The history table
Reading it
Position should be read against the local pack’s shape rather than as a plain number. The pack usually surfaces three results before an expansion, so movement between 3 and 4 matters far more than movement between 8 and 12. Title is the listing title Google displayed. If it changes between rows and you didn’t change anything, Google has reinterpreted the listing — worth checking your business profile. A title that isn’t what you expect is also a clue that a different listing of yours is ranking. Type distinguishes the kind of result matched. Local queries can return a map pack, a business panel, or organic-style results depending on how the query is interpreted, and comparing positions across different types isn’t meaningful. Review Response surfaces review activity on the listing. Reviews are a genuine local ranking factor, so a position trend that moves alongside review activity usually isn’t coincidence.Local results differ from organic
Worth keeping in mind when reading this page:- Proximity dominates. Results depend heavily on where the searcher is. Your position for a city-level location is not what someone standing outside your shop sees.
- Your business profile matters more than your website. Categories, hours, photos, and reviews drive local placement — often more than anything on your site.
- Volatility is normal. Local results shift more than organic ones, so a single day’s movement is rarely meaningful. Read the column, not the last row.
Empty history
A keyword shows no history until its first check runs, following the local SEO schedule — daily by default. A keyword added today has data tomorrow. If a keyword consistently shows no position, the likely cause is that the query doesn’t return local results at all. Rephrase it to include local intent — “near me”, or a place name — and check the location is set to the market you actually serve.Related
- Local SEO overview — managing local keywords and the schedule
- Keyword history — the organic equivalent