Grid Size is the number of measurement points along each side of a Local Grid — a 13×13 grid, for example, is 13 points wide and 13 points tall, giving 169 sample locations in all.
| Term | Grid Size |
|---|---|
| Category | Local SEO and Maps |
| Also known as | Grid Dimensions |
| Where it appears | Google Maps analysis settings |
What it means in RankGear
Grid Size is a setting you choose before running a Google Maps rank check. RankGear samples the business’s local ranking at a lattice of points spread across a geographic area, and Grid Size fixes how many points sit along each edge of that lattice. A 13×13 grid produces 169 sample points, a 7×7 grid produces 49, and a 5×5 grid produces 25. Larger grids trace how rank shifts across more locations, at the cost of more provider lookups and a longer run.
How to interpret it
Grid Size sets resolution, not reach. It works alongside the other grid settings — the center coordinate, the spacing between points, the provider, and the tracked business identity — and only together do they define what a grid actually measures. A 13×13 grid at tight spacing covers a single neighborhood in fine detail; the same 13×13 at wide spacing spans a whole metro at coarser detail. Before you read any rank pattern off a grid, confirm the full set of settings so successive runs compare like with like.
| Grid Size | Total sample points |
|---|---|
| 5×5 | 25 |
| 7×7 | 49 |
| 9×9 | 81 |
| 13×13 | 169 |
Example
A pizzeria runs a 9×9 grid centered on its storefront with points spaced half a mile apart — 81 sample points covering roughly a four-mile-wide square. The business lands in the top three near the center, slips to positions 8–12 about a mile out, and returns a provider error at two edge points. That gradient is exactly what the grid’s 81 readings expose and a single rank check would hide.
Important considerations
- Grid Size drives run time and quota: a 13×13 grid is 169 lookups against a provider versus 49 for a 7×7, so a larger grid costs proportionally more to run.
- Map rankings are highly proximity-sensitive. The same business can rank differently from one point to the next, and results shift with coordinates, zoom, provider data, and time.
- Grid Size counts points per side only; spacing decides how much ground the grid covers, so two grids of equal size can describe very different areas.
- Provider grid results are comparative snapshots of local visibility, not Google ranking scores. Read them as indicators of where a business is more or less visible, never as a cause of ranking.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.