As you create website content for searchers in different locations, you’ll want to know how well your content is ranking in these locations – and how you can find out. Clearly, you can’t just run a basic Google search as you’d normally do. You’d just get the search results intended for your location!

Instead, you’ll need to conduct your searches in a way that helps you get location-specific search results. Here, we’ll share 7 methods of doing so, and their pros and cons so you can decide which one to use for your global search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Why Might You Want to Look At Google Search Results for Different Countries or Locations?

Looking at the Google search results for different countries or locations is a vital activity if you’re trying to increase your website’s visibility to searchers from different locations. That’s because Google takes into account the searcher’s location when deciding which search results to display.

A person who conducts a search for a keyword in Italy may get a very different set of search results compared to a person who conducts a search using the same keyword in Thailand. The same may also be true for two people conducting searches from two different cities within the same country!

So while your local search results can tell you your rankings for searches conducted from your location, it’s of limited help in indicating your rankings for searches conducted from elsewhere.

As a result, you’d need to find a way of looking at Google search results for locations different from yours. It’s only from knowing your rankings in these locations that you know which ones need work. You can then also take action to try and bump your rankings up.

Why Do Google Search Results Depend on Location?

Before we dive into the different methods for checking Google search results for various countries or locations, it's important to understand why search results differ based on location in the first place. Google's primary goal is to provide the most relevant and useful results to its users, and one way to achieve that is by factoring in the geographical location of the searcher.

Imagine you're searching for a local business, say a coffee shop. If you're in New York, you won't find a coffee shop in London to be particularly relevant to your needs. Similarly, news, legal information, and even certain products and services can vary by location, making it crucial for Google to consider this aspect in its algorithms.

Additionally, Google also complies with regional laws and regulations, which means some content might not be available in certain countries. This is another reason why search results can be heavily influenced by the location from which the search originates.

In summary, Google considers location to:

• Increase the relevance of search results based on the searcher’s specific needs.
• Comply with local laws and regulations.
• Provide localized content, including news, products, and services, which might be more relevant to the user.

Understanding this will give you a better sense of why it's so crucial to check how your website ranks in different parts of the world, especially if you aim to drive more traffic with a global audience as part of your global expansion strategy.

Top 7 Methods for Seeing Google Search Results for Other Locations

Now, we’ll share the 7 best methods for seeing Google search results for other locations, and step-by-step instructions for carrying them out. We’ll also cover each method’s pros and cons so you can pick the best method for your needs.

When using these methods, however, be aware that Google has a lot of data that can help it identify your city, region, and country even as you try to get it to display search results for another location. Its algorithms may hence still localize your search results in some way.

For more accurate country-specific search results, you can try:

• deleting your browsing and search history, and
• removing your geolocation data from Google (such as deleting the locations you’ve saved for the “Home” and “Work” locations in Google Maps).

No promises that taking these steps will dramatically improve the accuracy of your Google results, though. That's because Google's algorithms use a multitude of factors to deliver personalized search results. Even after deleting search history or geolocation data, other elements like IP address, current location data from your device, and even search behavior could still influence the results.

1. Localizing Your Keyphrase

This is a quick and crude method for seeing the top search results for a location. To carry it out, run a search query for “keyphrase + [target country].”

For example, if you’re looking for the search results for the best coffee in Madrid, you’d Google “best coffee + Madrid.”

For a more accurate representation of local search results, you can append ‘&near=[cityname]’ to the end of the Google search URL after you've performed a search.

For example, after searching for "best coffee," your search URL might look something like https://www.google.com/search?q=best+coffee. You can then modify this to https://www.google.com/search?q=best+coffee&near=madrid to focus on results relevant to Madrid.

Pros of This Method

• Checking the search results for other locations using this method is as free as it can get as you’re simply conducting a Google search.
• This method is super easy and quick to do.
• The use of the ‘&near’ parameter allows for more localized search results.
• It’s also feasible if you’re tracking your rankings for only a handful of keywords and/or locations.

