The Local SEO Heatmap tool helps you track organic visibility for local searches. It shows where a business appears in the Google Map Pack for its target geographic locations and allows you to analyze rankings across specific areas.
You can sign up to get your Google Business Profile listed with Google at the following link: https://business.google.com/us/business-profile/
🔥 Creating a Local SEO Heatmap
🔥 Creating a Local SEO Heatmap
🗺️ How to Create a New Heatmap
Here is a Loom with the exact steps:
Navigate to Local SEO > Local SEO Heatmaps
Select the business to track using the business name, Place ID, or business URL.
Click on Save
Open the new business's heatmap
Choose your grid type: circle or rectangle (circle is the most common).
Define your layers
Select your refresh cadence:
Daily
weekly
bi-weekly
monthly
Enter the refresh time (during business hours)
Add your keywords
Save your heatmap by clicking + Save to add it to your dashboard.
⚙️ Configure Settings
Setting | Description |
Shape & Radius | Circle or Rectangle, radius 1–100 miles |
Layers / Pins | Larger service areas need more pins |
Center Pin | Move to reorient the report (useful for Service Area Businesses) |
Omitting Pins | Click a pin until it turns red to exclude that location |
🔁 Set Refresh Cadence & Time
⏱️ Choose daily, weekly, monthly, or once.
🕘 Always schedule during business hours (rankings vary by open/closed status).
🎯 For demos, select Once.
💡 Example Setup
Circle · 3 Layers · 5 Miles · Monthly Refresh · 9:00 AM
Heatmap Import + Instant Project Creation
We’ve added a powerful new capability to streamline your local SEO workflow: you can now import heatmaps in bulk and automatically generate full heatmap projects from your uploaded data. This update eliminates manual setup and makes it significantly easier to analyze location-based rankings at scale.
How It Works
Step 1 — Download and Complete the Template
Start by making a copy of the Heatmap Template. Fill in all required fields, and before moving to the next step, ensure your Google Sheet link is set to “Anyone with the link can view.”
Step 2 — Upload the Completed Template
Export your completed sheet as a CSV file. Then upload it using the Import from CSV option. Search Atlas will automatically process each row and instantly create your corresponding heatmap projects.
This new feature is designed to save time, reduce errors, and make large-scale local ranking analysis faster and more accessible than ever.
🧠 Smart Suggest in Heatmap Setup
🧠 Smart Suggest in Heatmap Setup
Smart Suggest is now available inside the Local SEO Heatmap setup flow. When you create a new Local SEO project, the system will automatically recommend relevant keywords based on the business nature.
This helps you:
Pick strong, high-intent keywords faster instead of manually guessing
Achieve more accurate heatmap scoring
Speed up project setup
Improve discovery keyword relevance
✅ Live for all users!
🗺️ Using the Heatmap
🗺️ Using the Heatmap
View rankings by pin: Click a pin to see results for that location
Competitor comparisons: Compare your pins against competitor visibility
Date comparisons: Compare current scans with past scans
Grid adjustments: Center pin resets to GBP address after refreshes; move it manually if needed
📐 SOP: Accurate Comparison of Local SEO Rankings
📐 SOP: Accurate Comparison of Local SEO Rankings
To ensure reliable comparisons over time, follow this SOP:
Pre-Setup Validation
Confirm business location (exact city/neighborhood/ZIP, not generic city/state)
Verify keyword lists are identical across comparisons
Ranking Report Configuration
Use consistent radius and grid spacing (e.g., always 5 miles)
Align timing with business hours
Adjust for time zone differences
Comparing Data Over Time
Compare only reports with identical settings
Always use the business’s local time zone
Validate Location Accuracy
Simulate searches from the business’s exact service area
Documentation & Standardization
Keep a log for each client/project with:
• Location & time zone
• Keywords tracked
• Radius & spacing
• Report schedule
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Changing radius or spacing → inconsistent data
Running outside business hours → skewed results
Comparing national vs. local rankings → invalid
Assuming rankings are uniform across an entire city
❓ Local SEO Heatmaps FAQs
❓ Local SEO Heatmaps FAQs
How can I optimize keyword tracking and quota usage?
How can I optimize keyword tracking and quota usage?
Quota depends on keywords, frequency, and platform (desktop, mobile, or both). To optimize:Quota depends on keywords, frequency, and platform (desktop, mobile, or both).
To optimize:
Track on one platform only
Reduce refresh frequency to weekly
Limit keywords (not projects) to reduce total scans
How does quota handling work?
How does quota handling work?
Quota is consumed per keyword being tracked, not per project.
Each keyword generates its own heatmap, and each pin = one quota point.
A scan consumes quota equal to the number of pins for the selected layers and settings.
How many pins does each heatmap use?
How many pins does each heatmap use?
1. Circle Layout:
1 layer = 7
2 layers = 20
3 layers = 39
4 layers = 64
5 layers = 95
6 layers = 132
7 layers = 175
2. Rectangle Layout:
3×3 = 9
4×4 = 16
5×5 = 25
6×6 = 36
7×7 = 49
Example (see on video):
A 3-layer circle = 39 quota per keyword
If tracking 4 keywords weekly:
→ 39 pins × 4 keywords × 4 weeks = 624 credits/month
How can I confirm ranking accuracy?
How can I confirm ranking accuracy?
Click the Lat/Long coordinates in blue to verify manually.
How does Search Atlas get ranking data?
How does Search Atlas get ranking data?
For each pin, Search Atlas scrapes GBP and analyzes the top 20 results.
How are rankings beyond position 20 handled?
How are rankings beyond position 20 handled?
Any keyword beyond position 20 is recorded as position 21.
Can I share a heatmap?
Can I share a heatmap?
Yes:
Share → Public URL or iFrame embed
Export → Download as PDF
Why are results different from other tools?
Why are results different from other tools?
Different tools use different scraping methods and refresh cycles.
Why hasn’t my updated GBP business name synced?
Why hasn’t my updated GBP business name synced?
GBP names sync weekly.
Why do Search Atlas rankings differ from another tool?
Why do Search Atlas rankings differ from another tool?
Differences come from crawling frequency, indexing logic, and timing.
📊 Local SEO Heatmaps Glossary
📊 Local SEO Heatmaps Glossary
Heatmap Keywords: Number of keywords configured for tracking. If 0, add keywords via View.
View (Heatmap): Opens the heatmap for a selected business. Add keywords, set crawl frequency, and define radius.
Delete a Business: Remove via the three-dot menu → Delete.
Average Ranking Position: Overview of visibility based on rankings. Green = strong; Red = weak.
Heatmap Radius: Size of the map in miles, measured from center to edge.
Crawl Frequency: How often scans refresh (once, daily, weekly, monthly).
Crawl Time: Time of day the scan runs.
Keywords: List of tracked terms, refreshed based on settings.
Last Scan / Settings: Shows last refresh date and applied settings.
💡 Pro Tip
Regularly align your scan settings with business hours and maintain a client log to ensure consistent, reliable comparisons.