Want to see how your website ranks on Google in different cities or countries? Learn six easy ways to see Google search results for other locations — including manual methods and automated local rank tracking.
Why Search Results Vary by Location
Google tailors its results based on your IP address, device, search history, and regional domain (e.g., google.com vs. google.co.uk). This can make it difficult for SEO professionals and marketers to see localized search engine results pages (SERPs) or local keyword rankings.
So, how do you see search results as they appear in other locations?
There are six ways to simulate a Google search from a different country, city, or even zip code. These range from simple manual tweaks to fully automated rank tracking tools. If you want the easiest way to get real-time results by location, try Keyword.com’s free SERP rank checker.
6 Ways to Simulate Google Search from Another Location
Let’s explore the ways you can see Google search results for other locations, whether for yourself or your SEO agency clients.
1. Change Google Chrome Region Settings
Google provides a personalized search experience based on your IP address. In other words, the search results are country-specific. So, if you live in the UK but want to check the SERPs from a different country, you need to configure the region of your Google Chrome settings. Here’s how you change it.
Go to google.com. At the bottom-right corner, click on “Settings” and select “Search Settings”.
Next, scroll down the page until you reach the “Region Settings” section. Choose the region where you want to see the SERPs of your target keywords.
Save the settings. Now, you can see location-specific organic search results from the chosen location.
| Note: this only affects organic results, not Google Ads or the local map pack, which are still based on your IP. |
2. Use a VPN to Change Your IP Location
Another option to avoid manually tweaking your Google search settings is to use a VPN provider like Windscribe. A VPN will mask your current IP address with another IP address from a different location.
To do this, you need to change the IP location on your favorite VPN provider based on the city/country you want to obtain the search results. For instance, if you want to see how your content performs in Google SERPs Canada, choose “Canada” as your IP location. This method works well to see local search results, but the downside is that you have to conduct a search per keyword. It ends up taking a lot of time.
3. Use the Google Ads Preview Tool to See Search Results for Other Locations
As the name suggests, the Google Ad Preview Tool allows you to see a preview of a Google ad for a specific keyword.
This helps you to identify which ads are displayed for specific keywords. You can also refine your search based on additional criteria, such as locations, languages, and devices.
To access Google Ad Preview Tool, go to your Google Ads account. Click on the “Tools” icon (top right corner) and click “Ad Preview and Diagnosis”. Type in the keywords, add other criteria as needed, and let Google fetch the ads.
Keep in mind that the search results will only show you the first result page. You’ll have to flip through the pages manually to see other pages.
4. Use Chrome DevTools to Simulate GPS Coordinates
Another method to change the location of the Google search is by entering the latitude and longitude of the location where you want to view the SERPs. There are two ways you can do this.
The first is by accessing Developer Tools from your Chrome browser. To do this, press CTRL + SHIFT + I simultaneously on your keyboard and click on the three-dot icon.
Next, choose “More Tools” > “Sensors” from the drop-down menu.
You can override your current location by choosing one of the countries listed.
Another great way to use this Developer Tool is by entering the coordinates of a specific address. Doing so allows you to find the pages appearing on local searches on a more granular level.
To achieve this, you must first know the location’s latitude and longitude. You can get this information by going to Google Maps and typing the address on the search bar.
Next, locate the street on the map and right-click on it. You will see the coordinates as the first option.
To copy the latitude and longitude, simply click on them.
Next, go back to the “Sensors” window and enter the details here. Save the settings, and now you can search from that specific location on Google.
5. Add “&near=cityname” to the URL
If you want to see Google map pack results for a specific city, you can add “&near=[cityname]” at the end of a Google search result’s URL. Here’s how you do it.
First, go to google.com and perform your search. For example, you want to do marketing research for a coffee shop in New York. You want to see who the competitors are.
On the search result page, add “&near=[cityname]” at the end of the URL string, and replace “cityname” with the city you want to search for. In our example, this will be “&near=New York”.
The map pack will now show you the results of coffee shops in New York and some websites listing the city’s best coffee shops.
This method lets you see where you and your competitors rank on localized search results. Update: It’s important to note that this method does not always work and Google will not give you local results as what a person in that location will see it.
| Note: This method may no longer work reliably. Google has deprecated consistent support for “&near=” parameters, and results often still reflect your IP address. |
6. Use a Local Rank Tracker (Best Option)
Keyword.com’s local rank tracker makes it easy to view accurate search results for different countries, cities, and specific zip codes. These will give more accurate localized search results than the other methods.
All you have to do is specify the target keywords and set up the parameters (location, device, and language). In return, Keyword.com will give you a daily summary of your keywords’ performance.
This means you don’t need to manually enter the targeted keywords one by one, flip through the search results pages, save the results, and do the same process for the next keyword. Instead, we’ll do the heavy lifting of scouring through the SERPs and deliver the results to you. You don’t need to use a VPN or change your Chrome location settings.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to tracking local keywords with Keyword.com.
Step 1: Sign up for a free keyword.com account.
Step 2: Enter your keyword, choose the specific Google region you want to track it in and enter the specific zip code or city.
Step 3: After selecting all the parameters, Keyword.com will fetch the data in a few minutes, informing you where your site ranks on the SERPs for your chosen keywords.
By looking at the SERPs’ history, you can also compare the current keyword’s rank to its past performance. This way, you know whether the changes you’ve made are increasing your SEO success or working oppositely.
Summary: Which Method Should You Use to See Google Search Results for Other Locations?
| Method | Local Accuracy | Manual Effort | Best For |
| Chrome Region Settings | Low | Low | Casual checks |
| &near= Parameter | Medium | Medium | Local map pack previews |
| VPN | High | Medium | Accurate organic results |
| Google Ad Preview Tool | Medium | Medium | Paid & organic insights |
| DevTools with GPS | Very High | High | Hyper-local SEO audits |
| Keyword.com | Very High | None | Daily keyword tracking |
Automate Local SEO Tracking With Keyword.com
Simulating a Google Search allows you to see how your content is ranked from different locations on different devices. Although there are many ways to see Google search results by location, most methods require a manual and repetitive setup. This will consume most of your time, especially when you regularly do multiple searches.
That’s where Keyword.com’s local SEO tracking tool comes in. It will help you automate local keyword tracking and update SERP changes in real time. That way, you’re always on top of your SEO performance and can leverage keyword opportunities and threats early.
Want 100% accurate local rankings without VPNs or Chrome tweaks? Start tracking unlimited keywords with Keyword.com — free for 14 days.