The free ones that matter
| Tool | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile performance | Calls, website clicks and direction requests from your listing |
| Google Search Console | Which searches show your website and how often people click |
| PageSpeed Insights | How fast your site loads on a phone, and why |
| Rich Results Test | Whether Google can read your business details from your site |
| Google Analytics | What visitors do once they're on your site |
Checking rankings fairly
Searching your own business on your own phone shows you a personalised result. To see what customers see, search in a private browser window, or ask someone a few suburbs away what shows up for your main service.
When a paid tool is worth it
- Grid rank tracking, if you need to see rankings across many suburbs.
- Citation tools, if you have several locations to keep consistent.
- Keyword research tools, if you're writing a lot of content.
What to ignore
Tools that give your site a single SEO score out of 100 and a long list of red warnings. Many of the warnings don't matter for a local business. Calls and enquiries are what count.
A monthly routine
- Note calls, clicks and directions from your Business Profile.
- Check Search Console for searches where you're on page two.
- Run PageSpeed on your main page.
- Write the numbers down and compare with last month and last year.
Rather not do this yourself? Our Google Business Profile management handles the profile, the posts and the reviews every week, for one monthly fee.