This guide provides the essential steps to get started with Local Dominator. Following these instructions will take you from a new account to viewing your first GeoGrid heatmap. This heatmap gives you an accurate, visual map of your business’s true performance in local search results. The final result is more than just a report; it’s a strategic baseline you can use to measure the success of your local SEO efforts and show progress over time.
🎯 Who is this for?
SEO Agencies, Multi-Location Businesses, Solo Business Owners (SMBs)
📋 What you'll need
- The name and address of the business you want to track.
- A Local Dominator subscription (any plan).
⏳ Time to complete
Approximately 15-30 minutes.
Checking your rank from the office is misleading. Local search results depend heavily on the searcher’s Proximity, or their physical distance from your business. This is the key factor that standard rank checkers miss. Because a customer a few miles away sees different results than one across the street, it’s impossible to know where you truly rank across your entire service area.
Your first GeoGrid scan replaces this guesswork with objective data. It creates a detailed heatmap showing exactly what customers see, giving you a complete picture of your local visibility.
Use this first heatmap to:
- Establish a Baseline: Treat this scan as your official “before” picture. You’ll use it to measure all future local SEO progress.
- Demonstrate ROI: Show this report to clients to set clear expectations and create a starting point for proving the value of your work.
- Pinpoint Opportunities: Immediately see the specific neighborhoods where competitors are winning so you know exactly where to focus your strategy.
How to Run Your First Scan
Getting started with the GeoGrid scanner is fast and doesn’t require connecting any accounts. You can analyze any business—your own, a competitor’s, or a potential client’s—in just a few steps.
Step 1: Search for the Business
First, you need to tell the system which business to analyze.
- Navigate to the search bar at the top of the screen.
- Type the name of the business you want to track.
- Select the business from the dropdown list.
- If the business doesn’t appear (this is common for service area businesses), type the full business name and location (e.g., “Clockwork Pizza Tempe”) and click the “Search” button.
Once you select a business, its location will appear on the map, ready for the next step.
Step 2: Add Your Keywords
With the business located, it’s time to choose the search terms you want to track.
- Use Keyword Suggestions: The platform automatically suggests up to 30 high-intent keywords for the business you selected, saving you time on keyword research. Click on any of these suggestions to add them to your scan.
- Add Keywords Manually: You can type any additional keywords you want to track into the keyword box.
- Add Keywords in Bulk: Paste a list of up to 10 keywords separated by commas directly into the box and hit Enter to add them all at once.
Step 3: Configure Your Grid Settings
Now, you will define the exact geographic area for your scan.
- Adjust the Grid Location: Click and drag the grid to move it to a different position on the map. If you move it too far, click the “Center Grid” button to snap it back to the business’s location.
- Define the Grid: Choose a Shape (square or circle), the Grid Size (the number of scan points, with 13×13 being the most common), and the Distance between each point (e.g., 1 mile).
- Optimize Scan Points (Optional): To save credits, you can turn off individual scan points that are over areas where customers are unlikely to be searching, such as bodies of water. Click any dot to disable it for the scan.
For the most accurate local ranking data, run your scan during the business’s open hours, as Google may show different results when a business is listed as closed.
Step 4: Run the Scan
Once your keywords and grid are set, you’re ready to go.
- Add a Label (Optional): You can add a label, like “Prospect” or “Client Kickoff,” to help you filter and organize your scans later.
- Launch the Scan: Click the Run Scan button to start the process. You will be taken to the history page where you can monitor its progress.
Understand Your First GeoGrid Heatmap
Once completed, the scan generates a visual heatmap report. This is where you transform raw data into a clear, actionable insight.
When the scan status on the dashboard no longer says “Processing,” click on it to view the heatmap.
- Reading The Colors: The map is color-coded for quick analysis.
- Green: Your business ranks in the top 3 (the “Map Pack”), which means you have excellent visibility.
- Yellow: Your business ranks on the first page but outside the top 3 (positions 4-10). You are visible but have room to improve.
- Red: You have poor visibility, ranking below position 10 or not at all. These areas are your biggest opportunities for growth.
- Understanding The Numbers: Each dot on the grid shows a number. This is your business’s exact ranking for a search conducted from that specific point.
- Uncover Competitive Intelligence: Click on any red or yellow point on the map. A pop-up will show you exactly which competitors are outranking you in that neighborhood. This gives you actionable data to start building your local SEO strategy.
Best Practices for Your First Scan
Tips for Agencies
Add this first scan to your client onboarding checklist. The initial heatmap is a powerful visual for kickoff reports to set a performance baseline and manage client expectations. It shows value immediately and makes it easy to demonstrate progress with future reports.
Tips for Multi-Location Businesses
Run identical scans for each of your business locations, using the same keyword and grid settings. This helps you create an internal benchmark to see which branches are performing well and which may need more marketing support.
Establish a Baseline
This first scan is your “before” picture. Save a PDF or screenshot of the report. As you work on your SEO, you can compare future scans against this baseline to visually track your progress and prove your strategy is working.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to connect my Google Business Profile to run a scan?
No, you do not need to connect a Google Business Profile to run a GeoGrid scan. You can search for any business—your own, a competitor’s, or a client’s—directly from the search bar to start a scan.
Why are my local rankings different from what I see on my computer?
Your location has a big impact on your search results. When you search from your office, Google knows your location and shows you results that are physically close. However, a customer searching from a different neighborhood, even just a few miles away, will see different results based on their proximity to local businesses. A GeoGrid scan shows you this wider, more accurate view of your rankings across your entire service area.
My first scan used credits. How does the credit system work?
Every scan uses credits, and the amount depends on the grid size. A 9×9 grid scan uses 81 credits—one for each data point. Larger grids offer more detail but use more credits. To learn more, read our guide on How the Local Dominator Credit System Works.
My heatmap is mostly red. Is that bad?
Not at all. A map with a lot of red is a very common starting point and shows a big opportunity for growth. It gives you an honest baseline and clearly shows where you need to focus your efforts. Click on the red points to see which competitors are winning in those areas and start building a strategy to improve your rankings.
What is the best keyword for my first scan?
For your first scan, choose a broad, high-intent keyword that represents one of your core services. Think about what a potential customer would search for when they need you most. Examples include “emergency plumber,” “divorce lawyer,” or “italian restaurant near me.” This will give you the clearest initial picture of your visibility for your most important services.
Related Resources
- Next Step: How to Set Up Recurring Scans to Monitor Monthly Progress
- Learn More: Understanding the Local Dominator Credit System
- Learn More: What is a GeoGrid Rank Tracker?