🔍 Overview
The Local SEO Heatmap tool in Search Atlas scans a grid of points around your business location and records how your listing ranks at each point for a given keyword. Two common questions from customers are: why do scores differ between back-to-back runs? and why does capitalisation (e.g. "car repair" vs "Car Repair") produce different results? This article explains what to expect and how to get the most consistent results from your scans.
⚙️ How the Heatmap Grid and Radius Work
When you configure a heatmap scan you choose two settings: a radius (how far from your pinned location to scan) and a grid size (how many points to plot across that radius). These two values together determine how the scan area is laid out.
- Radius — the distance from your business address to the outer edge of the scan area.
- Grid size — the number of grid points plotted across the scan area (for example, a 7 × 7 grid covers 49 points).
If you notice that your grid appears to be scanning a wider or different area than you configured, this may be related to how your radius and grid settings are stored. If you suspect a configuration discrepancy, please contact our support team with your project name and scan details so we can investigate.
📊 Why Scores Differ Between Back-to-Back Runs
Some variation between runs is normal. Common reasons include:
- Live Google data — the heatmap queries Google's local search results in real time. Google continuously updates rankings, so two scans run close together can return slightly different positions.
- Keyword capitalisation — search terms such as "car repair" and "Car Repair" may return different results. Always use the same capitalisation convention across all your scans to ensure consistent comparisons.
- Pinned location differences — if your scans have used different pin locations over time, scores from those runs are not directly comparable. Verify your pinned base address is consistent before comparing historical results.
✅ Best Practices to Get Consistent Results
- Always use the same keyword capitalisation across all scans for a given campaign.
- Verify your pinned location has not changed between scans before comparing results.
- Use the same radius and grid size settings across scans you intend to compare.
- If results look unexpectedly different between runs, note the exact scan settings, timestamps, and keyword used, and reach out to our team for review.
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.