GMB heat map: see where you rank on Google, block by block

A GMB heat map, also called a Google Business Profile heat map or a Google Maps heat map, lays a grid over your service area, runs a real Google search from every point, and colors each point by where your business shows up.

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Showing: Ridgeline Roofing · avg rank 9.6
Each number is the rank at that spot. Example scan for a fictional roofing company. Rankings are illustrative.

What is a GMB heat map?

A GMB heat map, now more often called a Google Business Profile or GBP heat map, is a map of your Google rankings. Instead of one number for your whole city, it shows your rank at each block, so you can see which neighborhoods find you and which do not.

It is a snapshot of one day. To watch the pattern change over weeks, LeadSnap keeps every scan in the local rank tracker.

Reading the map

How to read a GMB heat map

A heat map is your rankings drawn on a real map. Each point is a spot in your service area, and the number on it is where you show up when someone searches from that spot.

  1. 1

    The number is your position. A 1 means you show up first at that spot, and a 5 means you show up fifth. At marker 1, rightRight next to the business, you are first.

  2. 2

    Each point is a place on the map. The rank belongs to that spot only. At marker 2, someoneA little further out, someone searching from that spot sees you fifth.

  3. 3

    Your rank changes as you move across town. People searching from different places see different results. At marker 3, onOn the far side of the map, the same business shows up thirteenth.

  4. The colors group the numbers. Green is 1 to 3, where most clicks go. Yellow is 4 to 10, orange is 11 to 15 and red is 16 to 20.

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Showing: Ridgeline Roofing · avg rank 9.6
Example scan for a fictional roofing company. Illustrative.

In local SEO, your rankings change as you move across town.

Same business, same search, seven neighborhoods half a mile apart. Illustrative.

Searching from seven neighborhoods across town, the same business ranks: Westgate 8, Old Mill 4, Harbor Point 2, Downtown 1, Riverside 3, Eastfield 6, Pine Ridge 11.

Why a map

Traditional rank tracking checks one spot. A heat map checks them all.

Traditional rank tracking looks up your ranking from a single point, often your address, and reports one number. Here is the same business and the same search, read both ways.

Traditional rank tracking 1 point

#1"You rank first."

Heat map 49 points

9.6average rank. 86% of the map is outside the top 3.

The single point says you win. The map shows you win at the center and lose most of the area around it.

Illustrative scan for a fictional roofing company.

One scan

How to run a GBP heat map scan

Four steps, then the geo grid rank tracker searches Google from every point of the grid. Watch one run.

  1. 1

    Select your location

    Pick the business you want to scan. It can be your own listing, a prospect or a competitor.

  2. 2

    Select your keywords

    Click the searches your customers use, such as roof repair near me.

  3. 3

    Define your service area

    Choose a grid from 7 by 7 up to 13 by 13 points, as a square, a circle or a custom shape, with the distance between points set from 0.1 to 25 miles.

  4. 4

    Run the scan

    LeadSnap searches Google from every point of the grid and reads the top 20 results at each one.

Animated example in four steps. Select your location by choosing a business from the search results. Select your keywords by clicking the searches your customers use. Define your service area by drawing a grid over the map. Run the scan, and rankings fill in at every point. Illustrative.

Illustrative example for a fictional roofing company. Volume and CPC are US Google Ads estimates.

You can scan the local pack, Google Maps or the organic results, and any business, so the same scan works on your own listing, a prospect or a competitor.

Each scan gives you your average rank, the percentage of points where you rank in spots 1 to 3, and your market share against the competitors it found. Because it read the top 20 at every point, you can also flip the grid to any competitor's rankings. Flip the grid and see what every scan shows ↓

In every scan

Example GBP heat map with competitor rankings

A finished scan for a fictional roofer. Each scan reads the top 20 results at every point of the grid, so it holds the competitors’ maps too. Pick a business to see its rank at every spot.

Interactive example. Stat tiles and a seven by seven heat map for a fictional roofing company, with a list of eight fictional businesses on the left. Choosing a business changes every pin, the heat fog and the tiles to that business's rankings. Illustrative.

