Keep the comparison fair
Six practical lessons. No email signup, ranking promise or certificate.
Keep the comparison fair
Compare the same keyword, grid center, spacing and search depth over time. If a setting changes, label the break in the series. Separate Google Maps observations from organic website positions. On paid plans, Local Maps Rank checks the regular Google results for each tracked search once a week (top 20) for locations that have their own website, and stores them in organic history with the source “Google organic (automatic, top 20)”. You can also add your own observations and source.
Use more than one observation when describing a trend. Write down notable business or website changes, but do not assume that a change caused the next ranking movement. Missing data should stay missing rather than becoming zero or a fabricated rank. If a provider or report failed, resolve that failure before treating the week as a meaningful decline.
Practice: Compare two matching scans and state what changed, what stayed stable and what is uncertain.