Google has been radically changing the way it delivers results for local queries to provide the “best” experience to their users. From this, we have seen proximity as a ranking factor being weighed heavier in Google’s local algorithm. This process is not perfect by any means and there is always a margin for error when Google is determining the proximity of a search, but even with that error rate being a possibility, you will be hard pressed to find more accurate rank tracking.
Howling SEO gives you two ways to pull in this ranking data. One is directly from the Google Places API, which we walk you through how to not only get one for free but to utilize APIs intelligently to not run up a crazy bill. This method does not allow you to track Service Area Businesses.
The other method is through our extremely proprietary data gathering method (WE ARE NOT SCRAPING GOOGLE) and will showcase Service Area Business results as well as businesses that are not hiding their address. These blended results will paint a more complete picture of the local serps. Each plan contains enough credits to handle all of your local rank tracking needs.
These maps can be easily downloaded into PDF form, but we also introduced what we feel is one of the coolest local reporting capabilities in the industry. The Howling SEO system rescans your geogrids at predetermined intervals and stores the data in our system.