First check what the visitor wanted

The original article began with a useful observation: people were reaching an existing page with a question it did not answer. The response was to address the missing information rather than celebrate the extra traffic.

Use that same discipline when reviewing search performance. Check the query and the page together. A visit is not useful merely because it came from search.

Run a controlled city spot check

Google uses device location, IP address and previous activity when localising results. For a city-level observation, use a device physically in that city rather than treating a VPN as proof. Google explains how Search uses location. Guidance checked 15 September 2026.

  1. On a device physically in the target city, open a private browser window, stay signed out and allow google.com to use the device location.
  2. Run the exact query on the target device type. At the bottom of the results, confirm that the location says “From your device”; if Google reports an internet-address or past-activity location, do not record it as a controlled city check.
  3. Record the query, city, device and time, capture the result, and repeat the same procedure when comparing it later.

This controls the main observation, but it does not reproduce every customer’s account, language or history. A colleague in another city may see something different without either result being wrong.

Use more than one signal

Compare the spot check with Search Console’s Performance report, which reports aggregated performance by query and page with available country and device dimensions. It is not a reproducible live result for a chosen city. A single result does not establish consistent visibility, demand or a business opportunity.

See our Search Console research guide and SEO services.