It’s hard to believe Local Search Grid first launched way back in February 2021. Since then, our customers have seen so much value in what it can do to help them get new customers. So we’ve made sure to keep on upgrading it.
For starters, we added flexible grid points so you can shape your grid to match the population density of any area.
We’ve also added new metrics to better help you understand and track performance across all keywords.
And in 2026, we gave it a complete overhaul, with a fresh look and feel, plus new features like side-by-side grid comparisons and competitor grid comparisons. This update also added actions via our AI Insights feature.
So how can you make the most of this powerhouse of a tool?
In this post, I’m revealing nine ways Local Search Grid can truly level up your local SEO analysis and reporting.
1. Compare keyword performance in more detail
Single-location rank tracking has known limitations for local search. But essentially, Local Search Grid will give you much greater insights into how well you’re really ranking in local search by showing you what’s happening in local searches made in the area around your business.
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make when setting up a Local Search Grid report is choosing what keywords to track. You can monitor up to thirty different keywords, so you’ll want to make sure you’re tracking your most important keywords.
Local Rank Tracker is a great place to start when deciding which keywords for your report. And you’ll also be suggested keywords when you set up your BrightLocal account.
These could be keywords that have the highest search volume, and therefore the highest traffic potential. You’ll be able to quickly reference this in the ‘Volume’ column in your Local Rank Tracker report.
They could be keywords that are the most profitable to your business, or client’s business, despite having lower search volumes. For dentists, these could refer to more expensive procedures like ‘cosmetic dentistry’ or ‘dental implants’.
They could be keywords where you’ve struggled to see improvements, and where you really need those extra insights to figure out what could be holding you back.
Or you could come at it from a position of protectionism: by tracking your top performing keywords so you can react faster to any loss in visibility.
Whatever you decide, I’d personally recommend going for a spread of different keywords to reveal greater insights into the competitive landscape and the level of relevance Google places on your business for each service you offer.
Now that you’ve got a good understanding of what to track, let’s take a look at what you might find. In this post, I’m going to be using a dental practice in Tampa, Florida as an example.
For the query ‘best dentist’ you can see that this business is ranking in the top three positions in almost every single grid point—awesome! That’s a lot of potential traffic and leads.
For the query ‘cosmetic’, though, it’s a different situation. Yes, they rank in the top spots in search locations very close to the business, but the rest of the map is made up of orange and red grid points.
A standard single-location rank tracking tool, simply reporting the ‘Position 1’ at the business address, wouldn’t reveal the disparity of search visibility between these two keywords. Without having this broader view on rankings, further optimization to increase search visibility for ‘teeth whitening’ might not be considered a priority.
2. Spot previously unseen changes to search visibility
As well as being able to compare keyword performance in much more detail, Local Search Grid is also useful for spotting drops in search visibility that you might normally miss.
Let’s say a local algorithm update hits. You check your single-location rank tracker and everything looks pretty rosy—a few keywords have dropped a couple of positions but there’s nothing to suggest you’re going to lose a huge amount of traffic. However, that might not be entirely true…
Because Local Search Grid tracks rankings over multiple search locations, you’re now able to see if a slight drop in rankings is actually more significant.
Within Local Search Grid, you’ll have a single metric to tell you this right away: Average Map Rank. It measures the average of all your rankings within your selected grid so you can instantly understand broader changes in search visibility.
Plus you can compare two dates to see how you were performing for one keyword, then vs now. This lets you directly compare your ranking changes over time.
With this added insight, you’ll be able to react quicker, and start reversing the situation earlier.
3. Benchmark against competitors
Local Search Grid doesn’t just tell you how your business is performing, it also measures the search visibility of all the businesses ranking within your grid.
When you click on a Grid Point, you’ll see the top three ranking businesses from that search location—pretty handy, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
If you scroll down, you’ll see a competitor benchmark table that shows you the top ranking competitors within your grid. It’s ordered by the Average Map Rank, so you’ll know exactly which rivals you need to overtake. This table will show up to 20 competitors per grid point.
