Rank check and the rank grid
Chapter 9 of 25See where a business ranks for a keyword, then scan the whole area around it with a grid from 3x3 to 13x13, a heat map and a clear next step.
Check one keyword
Open the Rank check tab of the Business Profile Audit. It starts with a keyword idea built from the business category and city. Click another idea or type your own keyword and press Check.
You see the position of the business, how many places were checked, the top result and the top 3.
This first check uses your own location. Results follow the location of whoever searches, so a customer in another area may see a different order. That is exactly what the grid is for.
Choose grid size and radius
Under "Rank across the area" pick a grid and a radius. The scan checks the same keyword from every point of the grid, as if someone were searching from that spot.
The line above the buttons always shows the number of points and the time for the size you picked:
3×3: 9 points, about 25 seconds.
5×5: 25 points, about 1 minute. This is the starting size.
7×7: 37 points, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
9×9: 61 points, about 2 minutes 30 seconds.
11×11: 89 points, about 3 minutes 45 seconds.
13×13: 121 points, about 5 minutes.
3×3 and 5×5 are square. From 7×7 up the grid is round: the corners are not scanned, because they are the farthest from the business and cost the most time. That is why 13×13 is 121 points and not 169.
The radius is the distance from the business to the edge of the grid: 1, 2, 5 or 10 miles, or 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 or 15 km. Both units are in the list, and it starts on the one that fits the business country. Use a radius that matches how far customers really travel. The same grid size over a smaller radius gives closer points.
Run the scan
Press Run scan. A bar shows the points checked and the time left, and the numbers appear on the map one by one. Keep the audit tab open while it runs.
The nearest points are checked first, so even a short scan covers the area around the business.
Bigger grids can make Google limit requests. Press Stop whenever you like.
Read the heat map
Every pin is one point of the grid and the number is the position of the business there. The soft glow behind the pins blends the colours, so strong and weak zones stand out at a glance.
Green is position 1 to 3. Yellow to orange is 4 to 10, and it gets warmer the lower the position. Red is 11 to 20. Slate with "20+" means the business was not in the top 20 at that spot.
The blue ring is the business itself and the dashed circle is the radius. A "-" means Google showed no places at that spot, for example on a lake, so it stays out of the numbers. A small grey dot was not checked.
Click a pin to see its position and the top result at that spot. That tells you who you are losing to in each area. If the map cannot load, the same results appear as a plain grid of coloured squares.
The Grid details panel
The panel next to the map records what was scanned: scan date, business, keyword, center point, grid size, points, the distance between points, radius and the area covered.
Average rank is the average position over all checked spots, and lower is better. Spots outside the top 20 pull it down, and the small note under the number says how many there were.
Top 3 shows how many spots put the business in the top 3, out of the spots checked, with the percentage. This is the number to watch, because the top 3 is what most people see first in Google results.
Top 10, Best spot and Next best move
Top 10 is the share of checked spots where the business is in the top 10. Best spot is its highest position in the scan and where that was, for example "West of the business".
Next best move is one plain sentence on what to do. It compares the north, east, south and west sides of the grid and names the weakest, or tells you when all sides are even or when the keyword may not match the business.
Compare with the earlier scan
Your scans are saved in your browser, up to the last five for each setup. Run the same keyword with the same grid size and radius later, and the result is compared with the scan before it.
You see how many spots improved, dropped or stayed the same, and the average rank then and now. A good habit is to scan before a change and again a few weeks after it. Only spots checked in both scans are compared.
With no earlier scan of that setup, the tab says so and there is nothing to compare yet.
A stop or a limit keeps what was found
A scan that ends early is not lost. If you press Stop, or Google limits requests, or Google shows no places for several points in a row, everything found so far is kept, counted and saved.
A line says how many points were checked, and all the numbers use only those. Points that were not checked show as small grey dots and never count as bad positions.
If Google limits a scan, wait a while, or try a smaller grid.
Rank in named areas
A grid checks evenly spaced points. Named areas check the places you actually care about, such as a neighbourhood, a suburb or a main road. You can save up to 8 for each business.
Type a name, press Add, then press Check areas. Each name is looked up on Google Maps near the business, so the point is approximate. An area that cannot be found near the business says so.
Each area shows its position in a small label and on the map. Hover over the label or click the pin to see the top result there. Areas are saved in your browser, and they use whichever keyword is checked at the time.
Competitor comparison
The table lists the top 10 businesses for the keyword: position, name, primary category, number of categories, rating, reviews, website, whether the profile is claimed, DR, DA and estimated traffic. The business you are auditing is in bold, and it is added at the bottom if it is outside the top 10.
Reviews shows n/a when Google did not share the count. Look for what the businesses above you have in common: more categories, a stronger website or a better rating.
Against the top 3
Under the table, the business is compared with the top 3 on reviews, rating, categories, having a website and website authority. Each line says whether you are behind and what to do about it.
Why results are estimates
Google changes local results by the location of the searcher, and also over time, so two people can see different orders on the same day. A grid shows a good picture of the area, but every position is an estimate, not a fixed rank.
Compare scans with the same keyword, grid size and radius, and look at the overall pattern more than at one single pin.
"Near me" searches are checked as the plain keyword from each point, because the point itself is the searcher. So "coffee shop near me" and "coffee shop" share one scan history.
The Copy report, CSV and Print buttons include the grid, its summary and every point, along with the named areas.