Skip to main content
All CollectionsKnowledge Base
Local SEO Knowledge Base
Local SEO Knowledge Base
Updated over 2 weeks ago

The Local SEO Heatmaps tool allows you to track organic visibility for local searches. Use this tool to see where websites appear in the Google Map Pack for their target geographic locations.

My Business

  • It's essential to search for the business name exactly as it appears on your Google Business Profile. This is the first step towards registering it on Search Atlas and allowing the tool to analyze how your business ranks for the keywords you want to assess.

  • You can also discover a service area business by pasting the Google Maps URL of the business into the search bar.

  • You can import accounts directly from GBP if those accounts are synced with Search Atlas. To connect them, go to the settings icon at the top right corner of the dashboard, click the “Google Integrations tab”, and enter the respective GBP credentials.

Local SEO Heatmap

After generating a heatmap, you can check the website’s ranking position for specific geographic areas by clicking on a pin.

Removing Pins from the Grid

You can click on the pins to deactivate it and not collect data from areas of low interest.

Moving the Center of the Grid

The center green pin can be moved to analyze other areas other than the physical location. Though it must be moved manually each time as it will go back to the address listed on the GBP account.

Local SEO Showdown (Competitor Comparisons)

You can compare between your business and a competitor to see how they are ranking in comparison.

Date Comparison

You can compare you own data with previous dates when the scan was run.

GBP Posts

Posts on Google Business Profile are updates that businesses can share directly on their Google profile. These posts appear in the "Posts" section of the business profile on Google Search and Google Maps. They serve as a tool to communicate news, offers, events, and important updates to potential and current customers. Posts can include text, images, and links to web pages, allowing businesses to keep their customers informed and engaged.

OTTO empowers businesses to efficiently manage their online presence by enabling the creation and scheduling of high-quality bulk posts with AI-generated images and content across multiple Google Business Profiles (GBPs). This allows businesses to focus more on their core operations while driving conversions.

Automated Posting:

Automated Posting allows users to Automated the process of Publishing GBP Posts. To enable, click on the Settings icon beside 'Automated Posting' and toggle to Enable

You will find various Settings,​
1. Post Frequency - It allows you to set your custom frequency or you can rely on Otto to analysis your business and set the frequency on its own
​2. Start Date - It allows users to pick a Start Date for Automated Posting
​3. Image Source -
- AI Generate all Images > Images will be AI-generated based on the Business-Knowledge graph
- Media Library > GBP Photos will be used as a Image source
- Select from Media Library or Let AI create images > It will first use Image Library as source, if not available it will AI generate the Image
​4. AI writing tips - Users can give instructions to AI model to generate AI content
​5. Approval process-
- Post Automatically > No approval requires, content will be automatically published
- Ask before approval > Content will be generated but it will go to 'My tasks' section where users can Approve, Reject, Re-generate or Modify the content and then publish
- Ask before approval if it contains AI images > It will ask for the approval if it contains AI generated Image
​6. Publish reviews as Post- It will be use Positive reviews as a GBP Posts content. Content will be slightly modified so it can be used as a GBP Post. Users can also add a 'keyword' so if that Keyword is detected, it will only use those reviews

Q&A Suggestions

Replying to questions on a Google Business Profile is crucial as it enhances customer engagement, builds trust, and improves the overall customer experience. When businesses promptly and accurately respond to inquiries, it demonstrates attentiveness and a commitment to customer service, which can positively influence potential customers' perceptions.

Additionally, responses provide valuable information that can help other users with similar questions, potentially reducing the number of repetitive queries. Engaging actively in the Q&A section can also improve a business’s local SEO, making it more visible and attractive to prospective clients searching for relevant services or products in their geographic area.

OTTO assists businesses in tracking and generating questions, as well as responding to them, by using AI-generated inquiries and answers.

Automated Posting for Q&A:

1. Post Frequency - It allows you to set your custom frequency or you can rely on Otto to analyze your business and set the frequency on its own
​2. Start Date - It allows users to pick a Start Date for Automated Posting
​3. AI writing tips - Users can give instructions to AI model to generate AI content
​4. Approval process-
- Post Automatically > No approval is required, content will be automatically published
- Ask before approval > Content will be generated but it will go to 'My tasks' section where users can Approve, Reject, Re-generate, or Modify the content and then publish

Unanswered reviews

Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers' feedback and are committed to customer service. It also helps build a good reputation and positively influences how potential customers perceive your business.

