, you want to know how you’re ranking for searches like “best coffee shop near me” in your city.

Since search engines like Google personalize results based on location, tracking your performance in these local search results is key to understanding how visible your business is to potential customers nearby.

Why does local rank tracking matters for local businesses?

People are increasingly turning to their phones to find local businesses, and even though they might be just around the corner, they’re likely to pick a competitor over you if your business doesn’t show up on the search results. That’s the gist of it — local search results are vital because they connect people to businesses right when they need them most.

Know how you’re doing locally

It’s easy to get caught up in overall SEO rankings, but if you’re not showing up in local search results, you could be missing out on customers who are literally down the street. Local rank tracking is the key to know exactly how your business is performing in the local search scene across the map.

Stay ahead of the competition

The truth is, your competitors are probably working hard on their local SEO too — keep an eye on how you stuck up against them, when you are winning and where you need to step up your game to outrank them and be on top of the search results.

Improve your local SEO strategy

With local rank tracking, you get insights into which keywords are putting your business in front of your new customers’ eyes (and which ones need a bit tender loving care to move up the rankings). Following your local search rankings helps you fine-tune your SEO efforts, wether that means optimizing your site for certain keywords, working on your Google My Business profile, or building more backlinks.

How to track local rankings

Now that we’ve covered what local rank tracking is and why it’s so important, let’s take a closer look at how you can actually start tracking your rankings. Understanding the why is key, but knowing how to track and measure your local performance is where the real progress starts.

Use local rank tracking tools

The first step? Find a tool to keep track of your rankings. There are plenty of options out there specially designed for tracking rankings in different cities and neighborhoods that also provide valuable insights into how your local SEO efforts are performing over time — if you’re moving up, holding steady, or dropping.

If you want something easy to use and reliable, without all the complex jargon that keeps you out from the main goal — monitor your performance and grow your search visibility in your city — Wincher’s Local Rank Tracker is worth checking out.

Track your Local Pack rankings

The Local Pack SERP feature (that section in search results with the map and the top three business listings) is huge for local businesses. If you make into the Local Pack, you get a big boost in visibility and clicks, and the best way to see if your keywords trigger this feature and whether you’re showing up there is by using a tool like Wincher’s Rank Tracker.

Monitor trends over time

SEO takes time, and rankings can fluctuate quite frequently. Just like you, many others are fighting for those top spots (and there are always new businesses popping up). That’s why it’s so important to track local rankings over time — not just set it and forget it.

By monitoring trends over time, you’ll always know how you’re performing across the map, whether you’ve passed a competitor or been overtaken. Either way, you’ll be in the know and read to tweak your strategy if needed.

Automate your reports

To make tracking easier and more efficient, set up automated reports. This saves time and ensures you’re consistently staying on top of your local rankings. Tools like Wincher allow you to set up automatic scheduling to receive your reports in your inbox on your terms — whether it’s weekly, monthly or daily.

Wrapping it up

At the end of the day, if your business relies on local customers, tracking rankings at a global level just won’t cut it. You’ve got to keep an eye on how you’re performing in search results across different areas and make sure you’re showing up as one of the top results for people searching for what you offer.

If you’re curious to know how you’re doing in local search, a simple tool like our Local Rank Tracker will help you get a clear picture of where you stand. You can give it a spin with a 7-day free trial.