Share of Local Voice

Share of Local Voice (SoLV) is how often a business ranks in the top three positions in Google's 3-Pack across a map grid, expressed as a score from 0 to 100.

Local Falcon defines SoLV and identifies it as a registered trademark of Local Falcon LLC. A scan checks each chosen keyword at each included map point. Each check is a yes-or-no result: the business either appears in the top three or it does not. The score is the share of those top-three appearances out of all checks for that scan.¹

For example, one keyword on a 5×5 grid creates 25 checks. If the business appears in the top three at 8 points, its SoLV is 8 ÷ 25 × 100 = 32. The score describes that scan, not a universal Google ranking.

SoLV differs from a single-point rank check and from average map rank. A single-point check describes one search location. An average can hide the places where a business falls outside the top three. SoLV keeps the map points visible by counting the top-three result at each point.

A reproducible report states the exact keyword or query set, business location and target geography, grid, radius, included points, fixed top-three cutoff, denominator, and scan date. Compare SoLV scans only when those settings are held consistent. A score from a different tool or grid is not directly comparable. Local Falcon documents business location, grid size, grid radius, keywords, and scan frequency as scan settings. A 3×3 grid has nine data points, and disabled points change the included measurement population.²

SoLV is not Google's ranking score and is not the same measurement as Search Console average position. Google defines average position as the relative position of a site's link in Search, with 1 as the topmost position.³ Google says, "Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity."⁴ Google also warns that results can vary with time, place, device, and recent search history.³ The Google Maps hub explains the listing surface behind local map searches. The guide to tracking local search rankings explains how to keep a location-based check separate from website Search Console data.

Google documents local results on Search and Maps, but its public guidance does not define a Share of Local Voice score. Local Falcon owns the named SoLV definition.¹⁴

Sources

1. Local Falcon, “What is SoLV?”: https://www.localfalcon.com/knowledge-base/kb32-what-is-solv (read 2026-09-26)

2. Local Falcon, “How to choose scan settings”: https://www.localfalcon.com/knowledge-base/kb52-how-to-choose-scan-settings/ and “How to set the Map Scan radius and grid size”: https://www.localfalcon.com/knowledge-base/kb48-how-to-set-the-map-scan-radius-and-grid-size (read 2026-09-26)

3. Google Search Console Help, “Performance report”: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553?hl=en and “Position”: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7042828?hl=en (read 2026-09-26)

4. Google Business Profile Help, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google”: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en (read 2026-09-26)