09/29/2026
Mobile and desktop rank the local pack almost identically.
We tested it across 40 keywords, 25 US metros and 703 measured locations, because the advice to track mobile separately gets repeated constantly and rarely gets checked.
The result: 99.85% concordance. The two device types returned the same businesses in the same order, not merely similar in aggregate.
Why it is worth knowing:
Device is not where your ranking differences come from. If mobile and desktop look different in your tool, check location settings and personalisation before blaming the device.
It simplifies reporting. One less dimension to split, one less thing to explain in a meeting.
It frees attention for the variables that genuinely move results, starting with proximity.