Skip to main content
The Rank Tracker shows you where your business appears in local Google Maps search results for keywords you care about. Instead of a single ranking number, it displays your position across a geographic grid — a matrix of locations around your business — so you can see where you rank strongly and where you are invisible.
Rank Tracker requires a paid plan. Expired and unactivated accounts cannot run checks. The grid size and number of daily checks depend on your plan.

How it works

Each grid cell represents a geographic point near your business. When you run a rank check, NearIQ performs a Google Places search biased to each cell’s location and records where your business appears in the results. The number shown in each cell is your position in those results — 1 means you were the top result, >20 means your business was not found in the top 20 results from that location. The centre cell of the grid represents your business’s own location.

Plan limits

PlanMax grid sizeDaily checks
Starter3×35
Growth5×520
Agency / Enterprise7×750–200

Running a rank check

1

Enter a keyword

Type the search term you want to track — for example, coffee shop near me or plumber Austin. This is the query your potential customers might use on Google Maps.
2

Choose a grid size

Select 3×3, 5×5, or 7×7. Larger grids give you a wider geographic picture but count towards your daily limit. Grid sizes above your plan’s maximum are locked.
3

Choose a radius

Select the radius in kilometres that the grid should cover — 1 km, 2.5 km, 5 km, or 10 km. A smaller radius shows hyper-local results; a larger radius shows how far your visibility extends.
4

Click Run Check

NearIQ runs the check and displays the results immediately. The check is added to your history for this keyword.
You can also submit by pressing Enter in the keyword field.

Reading results

Summary stats

Above the grid, four summary cards give you an instant read on the check:
  • Avg Rank — your average position across all cells in the grid
  • Top 3 — the percentage of cells where you appear in the first three results
  • Not in Top 20 — how many cells returned no result for your business
  • Radius — the search radius used
  • Trend — the change in average rank compared to your previous check for this keyword (only shown when history exists)

Grid visualisation

The grid is colour-coded so you can identify patterns at a glance:
ColourRank range
Green#1–3
Yellow#4–7
Orange#8–15
Red#16–20
Grey>20 (not in top 20)
A you label marks the centre cell — your business’s own location. Hovering a cell shows the top result from that location, which tells you who is outranking you in that area.
Cells showing >20 are coverage gaps. If several adjacent cells are grey, you have a concentration of area where you are essentially invisible in local search for that keyword.

Tracking multiple keywords

If you have run checks for more than one keyword, a keyword sidebar appears on the left. Click any keyword to switch to its results. Each keyword entry shows the latest average rank and top-3 percentage, plus a sparkline trending chart when history exists.

History and trend tracking

For each keyword, NearIQ stores every check you run. Below the grid, the History section lists all previous checks with their date, average rank, and top-3 percentage. Click any historical check to view that grid snapshot. A trend sparkline in the header shows how your average rank has moved over time — green means improving (lower number), red means declining.

What affects local rank

Local Google Maps ranking is influenced by a combination of factors:
  • Proximity — how close your business is to the searcher’s location
  • Relevance — how well your Google Business Profile category and content match the search query
  • Prominence — your rating, review count, review recency, and how often customers interact with your listing
The Rank Tracker shows you the outcome of these factors, not the factors themselves. If you see weak rankings in certain cells, improving your review velocity and GBP completeness (via the My Business tab) is the most direct lever available to you.
Rank check results reflect conditions at the time the check ran. Rankings fluctuate based on real-time personalisation, Google algorithm updates, and competitor activity. A single check is a point-in-time snapshot — track trends over multiple checks for a reliable picture.