Local search checker: see Google from any UK town
Google shows different results in different places. Type a search and a town to open Google exactly as people there see it – handy for checking where you rank across your service area.
- No cost
- No sign-up
- No email
- No subscription
- Unlimited – runs in your browser
Why do Google results change by location?
For anything with local intent – plumbers, cafés, solicitors, "near me" searches – Google ranks businesses close to the searcher higher, and shows a map pack of nearby businesses. So your position in Blackpool can be completely different from your position in Preston, even for the same words. Searching from your own office only ever shows you one of those pictures.
How does this local search checker work?
We build a Google search link with a location setting (the same uule parameter search professionals use), plus settings that switch off personalisation. The search runs in your own browser, from Google directly – we don't scrape or store anything – so the results are as real as they get. If Google doesn't recognise a place name, it falls back to your own location: try the main town name, spelled as on a map.
How do I improve my local rankings?
- Complete and verify your Google Business Profile, with the right categories and service areas.
- Keep your name, address and phone identical on your website, profile and directories.
- Add LocalBusiness structured data – our schema generator writes it for you.
- Create genuinely useful pages for the towns you serve, and earn reviews from real customers.
- Check your site with the local SEO checker.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as a rank tracker?
It shows you the live results so you can see where you appear. Paid rank trackers automate this across hundreds of searches; doing it by hand for your few most important searches costs nothing and follows Google's rules.
Why don't I see the map pack?
Google only shows the map pack when it thinks the search is local. Try adding the type of business, such as 'plumber' rather than 'plumbing'.
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Want the fixes done for you? XKey is made by IceWork, a web studio in Blackpool. IceWork builds fast, search-ready websites – a 3-page site including domain and a year's hosting is £350 all in.