Track Your Google Map Pack Rankings with Local Keyword Scans
Local Keyword Scans is a tool you can leverage to see Google map pack rankings for specific keywords – for your company, as well as your competitors. For example, if your company is in the HVAC industry, a keyword search you may want to track would be “HVAC near me.”
The Local Falcon scan tool pulls results based on the specific location you choose for the middle point. When you run the scan, the rankings are plotted onto a map, allowing you to visualize 3 pack rankings at the most granular level. These scans can be very beneficial for many reasons.
Examples of Local Keyword Scans
In this example, we are able to see on a 7×7 grid with a 12 mile radius how Blackhawk ranks with the keyword “digital marketing agency.” This report pulls 3 main metrics:
- ARP (Average Ranking Position): The average rank position of the business for only data points that the business was found within the top 20.
- ATRP (Average Total Ranking Position): The average rank position of a business across all searched data points, even if it was not found within the top 20 results.
- SoLV (Share of Local Voice): The percentage of data points where the business ranks in the top 3 positions. Over time, SoLV is a great metric to identify and understand a business’ brand lift. This is also the most important metric since the top 3 is the goal for all data points.
To learn more about how to read and interpret these map scans, we suggest checking out DBA Platform’s blog “How do I read local rank with Local Falcon’s scan reports?”
How to Increase Google Business Profile Rankings and Visibility
You may be wondering, what do we do with all of this information? In our process, our number one priority is to rank in the first position near the address listed on our Google Business Profile.
Since Google’s new proximity algorithm update, it has been made clear that proximity (distance to the person searching) is now king in the map pack rankings. This is why it is very important to be ranking in the top 3 within a couple mile radius of the businesses location.
Step 1: Analyzing the Map Scan Report
We first start with viewing the report. We identify where we rank overall in the radius out of the 20 competitors listed. For the competitors that are ranked higher, we audit those profiles for the following information:
- Business categories
- Business address
- Quantity and quality of customer reviews
- Products and services offered
This is the best method to understand why your business may be ranking lower than some of your competitors. We identify what they’re doing well – and then outdo them at their own game – to improve your profile’s ranking.
Step 2: Identifying Areas for Improvement
Secondly, we identify which areas in the map we are ranking just outside of the top 3. Typically, these would be dots that are between 4-6 , since they are the closest to being in the local 3 pack and can give our business much more visibility.
We think about it this way: the boost in visibility going from rank position 15 to 8 is very little compared to going from 7 to 3!
Step 3: Altering the SEO Optimization Plan From the Data
From our analysis, we identify which neighborhoods (shown as dots on the map) we want to focus our optimization efforts on. A few examples of optimizations include:
- Write a Google Post about servicing the specific area.
- Create products or services focused on these neighborhoods.
- Create a local neighborhood page for the website.
- Identify a good backlink relevant to the industry and area we are targeting.
Importance of Scan Tracking
If you don’t have a record of scans, how can you track the success of your local SEO factors? If you are interested in a profile audit including complimentary Google My Business map scans use the form below!
