What is grid rank tracking?

Ordinary rank checks give you one number for a keyword. That's not how Google Maps works. Maps ranks businesses partly by how close the searcher is, so a plumber can be first for someone two streets away and absent for someone across town. Searching from your own office mostly shows you your best case.

How a grid scan works

A grid scan places evenly spaced check points over your service area, for example 3 rows by 3 columns. At each point it records where your business appears for one search phrase. The result is a map of tiles, each showing your position from that spot. RankFootprint calls this a Footprint map.

How to read the results

• Positions 1-3: you're in the top local results most people see first.
• Positions 4-10: you're visible, but people have to scroll or tap "more".
• 11 or more, or not found: customers at that spot probably won't find you.

Two summary figures help. The average rank across tiles where you appear, and coverage, the share of tiles where you appear at all. A shop with strong rankings near the office and gaps on the edges should focus on those edges, not on its average.

What moves the tiles

Google names three broad local factors: relevance, distance and prominence. Accurate categories, complete profile details, steady reviews and locally relevant website pages tend to help. Scanning on a regular schedule shows whether those changes are working.

Next: how to choose grid size and radius, or request a free 3×3 scan.

Go deeper: how to read a Maps rank grid · why rankings change across town