5/8/2023 0 Comments The stray cat![]() ![]() Some rank trackers track daily, because they want you to have a complete data picture, but that includes a lot of noise that is difficult to sort out. We all know that search rankings are incredibly volatile, so how do you separate the signal from the noise? And how do you report this mess? Tracking Frequency Vs. Or maybe you mean Google Maps? And what about Apple Maps? How do you factor one-boxes, local Knowledge Graph results and combined local/organic results into you tracking? Oh yeah, and let’s not forget about mobile SERPs and app indexing. ![]() When you say “local rankings,” do you mean local organic rankings, or are you talking about local pack rankings? What Do You Mean When You Say “Local Rankings?” Now imagine how this works when you have 1,000 locations. That means a single plumber may need several “locations” in a rank tracker just to properly track search results in their target markets. These businesses generally have to pay a significant amount of money for enough credits to cover all of their “markets,” and then they usually have to track all these areas as separate locations. How about a business where customers will travel greater distances (like to get a great deal on the exact car they want)? This presents a huge problem for service area businesses that may be attracting customers from dozens of cities. Now consider that these tools are generally designed to track rankings in markets where a business is physically located. So before we even start tracking, the data is a bit fuzzy. On top of that, local organic results are not always driven by precise location targeting on GOOG’s end. Google always thinks I am one city over, for example. Google likes to return local pack/maps results based on the user’s physical location however, there is often a lot of wiggle room. The Problem(s) With Location-Based Tracking There are a ton of Local Rank Trackers - our list of Local SEO Tools has 23 - but the process has become increasingly difficult as Google iterates on their technology. (I know, no one wants to report rankings to clients, but they all still seem to want them.) Hit me up, and I’ll get SEL to cross this whole thing out and put a nice juicy link to your site at the top with anchor text = “best local rank tracking software.” ( Editor’s note: This is not going to happen.)įor local search marketers - and if you have been following the evolution of mobile search, you know we are all on our way to becoming local search marketers - rank tracking can be helpful to both understanding the SERP landscape and communicating with clients. ![]() Hey, maybe you already have, and I just don’t know about it. I’ve got nothing against any of you, but I am hoping this rant will spur some of you on to solve this problem. Hey, rank trackers! You know I love you guys, but let’s face it - your local rank tracking is a fail. I’ve got nothing better to do with my time than assert my editorial voice about something that no one will remember in a week. So instead the inserted it further down where it’s referenced in the piece.ģ. I am guessing the issue had to do with copyright stuff and not wanting it to show on SEL’s homepage. ![]() I mean who wants to read about local rank tracking, especially with stock images? But everyone likes a good Jon Snow meme. While I think the article works fine without the image, it’s the image that would have caught people’s attention. The editors changed the top image I provided to a stock photo. I get why SEL rewrote it as “Why Local Rank Trackers Fail” – it’s a family site after all – but I think you’ll agree “Suck” is much more accurate.Ģ. The original title was “Why Local Rank Trackers Suck”. I am publishing part of this post that just went live on SearchEngineLand because:ġ. ![]()
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