Set up local rank tracking

National rank tracking hides 80% of the truth for local businesses. The same query "plumber" returns completely different results in Bondi vs Parramatta. Local rank tracking lets you see exactly where you appear in each suburb you serve.

What "local" means here

For a query like "plumber Sydney", Google returns three result types: a Map Pack (the three local pins), a traditional organic list, and AI Overviews. Our local rank tracking captures all three, separately, per location.

Add a local keyword

1. Go to Rank Tracking → Add keywords → Single.
2. Enter the keyword (e.g. "emergency plumber").
3. Under Location, pick "City or suburb" instead of "Country".
4. Type your target suburb. We autocomplete from Google's location database – pick the one with the correct postcode.
5. Optionally, add device (mobile recommended for local) and engine (Google for local).
6. Save.

Bulk add locations for one keyword

Pricing "plumber" in 14 different suburbs is faster as a CSV. Use the same keyword on each row with a different location:

text
keyword,location,device,engine
emergency plumber,Bondi NSW 2026,mobile,google
emergency plumber,Parramatta NSW 2150,mobile,google
emergency plumber,Surry Hills NSW 2010,mobile,google
emergency plumber,Manly NSW 2095,mobile,google

Reading the local rank report

For each local keyword you see three columns:

• Map Pack: your position in the three-pack (1, 2, 3, or "–" if not visible).
• Organic: your traditional blue-link position.
• AI Overview: whether your business is cited in the AI summary (Yes/No).

Click any keyword to open the heatmap view – an interactive map that shows your rank across a grid of points around your target suburb. This is the killer view for diagnosing "I rank #1 here but invisible two suburbs over" patterns.

How often we check

Local SERPs are checked daily on Marketing, Management and CEO. On Free, weekly. Each location/device/engine combo counts as one keyword slot – a keyword tracked in five suburbs on mobile is five slots.

Optimizing for local rankings

A few things consistently move local rankings:

• A fully completed Google Business Profile with photos, hours, services and categories.
• NAP (name, address, phone) consistency across your site, GBP, and major directories.
• Service pages targeting "[service] [suburb]" with real, locally-relevant content.
• Reviews – both quantity and recency. Aim for new reviews monthly.
• Citations on local directories (Yelp, True Local in AU, etc.).