ARP (Average Rank Position)

ARP is the arithmetic mean of a business’s map pack rank across all grid points in a geogrid scan. It’s the most commonly cited geogrid metric — and the least actionable in isolation.

Definition

ARP = sum of all rank positions ÷ number of grid points.

A 7x7 geogrid (49 points) where your business ranks at various positions across the grid produces an average. If those positions average out to 4.2, your ARP is 4.2.

Lower is better. An ARP of 2.1 means you’re averaging the #2 position across your service area. An ARP of 7.3 means you’re barely appearing in the map pack at most locations.

When a business doesn’t appear in the top 20 at a grid point, most tools assign position 20 as a placeholder. This matters for interpretation.

Why ARP Is Misleading Without Context

ARP has a mathematical problem: it treats invisibility the same as a weak ranking.

Consider two businesses:

  • Business A: Ranks #1 at half the grid points, doesn’t appear at the other half
  • Business B: Ranks #10 consistently at every grid point

Both might have similar ARPs. But Business A has a serious problem (invisible in half its market) while Business B has a different problem (consistently weak across the entire market).

The same ARP number hides completely different situations requiring different solutions.

This is why practitioners use ARP alongside ATRP and SoLV — the three metrics together tell the full story.

Where ARP shines: month-over-month comparison.

If your ARP drops from 5.2 to 4.1 over three months, that’s meaningful progress regardless of the absolute numbers. The trend shows your optimization work is moving rankings in the right direction.

How to use ARP trends:

  • Establish baseline ARP before starting work
  • Track monthly ARP changes
  • Compare ARP trajectory to optimization activities
  • Report ARP improvement as campaign progress indicator

An ARP that trends downward (improving) over time demonstrates that local SEO work is translating to ranking gains.

Benchmarks by Category

What constitutes a “good” ARP depends on your competitive environment.

Highly competitive categories (personal injury law, dentists, HVAC):

  • Top performers: ARP 2.0-3.0
  • Competitive: ARP 3.0-5.0
  • Struggling: ARP 5.0+

Moderately competitive categories (specialty retail, professional services):

  • Top performers: ARP 1.5-2.5
  • Competitive: ARP 2.5-4.0
  • Struggling: ARP 4.0+

Low competition categories (niche services, rural markets):

  • Top performers: ARP 1.0-2.0
  • Achievable for most: ARP 2.0-3.0

These benchmarks are guidelines. The competitive landscape in your specific market determines what’s achievable.

ARP vs. ATRP vs. SoLV

The three geogrid metrics each reveal different information:

ARP (Average Rank Position):

  • What it measures: Overall average position
  • Strength: Simple, intuitive
  • Weakness: Treats invisibility poorly

ATRP (Average True Rank Position):

  • What it measures: Average position with heavier penalty for non-appearances
  • Strength: Better reflects actual visibility challenges
  • Weakness: More complex to explain to clients

SoLV (Share of Local Voice):

  • What it measures: Percentage of grid points where you rank top 3
  • Strength: Directly correlates to lead capture
  • Weakness: Binary (top 3 or not) misses nuance

Use all three together:

  • ARP for overall trending
  • ATRP for identifying dead zone problems
  • SoLV for revenue-connected performance

How LocalSEOSkills Uses ARP

The geogrid-analysis skill interprets ARP alongside other metrics:

"Run a geogrid for 'plumber Phoenix' and interpret the results"

LocalSEOData’s geogrid_scan endpoint returns ARP as part of the standard output. Local Falcon trend reports track ARP over time for campaign monitoring.

Claude interprets the ARP in context:

  • Compares to competitive benchmarks
  • Identifies what ARP gap means strategically
  • Connects ARP changes to optimization work
  • Recommends actions based on ARP combined with ATRP and SoLV
  • ATRP: Average True Rank Position — penalizes non-appearances more heavily
  • SoLV: Share of Local Voice — percentage in top 3
  • Geogrid: The scan methodology that produces ARP
  • LocalSEOData: Tool providing geogrid_scan endpoint
  • Local Falcon: Tool tracking ARP trends over time