Rank Above Replacement: the WAR of local search
Rank Above Replacement (RAR) measures how much better a business ranks on a local map grid than an average business would from the same distance. LEVERAGEAI built it in Grants Pass, Oregon because Share of Local Voice, the metric most agencies report, behaves like batting average: easy to count, blind to context, and easy to fool.
Why is Share of Local Voice the batting average of local SEO?
Share of Local Voice is a raw rate with no context. It counts how often a business appears in the map pack across a grid, but it cannot tell a hard-won appearance from a free one, or a weak business from a well-run one in an awkward location.
| What it ignores | Why that distorts the number |
|---|---|
| Distance | Almost any business ranks near its own front door. A business outside town looks weak even when it outperforms. |
| Market density | A top-three spot against six competitors in Grants Pass and one against forty in Eugene are different achievements. |
| Spend | Paid placements raise appearances without raising organic standing. Stop paying and the number drops. |
| A baseline | It never answers "compared to what?", so it can't show whether the work did anything. |
| Value | An appearance for a $55 yard of mulch counts the same as one for a $300 tote of premium soil. |
How does the baseball comparison work?
WAR measures a player against a freely available replacement-level player at the same position. RAR measures a business against an average business at the same distance. Both count only what you add above an ordinary baseline.
From batting average to WAR, in four steps
- 1
Batting average
Hits divided by at-bats. Easy to count, blind to the ballpark, the position and the era.
- 2
Park and position
A shortstop in a pitcher's park is judged against what that spot normally produces.
- 3
Replacement level
The production of a freely available player. WAR counts only what a player adds above that floor.
- 4
Dollars per win
Front offices price a win, so WAR becomes a salary argument.
What does each LEVERAGEAI metric answer?
LEVERAGEAI reports four replacement-level metrics. Each one asks a different question, and none of them can be raised by spending more on ads or by moving closer to the searcher.
| Metric | The question it answers | Definition | Measured on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Above Replacement (RAR) | Do you outrank an ordinary competitor from the same distance? | How much better a business ranks on a local map grid than an average business, one that typically lands around 10th, would rank from the same distance. | Google Maps geo-grid |
| Value Above Replacement (VAR) | What would that visibility cost to buy as ads? | A business's map advantage priced in dollars, using the keyword's cost per click and the clicks expected at each ranking. | Google Maps geo-grid |
| Alpha Above Average (AAA) | What is it worth in customers, beyond an average business? | What a business's rankings are worth in customers, beyond the expected value of an average rank-10 position at an average conversion rate. | Google Maps geo-grid |
| Mention Above Replacement (MAR) | Do AI models name you more than an ordinary competitor? | How often AI models name a business when asked local questions, compared with an average business in its competitive set. | Answers from four AI models |
LEVERAGEAI publishes the definitions; the calculations run on its own servers. Mention Above Replacement has its own page: Mention Above Replacement.
What does RAR show that Share of Local Voice hides?
RAR shows where a business beats an ordinary competitor and where it falls behind. Daley Organics looks almost invisible by Share of Local Voice and clearly above replacement by RAR, because its shop is 7.8 miles from downtown Grants Pass.
LEVERAGEAI ran 11 soil and compost searches, such as "Best place to buy organic soil in Grants Pass", from each of 49 points centered on downtown, and recorded the top 20 businesses for every one: 539 result lists and 86 businesses. Switch the grid between the two metrics and hover any point.
Daley Organics on the Grants Pass soil grid
Measured data- Share of Local Voice
- 4.8%
- Rank Above Replacement
- +6.6
- Shows up in
- 84% of searches
- Distance from downtown
- 7.8 mi
Share of Local Voice says Daley Organics barely registers: it ranks in the top three at only 4 of 49 search points. Switch to Rank Above Replacement to compare it with an average business at the same distance.
Against an average business at the same distance, Daley Organics is above replacement overall (+6.6) and dominates its own side of the market: +24.7 at 8 miles, where its shop sits. Downtown it runs slightly below replacement.
Raw average rank (11.6) looks mediocre everywhere. It can't tell a shop 7.8 miles out of town from one downtown, which is the job replacement level does.
Measured 2026-10-03 with RAR Grid Lab: 11 searches from 49 points, 539 results, 86 businesses. Competitors are not named.
Ring by ring as a table
| Ring | Average rank | Average business at this distance | Rank Above Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 13.4 | 12.0 | −0.9 |
| 0.25 mi | 13.1 | 12.0 | −0.5 |
| 0.5 mi | 12.9 | 11.8 | −0.7 |
| 1 mi | 12.7 | 12.1 | +0.5 |
| 2 mi | 12.8 | 12.8 | +1.6 |
| 4 mi | 10.9 | 12.5 | +8.6 |
| 8 mi | 8.8 | 12.5 | +24.7 |
How much is a map position worth in dollars?
Two numbers answer it. Value Above Replacement prices the extra clicks a business earns over an average competitor at what those clicks would cost as ads. Alpha Above Average counts what its rankings bring in as customers, beyond an average rank-10 business.
The ranks below are Daley Organics' measured grid, priced with Daley's own conversion rate and customer value. Search volume and cost per click are still example figures: enter numbers from a business you know and watch where the value sits. In this grid it concentrates 4 to 8 miles out, on the side of the valley the shop serves.
What Daley Organics' map position is worth
Model with illustrative inputsRanks are Daley Organics' measured grid. The conversion rate and customer value are Daley's own figures; the market rate is an estimate*; monthly searches and cost per click are still example figures until the search data lands. Change any of them to match a business you know. The calculation runs on LEVERAGEAI's servers.
Value Above Replacement
+$10
a month, priced at what those clicks would cost in ads
Alpha Above Average
−$19
a month in customers, beyond an average rank-10 business
Values as a table
| Ring | Value Above Replacement | Alpha Above Average |
|---|---|---|
| Center | $0 | −$5 |
| 0.25 mi | −$2 | −$42 |
| 0.5 mi | −$2 | −$41 |
| 1 mi | −$1 | −$36 |
| 2 mi | $0 | −$27 |
| 4 mi | +$4 | +$19 |
| 8 mi | +$12 | +$113 |
Total alpha $619 a month, against $638 expected for an average rank-10 business at the market conversion rate.
* Estimated. Alpha Above Average does not turn on conversion rate alone. At the same 5% rate, a rank-1 listing that earns 200 clicks wins 10 customers and a rank-10 listing that earns 20 wins 1. The gap comes from where a business ranks, so the market rate is set equal to the business's own until a market figure is measured.
Where is visibility decaying, and what would move it?
A decay curve plots average rank from the center of the market outward against an average business at the same distance. Where the two lines cross tells you which side of the market is yours and which side you are losing.
The levers LEVERAGEAI models in RAR Grid Lab are review velocity (a steady stream of new reviews; Daley Organics has 10), dual-entity capture (being the named answer in both the map pack and the organic or AI results) and category alignment on the Google Business Profile.
Daley Organics' rank by distance from downtown
Measured dataMove a lever to see how structural work would reshape the curve. The projection is a transparent model, not a measurement.
- Downtown, projected
- 13.4
- At 2 miles, projected
- 12.8
Chart values as a table
| Ring | Daley Organics | Average business | Projected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 13.4 | 12.0 | 13.4 |
| 0.25 mi | 13.1 | 12.0 | 13.1 |
| 0.5 mi | 12.9 | 11.8 | 12.9 |
| 1 mi | 12.7 | 12.1 | 12.7 |
| 2 mi | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.8 |
| 4 mi | 10.9 | 12.5 | 10.9 |
| 8 mi | 8.8 | 12.5 | 8.8 |
Why does replacement level keep rising?
In baseball the replacement level is set by the talent pool. In local search it is set by your competitors, and it moves when they improve.
When competitors in a market publish agent-readable pages, collect reviews from every job and answer inquiries in seconds, the average competitor gets stronger. A business that changes nothing then watches its RAR fall, not because it got worse, but because the baseline rose under it. Measuring against replacement shows that slide while there is still time to act.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rank Above Replacement in local SEO?
Rank Above Replacement (RAR) measures how much better a business ranks on a 49-point local map grid than an average business, one that typically lands around 10th, would rank from the same distance. Positive RAR beats an average business; zero matches it.
What is Value Above Replacement (VAR)?
Value Above Replacement (VAR) prices a business's map advantage in dollars per month. It uses the keyword's cost per click and the clicks expected at each ranking, so it answers what the same visibility would cost to buy as ads.
What is Alpha Above Average (AAA)?
Alpha Above Average (AAA) estimates what a business's rankings are worth in customers each month, beyond the expected value of an average rank-10 position at an average conversion rate. It uses the business's own conversion rate and customer value.
How is the replacement level set?
Replacement level is where an average business would rank if it stood the same distance from each search point. LEVERAGEAI measures it from every business on the same 49-point grid, with rings at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 miles, so location stops counting as performance.
How is RAR different from Share of Local Voice?
Share of Local Voice counts top-three appearances with no baseline, the way batting average counts hits. RAR compares each ranking with what an average business would get from the same distance, the way WAR compares a player with a replacement-level player.
Can Rank Above Replacement be negative?
RAR is negative when an average business at the same distance would outrank the business. Daley Organics in Grants Pass runs slightly negative downtown and strongly positive 4 to 8 miles out, near its shop on Monument Drive.
What improves Rank Above Replacement?
Structural work raises RAR on the outer rings: steady review velocity, being the named answer in both the map pack and organic or AI results, and precise category alignment on the Google Business Profile. LEVERAGEAI models these levers in RAR Grid Lab before recommending them.
See your own grid
Send your business name and the area you serve. LEVERAGEAI will run a 49-point grid on your main searches, measure your Rank Above Replacement against local competitors, and show where your map position is worth the most.
Prefer to talk? Call (541) 450-2082, or visit the office at 744 NW Bellevue Pl, Grants Pass.
Message sent
Mike Schlottig will reply personally, usually within one business day. If it's urgent, call (541) 450-2082.