LOCAL SEO
A local rank tracker, point by point
Badgerfly's Local Rank Heatmap is a local rank tracker for Google Maps. It searches from every point of a grid across a business's service area and colours each point by the rank found there, so you see where the business is strong and where it disappears.
Why one rank number is not enough
On Google Maps, rank depends on where the searcher is standing. A business can hold the top spot for people a few streets away and not appear at all on the other side of town. A checker that searches from a single location reports one of those numbers and hides the rest. A grid of searches shows the whole picture.
How a scan works
Set up a campaign once: the business, the area, the grid size and the keywords. Each scan then searches from every point on the grid. Each point on the map shows the business's rank from that spot. Its colour gives the rank band:
| Colour | Rank at that point |
|---|---|
| Green | 1 to 3, the map pack |
| Yellow | 4 to 7 |
| Orange | 8 to 10 |
| Red | 11 to 20 |
| Grey X | beyond 20, or not found |
What each scan reports
Beside the map:
- Average rank, across every point where the business was found
- Visibility, a score from 0 to 100 weighted by rank: each point counts more the higher the business ranks there, and a point outside the top 20 adds nothing
- Points found, how many points the business was found at, for example 50 of 81
- Top competitors, the businesses that appear most across the grid, with their own average and best rank
Who it is for
Agencies and SEO teams that look after businesses with a service area: trades, clinics, law firms, restaurants, anyone whose customers find them on the map.
- Before the work starts, a scan shows the business where it stands.
- Each month after, a new scan shows the work spreading its reach.
- Where an area is weak, the map reads the same project profile as the rest of Badgerfly, so it leads straight to the listing, citation and competitor checks that explain it.
Track it over time
Scans can repeat on a schedule, so a campaign builds a history: whether the business's reach is spreading out from its location, holding, or shrinking. Every scan is kept and can be reopened.
Share a map with someone who has no account
A scan's map can be shared by link or embedded on another page, and the person viewing it does not need a Badgerfly account. Send it to the business you are working for, or put it in a proposal.
From the map to the fix
The heatmap shows where a business appears on the map. The other Local SEO modules, reading the same business profile, help explain why:
- Google Business Profile scores the listing against what the best-ranking businesses do and lists the fixes in order.
- Citation Audit checks the name, address and phone across the major directories.
- Local Competitors compares the businesses outranking it: map position, reviews, rating, links and page speed.
- Market Sentiment reads reviews across the market to show what customers praise and complain about.
What it costs
Setting up a campaign, reopening a past scan and sharing a map cost nothing; each new scan uses tokens. During the private beta, accounts are free with a monthly allowance. How tokens work
Questions
What is a local rank tracker?
A tool that checks where a business ranks in local search, usually on Google Maps. Badgerfly's version searches from many points across an area at once, not from a single location.
How is a heatmap different from a normal rank check?
A normal check returns one rank from one place. A heatmap repeats the search from every point of a grid and maps the results, so you see how rank changes across the area.
Does it track organic rankings too?
No, the heatmap covers Google Maps. Organic rankings are tracked in Position Tracker.
Can I see which competitors outrank the business?
Yes. Every scan lists the competitors that appear most, and Local Competitors compares them side by side.
PRIVATE BETA
Try Badgerfly on real work
Badgerfly is built and runs end to end, and it is in a private beta for agencies, freelancers and in-house SEO teams. Beta accounts are free, with a monthly allowance for real audits, research and tracking. All we ask is honest feedback.