Choosing grid size and radius for a Maps scan

A grid scan has two settings: how many check points (grid size) and how far they spread (radius). Getting them right makes the scan useful instead of noisy.

Grid size

• 3×3 (9 points): a quick health check. Good for a first look or a single neighbourhood.
• 5×5 (25 points): enough detail to spot which side of town is weak.
• 7×7 and 9×9 (49-81 points): fine detail for competitive trades or wide service areas, and for reports to clients.

Radius

Match the radius to where you actually work. A café in a dense city might use 1-2 km. A roofer covering a county might use 15-25 km. If the radius goes far past your real service area, the outer tiles will show "not found" and drag your numbers down for no useful reason.

Keep scans comparable

Keep the centre point, grid size, radius and search phrase the same from one scan to the next, so changes reflect your ranking and not your settings. Track a few phrases customers really type, like "emergency plumber" as well as "plumber", rather than one broad term.

Background: what grid rank tracking is. Ready to try? Open the scan preview or see pricing.

Try the grid scan planner to work out points and spacing for your area.