A geo-grid is a map of your Google Maps ranking. Instead of checking where you rank from one spot, a geo-grid tracker searches for one keyword from many evenly spaced points around your business and records your position at each one. The result is a grid of numbers, usually coloured green to red, that shows where you show up and where you don't.
It exists because the single rank number most people check is close to meaningless for local search. Search "dentist near me" from your front door and you might be first. Search the same thing two kilometres away and you might not be in the top 20. Both are true at the same moment.
This guide covers why that happens, how a geo-grid scan works, how to read one without fooling yourself, which grid size to use, and what to do when the numbers move.
Why one rank number lies
Google is open about how local results are ordered. Its Business Profile help page says local results are mainly based on three things: relevance, distance and prominence (it also calls the last one popularity).
- Relevance is how well your profile matches what someone searched.
- Distance is how far your business is from the person searching. If they don't share a location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.
- Prominence is how well known your business is, which takes in things like reviews and how often you are mentioned across the web.
Distance is the one that breaks a single rank number. Relevance and prominence describe your business, so they are roughly the same wherever the searcher stands. Distance is different for every searcher. Move the searcher and the order of results changes, even if nothing about you or your competitors did.
So "we rank third for coffee shop" is never a complete sentence. Third from where? A geo-grid answers that by asking from dozens of places at once.
How a geo-grid scan works
Every geo-grid tool works on the same idea. In BizLoc8 a scan takes four inputs:
| Input | What it means |
|---|---|
| Keyword | The search you care about, such as "dentist near me" or "wedding banquet hall". Type your own, or pick from the keywords you already track. |
| Grid size | How many points, laid out in a square: 3x3 (9 points), 5x5 (25), 9x9 (81) or 11x11 (121) on the web app. The mobile app offers 3x3, 5x5 and 7x7. |
| Range | How wide the square is, from 2 to 100, in kilometres or miles. A 6 km range covers a 6 by 6 km area. |
| Centre | Your business location by default. You can drag the grid to centre it somewhere else, such as a neighbourhood you want to win. |
The tool then runs the Google Maps search from every point and records the top 20 businesses at each one. Your rank at a point is your position in that list. If you are not in the top 20 there, the point shows "20+". Points that land on water are skipped, since nobody searches from the middle of a lake.
One thing to understand before you trust any tracker: the result is a standardised snapshot, not what a specific person sees on their phone. Google personalises results by search history, exact location and device. A geo-grid removes that noise on purpose, so that two scans a month apart are comparing like with like. If your rank on your own phone doesn't match the grid, that is expected.
How to read a geo-grid
The colours
Each point is coloured by rank. In BizLoc8 the bands are:
| Rank at the point | Colour | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Dark green | You're in the first results people see in the map pack. |
| 4 to 5 | Green | Visible to anyone who scrolls a little. |
| 6 to 10 | Lime | On the first screen of the full Maps list, rarely chosen. |
| 11 to 15 | Orange | Present, but most searchers never get this far. |
| 16 to 19 | Red | Effectively invisible. |
| 20+ | Dark red | Not in the top 20 from this point. |
Average rank
Average rank is the mean of your rank across the grid. It is the headline number, and it is useful for tracking direction over time. It is also easy to misread. Count a miss as 21, and a grid that is first at half the points and 20+ at the other half averages about 11, which looks mediocre and hides the fact that you completely own one side of town.
BizLoc8 shows two versions for each business in the results: the average across every point, counting a miss as 21, and the average only where the business appears in the top 20. When the two are far apart, the business is strong where it shows up but doesn't show up everywhere. That is a reach problem, not a ranking problem.
Share of Local Voice
Share of Local Voice (SoLV) is the share of grid points where you rank in the top 3. "Top 3 at 8 of 25 points" is 32 percent. It answers a more practical question than average rank does: across this area, how often do you appear in the first results someone sees? For most local businesses that is the number that tracks with calls and direction requests.
The competitors
Click any point and you see every business ranked there, with its address, rating and review count, plus its own average rank and Share of Local Voice. You can also show any competitor's full grid on the map. This is the most underused part of a geo-grid. It tells you not just that you lose a neighbourhood, but exactly who wins it, and lets you look at what their profile has that yours doesn't.
Choosing a grid size and range
The right settings depend on how far your customers actually travel to you. Here are reasonable starting points:
| Business | Grid | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Cafe, salon, pharmacy in a dense area | 3x3 or 5x5 | 2 to 4 km |
| Clinic, restaurant, retail store serving a city | 5x5 | 6 to 10 km |
| Service-area business (plumber, movers, home services) | 9x9 or 11x11 | 10 to 30 km |
| Destination business (wedding venue, car dealer) | 5x5 or 9x9 | 20 km or more |
Two rules matter more than the exact choice. First, a range wider than your real catchment area tells you nothing useful, because nobody 40 km away is choosing your cafe. Second, once you pick a keyword, grid and range, keep them. A 5x5 over 6 km and a 9x9 over 10 km are different measurements, and comparing them produces changes that aren't real.