Illustrative example for fictional roofing companies. Click a business to flip the map.

What a GMB heat map scan shows you

Average rank
Your average position across every point on the grid.
Average rank position
How your average rank compares with every other business in the scan: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on, such as 14th of 53.
Top 3%
The percentage of grid points where you rank in spots 1 to 3.
Top 3 position
How your top 3% compares with every other business in the scan: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on, such as 9th of 53.
Market share
Your top 3% compared with the business that has the highest top 3% in the scan. The leader gets 100%; if they hit 60% and you hit 30%, yours is 50%.
Rank by area
Your average in the northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast of the grid.
Reviews and rating
Review count and star rating for you and every competitor found.
Photos
How many photos each business has on its profile.
Categories
The primary and sub category every competitor uses.
Other names

One tool, a lot of names

Tools and agencies all call it something different. Every one of these means the same thing: a grid of searches over your area, colored by where you rank.

  • GMB heat map
  • GBP heat map
  • Google Maps heat map
  • local SEO heat map
  • geo grid rank tracker
  • local geo grid
  • Google Business Profile heat map
  • heat map tracker
  • local rank grid
  • Google Maps grid
  • local search grid
  • map pack heat map

GBP vs GMB: how the listing changed over time

Google has renamed the listing four times since 2005. GMB, Google My Business, was its name from 2014 to 2021. GBP, Google Business Profile, is its name today.

  1. A free tool to add or update a listing in Google Local.
  2. Renamed to match the Place Pages people saw on Google Maps.
  3. Places pages became pages on Google’s social network.
  4. One place to update your info across Search, Maps and Google+.
  5. Editing moved into Search and Maps. Google said it wanted to keep things simple.

So a GMB heat map, a GBP heat map and a Google Business Profile heat map all scan the same listing. Older guides and tools still say GMB, which is why you see both.

Sources: Near Media, 2005 · Google, 2010 · Google, 2012 · Google, 2014 · BrightLocal, 2021

Heat map or rank tracker

Geo grid heat map vs local rank tracking

A heat map is one scan: where you rank at every point on the day you run it. Local rank tracking runs that scan on a schedule and charts each scan’s average rank over time, for one keyword or a group of them, so you can see whether your GBP rankings are improving.

Heat map · one day

Where you rank, block by block

One scan on the day you run it. Best for an audit, a prospect, or the before and after picture.

Local rank tracker · every scan

Average rank, higher is better
Week 1 · 12.4 avgWeek 8 · 3.9 avg

How your rank moves, week after week

Schedule the scan and every keyword gets a trend, with any two dates side by side. Best for showing a client the work is paying off.

See the local rank tracker →

Illustrative data for a fictional business.

Looking for a Local Falcon alternative or a Local Dominator alternative? See how the heat maps compare.

Who uses it

Who a GMB heat map is for

  • Local business owners

    See which neighborhoods find you and which find a competitor.

  • Agencies

    Show a prospect their own map before the first call, then report progress to clients with white label reporting.

  • Franchises and multi-location brands

    Scan every location and compare the maps side by side, so the ones falling behind stand out.

  • Home service pros

    Check how you rank across the towns your trucks actually travel to.

For agencies

How agencies use local SEO heat maps

The same scan does four jobs: a local SEO heat map wins the client, reports the results, warns you early and shapes the plan that keeps them.

Show a prospect what they are missing

Run the call in this order: their map, the rival who is beating them, what that gap costs, then the fixes.

  1. Get them on a screen share. "Jump on your computer and I will walk you through a couple of things I found."
  2. Run the scan live on their business. Explain one point near them: "From here, you show up seventh."
  3. Flip to the rival who ranks above them. The gap stops being an opinion.
  4. Turn the gap into jobs and dollars. Price your work against what they are missing.
  5. Audit their profile together. Give away the easy fixes; never knock their last agency.

Show clients the work is paying off

Scan the same search on the same grid before you start and again after, then send it the way they like to see it.

