Google Maps Competitor Momentum Watch

Competitor monitoring for a set of competitor Google Maps listings you already track — see which gained reviews, lost rating, edited their profile, or closed since the last check.

Competitor monitoring on Google Maps

One evidence-backed movement row per competitor, plus a per-competitor summary every run. The Actor snapshots each competitor, then compares every scheduled run against it — so you see momentum, not just today's numbers.

When an MCP agent should use this

• "Did my competitors gain reviews this week?"
• "Tell me if a competitor's rating dropped."
• "Watch these competitor listings for profile edits or closures."
• "Which tracked rival gained the most reviews since last check?"

When to use something else

You want	Use instead
To find new competitors	a raw Google Maps query scraper + a prompt
What competitors' customers complain about	a review-intelligence / sentiment Actor
Changes to YOUR own listing	Google Maps Listing Edit Alerts
YOUR branches losing rating fast	Google Maps Branch Reputation Drift
A one-off pull of rating + review count	a raw Google Maps places scraper

How it works

1. Collect — fetches each competitor's listing in rich mode (rating + review count + profile), with a trusted fallback.
2. Snapshot & diff — compares against your saved baseline for this monitorId.
3. Classify — turns each movement into one row: review gain, rating up/down, profile edit, or closure.
4. Emit — writes export-ready rows (JSON / CSV / XLSX) and updates the snapshot.

Inputs

Field	Required	Example
competitorUrls	yes	["https://www.google.com/maps/place/..."]
monitorId	yes	"austin-coffee-rivals"
mode	no	"check_for_changes" (default) or "reset_baseline"

You supply the competitor set — this Actor tracks it, it does not discover competitors for you.

Example output

{
  "recordType": "competitor_change_alert",
  "monitorId": "austin-coffee-rivals",
  "placeId": "ChIJ...",
  "businessName": "Rival Roasters",
  "changeType": "rating_down",
  "ratingDelta": -0.2,
  "reviewsCountDelta": 37,
  "currentRating": 4.3,
  "currentReviewsCount": 812,
  "evidence": ["Rating fell from 4.5 to 4.3", "Gained 37 reviews since 2026-05-26"],
  "sourceUrls": ["https://www.google.com/maps/place/..."],
  "snapshotDate": "2026-06-02T08:10:00Z"
}

Modes

• check_for_changes (default) — compare against the baseline and return which competitors moved. Auto-creates the baseline on the first run, so use this almost every time.
• reset_baseline — save a fresh starting point and report nothing. Use only to re-baseline after you intentionally changed the watchlist.

Billing

Event	Price	When
competitor-checked	$0.012	One competitor snapshotted or checked (both modes).

Below the typical $0.03/competitor market rate. No per-movement charge.

FAQ

Is this a competitor research or discovery tool?

No. It's competitor monitoring for a set you already know — you supply the listings, it tracks their movement. To find new competitors, use a raw Google Maps query scraper instead.

How is it different from a full competitive intelligence tool?

It's the focused Google Maps slice of competitive intelligence: review gains, rating drops, profile edits, and closures over time. No dashboards or share-of-voice — just an evidence-backed movement row per competitor your agent can act on.

Can I use it as a local competitor or brand monitoring tool?

Yes — point it at rival listings (or your own brand's locations) and run it on a schedule for weekly competitor tracking.

Limits & support

• Reads the place snapshot only (rating, review count, NAP, hours, closure) — not review text or sentiment.
• It tracks a known set; it does not find new competitors.
• The first run on a new monitorId is a baseline; momentum begins on the next run.
• A failed fetch is reported clearly, never silently treated as "no movement".