Local Search Grid also provides review benchmarks that show you how many reviews each competitor has, as well as their average star rating. Reviews are an important ranking factor that influences a business’s ability to rank, so if you notice that your business has significantly fewer reviews or a lower average star rating than the top ranking competitors, it might be time to prioritize review generation.
4. See individual competitors head-to-head
Seeing your competitors in a long list is all well and good, but what if you want to know exactly where and how one of your competitors is beating you?
Just below the competitor benchmarking table, you’ll see a side-by-side comparison. And you’ll be able to change the competitor and the data range you compare against.
So what are they doing right, or wrong?
Well, you’ll be able to compare directly in Local Search Grid, or go to the location summary to get your insights and recommendations.
Put your local rankings on the map
5. Identify the best Google Business Profile categories for each keyword
You may have noticed that, within the competitor benchmarking table, there is also a column that reveals each competitor’s primary business category in Google Business Profile.
In the most recent Local Search Ranking Factors Survey, SEO experts pinpointed the primary business category as the most important ranking factor in local search. Get your category wrong and it could be an anchor that holds back your ability to rank well.
Although you can only choose one primary category, Local Search Grid will offer insights into which offers the highest ranking potential for the keywords you’re targeting, making this an easier decision than it could have been.
To shine a light on this, let’s stick with the dentist example. Google Business Profile has a range of business categories for dentists to choose from.
Firstly, there are the generic categories:
- Dentist
- Dental clinic
Then there are a number of categories that relate to specific dental procedures:
- Teeth Whitening Service
- Dental Hygienist
- Dental Implants Periodontist
- Orthodontist
- Emergency Dental service
- Cosmetic Dentist
- Pediatric Dentist
- Dental Radiology
- Denture Care Services
If a dental practice offers all these procedures (and many do), then they’ll need to decide which to choose for their primary category.
The decision should depend on these four factors:
- Ranking influence: How much weight Google places on a business category for related search queries
- Search volume: How many people are searching using queries related to these services
- Competitiveness: Whether the business has a chance of outranking the competition
- Importance: How important the keyword is to the business. For example, fitting an Invisalign brace is likely to be far more profitable than a general dental checkup
In our example, the dentist is using ‘Dentist’ as their primary category, so let’s look at the lay of the land for different keywords they want to rank for.
Keyword: Best Dentist
Pretty much all of the dentists here use ‘Dentist’ as the primary category, our business has the second highest Average Map Rank for this keyword.
Keyword: Dental implant
For this keyword, our example ranks near the bottom against its competitors. You can see from the table that the competition here either have ‘dental implants periodontist’ as their primary category, or at the very least as an additional category. While our example doesn’t include it at all.
Before we move on, a word of warning: changing business categories could result in a suspension. It’s more likely to happen if you were to change from a ‘dentist’ to a ‘hair salon’, but you should still avoid changing your category too frequently. While testing is great, you don’t want to run the risk of having to go through a reinstatement process and miss out on traffic and leads along the way.
6. Spot business name spam
Local SEOs have being calling out to #stopcraponthemap for years now, yet it’s still way too easy for businesses to spam their way up local rankings.
Business name spam is one of the most common spam tactics, mainly because Google still puts way too much significance on keywords appearing in GBP business names as a ranking factor.
The worst offenders are taking it to laughable lengths. Here’s a glorious example from Josh Loewen:
I found it. I found the worst GBP listing. pic.twitter.com/o7fIVOXD17
— Josh Loewen (@joshtastic) January 27, 2021
It’s not just keyword stuffing, though There’s also the use of special characters to try and make listings stand out. Take this example from Joe Youngblood:
A Canadian business has used an emoji in their Business name on Google Business Profile to stand out.
h/t Andrei Bulini pic.twitter.com/KnmuqlwRVy
— Joe Youngblood (@YoungbloodJoe) August 29, 2019
Fighting spam is often described as a game of whack-a-mole, but in the most recent Local Search Ranking Factors survey, experts declared it the one of the most important activity you can do to increase rankings. So rather than simply trying to outperform spammers, focus your attention on getting spam eradicated.
