Local rankings, read plainly.
Short guides on how Google Maps and Bing rank a business from street to street, what the numbers mean and how to report them. Written by the people who build RankShark, for owners and agencies.
Reading a rank grid
What a geo-grid is, which numbers come out of it, and how to size one.
- Geo-grid rank tracking, explained
A geo-grid rank tracker checks a business’s Google Maps rank from many points around it, not one. How a scan runs, what it reports and when it is worth running.
- Share of local voice: what it is and how to read it
Share of local voice (SoLV) is the share of grid points where a business ranks in the top 3 on Google Maps. How it is worked out and where it misleads.
- Average rank position: ARP and ATRP on a grid
ARP is the average rank across the grid points where a business was found; ATRP counts the missing points too. How each is worked out, and which one to report.
- Which grid size and radius to use for rank tracking
How to pick a grid size and spacing for a rank scan: match the radius to where customers come from, spend points where ranks change, keep the grid the same.
Google Maps rankings
Why a rank moves from street to street, and what to do when it drops or disappears.
- Why your Google Maps ranking changes from street to street
Google Maps ranks for the spot the searcher stands on, so one business is #1 on one street and #9 three blocks away. Why, and how to see it yourself.
- How to check your Google Maps ranking from another location
Four ways to see your Google Maps rank from a place you are not standing in, from a free grid scan to Chrome’s location override, and what each one gets wrong.
- Local pack vs Google Maps: two rankings for one business
The local pack is the map box on Google Search; Google Maps is the full list. Why they rank differently, which one customers see and how to track both.
- Why your business is not showing up on Google Maps
A verified Google Business Profile can still be invisible: distance, the wrong category, a service-area setting or a suspension. How to tell which, in order.
- Google Maps ranking dropped? How to tell a real drop from noise
Local ranks move a little every day. How to tell a real drop from ordinary movement, what usually causes one, and what to check before changing the profile.
- Ranking a service-area business on Google Maps
Plumbers and roofers rank from a hidden address, so their reach is a circle nobody can see. How Google treats a service-area profile and how to measure it.
Tracking and reporting
How often to scan, and how to show a client what changed.
- How to report local rankings to clients
A client rank report that holds up: the grid, three numbers, what changed since last month and what you did. What to leave out and how to brand it.
- How often to check local rankings
Daily scans show noise, monthly scans miss the cause. When weekly is right, when to go daily, and how to set a schedule that makes two scans comparable.
Bing and AI answers
Rankings outside Google Maps: Bing, and the businesses ChatGPT and Gemini name.
- How to rank in Bing Maps and Bing Places
Bing Places feeds Bing Maps, Bing Search and Copilot. How Bing’s local results differ from Google’s, what to set in the listing and how to check your rank.
- Does ChatGPT recommend your business? How to check AI visibility by location
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini or AI Overviews for a plumber nearby and a few businesses get named. How those answers are built and how to check if you are in them.