The 5 Local SEO Tools I Actually Use (Because They Work)

The truth is, most local businesses are flying blind when it comes to why they rank the way they do. They’re guessing. Winging it. Making “educated” assumptions that are neither educated nor strategic.

So let’s fix that.

These five tools give you real visibility into what’s actually happening in your local market, and what to do about it.

1. Local Falcon – Track Your Visibility with SOLV

Most rank trackers will tell you where you show up. Local Falcon tells you how much visibility you really have.

This is thanks to a metric called SOLV (Share of Local Voice). SOLV measures what percentage of the local map pack results your business owns, relative to your competitors.

It’s basically your local market share, just for SEO.

Why it matters:
If your SOLV score is low, you’re not just underperforming, you’re leaving money on the table.

Take this pool cleaning company example. This will tell you how you rank, but also how your biggest competitor is ranking. So you know what to aim for and what is possible.

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2. Steve Toth’s PAA Tool – Find Content Ideas That Actually Rank

Once you know where you stand, you’ll need content to pull you up the rankings. But not just any content, content that answers the exact questions people are already asking.

That’s where Steve Toth’s People Also Ask Tool shines.

You plug in a keyword, like “pool cleaning,” and it scrapes the actual questions Google shows in the PAA box.

Answer those with clear, helpful content, and you’re building exactly what Google (and your audience) wants to see.

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3. Organic CTR Tool – Understand What Users Actually Click

Ranking well is great. But do people actually click on your result?

Advanced Web Ranking’s Organic CTR Tool shows how click-through rates change based on what type of search result appears – local pack vs. organic.

Here’s what that looks like:

For example:

• Position 1 in organic results without a local pack = 47% CTR
• Position 1 with a local pack above it = 14% CTR
  

That’s a huge difference, and a huge reason why just “ranking well” isn’t enough. You’ve got to understand what’s on the page around you.

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4. GS Location Changer – See What Your Customers See

Local search results change dramatically based on location. So if you’re only checking rankings from your office, you’re seeing a very narrow view.

GS Location Changer is a browser plugin that lets you spoof your location and see Google search results from anywhere.

Want to know how you’re ranking in the next neighborhood over or in your competitor’s prime territory?

Just drop change your location using the tool.

It’s fast, and, best of all, free.

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5. Ahrefs – Analyze Traffic and Backlink Health

When it comes to understanding why a competitor is beating you, or whether a third-party site is worth getting a link from, Ahrefs is our go-to.

It’s especially great for:

• Seeing which pages are driving the most traffic
• Checking backlink profiles
• Evaluating whether directories/citations are still worth your time
  

For example, let’s say you wanted to compare Thumbtack with Mapquest.

Thumbtack has 37% fewer indexed pages than two years ago. It tells you they’re losing organic traffic, which is not a good trend if you’re considering advertising with them.

Or if you want to know if it’s worth building citations, Mapquest still seems worthwhile, whereas HotFrog does not.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to guess your way through local SEO.

With the right tools, you can:

• See exactly how much market share you’re missing
• Create content people are actually searching for
• Measure how your results are performing
• Adjust based on geography
• Make data-backed decisions about links and citations
  

Start using these. Track your progress. And be sure to let us know in the comments how you liked these tools.