How a Maps audit differs from a profile audit
A Google Business Profile audit asks whether your listing is complete, accurate and compliant. A Google Maps audit asks a different question: given your listing as it is, where do customers actually see you on the map, and where do they see someone else?
The two overlap, but the Maps audit is built around visibility data. It starts from the map, not from the listing, and works backwards to the causes.
What we measure
Rank grids for several searches
We run rank grids for the searches that matter most to your business, usually three to five: your main service, one or two secondary services, and a broad category word customers type in the Maps app. Each grid places checkpoints across your service area and records your position at each point.
Comparing grids for different searches is revealing. A business may rank well for "water heater repair" across a wide area but poorly for "plumber" just a mile from its office. That pattern points to a category or relevance problem rather than a distance problem.
Share of visibility
From the grids, we calculate how much of your service area shows you in the top three, the top ten, or not at all. This share of visibility becomes the baseline for future work and the clearest single number to track.
Competitor map
For each search, we record which businesses take the top positions in each part of your area. Often a handful of competitors dominate different zones: one owns the area around Camelback East, another owns North Phoenix. Knowing who wins where, and why, shapes the strategy.
Pin and address accuracy
We check that your pin sits on the correct building and entrance, that the address format matches postal records, and that no old listing at a previous address is still showing. Misplaced pins are common in large shopping centers, business parks and new developments.
Hours and filters
Maps users often filter results by "Open now" or by rating. We check that your hours, including holiday and special hours, are accurate, and note how filters affect your visibility at different times.
Reviews and ratings
On Maps, the star rating appears next to every result. We compare your rating, review count and recency with the businesses winning each zone.
Map spam
Some local packs contain listings that break Google's rules: fake businesses, keyword-stuffed names, or listings at addresses where no business operates. These can push legitimate businesses down. We identify suspicious listings in your area and explain how to report them through Google's channels.
Other map platforms
Many iPhone users search in Apple Maps, which uses its own data through Apple Business Connect. We check that your Apple Maps listing exists and matches your Google details, because customers use both.
How we explain the results
| Pattern on the grid | Likely cause | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Strong near the office, fades quickly | Low prominence | Reviews, local links, citations |
| Weak even at the office | Relevance problem | Category, services, website page |
| Strong for one search, weak for another | Category or service gap | Add or adjust categories and services |
| A sharp edge where results stop | Competitor cluster or filter | Compare with the competitor, check filtering |
| Sudden collapse across the grid | Suspension, duplicate or major edit | Check the profile status immediately |
Example: reading grids for a service-area business
Imagine a garage door company based near Deer Valley that serves the north half of the Valley. Its audit might show:
- For "garage door repair", top-three results across most of North Phoenix and Glendale, fading south of Camelback Road.
- For "garage door installation", weak results everywhere, even near its base.
- For "garage door company", top-three results only in a small circle around its location.
These patterns tell a clear story. Repair has good relevance and decent prominence. Installation has a relevance gap, likely a missing service on the profile and no dedicated installation page. The broad category search is dominated by competitors with much larger review counts, so prominence is the limiting factor. Each pattern leads to a different fix.
Using actions as evidence
Rankings are only part of the picture. Your Google profile's performance data shows how many people called, asked for directions or visited your website from the listing. In the audit, we compare those actions with your grid coverage:
- High visibility, few actions: the listing appears but does not persuade. Photos, reviews, hours or the business name may be putting people off.
- Low visibility, many actions per view: the listing persuades well when seen. Widening coverage should bring more customers.
- Falling actions with steady visibility: a seasonal dip, a competitor offer or a problem such as wrong hours.
Phoenix-specific considerations
The Valley's size and layout affect Maps results more than in many cities:
- Long distances. A service area from Peoria to Gilbert spans many miles, so competitors in each part of the Valley matter.
- Freeway geography. Customers think in terms of routes along I-10, I-17, SR 51 and the Loop 101, 202 and 303. Businesses near major exits can gain visibility for drivers on those routes.
- Clusters of competitors. Some areas, such as the Camelback Corridor for professional services, have many competitors packed close together, which raises the bar for prominence.
- Seasonal residents. In winter, more searches come from seasonal residents in areas like Scottsdale, Mesa and Sun City, which can change who wins those zones.
What you receive
- Rank grids for each searched term, with share of visibility.
- A competitor map showing who wins each zone and their key strengths.
- Findings on pin accuracy, hours, reviews, spam and other map platforms.
- A ranked fix list focused on widening your coverage.
- A walkthrough of the results and next steps.
After the audit
The fixes usually fall into three groups: profile changes that improve relevance, trust-building work such as reviews and citations that improves prominence, and website changes that support both. Our Google Maps SEO service and map pack SEO service carry out that work, and we rerun the grids regularly to measure progress against the audit's baseline.
Who a Maps audit suits
- Storefronts that depend on customers finding them and driving there.
- Service-area businesses that want to know how far their visibility reaches.
- Multi-location businesses comparing performance between branches.
- Businesses that suspect spam listings are pushing them down.
- Businesses that saw a sudden change in calls or direction requests from Google.
Common Maps audit findings
- A pin placed at the center of a shopping center instead of the store entrance.
- Holiday hours never set, so the listing showed "Open" on closed days.
- A broad primary category that matches only some of the business's searches.
- A competitor ranking with a keyword-stuffed business name.
- An old listing at a previous address still appearing for some searches.
- No Apple Maps listing, or one with an old phone number.
How often to rerun the grids
Map visibility changes as competitors add reviews, open locations or change their profiles. We recommend rerunning the main grids monthly during active SEO work, and at least quarterly otherwise. The audit's first grids act as the baseline for every later comparison.
Maps audits for multi-location businesses
For businesses with several branches, each location gets its own grids and competitor map. Comparing locations side by side quickly shows which branches have strong coverage, which are held back by weak reviews or relevance, and whether any locations are competing with each other for the same searchers.
What we need
- Your business name and the address or service area on your profile.
- The searches you care most about.
- The parts of the Valley you most want to reach.
- Manager access to your Google Business Profile, if you want profile data included.