We’re excited to announce the launch of our latest product, Local Rank+. This tool is like no other offered in the local search market. It allows business managers to factor in proximity as a key ranking factor in their search analytics.

To coincide with the ubiquity of smartphones, Google’s algorithm is set up to make proximity to the user the most important ranking factor. Even if the algorithm didn’t make this the case, user behavior dictates proximity-based searches.

Searches containing the phrase “near me” have grown by over 150% in the past two years and “near me” mobile searches that contain a variant of “can I buy” or “to buy” have grown over 500%. These users are not just looking for a specific place. They are looking for a specific thing in a specific area at a specific time. Ensuring that your business is the first thing they see in these moments is core to local search optimization.

Local Rank+ will give businesses the ability to understand with precision how their listings are ranking online based on exactly where the searcher is located. After all, if you’re trying to raise the prominence of your local listings in New York, the search results presented to someone in Charlotte, NC are not your top priority.

So let’s cut to the chase. Here’s what you need to know about our brand new tool, Local Rank+.

How does it work?

Local Rank+ is the epitome of ranking analysis. Instead of placing the user in the geographic center of the city being searched (as specifying the city and state would), it spoofs the user as if they were in location near your business.

Multiple other searches are then performed in a radius around your business, including 100 meters, 500 meters, or even a kilometer away from your business in all directions. You will know how your business ranks for the users standing right outside and for the users down the road. The differences in these rankings will give you vital data for optimizing your listings.

Why do you need it?

If knowledge is power then the question is, what are you going to do with that power? Local Rank+ is designed to help you understand the local competition and then optimize.

Competitors may have stuffed certain keywords into their names and descriptions. For example, your barbecue restaurant could be outranked by a business with “BBQ and Brisket” as part of its business name. In that situation, you would need to optimize your local listings for those specific non-branded keywords. This is why understanding the local competition is so important for your marketing strategy.

Brand-wide campaigns to optimize for specific terms will be an excessive use of resources, and their generic nature is not optimized for the local level. By knowing which of your locations need to focus where, you can save your business significant resources by marketing precisely and effectively rather than loading massive, inefficient marketing campaigns and spreading them thinly through all of your listings.

What types of businesses can benefit?

While businesses with a number of locations will obviously find this tool useful, businesses that are destination stores or service area businesses that do not care necessarily focus on their immediate vicinity can still benefit from Local Rank+.

An out-of-town destination store won’t benefit from knowing how they rank for someone searching inside their own building. They will, however, greatly benefit from knowing how they rank in the nearest residential area.

Hyperlocal optimization doesn’t just mean walking distance from your business; it means optimizing for wherever your customers happen to be. If you are a business that needs to optimize for your local foot traffic or one that needs to optimize for your local community where they live, Local Rank+ will let you know exactly where you stand and how to improve.

We’re here to empower you

Local Rank+ is the next evolution in measuring your online rankings. While most companies will have a rudimentary non-proximity-based report or no report at all, we have developed a tool that will give you invaluable insight.

With this tool, there is no doubt about the success of our Local Presence Management programs. We are confident in our capabilities, and we want you to be able to check for yourself how your listings are ranking.

We don’t boast about the value of our services in a theoretical or best-case sense. Instead, we give you the tools to measure your rankings exactly as they appear for your customers. If you are already working with us, the new Local Rank+ tool can only improve your local optimization. If you have yet to start a Local Presence Management program with us, now is the best time to start—so contact DAC today to find out how we can help.