Updated June 2026.
Quick answer: Read a local SEO heatmap by colour and by location. Green points (rank 1 to 3) are strong, amber (4 to 7) are okay, orange and red (8+) are weak. The points that matter most are the ones over the neighbourhoods where your real customers are. Fix red and orange areas inside your service area first.
A local SEO heatmap turns dozens of Google Maps rank checks into a single colour-coded map. The skill is not generating it, it is reading it correctly and knowing what to do next.
What the heatmap colours mean
- Green (1 to 3): Local Pack top 3. Excellent visibility from that point.
- Light green (4 to 7): on the map but below the immediate top results.
- Amber (8 to 10): borderline, many users will not scroll this far.
- Orange (11 to 15): weak, only people searching for you by name will find you.
- Red (16 to 20): poor, effectively invisible.
- Dark red (21+): not ranking from that location at all.
A strong map is mostly green in the centre and fades to amber at the edges. A weak map has red in the middle, right where your customers are.
Three patterns to look for
- Tight green core, red edges: normal. Your proximity advantage fades with distance. Expand reach with citations and reviews in outer areas.
- Red in the core: a problem. Your Google Business Profile is weak even near your address. Fix categories, primary category, reviews, and on-page relevance first.
- Patchy green and red: competitor-driven. Strong competitors own specific neighbourhoods. Study who ranks at those points (a good tool shows competitor positions per point).
Which grid size should you use?
| Area | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Single neighbourhood | 3x3 | 9 |
| Small town / suburb | 5x5 | 25 |
| Mid-size city | 7x7 to 9x9 | 49 to 81 |
| Large metro / region | 13x13 | 169 |
Bigger grids give more detail but take longer and cost more credits. Start small to find the problem areas, then zoom in. The free plan on localseotool.io covers grids up to 5x5. For how the grid actually queries Google, see geo-grid rank tracking explained.
What to fix first
Prioritise by money, not by colour. A red point over an industrial estate with no customers does not matter. A red point over a wealthy suburb you serve is urgent. Work outward from your most valuable areas:
- Confirm your primary Google Business Profile category is exact.
- Earn reviews from customers in the weak areas.
- Build local citations and service-area pages for those neighbourhoods.
- Re-run the heatmap after each change to measure impact.
For the full playbook, see how to rank higher on Google Maps, and use scheduled scans to track movement automatically.
Run and read your own heatmap
Generate a map free on the heatmap tool, or get the raw numbers from the rank checker. Then compare two dates side by side with grid reports to see exactly which areas improved.
FAQ
What does a good local SEO heatmap look like?
Mostly green across the neighbourhoods you serve, fading to amber only at the outer edges of your service area. Green where your customers are matters far more than green everywhere.
Why is my whole heatmap red?
Usually a weak or mis-categorised Google Business Profile, too few reviews, or a brand-new listing. Fix the profile fundamentals first, then rebuild local signals. Red everywhere is a profile problem, not a proximity problem.
How often should I re-run a heatmap?
Weekly or bi-weekly for active campaigns, monthly for maintenance. Comparing dated maps is how you prove that your work moved the needle.
Can I see competitors on the heatmap?
Yes. A good geo-grid tool shows the businesses ranking above you at each point, so you can see exactly who owns the areas where you are weak.