After
Ridgeline Roofing, “roof repair near me”
Average rank 3.9was 12.4
Points in the top 3 37%was 2%

Before the work: average rank 12.4, 2 percent of points in the top 3. After: average rank 3.9, 37 percent in the top 3.

See problems before your clients do

Keep every client's keywords on a schedule and look over the maps each week. When a location starts to slip, you see it first and fix it before the monthly call.

  • Ridgeline Roofingroof repair near me 3.9 ▲ 1.2
  • Harbor Light Dentalemergency dentist 6.4 ▼ 2.1Slipping in Eastfield
  • Pine Ridge HVACac repair near me 5.2 ▲ 0.4
  • Old Mill Plumbingplumber near me 2.8 No change
Illustrative clients. Scheduled scans run in the local rank tracker.

Turn the maps into next month's plan

Spot the issue, audit the profile, ask why rivals are winning, then build the plan, so the client sees steady progress and a reason to stay.

Next 30 days for Ridgeline Roofing

  • Add the additional category two of the three winners carry
  • Get reviews coming again: the last one was 24 days ago
  • Answer the 6 unanswered reviews with automated review replies
  • Rescan Eastfield after two weeks

Since the last scan

Eastfield 38 Ridgeline dropped from 3rd to 8th for roof repair near me. Every other area held.

GBP audit Coming soon

  • CategoriesMissing one the winners carry
  • Reviews6 without a reply
  • HoursSet and up to date
  • PhotosAdded this month

Until the audit launches, work through the Google My Business optimization checklist.

Ask in your AI assistant, through the LeadSnap MCP

Why are competitors beating Ridgeline Roofing in Eastfield?

Summit Peak Roofing ranks in the top 3 across most of Eastfield. It carries one category Ridgeline does not, has 318 reviews to Ridgeline's 212, and has had new reviews every week this month.

Illustrative example for a fictional business.

“I use the LeadSnap Heat Maps to close all my deals because the visuals of the Heat Maps really seal it!”

Spencer L

“The number one LeadSnap feature that I truly love that has impacted my business is the GMB Heat Map. That tool alone has helped me close more deals and has blown prospects out of the water!”

Jannery C

“I've been using LeadSnap's Heat Map tool for well over two years now, and this specific feature has drastically impacted the way that we audit potential clients and that we can sell and bring on more business.”

Adam McChesney
FAQ

GMB heat map questions, answered

What is the difference between a GMB heat map, a GBP heat map and a geo grid rank tracker?

There is no difference. They are names for the same scan: a grid of Google searches over your area, colored by where you rank. The names come from three places:

  • The listing being ranked: GMB heat map, GBP heat map and Google Business Profile heat map. GMB was the old name for Google Business Profile.
  • The results being read: Google Maps heat map, map pack heat map and Google Maps grid.
  • How the scan works: geo grid rank tracker, local geo grid, local rank grid, local search grid, heat map tracker and local SEO heat map.

Tools and agencies each picked their own, which is why there are so many.

Is there a free GMB heat map?
There is no free plan. The 7 day trial includes heat map scans, and it does not need a card.

How accurate are the rankings?
Every point on the grid is a live Google Maps search run from that exact spot, so the rankings show what a searcher standing there would see. Results can still move between scans, because local results change through the day.

Does it work in my country?
Our heat map tool will work for any location in the world.

How big should the grid be?
Match the grid to where customers really are. A 7 by 7 grid with tight spacing suits a single neighborhood or a city. A wider spacing, up to 25 miles between points, suits a business that serves a large area. A bigger grid costs more credits per scan.

What does a heat map scan cost?
One credit is one grid point. A 7 by 7 grid is 49 credits, a 9 by 9 circle is about 61, a 9 by 9 square is 81 and a 13 by 13 grid is 169. The 7 day trial is the Starter plan with scans included, no card needed. See LeadSnap pricing.
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See where you really rank

Run your first heat map in the 7 day trial, then keep the scan going in the rank tracker.

Start Free Trial See the local rank tracker