📍 Frequently Asked Questions — Local SEO & GBP
GBP Galactic is the Search Atlas hub for all local SEO and Google Business Profile management. It covers profile
optimization, post scheduling, review management, citation building, and local rank heatmaps. This article answers the
most common questions.
How do I connect my Google Business Profile to Search Atlas?
Go to Local → GBP Projects (GBP Projects) and click Connect GBP Account → Connect Google Business Profile. Sign in with
the Google account that owns or manages the GBP locations (view-only access is not sufficient). After authorizing,
select the locations you want to manage and click Save. ✅ Each selected location becomes a project in GBP Galactic.
I reconnected my Google account but GBP isn't loading. What do I do?
After reconnecting, give the platform 1–2 minutes to re-sync the OAuth tokens. If GBP still doesn't load after a full
page refresh, disconnect the account and reconnect it again. ⚠️ Make sure you're using the Google account that has
management access — if the account was recently transferred ownership, the previous manager's tokens may have been
invalidated.
Is GBP Plan-Gated? Do I need a specific plan to use GBP Audit?
The GBP Audit feature (profile completeness scoring and optimization recommendations) requires an active GBP connection
within OTTO. It is available on plans that include the Local SEO module. If you don't see GBP Audit in your OTTO
project, your plan may not include it — contact support to confirm your plan's feature access.
How do Local SEO Heatmaps work?
Heatmaps show how your business ranks geographically for a specific keyword across a grid of locations around your
address. For each point on the grid, the platform checks your ranking position in Google Maps:
- Green (Top 3) — you appear in the Google Maps 3-pack for that area
- Yellow (4–10) — in the extended results, close to the 3-pack
- Red (10+) — outside the primary local results for that area
💡 This identifies geographic gaps: for example, you might rank #1 near your address but #15 in an area 5 miles away.
Each heatmap scan consumes GBP Heatmap Credits.
Why are my heatmap pins showing missing or incomplete competitor data?
Competitor data on heatmaps relies on real-time Google Maps scraping. If a competitor's listing is incomplete, recently
suspended, or has low search relevance for that keyword at that grid point, they may not appear. This reflects actual
Google Maps behavior — it is not a data quality issue on Search Atlas's side. Try running the heatmap again with
different competitor names or keyword variations.
How do I schedule automated GBP posts?
Go to Local → Posts (GBP Posts) and click + Create new post. Set your cadence (daily, weekly, etc.), and provide topic
or keyword guidance. The platform generates and schedules posts using AI on the set frequency. Each automated post
consumes GBP Post Credits.
My scheduled GBP posts are stuck and not appearing. What should I do?
Check the post status in your Posts list. If posts are in "Queued" or "Pending" status for more than 30 minutes past
their scheduled time, contact support with your GBP project ID and the post dates. ✅ Automated post scheduler outages
are tracked and resolved by the engineering team — your credits are not consumed for posts that fail to publish.
Why aren't my GBP post edits saving?
⚠️ Make sure you click Save explicitly after editing — auto-save is not active in the post editor. If you're editing a
published post, changes must be re-published to Google after saving. If edits save in Search Atlas but don't reflect on
Google, try re-publishing the post.
Why does my GBP Score show "Calculating..."?
The GBP Score is computed after the platform finishes pulling your profile data and running its completeness check. This
typically takes 1–5 minutes for a new project or after reconnecting. If it has been more than 15 minutes, contact
support with your project location name and GBP project ID.
Why are my Google Business Posts not showing in Search Atlas even though they're live on Google?
Search Atlas syncs posts from Google on a regular schedule. Posts published directly on Google (outside Search Atlas)
may take up to 24 hours to appear in the platform. Posts published through Search Atlas appear immediately. If posts
that existed before you connected the account are missing, contact support — these need to be manually synced for the
first time.
How do Local Citations work?
Local Citations submits your business information (name, address, phone — NAP) to major data aggregators like Neustar
Localeze, Foursquare, Data Axle, and others. Consistent citations across the web are a local ranking factor. Go to Local
→ Local Citations (Local Citations), select your location, choose the aggregators you want to submit to, confirm your
NAP details, and submit. ✅ Search Atlas handles the distribution.
Why are my citation prices showing old values after I updated them?
Citation data updates on aggregators take time to propagate — typically 2–8 weeks depending on the aggregator. After
submitting an update in Search Atlas, the display in the platform may still show the previous values until the
aggregator confirms the update. ⚠️ If it's been more than 6 weeks and values still haven't updated, contact support.
How do I reply to Google reviews through Search Atlas?
Go to Local → Reviews (GBP Reviews). All reviews for your connected locations are listed here. Click Reply on any review
to write a response, or click Generate AI Reply to have the platform draft a context-aware reply. Review the draft, edit
if needed, and click Publish to send it directly to Google. Each AI-generated reply consumes GBP Review Credits.
How does the OTTO + GBP integration work?
Connecting your GBP location to an OTTO project unlocks: (1) GBP Audit recommendations inside OTTO for profile
completeness and category optimization, (2) LocalBusiness JSON-LD schema generated from your GBP data and deployed via
OTTO, and (3) Knowledge Graph sync so your GBP data feeds OTTO's AI content tools. 💡 To connect, open your OTTO project
and click the GBP icon to search for and select your location.
Why do some heatmap pins show no data or very few results?
This is by design. Google Maps search results are paginated — each page shows a maximum of 20 businesses. If the
business you are tracking ranks beyond position 20 for a given keyword in a specific location, that pin will show empty
or minimal data. It does not mean data collection failed; it means the business is not ranking in the top 20 Google Maps
results for that pin's location. 💡 To improve coverage, focus GBP optimization, local citations, and content efforts on
locations where the business is close to breaking into the top 20.
