Proximity gives you a wedge, not the Valley
Local map results weight the distance between business and searcher heavily. From one address in Tempe you will appear in the middle of the Valley and struggle at either end of it.
The workable strategies are dominating the wedge you have, adding legitimate locations if the business genuinely supports them, and winning organic results for city searches where proximity matters less.
Search volume moves with the thermometer
Many Valley categories see search volume multiply between the trough and the peak. A ranking that looks steady can sit on top of traffic that has quadrupled or collapsed.
Rank position alone is close to meaningless here without the volume alongside it, which is why the report has to show both plus the revenue that resulted.