The first step to removing spam is identifying it in the first place, and Local Search Grid makes it super easy to spot name spam.
We can check by clicking on the competitor and making our way to their Google Business Profile listing. From there we’d be able to click through to their website to see whether the GBP business name matches up with the actual name of the business.
id on your side you’ll be abThe first step to removing spam is identifying it in the first place, and Local Search Grid makes it super easy to spot name spam.
We can check by clicking on the competitor and making our way to their Google Business Profile listing. From there we’d be able to click through to their website to see whether the GBP business name matches up with the actual name of the business.
If it doesn’t, then we can ‘Suggest an edit’ to their on their Google Business Profile listing and hope that Google’s algorithms do the right thing and accept your edit so that the playing field is leveled again.
Then, escalate it as an official spam report by heading directly to the Google’s Business Redressal Form, which is essentially a way to get spam looked at by a human as opposed to leaving it to an algorithm. Google’s spam team will review everything submitted and decide whether to take action against a spammer.
We know spam fighting is laborious and repetitive, but with Local Search Grid on your side you’ll be able to spot it and flag it quicker.le to spot it and flag it quicker.
7. Identify uncompetitive areas to open new locations
Okay, so this one is pretty out there, and it’s not something you’ll be doing very often, but if you had a client who was looking to expand their business, you could use Local Search Grid to identify areas where there’s low search competition.
This is particularly relevant to service-area businesses like plumbers, who could more easily set up shop in a new location by hiring more staff.
From there you’ll be able to see which businesses are currently ranking, and use the competitor benchmark table to get quick insights on what you’d need to do to outrank them. Sneaky.
8. Reporting success to clients and stakeholders
The visual nature of Local Search Grid makes it a godsend for client reporting. We know that agencies can often find it hard to communicate the impact of their efforts, and clients can often get overwhelmed by lots of data.
With Local Search Grid, impact is as clear as day. You’ll be able to generate white-label versions of your reports, and as long as the client can understand that ‘green = good, red = not so good’, you’ll be golden.
There’s no easier way to show impact and progress over time than simply showing grid points turning from red to green.
But, have you ever been stuck with a report that has grid points over water? Not only is it a waste of credits, but it can lead to awkward conversations with clients who wonder why you’re “targeting people on boats.”
Fret not! With Local Search Grid you can simply remove any grid points that appear over bodies of water and ensure your reports make the right sort of splash with clients.
9. Prospecting potential clients
Local Search Grid is also a valuable prospecting tool that engages and educates potential clients. Rather than overwhelming them with lots of data, or trying to explain the ins-and-outs of local search, you can simply generate a report that shows your prospect what they’re missing out on.
Rather than setting your report to run weekly or monthly, you can simply generate ad hoc reports and share an external dashboard—all white-labeled to match your agency’s branding.
Local Search Grid offers true local rank tracking
By leveraging the power of maps and grids, the tool enables you to see the competitive landscape and business opportunities in a clear and interactive manner. You can visualize local search results, discover competitor locations, and spot gaps and opportunities within specific geographic areas. This visual representation is incredibly valuable in prospecting for new customers because it allows you to pinpoint precisely where their target audience is concentrated and where potential leads may be underserved.
So that’s it! Nine ways that Local Search Grid will help you uncover better insights and share success with style.
I’m sure there are plenty more ways to take advantage of Local Search Grid, though. Whenever we release a tool, we never know how the community is going to play with it and use it with other tools.
If you’d like to share your own tips and secrets, head to the comments and tell us how you’re using Local Search Grid, or email us at [email protected] if you’ve got a particularly compelling story to share.
Want to give Local Search Grid a whirl? Grab a 14-day free trial and see what’s possible.
