The Local SEO Grid: How We Map Your Geographic Visibility
What Is the Local SEO Grid?
The Local SEO Grid is a geographic ranking analysis that shows where your business appears in local search results across your service area.
Instead of just checking one location, we create a grid of points around your business and check your ranking at each point. This reveals:
- Where you're dominating
- Where you're invisible
- Where competitors are beating you
How It Works
- **We center a grid on your location** - Using your business address as the center point
- **We create search points** - Based on your selected grid size (3x3, 5x5, or 7x7)
- **We search from each point** - Simulating a user searching from that location
- **We record your ranking** - Position 1-20, or not found
- **We visualize the results** - Color-coded map showing your visibility
Reading the Results
The Colors
- **Green (1-3)**: Excellent - You're in the local pack
- **Yellow (4-10)**: Good - You're on page one
- **Orange (11-20)**: Fair - You're visible but buried
- **Red (20+)**: Poor - You're not ranking here
The Patterns
Strong center, weak edges: Your proximity ranking is working, but you may need more area-specific content or citations.
Patchy coverage: Inconsistent rankings suggest citation issues or competitors with stronger local signals in certain areas.
Consistently weak: You may have fundamental GBP or website issues affecting all locations.
Grid Size Guide
| Grid | Points | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 5x5 | 25 | Standard analysis, most businesses |
| 7x7 | 49 | Detailed analysis, large service area |
Radius Options
| Radius | Distance | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | 5 miles | Most local services |
| Large | 10 miles | Service-area businesses, contractors |
Improving Your Grid Score
- **Optimize for specific neighborhoods** mentioned in your weak areas
- **Build citations** with consistent NAP in directories
- **Get reviews** mentioning locations where you're weak
- **Create location pages** for areas you want to rank in
- **Update your service area** in GBP if needed
Competitive Insights
The grid also shows you who's ranking where you're not. Use this to:
- Identify your real competitors (by geography)
- Study what they're doing differently
- Find gaps you can exploit
Pro tip: Often the businesses ranking in your weak spots are doing something specific to that neighborhood—a local citation, neighborhood mention on their site, or reviews from that area.
Ready to Try It?
Run a free audit and see your business's online presence score.