Four patterns and what they usually mean
"My rank went from 3 to 20+ overnight": tracking issue or real drop?
This is the most common panic with any rank tracker, so it's worth a routine:
- Run the same scan again with the same keyword, grid size and range. A one-off bad scan doesn't repeat.
- Compare the two scans point by point. BizLoc8's compare view counts how many points improved, stayed the same and declined, with both maps side by side. A few points moving is normal. Most of the grid moving is not.
- Check a few points by hand. Your result at each point links to the matching Google Maps search, so you can see what the tracker saw.
- If it's real and wide, look at your own profile first. A changed primary category, name, address or phone number, or a suspension, can move a whole grid at once. Then look for a new or newly active competitor.
- If it's real and narrow, a competitor has usually gained ground in that one area. Go back to the competitor grids.
Our free Google Business Profile audit walks through the profile checks in order, and the Google Maps ranking guide covers the common reasons a ranking drops.
Turning a geo-grid into action
A geo-grid is a diagnosis, not a fix. Map what you see back to Google's three factors:
- Relevance is the one you control fastest: the right primary category, accurate secondary categories, services, a clear description, and a website page for each location.
- Prominence builds slowly: a steady flow of genuine reviews, replies to them, and mentions on sites people trust.
- Distance you can't change, and you shouldn't try to fake it. Google's guidelines say a virtual office, a rented address you don't operate from, isn't eligible for a Business Profile. A real new location, with its own profile, is the only honest way to cover more ground.
Then scan again on the same settings and see whether the green area grew. That loop, change one thing, measure, repeat, is what a geo-grid is for.
Tracking over time, and across many locations
One scan is a snapshot. The value comes from the trend, which is why scans should run on a schedule rather than when someone remembers. In BizLoc8 you can schedule a scan to repeat weekly, monthly or twice a month, and apply one schedule to several locations at once. Each run is kept in your history, you can compare any two scans, and both single scans and comparisons export as PDF reports for a client or a regional manager.
For multi-location brands this is where geo-grids earn their keep. Twenty stores with the same keyword and the same settings give you a like-for-like view of which locations own their area and which ones are invisible a kilometre from the door. That usually points to the stores whose profiles need work first.
How BizLoc8 helps
| What you need | What BizLoc8 does |
|---|---|
| See your real coverage | Geo-grid scans from 3x3 to 11x11, over 2 to 100 km or miles, with live results as each point completes. |
| Know who's winning | Average rank and Share of Local Voice for you and every competitor, plus each competitor's full grid. |
| Track without effort | Scheduled scans, weekly, monthly or twice a month, across several locations at once, with history and side-by-side comparison. |
| Report it | PDF reports for a single scan or a comparison of two. |
| Fix what you find | Geo-grid sits inside the same Google Business Profile platform as bulk profile edits, review replies and posts, so the fix happens where you found the problem. |
Geo-grid scans are included in the Google Business Profile plans: 25 scans on Solo and 100 on Business, with published pricing and a 7-day free trial.
See where you actually rank
Run your first geo-grid and find the neighbourhoods where customers can't find you.
Frequently asked questions
What is a geo-grid in local SEO?
A geo-grid is a set of evenly spaced points laid over a map around your business. A geo-grid rank tracker searches Google Maps for one keyword from each point and records where your business ranks there, so you see your ranking across an area instead of one number.
Why is my Google Maps ranking different in different places?
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Distance is how far each business is from the person searching, so the same search from two streets can return a different order of businesses.
What grid size should I use?
Match the grid to the area your customers actually come from. A neighbourhood cafe can start with a 3x3 or 5x5 grid over 2 to 4 km. A clinic or store serving a whole city suits a 5x5 over 6 to 10 km. A service-area business that travels to customers suits a 9x9 or 11x11 over a wider range. Keep the same settings once you pick them, so scans stay comparable.
What is Share of Local Voice?
In BizLoc8, Share of Local Voice is the share of grid points where your business ranks in the top 3. Top 3 at 8 of 25 points is 32 percent. It tells you how much of the area sees you in the first results, which an average rank can hide.
My geo-grid jumped from rank 3 to 20+ overnight. Is it a tracking issue or a real drop?
Run the same scan again with the same keyword, grid size and range, then compare the two scans point by point. Open the Google Maps result at a few affected points to check by hand. If the drop is real and covers most of the grid, look first at recent changes to your profile, such as a new category, address or name, or a suspension, and then at new competitors. If only a few points moved, it is usually normal day-to-day movement.
How often should I run a geo-grid scan?
Monthly is enough for most single locations. Weekly makes sense while you are actively changing things, such as categories or a review push, or in a very competitive market. In BizLoc8 you can schedule scans to repeat weekly, monthly or twice a month.
Sources
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help, for relevance, distance and prominence.
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google, for the rules on addresses and virtual offices.
- BizLoc8 product behaviour (grid sizes, ranges, colour bands, Share of Local Voice, scheduling, comparison, reports) as of 2 November 2026. The grid in the header image is an illustration, not a real business.
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