How to check your Google Maps ranking with a Google Maps rank checker

Why one search tells you almost nothing

Google Maps ranks you differently for every searcher. Someone two blocks away may see you first. Someone a mile out may not see you in the first page of results at all. So when a friend says "you're number one", they mean number one for them, standing where they stand.

A real Google map ranking checker asks the same question from many points and shows you the pattern. That pattern is the thing you can act on.

Check by hand

You can do a rough check with no tool. It is slow, but it teaches you what the tool is doing.

• Open a private or incognito window so your search history doesn't tilt the results.
• Go to Google Maps and type the words a customer would use, such as "plumber" or "pizza near me".
• Note where your business appears in the list.
• Move to a different spot, a few blocks away, and repeat. A phone browser works for this, or you can drag the map and search in this area.
• Write down every position. Mark any spot where you are missing from the first 20.

Use a Google Maps rank checker

A rank checker does the same thing for 25 or 49 spots at once and colors them for you. The free local rank checker from Pin & Stars needs no sign-up. You type your business, your city and a keyword, pick a walk-in shop (half mile steps) or a service area (two mile steps), and wait about 30 seconds.

Each circle on the result is one search. Green is positions 1 to 3, amber is 4 to 10, orange is 11 to 20, and red means you weren't in the first 20.

How to read the grid

Look for the shape of the green. Most businesses have a green core near the door that fades to red at the edges. That is normal, because distance is one of the things Google weighs.

Two things deserve attention. Red holes inside the core mean a rival is beating you on your own streets. A lopsided grid, green on one side and red on the other, often means a competitor sits just past the red edge.

Why your phone shows something different

Google changes results by exact location, time of day and your search history. A grid takes a clean reading from each point with no history, so a small gap between the grid and your phone is normal. Read the grid for the trend, not for one circle. If you want to test this yourself, search the same keyword on your phone at home, then again at the far edge of your service area, and compare the lists.

How often to check

Weekly is plenty. Google Maps results shift a little every day, and a weekly look shows whether the green area is growing or shrinking. Pin & Stars' paid plan scans 3 keywords a week on a 49-point grid. It isn't open yet, and you can join the list on the pricing page. If you want to improve what you see, read how to rank higher on Google Maps.

Other Google Maps rank checkers

Local Falcon, BrightLocal, Whitespark and Localo all draw grids too, and each has a different price and credit system. We compare them in best local rank trackers.