Google Maps Geo-Grid Rank Tracker: local rank heatmaps without a subscription

Google Maps Geo-Grid Rank Tracker shows where a business ranks on Google Maps from every part of its city. It places an N x N grid of points around the business (3x3 up to 15x15), runs the search from each point and reports the rank per pin, average rank (ARP / ATRP), share of local voice (SoLV), the competitors that beat you at each pin, a heatmap image and changes since the last run.

It's a pay-as-you-go Local Falcon / BrightLocal grid alternative: $0.008 per grid point, so a 7x7 scan of one keyword costs $0.40.

• 🗺️ True geo-grid: each pin is a real Google Maps search from that location.
• 🥇 Rank per pin + top 3 at each pin: see exactly who wins where.
• 📊 ARP, ATRP and SoLV per keyword, plus the 10 strongest competitors across the grid.
• 🖼️ Heatmap PNG per keyword, ready for client reports.
• 🔁 Change tracking: schedule it weekly and every run shows rank and SoLV changes.
• 🔎 Finds the business for you: enter the name and city, or a place ID for exact matching.

Sample output

Keyword	Pin	Distance (km)	Rank	In top 3
gutter cleaning	1	2.83	20+	no
gutter cleaning	2	2	19	no
gutter cleaning	3	2.83	17	no

How to run a geo-grid scan

1. Enter Keywords (e.g. plumber, emergency plumber).
2. Enter the Business name and Business city / area (or a Google place ID).
3. Pick a Grid size (5 = 25 points, 7 = 49) and Radius (distance from the centre to the edge).
4. Click Start. Open the Summary per keyword view for averages and the heatmap link.

Input example

{
    "keywords": ["roofer", "roof repair"],
    "businessName": "Summit Ridge Roofing",
    "businessLocation": "Boise, ID",
    "gridSize": 7,
    "radiusKm": 5
}

Output

Two kinds of rows (field row_type):

pin: one per keyword and grid point.

{
    "row_type": "pin", "keyword": "roofer", "pin": 5, "row": 2, "col": 2,
    "latitude": 43.5961538, "longitude": -116.2126687, "distance_km": 0.0,
    "rank": 4, "rank_label": "4", "in_top3": false, "previous_rank": 6, "rank_change": 2,
    "top_results": [{"rank": 1, "name": "Point Roofing & Restoration", "rating": 4.9, "reviews": 433}]
}

summary: one per keyword.

{
    "row_type": "summary", "keyword": "roofer", "grid_size": 3, "pins_checked": 9, "pins_found": 6,
    "pins_top3": 0, "average_rank": 8.67, "average_total_rank": 12.78, "share_of_local_voice": 0.0,
    "average_total_rank_change": 1.4,
    "top_competitors": [{"name": "Point Roofing & Restoration", "pins_top3": 5, "average_rank": 2.0}],
    "heatmap_url": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/.../records/HEATMAP-roofer"
}

• ARP (average_rank): average rank on the pins where the business shows up.
• ATRP (average_total_rank): average over all pins, counting "not found" as depth + 1. Lower is better.
• SoLV (share_of_local_voice): % of pins where the business is in the top 3 (the local pack).

Pricing

Pay-per-event pricing. Paid Apify plans get automatic volume discounts (Bronze, Silver, Gold).

Event	Price
Grid point (grid-point)	$0.008 per keyword per grid point
Business lookup (business-lookup)	$0.005 once per run, when the Actor looks the business up by name

Example run	Cost
1 keyword, 5x5 grid (default)	$0.21
1 keyword, 7x7 grid	$0.40
5 keywords, 9x9 grid, weekly	$3.25 per scan

Free Apify plan: 1 keyword on a 3x3 grid per run, so you can try it before you upgrade.

Use it through the API, on a schedule or with AI agents

One-link MCP setup: https://mcp.apify.com?tools=wrenfield-data/google-maps-grid-rank-tracker (Claude, Cursor, VS Code or any MCP client). Set maxTotalChargeUsd on the run to cap what it can charge.

Schedule a weekly scan per client in Apify, call it from the Apify API, or connect it to Make, Zapier, n8n and Google Sheets. AI agents can call it through the Apify MCP server; the default 5x5 scan finishes in about 30 seconds.

FAQ

Where does the data come from? From a licensed Google Maps results provider (DataForSEO) that runs each search from the exact coordinates of the pin. No logins, no browser, no proxies on your side.

How does it find my business in the results? By Google place ID or CID when known (most reliable), otherwise by website domain or exact business name.

Where is the history stored? In a named key-value store maps-grid-rank-history in your own Apify account. Turn off Compare with the last run to skip it.

Related tools

From the same developer:

• Businesses Without Websites: local businesses on Google Maps that need a website
• Google Rank Tracker: organic Google positions and AI Overview citations
• SEO Toolkit All-in-One: domain overview, competitors, backlinks and live SERPs
• Tripadvisor Reviews Scraper: reviews for hotels, restaurants and attractions

Feedback and support

Missing a field, hit an error, or need another country or option? Open an issue on the Issues tab and include the run ID. We read every issue and reply there.

Acceptable use

• This Actor is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google, DataForSEO, Local Falcon or BrightLocal. Product names are used only to describe compatibility.
• Use it to measure local visibility. Don't use it to manipulate Google Maps rankings, create fake listings or fake reviews.
• The Actor may not be used from, or for people or organizations in, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, North Korea, Crimea or the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
• You are responsible for using the results lawfully.