🔍 Overview
Local SEO heatmaps in Search Atlas show how your business ranks across a grid of geographic points for specific keywords. Each pin on the grid represents a data point pulled from live search results. Occasionally, some pins may appear blank, show a dash, or display incomplete ranking data — even after a previous fix was applied. This article explains why this happens and what you can do about it.
📍 Why Pins Sometimes Show No Data
Pin data gaps are not always caused by a platform error. Several factors can cause a pin to display incomplete or missing information:
- Google did not return a result for that location: For certain grid coordinates, Google's local search algorithm may not surface a result for your business. This is a real-world ranking signal, not a display bug.
- Search result fluctuation: Google rankings change frequently. A pin that showed data on a previous scan may return no result on a newer scan if your ranking changed for that specific location point.
- Data retrieval interruption during scan: During a heatmap scan, individual data requests are made for each pin. If a request is interrupted mid-scan, that pin may not receive data and will appear blank.
- Keyword-location combination yields no local pack: Not every keyword triggers a local pack (the map results). If Google shows only organic results for a specific keyword at a specific coordinate, no local ranking data will be captured.
⚠️ Why the Issue Can Reappear After a Fix
If our team previously resolved a data display issue and you are seeing blank pins again, this is most commonly due to the following reasons:
- New scan cycle: Each time a heatmap refreshes, it runs a fresh set of data requests. A prior fix may have corrected a one-time retrieval error, but new scans are subject to the same real-time variables described above.
- Multiple keywords amplify the effect: When you track several keywords across the same location grid, a single problematic coordinate will appear blank on every keyword heatmap — making the issue look more widespread than it is.
🛠️ Steps to Troubleshoot Blank or Incomplete Pins
- Identify the affected pins: Open the heatmap in question and note which specific pins are blank or showing incomplete data. Take a screenshot if possible.
- Note the keyword and location: Record the exact keyword and grid location associated with each blank pin, as this information will be needed if you need to escalate.
- Run a new scan: Trigger a fresh heatmap scan to see if the blank pins populate on the next data retrieval cycle. Temporary interruptions during a previous scan may resolve on a rescan.
- Check multiple keywords: If the same grid coordinate is blank across several keyword heatmaps, this points to a location-specific data issue rather than a keyword-specific one. Note this pattern.
- Escalate if the issue persists: If pins remain blank after a fresh scan, contact our support team with the following details ready: your project name, the affected keyword(s), the approximate grid coordinates or a screenshot of the blank pins, and the date/time of the scan.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.