What SoLV measures
Share of local voice (SoLV) is the percentage of grid points in a geo-grid rank scan where a business ranks in the top 3 results. A 7×7 grid has 49 points. If the target business ranks in the top 3 at 35 of those points, its SoLV is 71% (35/49). SoLV is the single most useful summary metric from a geo-grid scan because it converts the heatmap — which can be hard to compare across locations or time periods — into a single, trend-able number.
Why top 3 and not top 10
The local pack shows three results by default. Appearing in the local pack (top 3) is the threshold for meaningful visibility — businesses ranked 4–10 appear only when the user clicks 'View all'. CTR data consistently shows that positions 1–3 capture 70–85% of local pack clicks. Positions 4+ capture the remainder. SoLV at top-3 threshold reflects where the business has local pack visibility, not just where it technically appears in extended results.
How to improve SoLV
SoLV improves when local ranking factors improve. The highest-ROI SoLV improvements typically come from: primary category correction (if wrong), review velocity increase (more reviews per week), GBP completeness improvements (attributes, services, description), and post cadence improvement. The geo-grid heatmap shows which direction the rank is weakest — this often reveals competitive patterns worth investigating (a competitor with a second location close by, or a cluster of strong competitors in a particular neighborhood).
Portfolio SoLV: the executive view
For multi-location brands, portfolio SoLV — the average SoLV across all locations, weighted by market size or revenue potential — is the executive-level metric. It answers: 'What percentage of our total addressable geographic visibility are we capturing?' A portfolio at 62% SoLV has room to grow. A portfolio at 88% SoLV is close to its ceiling given current competitive dynamics. Portfolio SoLV trend over time is the most defensible way to demonstrate the ROI of local SEO investment to a CFO.