Track Search Rankings

The Local Rankings page is part of the analytics area. It shows where your Google Business Profile appears in Google search results around your business.

Choose a location and keyword

The page opens on the first location and on the first keyword in the dropdown for the latest completed scan.

1. Select a location in the dropdown in the page header. The dropdown appears only with more than one location.
2. Select a keyword from the dropdown in the Where You Show Up on Google header.

Rankings need a location with a connected Business Profile. See the integrations article to connect one.

Keywords are added and removed on the analytics settings page.

Read the map

The map draws one dot per grid spot for the selected keyword. Each dot is a Google search from that spot. The number is its position in the results, or a dash if there is none. The middle dot is your address.

The legend under the map shows 1-3 in green, 4-10 in yellow, 11-20 in orange, and Not in top 20 in gray.

A scan reads only Google's top 20 results. Businesses outside them have no rank, so their spots are gray.

The grid is 3 by 3, 5 by 5, or 7 by 7 spots over a radius of 1 to 10 miles around your business.

To view an earlier scan, select a completed row in Recent Scans. Otherwise, the map shows the newest completed scan.

Run a scan

A manual scan measures every grid spot for each keyword the location tracks, up to its keyword limit.

1. Find the Scan card. It shows how many manual scans are left this month.
2. Select Run scan.

Run scan is off while a scan is queued or running, when no manual scan is left this month, or when the profile is not listed in Maps.

After a successful request, the page refreshes its ranking data. It does not poll, so reload to see a scan that finishes later.

Compare scans over time

Recent Scans lists the 10 most recent scans for the location, newest first, in any status. Each row shows the date the scan was created and its scan type, such as manual.

Each row can show these:

• A completed scan with an average shows the mean position across the spots where your business was in the top 20. Lower is better.
• A change arrow compares the row with the next older completed scan that has an average. A down arrow means the average improved. An up arrow means it got worse. No arrow shows when the change is zero.
• Partial badge: a completed scan that recorded an error. Partial rows show this badge instead of an average.
• Failed badge: a scan with the status FAILED.
• Not in top 20: a completed scan with no average, so no spot was in the top 20.

Ranking Trends plots the average position of each completed scan that has one, oldest first, for up to the last 12 scans. Each point averages every keyword and spot in that scan that was in the top 20. Lower averages sit higher on the chart. The chart appears once it has at least two points.

Print a report

1. Select Print report in the page header.
2. Select Last 30 days, Last 90 days, or Last 12 months.

The report prints from an off-screen frame, so this page stays where it is.

Who can do what

• View the rankings: view access to analytics shows the map, Recent Scans, and Ranking Trends.
• Run scan: edit access to analytics.
• Add and remove keywords: edit access to analytics.
• Keyword limit: full access to analytics.
• Scan area and automatic monthly scans: full access to analytics. The Ranking Scan Area card appears only with full access.
• Print report: any analytics access level other than limited, with a location selected.

Scan limits and schedules

• Manual scans: one per location per month. The count resets on the first day of each month in the account's time zone.
• Scheduled scans: a scan runs on the first day of each month, in the account's time zone, for each active location with Scan automatically every month turned on and a Google place ID. A location already scanned that period is skipped. Scheduled scans do not use the manual count.
• Scan area: the grid cannot change while a scan for that location is queued or running. Changes apply to later scans. Each result keeps its own coordinates, so older maps keep their spots.
• Time limit: a scan still running six hours after it started is marked Failed by the next pass that picks it up.
• Keywords: a scan measures the keywords that existed when it started, oldest first, up to the location's keyword limit.
• Unmeasured spots: if a Google lookup fails, the spot stays unmeasured and does not count as Not in top 20.
• Switched-off locations: staff can switch a location off. While it is off, Run scan does not start a scan, scheduled scans skip the location, and a queued scan is marked Failed without measuring anything.
• Notices: completed and failed scans email the account owner a link to the Local Rankings page.