Device & Location Tracking: Desktop, Mobile and Local Rankings

Desktop and mobile side by side

A keyword can be tracked on both desktop and mobile simultaneously, shown as separate rows or toggled with a switch above the table. Mobile results often differ meaningfully due to local packs and different SERP layouts, so track both for any commercial keyword.

Adding locations

For businesses with more than one branch, add a location per city or postcode under Settings > Locations. Each location runs an independent check as though searched from that point, which matters for local intent keywords.

• Open Settings > Locations
• Add a city, region or postcode per branch
• Assign relevant keywords to each location

Granularity trade-offs

Country-level tracking is cheapest and suits national keywords; city-level tracking costs more credits but is essential once local pack visibility matters. Choose granularity based on how local the buying intent actually is.

Comparing locations

The location comparison view lines up the same keyword's position across every tracked location, which is the fastest way to spot a branch that is underperforming.

Why this matters

Neglecting device and location-specific tracking leads to skewed performance insights, making effective SEO strategy development impossible. For instance, a business optimising for 'plumbers London' might see excellent desktop rankings across the city, yet if their mobile rankings are poor in Southwark due to a lack of local mobile-optimised content or an outdated GMB listing, they will miss out on immediate, high-intent leads. Without granular tracking, this critical disparity remains invisible, leading to misallocated resources and a failure to capture valuable local market share, directly impacting revenue and competitive standing.

Conversely, precise tracking allows for highly targeted optimisations. Imagine a national retailer identifying that their mobile rankings for 'running shoes' are strong in Manchester but weak in Birmingham. This insight enables them to investigate specific local factors, perhaps competitor activity, local news, or distinct consumer search behaviour, and then implement localised content improvements or Google My Business optimisations unique to Birmingham. This data-driven approach moves beyond generic, top-level performance reviews, empowering SEOs to make defensible, impactful decisions that directly address real-world user intent and competitive landscapes, leading to tangible business growth.

Diagnosing Geographic Discrepancies in RankTracker

Identifying why a keyword performs differently across locations requires a structured diagnostic approach within RankTracker. Begin by comparing the SERP Features column for the same keyword across disparate locations; a significant presence of Local Pack results in one area versus standard organic links in another indicates distinct local search intent. Next, cross-reference the top-ranking URLs to see if they are consistent or if local competitors dominate in underperforming regions. Examine the landing page experience for the top local competitors, looking for location-specific content, unique offers, or schema markup that might be absent from your own pages, providing concrete areas for improvement.

A common oversight is failing to account for language variations or colloquialisms within different regions, even within the same country. For example, a search for 'car park' in one UK region might yield different results than 'parking garage' in another, despite referring to the same service. Utilise RankTracker's historical data to observe if a performance gap emerged suddenly or gradually, correlating it with any site updates, GMB changes, or local market events. The aim is to move beyond simply seeing a difference to understanding the root cause, enabling an evidence-based corrective strategy.

To diagnose geographic discrepancies effectively:

- Filter by keyword and compare SERP Features across different locations.

- Analyse the top-ranking URLs for consistency and local competitor presence.

- Review landing page content and schema of competing local sites.

- Consider local linguistic variations and search intent nuances.

Do it now

Immediately navigate to a project within RankTracker that has both desktop and mobile tracking configured for at least two distinct geographic locations. Identify a core keyword relevant to your business and use the comparison view to juxtapose its ranking performance across all four combinations (desktop/location A, mobile/location A, desktop/location B, mobile/location B). This direct visualisation will quickly highlight any significant performance gaps or consistencies, providing an instant, actionable insight into where your SEO efforts might need geographic or device-specific refinement.

• Select an existing RankTracker project with multi-location tracking.
• Choose a high-priority, commercially valuable keyword.
• Apply filters to view rankings across all configured devices and locations simultaneously.
• Note any significant rank differences that emerge immediately.

Key takeaways

• ✓Track both desktop and mobile for commercial keywords
• ✓Add a location per branch for multi-location businesses
• ✓Match tracking granularity to how local the intent is
• ✓Use the location comparison view to spot underperforming branches

Do it now

Move from raw positions to decisions you can defend. Track the keywords from this lesson.