How we measure: the map grid

Why one rank number misleads

Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. Distance means the searcher's distance from you. So a person searching "dentist" from your parking lot may see you first, while someone two miles away sees you seventh, or not at all.

That is why a report that says "you rank #2 for dentist" tells you very little. Ranked #2 from where? On whose phone? A single number can make things look better or worse than they are, and it can't show you the neighborhoods where you are missing out.

How a map grid works

A map grid, also called a geo-grid, places evenly spaced points in a square around your business. At each point, a tracking tool runs the same search as if someone were standing right there, and records where your business appears in the map results.

The result is a map covered in numbered dots. Each dot is a ranking from that spot:

• Cyan dots are positions 1 to 3, where you show up in the map pack (the three businesses Google shows above the regular results).
• Deep blue dots are positions 4 to 10, visible only if someone taps "more places".
• Light gray dots are positions 11 to 20, and pale outlined dots are spots where you don't appear in the top 20.

You usually see a ring of cyan near your door that fades out with distance. The goal of local work is to make that cyan area wider and more solid over time.

7×7, 9×9 and 13×13 explained

The grid size is the number of points across and down. More points give a sharper picture and can cover a wider area. The spacing between points decides how far the grid reaches. We set spacing in your first-week audit to match how far your customers usually travel: tight for a café on a busy main street, wider for a car dealer that people drive to.

The widths are examples to show how the math works: a 7×7 grid has six gaps across, so six gaps of half a mile cover three miles from edge to edge. Your actual spacing depends on your area.

Weekly grids, on Pro and Extended, let us see the effect of a change sooner and spot a sudden drop, such as a spam competitor or an unwanted edit to your profile, before it costs you a month.

How to read the grid

Top 3 share

This is the share of grid points where you appear in positions 1 to 3. If 20 of 49 points are cyan, your top 3 share is about 41%. It is the closest single figure to "how often do nearby searchers see me in the map pack", and it is the number we watch most.

Average position

This is your average ranking across all points. Lower is better. It moves more slowly than top 3 share and is useful for spotting gradual progress in the outer ring, before those dots turn cyan. The report explains how points where you don't appear at all are counted, so the average isn't flattering.

The shape

Look at where the cyan sits. A cyan patch that leans one way often points to a competitor close by on the other side, or a neighborhood where your listing doesn't yet look relevant. The shape tells us where to focus brand mentions, local pages and posts.

Most businesses see profile fixes show up within weeks, with the clearest grid movement usually in months 2 to 4. Rankings can still dip from week to week, so we look at the trend across several reports rather than one result.

What else the monthly report shows

A better grid only matters if it brings people through the door. Your plain-language monthly report puts the grid next to the actions people take:

• Calls made from your Google Business Profile.
• Direction requests, often the clearest sign of a planned visit.
• Website clicks from your profile.
• AI mentions: whether ChatGPT and Gemini name you when asked the questions we track (10, 25 or 50 a month depending on plan).
• Reviews and what we did that month: posts, brand mentions, fixes and replies.

Google's own numbers have limits. They can be delayed or rounded, and they don't count calls made from your website. Call tracking beyond what's in the report isn't part of Local Booster.

Why your own search looks different

It is normal to search for yourself and see a different result from the report. Results change with:

• Location: a few streets can change the order.
• Device: phone and desktop results often differ, and the phone uses precise GPS.
• Search history: Google may show a place you've visited or searched before higher for you.
• Wording: "dentist near me" and "dentists in Denver" are different searches.
• Time: opening hours can affect whether a business is shown, and Google tests changes constantly.

A grid uses the same settings every time, so it is a fair way to compare one month with the next.

What Local Booster does about it

• Base: a 7×7 grid for your 3 most important keywords, every month.
• Pro: a 9×9 grid for 10 keywords, every week, plus 3 competitors tracked.
• Extended: a 13×13 grid for 20 keywords, every week, 5 competitors tracked, and a call with your strategist every two weeks.
• All plans: a baseline grid in week 1 so you can see change against a fixed starting point, and a monthly report in plain language.

We can't guarantee the #1 spot or change your physical distance from searchers. What we can do is show you honestly where you stand and what moved. Read how it works for the full timeline.

What you can do yourself

• When you check yourself, use a private browser window, and note where you were standing.
• Ask staff who live in different areas to search the same keyword and screenshot the map.
• Look at Google Business Profile performance for calls and direction requests each month, and compare with how busy you felt.
• Tell us about real-world changes, like roadworks, a new competitor or new hours. They help explain shifts in the grid.