Although Google does not impose a specific timeframe for responding to reviews, it is advisable to do so within the first 1 to 2 days to demonstrate active profile management. OTTO enables businesses to automate review responses using AI-generated replies or static templates, tailored to a predefined tone of voice, length, and language. This ensures consistent communication while freeing up time for businesses to focus on their goals and drive conversions.

My Tasks:

My Tasks is the section where Automated GBP Posts/Q&As or Review replies will appear if user has selected 'Approve before Posting' in Automated Posting


Users can review the content or re-generate or edit it and then they can Approve to get it published

Local Citations

Local citation tools allow you to push Business Data to 1000s of sites through 5 major Data aggregators.

  • Submit to 5 Major Data Aggregator Networks: Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustar Localeze, Yellow Pages Network, and GPS Network.

  • Low-Cost Solution: just $25 per Aggregator Network, or all 5 for $100—saving 20%.

  • Quick Submission: the Business data is checked and submitted within five days.

  • Free Updates For 12 Months: no charge if you need to make an update

  • Local citation submission uses Hyperdrive quota

  • Existing data can be exported in CSV format for the reporting purposes

  • Expected timeline: it takes around 35-38 days for the full process to complete

Submission process

  1. Select the desired Business name and select the Data aggregator

While selecting Data aggregator, make sure to review supported location and choose the aggregator accordingly

If the business is not listed, make sure you have connected the right Google Business Profile and the business is listed on that profile.

2. Provide all the information about the business and hit submit

If you forgot to add some business details or want to modify business details, you can modify the business details by clicking the 3 dot menu (it will be free of cost).

Timeline

Phase-1 : Initial Data Check

We check the quality of submitted data and make sure that data is consistent. If our team find any issues, we directly reach out to you for the modification


Phase-2 : Submission

Once we are fine with data, we start submitting the data on various sites through the aggregator network that includes submission of new data as well updating existing data


Phase-3 : Quality Assurance

During this phase, our Submission manager reviews all the citation and perform quality check


Phase-4 : Reporting

After four weeks, we will have a complete campaign report letting you see all of the live links and the updated citations that we've built for you. Post submission

After the submission, the data will start appearing on the Citation listing screen:

Local SERPs

See local search results for any given location. Select a geographic location (cities, counties, states, or countries). This feature works business in Google Maps.

FAQs

  1. How does quota handling work?

    Each pin equals one quota. The scan will take the quota of the amount of pins present in a heatmap. The quota points are usedevery time Search Atlas runs a scan; when a scan refreshes or is prefetched.

  2. How many pins quota points are used?

  • For the circle shape: 1 layer equals 7 quota. 2 layers equal 20 quota. 3 layers 39 quota. 4 layers 64 quota. 5 layers 95 quota. 6 layers 132 quota. 7 layers 175 quota.

  • For a rectangular shaped map: 3x3 gird takes 9 quota. 4x4 grid takes 16 quota. 5x5 grid takes 25 quota. 6x6 grid takes 36 quota. 7x7 grid takes 49 quota.

If you selected a circle with 3 layers (61 pins) with a weekly crawl frequency, you would use 61 * 4 = 244 credits per month. 3. How can I confirm accuracy of the rankings? You can manually check rankings by clicking on the Lat, Long coordinates in blue.

!<https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ee4c7e29-7882-415d-9e08-de7ac3603d57/27ac293a-4be3-447f-a72a-79d1400e973f/image9.png>


4. How does Search Atlas get its ranking data?

For each pin in your heatmap/geogrid, we scrape the data from GBP and analyze the first 20 positions that rank well on each pin.


5. How are the rankings handled if the keyword is in position 20+ when calculating the average ranking?

Any pin where the business is not ranking is considered to be in position 21. Position 21 is then included in the Keyword Ranking Score calculation.


6. How long to local citations take?

It takes around 38-40 days for the full process to complete. But it can take up to 2 months in some cases. If it takes more than 2 months, user can ask Support team to check the status


7. Do your citations also include NAPS?

Yes citations include Name Address Phone and business metadata


8. What are the quotas used for GBP Automations?

GBP Automations use AI Generation quotas; 4 per GBP Post, 1 per Q&A, and 1 per review.


