How do I run a repeatable local search ranking check?

What does this monthly check actually measure?

Use two records, and add a third only when the website's web-search performance is also part of the question.

Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity. It also says that distance is measured from the searching customer and that the ranking system details are confidential. A repeatable worksheet controls the context of an observation; it does not reveal Google's ranking formula.¹

What should I freeze before I run the scan?

Write down the following fields before starting the scan. These are measurement controls for a comparable observation, not Google requirements.

If the tool lets you choose the points, save the coordinates or a report export. BrightLocal's Local Search Grid documentation lists custom points, grid sizes from 3×3 through 15×15, adjustable distance, and a movable target. It describes 5×5 as a starting point for most local businesses, but that is BrightLocal's recommendation, not a Google standard.⁴

How do I run the local observation?

1. Create the run record. Give the check an ID and fill in the frozen fields above before opening the report.
2. Run the exact query. Use the declared language, device or app, session settings, and target location. Do not silently add a second query because the first one looks unhelpful.
3. Run the same query at each active point. Save the point, result position as the tool reports it, business name or profile identifier, cutoff, and whether the business was not found under that cutoff.
4. Save the raw report. Keep the tool name, report ID, run date and time, export filename, and a screenshot or export when available. The report is evidence of those declared observations.
5. Label anything that changed. If the query, point set, device, grid, cutoff, or comparison period changed, apply the matching design-change label before comparing the result with the previous run.

The result is a map of the declared checks. It is not proof that a profile occupies one fixed position across the whole service area. Google says that search results are specific to the time, place, device, and recent history of the person searching.³

How do I record Google Business Profile Performance separately?

Record the profile report after the local observation, but do not put its values into the grid result column. Google says Performance data is available only for verified Business Profiles, and the operator must be signed in to the Google Account associated with the profile.²

In Google Search, use Business Profile → Performance, choose the report period, and click Apply. Google also documents a spreadsheet path in Business Profile Manager: select the profiles, choose Actions → Insights, select the timeframe, and click Download Report.²

Do not compare a Performance report's searches, views, or actions with the number of grid placements as if they shared a denominator. The report and the local observation describe different populations, surfaces, and periods.^2,4

How should I compare this month with the previous month?

Compare like with like first. BrightLocal documents side-by-side comparison of Local Search Grid reports and recommends the same keyword and reporting period for a competitor comparison. Extend that discipline to the query, target, points, device or session, cutoff, and date convention in your own worksheet.⁴

When every comparison field is the same, report the direction and affected points first. Then state what changed in the Business Profile Performance report for its own date range. If any design-change label applies, explain that change before saying whether visibility moved. A month-to-month difference does not establish that one profile edit caused the difference.

How do I interpret common result patterns?

Keep the cause open unless the evidence supports it. Google's public guidance names relevance, distance, and popularity as main factors, but it does not publish a formula that lets a sampled grid delta prove which factor caused a change.¹

What should the monthly worksheet look like?

Copy this record for each run. Leave a field blank only when the tool does not expose it, and write “not available” rather than guessing.

Run ID:
Run date and time:
Timezone:

Query:
Language:
Search type:
Branded, non-branded, or location-specific:

Target or grid center:
Coordinates or named points:
Neighborhood or service area sampled:
Device:
Browser or app:
Signed-in state:
Location source:

Grid dimensions:
Active points:
Point spacing or distance:
Target movement:
Tool:
Report ID:
Result cutoff:
Not-found rule:

Business Profile verified:
Associated Google Account:
Performance report start:
Performance report end:
Searches:
Views:
Available actions:
Export filename:

Design-change label:
Compared with run ID:
Observed point-level change:
Interpretation and limits: