Complete Local SEO Guide / Step 6
How to map where you rank on Google (the rank map)
Your local rank is not one number. It changes as you move across a city, so you check it with a grid. The rank map geocodes the business, lays a grid of points across the area, and checks your position at each one for a chosen service, then draws the result on a real map.
- The rank map geocodes the business, lays an N by N grid across the city, and checks your position at each point for a chosen service, drawn on a real map, plus a competitor top-three leaderboard.
- Pick the service and the coverage, set the grid size, and run it from the saved address as the center.
- Green at the center fading to red at the edges is the classic Phase 3 pattern. The amber ring, the fours to sixes, is where to aim next.
- Re-run the map about every 30 days per service and compare month to month to see whether new content moved the needle.
What the rank map is
A single rank position hides the truth about local search, because Google answers differently depending on where the searcher is standing. The rank map solves that. It geocodes the business, lays an N by N grid of points across the city, and checks your position at each point for one chosen service. The result is drawn on a real map, point by point, alongside a leaderboard of the competitors holding the top three across the area. One look tells you where you win, where you fade, and who you are up against.
Create a map
- Pick the service to track and the coverage. Choose one service, then the area you want to see: a neighborhood, a city, a metro, or a region. Track services one at a time so each map reads cleanly.
- Set the grid size. A bigger grid over a wider area gives finer detail. For a large metro, pair wider coverage with a 13 by 13 or 15 by 15 grid so no part of the area goes unchecked.
- Run it. The saved address is the center of the grid, and the map covers a square about twice the radius across. The run checks every point and draws the result.
What a map looks like
A finished map reads at a glance: strong positions cluster where you are strongest and weaken as you move out. The example below shows green at the center fading to red at the edges, the classic Phase 3 pattern of a business that owns its immediate area but loses ground further out.
Green 1 to 3 Amber 4 to 6 Orange 7 to 10 Red 11 and up
The amber ring, the fours to sixes, is the part to read first. Those points are close to the top three and move the fastest, so that ring is where to aim. Build location content around the landmarks that sit in those squares, and the ring turns green. Chasing the deep red edges first wastes effort, because they are the furthest from a win.
Re-run it monthly
Re-run the map about every 30 days per tracked service. Local rankings move slowly, so monthly is the right pace: frequent enough to show real change from the content you published, slow enough to ignore the day-to-day noise. Compare this month to last month and you can see whether new content actually moved the needle, and where to point the next round of work.
Turn it into a monthly report
The map is the heart of a monthly report, but a good report pairs it with the numbers that show what the ranking is earning you.
A good monthly report shows views by source (Maps versus Search, mobile versus desktop), actions (calls, directions, website clicks, bookings), reviews and rating with reply time, and the rank map re-run every 30 days so the trend is visible beside the numbers.
Google answers local searches based on where the searcher is standing, so a business can sit first near its address and tenth a few kilometres away. A single number hides that. A grid checks your position at many points across the area, so you see the whole picture: where you win, where you fade, and exactly which areas to work on next.
How often should I re-run the rank map?About every 30 days per tracked service. Local rankings move slowly, so monthly is frequent enough to show the effect of new content and slow enough to ignore day-to-day movement. Comparing this month to last month is what tells you whether the work moved the needle.
Which points matter most?The amber ring, the fours to sixes, matters most. Those points are just outside the top three and move the fastest. Build location content around the landmarks that fall in those squares and the ring turns green. The deep red edges are the furthest from a win, so you leave them for later.
Where do I rank on Google?You do not rank in one place. Your local rank changes across a city, so you check it with a grid-based rank map that shows your position at each point for a chosen service, drawn on a real map. Run it from your saved address, read the green-to-amber-to-red pattern, and re-run it about every 30 days.
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