9. Can I share a heatmap?

You can share your Local SEO heatmap two ways:

  • Click “Share.” Then select either “Get Public URL,” or “Get iFrame code.” The tool will copy your selection to your clipboard

  • Click “Get PDF,” to download the heatmap as a PDF

10. How to add/remove members for Google Business Profile?

11. How to connect Google Business Profile for GBP?

Click on Add GBP account > Allow Google authentication access > On successful approve, GBP business will be added


12. Why am I seeing an 'Unverified Location error' on refreshing GBP?

This is not fixable in SearchAtlas. Users have to "verify" the location in their Google GBP. Here is the guide - https://support.google.com/business/answer/4490296?sjid=11071306479197189306-AP


13. When does the Reviews and GBP Business gets updated on Local SEO?

It is being refreshed along with heatmap update


14. Why I am seeing difference in heamap results between other tools and SearchAtlas?

Every tool will have their own logic and timing of the updation. This results are to be volatile so there can be little difference in results


15. How do you make sure that data is consistent across all aggregators?

We forward only the submitted data to the aggregators so there won’t be any chance of inconsistency


16. Why my campaign is on Hold?

The team put any campaign on hold when they found some mismatch in submitted data vs the data on various resources but eventually, it will consider the submitted data as Final so when a campaign is on Hold, no action is needed. It will be resumed very soon or user will get refund it they found duplicate campaign

17. My citation project is showing inside Otto but not visible on Local citation standalone tool (inside Local SEO)?

Citation orders created via Local citation standalone tool won't be visible inside Otto but Citation orders created via Otto will be visible on both Otto and Local citation standalone tool

18.What is the process if a citation take more than 38 days to submit?

In such cases, user need to contact support so the Product team can review the status with submission team

19. Can I edit the existing campaign that I have placed on other platform?
No, you can edit the data for the only campaigns that you have placed with SearchAtlas

20. Why my campaign is taking more than 40 days?
Campaign submission is manual process and lots of verifications are requires so it may take more time. Also, it will take more time to get remaining citation links even after campaign is finished.

21. What are the reasons for a campaign goes to Hold?
Normally, it could be 2 reasons
1. The submission team has some queries with submitted data (In this case, we will either reach you or we will consider the submitted data as final)
2. They found a duplicate campaign for the same Business (In this case, we will refund the credits)

22. What to do when the status is 'Pending Google review'
We are retrieving status directly from GBP so if a user sees this status, it must be some issue on GBP side. They should wait for 7-10 days if it does not update any status then >

Common reason for this:
1. If GBP has an unverified Google location (https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242?hl=en)
2. If the content includes some banned words

What user can do:
1. Either delete the content and try again
2. Verify the location (if not)
3. Create a Google support request from that account so they can get the exact reason


Glossary

  1. Reviews: this column indicates the number of reviews and average review score of the business.

  2. Heatmap Keywords: this column displays the number of keywords configured for Google Maps rank tracking purposes. If the number in the column is 0, no keywords have been added for tracking. Click the “View” button to start adding keywords.

  3. View: clicking a “View” button will take you to the Local SEO Heatmap for the business. Here, you can add keywords to analyze, set the crawling frequency and radius of your heatmap, and generate a report in less than 2 minutes.

  4. Delete a business: to delete a business from your list, click the three dots at the end of a row. Then, click “Delete.” This will remove the business from the heatmap tool.

  5. Average Ranking Position: this table provides a general overview of the local organic visibility of the website. Your score is determined by your ranking positions for the keywords in the defined geographic area. If the business is ranking well, the score will appear in green. If it is ranking poorly (closer to the 20th position), it will display the score in red.

  6. Heatmap radius: size of the final heatmap in miles. Distance from the center point to the edge of the scanned area.

  7. Crawl Frequency: how often should the data refresh or fetch again. It can be runned once, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or a custom time frame.

  8. Crawl time: at what time of the day the info is re-fetched.

  9. Keyword**: u**nder this column, you will see previously scanned keywords; these keywords will refresh according to the settings chosen by the user.

  10. Last Scan/Settings: here, you can find two crucial pieces of information. The date of the last refresh, when the tool fetched new data. Also, you can see the settings the user set up when they first ran the original scan.

  11. View: when clicked, the user will be taken to the heatmap area where they can check the heatmap they created, there they can share, export, edit and compare dates of the data through time.

  12. Website: citation website

  13. Status: status of the submission

  14. DA: Domain authority of the website

  15. Citation value: impact of the citation

  16. Type: directory type

  17. Notes: every citation site has has their own rules, we can not submit all the data on all the citation sites, so it is worth checking the notes and keeping that in mind

  18. Citation URL: once the citation goes live or existing citation is found, the URL will start appearing in this column

Did this answer your question?