Cons of This Method

• You’ll have to conduct your Google searches manually and change the location keyword in your search each time.
• Because this method is manual in nature, it isn’t the most scalable. You may find it a hassle if you have many keywords and locations to check.
• If you’re tracking your rankings over time, you may need to click through multiple search engine results pages, or SERPs, until you find your web page (assuming you’re even ranking for your target keyword). You’ll then also have to manually log your rankings in a spreadsheet. Doing all this can get tedious.
• You may not get the most accurate results as Google still has a sense of where you’re located.

2. Conduct a Google Advanced Search

By running an Advanced Search in Google, you can narrow the search results to only those from websites published in a certain region. Here’s how to conduct a Google Advanced Search:

1. Run a normal Google search. Here, we’ll search for “best phone plans.”
2. Click the gear icon at the top right of the search results page, followed by the “Advanced Search” option.
3. You’ll be brought to the Advanced Search settings. Change the “Region” search parameter from “Any region” to the region for which you want to see search results. For example, if you want to see the search results for the best phone plans in Australia, set the region to Australia.
4. Click the “Advanced Search” button to start the Advanced Search.

Pros of This Method

• Checking the search results for other locations using this method is free, as you’re simply conducting an (advanced) Google search.
• This method takes a little bit more work compared to running a simple Google search, but it’s still quite straightforward to carry out.
• Using this method is also feasible if you’re tracking your rankings for only a few keywords and/or locations.

Cons of This Method

• You’ll have to carry out your Advanced Google Searches manually and change the region parameter of your advanced search each time.
• You can get only the search results for certain regions – you can’t scope your search to get the search results for certain cities or countries, for example.
• This method isn’t the most scalable as you have to conduct it manually. You may find it a hassle to do if you have many keywords and locations to check.
• If you’re tracking your rankings over time, you may need to click through multiple search results pages until you find your web page (assuming it’s even ranking for your target keyword). You’ll then also have to manually log your rankings in a spreadsheet. Again, doing so can get rather tedious.
• Your results may not be the most accurate as Google still has a sense of where you’re located.

3. Using a VPN to Conduct Your Search

A virtual private network (VPN) is a network setup that encrypts your data as you access the Internet. As such data includes your IP address, the VPN prevents the websites you visit from learning your current location. You can also use the VPN to spoof your location and appear as if you’re visiting a website from a different country.

You can therefore use this method to conduct Google searches as if you are a searcher from another location. The steps are:

1. Install a VPN service. Popular options include NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark.
2. Set your target country in the VPN service. For example, if you want to check the search results in India, then switch the country setting to India.
3. Conduct a Google search as per usual. For the best results, you may want to localize your keyword (see method 1 above).

Pros of This Method

• This method is relatively easy and quick to do – once you’ve activated your VPN, you can conduct multiple Google searches in one go.
• It’s also feasible to carry out if you’re tracking your rankings for only a few keywords and/or locations.
• VPN services typically aren’t free. But if you pick an affordable VPN, you can have a cost-effective option for checking the Google search results for other locations.

Cons of This Method

• You’ll still need to run your searches manually, including changing your location in the VPN beforehand.
• The manual nature of this method means it isn’t scalable.
• If you’re tracking your rankings over time, you’ll still have to click through multiple search results pages until you find your web page. You’ll also still need to manually record your rankings.

4. Using the Google Ads Preview Tool

The Google Ads Preview Tool allows you to see what your ad would look like in Google search results without affecting your ad statistics. You can also use it to preview the organic search results for any given query from different locations, giving you an insight into local search rankings.

How to Use the Google Ads Preview Tool:

• Sign in to your Google Ads account. If you don’t have one, you'll need to create it.
• Navigate to the Tools & Settings menu and click on "Ad Preview and Diagnosis" under "Planning."
• In the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool, select the target country and/or city, language, and device where you want to preview search results.
• Enter your target keyword into the search bar.
• Click the "Preview" button.

Now, you'll see what the search results look like for that query in your chosen location. Note that these results will not be influenced by your personal browsing history or settings, providing a clean snapshot of local SERPs.

Pros of This Method

• Provides a more accurate representation of local search results as it's not influenced by your browsing history.
• Allows for detailed location targeting, down to the city level.
• Free to use if you have a Google Ads account.
• Can be used to check both organic and paid search results.

Cons of This Method

• Requires a Google Ads account.
• The interface is more complex compared to a simple Google search.
• As you're not running an actual search, the results may not be 100% accurate.
• While easier than manual Google searches, it's still not as automated or scalable as using specialized SEO tools with rank tracking.

5. Entering Latitude and Longitude Using Google Chrome's Developer Tools

Google Chrome's Developer Tools have a feature that allows you to simulate your geographical location, right down to specific latitude and longitude coordinates. This offers an incredibly detailed way to see what local SERPs look like in a very specific area.

How to Use This Method:

• Open Google Chrome and go to the Google search page.
• Press F12 to open Developer Tools.
• Click on the three-dot menu icon in the Developer Tools panel and select More tools -> Sensors.
• In the "Geolocation" dropdown, select "Other..." and enter your desired latitude and longitude.
• Refresh the page or perform your Google search to see localized results.

Note: This will only change your location for the current tab and only while Developer Tools is open.

Pros of This Method

• Extremely precise location targeting, allowing for highly localized search result viewing.
• No need for a Google Ads account or specialized software.
• It's free and comes built into Chrome, so no additional setup is needed.

Cons of This Method

• Requires some technical know-how, making it less user-friendly for beginners.
• Because this method involves manual changes, it isn’t the most scalable for checking multiple locations or keywords.
• Needs to be set up again if you close the Developer Tools or the browser.

6. Conducting Your Search Using Third-Party Tools

Third-party tools such as Valentin.app help you fetch local search results at the country level. To use them, you’d:

1. Launch the tool and set up your search. For example, provide your target keyword and target location.
2. Click the “Search” button or similar to start the search.

Pros of This Method

• It’s a relatively quick and easy method of checking the search results for other locations.
• Some of these third-party tools are free to use.

Cons of This Method

• Different third-party tools may produce different results. You may need to experiment with a few tools until you find one that works best for you. (To double-check their accuracy, try using them to conduct Google searches with the location set to your own. After that, compare their results against the normal Google search results for your location.)
• You’ll still have to conduct your searches manually.
• This method also isn’t scalable as you’re manually conducting your searches one by one.

7. Using SEO Tools With Location-Specific Rank Trackers

For more reliable results, try SEO tools with dedicated location rank-tracking functionality. They not only get you the local search results for various keywords but can also help you track your positions for these keywords over time.

Here’s how to use them:

1. In the SEO tool, provide the keyword you want to track and for which location.
2. Save the tracking setup.
3. You’re done! The SEO tool will start tracking your keyword rankings for you from now on.
4. Repeat these steps for all the keywords and locations you want to monitor.

Popular SEO tools for this purpose include GeoRanker, BrightLocal, and Sitechecker.

Pros of This Method

• Monitoring your website’s rankings for multiple locations is a piece of cake.
• This method helps you automate and scale your keyword tracking with ease once you’ve set your trackers up.
• Apart from showing you how you currently rank for your target keywords, most of these SEO tools also tell you if you’ve gained or lost rankings.

Cons of This Method

• Unlike some of the methods covered here, this method isn’t free. Neither may it be cheap. For example, BrightLocal costs $29/mo and up, while GeoRanker costs at least $99/mo.
• Some tools may have a learning curve as you figure out how to use them.
• Not every tool covers every location, so try to check if a tool can get you the search results for your target locations before investing in it.

Which Method Should You Use?

If you’re checking the Google search results for a few keywords and locations only periodically, and don’t mind doing so manually, methods 1 to 6 may be suitable for you. But if you have a long keyword list, value reliable results, and have a budget to spend on this endeavor, using an automated rank tracking solution – as discussed in method 7 – may be best.

Tracking your location-specific rankings is just one task to carry out as you work on boosting your global search visibility. Apart from that, we also recommend translating your web content to match the native languages of searchers from different locations. That’s because when you make your website multilingual, Google may view your content as more relevant for such searchers – and hence deserving of higher rankings!

Weglot’s website translation solution is well-suited for translating large volumes of text at scale. Using a proprietary mix of machine learning translations, it can detect and instantly translate content with a high degree of accuracy. 

Weglot also has more tools, such as automatic hreflang implementation and media translation, to further prime your website for higher global rankings. 

Create an account here to try Weglot on your website for free.