Why I'm building a Google Maps rank tracker (and why "rank #1" is a lie)
Quick build-in-public note on what I'm working on and the insight behind it.
Every local business wants to "rank #1 on Google Maps." I started building GetRankOnMap assuming I'd help them get there — until I realized #1-everywhere literally can't exist.
Your Map Pack rank isn't one number. It's different in every neighborhood: you're #1 near your shop, #6 a few suburbs over, invisible at the edges — all at once, for the same keyword. That's because distance from the searcher is one of Google's three local ranking factors, and you can't be the closest business to everyone at the same time.
So every real rank heatmap is the same shape: a green core fading to red at the edges. Even the market leader has red zones. "Domination" just means owning a bigger green core than the next guy.
The tools that show this (Local Falcon and friends) work — but they're $150+/mo and expire your credits. I'm building the honest version: see your real coverage as a heatmap, free tier, credits that never expire.
Pre-launch right now. If the problem resonates, I wrote up the full "no business ranks #1 everywhere" idea here: https://www.getrankonmap.com/blog/no-business-ranks-1-everywhere
good
Thanks for the compliment!
Local SEO is becoming increasingly competitive. One thing I've noticed is that rankings don't always translate into business results unless you're also optimizing conversions and user experience. It'll be interesting to see how your tool approaches that.
Agreed, the local SEO stack is becoming competitive, and agreed to the fact that rankings don't convert to leads, and to be honest my current product is not for those business owners who just get up one day and feel like why am I not getting any leads. Mine is for those who know okay I have built a decent product, I have done a basic market research now how do I get more leads - and immediate next steps comes to visibility - now when they don't know in what area there is a blackspot, for what keywords the people are querying where they rank on map or not - they can think of optimising further - I hope now my approach to this is bit more clear. And truly once they get to know okay now I have to turn these red spots on heat map to green - I will come up with more features to help them with reviews, ratings, hygiene checks.
we should make the product good first, then the #1 will come itself
100% agreed, I am not solving that making rank #1 problem - I am helping business owners first have a look of where the problem is - which I believe is the first step towards fixing it ... imagine if you are a business owner who has done everything good for your product but never get to know that in 5km radius of your local business profile you are not rank #1 at half of the cells - and losing leads to competitors who are not at par of your product. I believe making good product is at very core of it I myself am building GetRankOnMap, but I would also want to know where I am lagging - cause those insights will let you add new features, optimise existing ones and progress on track of making a good product.
The insight is sharp — "rank #1" is a misleading metric and you're solving the actual problem. The free tier + credits that never expire is a smart wedge against Local Falcon. Building in public from day 0 is the right move. Following to see how it goes — just launched WhaleTrack myself so know the early grind well.
Thanks for the acknowledgement, good to know that you are also trying to solve a problem and building out in public - just wanted to ask is it me or you to who also thinks that at this point DISTRIBUTION has become more crucial than just building thing out? - would really want to know your thoughts on this ...
Oh really good to know about your organic growth on X, its something that I still have to figure out - would be helpful if you could drop some insights to on how to start on it.
Happy to share what's working for us:
1. Don't post into the void — reply on threads that already have views. A 100K-view tweet about France vs Sweden gets you free eyeballs. We drop our whale data there and people click through.
2. Be the signal, not the noise — instead of "check out my product," lead with the insight. "Whale wallets moved $2.5M into Morocco before kickoff" is interesting on its own. A link to WhaleTrack is just an ad.
3. Post at event time — World Cup matches, earnings calls, token unlocks. Time your content to moments when people are already searching that topic.
4. Consistency > virality — we post on every match. Followers start expecting it. That's how you build an audience, not one viral tweet.
None of this costs money. Just time + showing up every day.
Oh, getting it know, that's a whole playbook in its own terms ... thanks for sharing and keeping the thread, will surely try to include as many of them as possible while posting on X!
100%, thanks for the luck, will surely keep you updated!
I think the biggest insight here is that you're changing what success means. Most businesses chase a single ranking because it's easy to understand, even though it's impossible in practice. A coverage map answers a much more useful question: "Where am I actually winning, and where am I losing customers?" That's a decision people can act on, not just a metric they can celebrate.
Truly, the idea came into existence with that insight in mind, when businesses can understand okay this is the plot on map where I am organically ranking and okay this is region where even though my reviews are high but competition wins by proximity so I can divert my marketing spend at those lat,long and win for some time via sponsored results.
That's the part I found interesting.
At that point you're no longer helping businesses improve rankings—you're helping them decide where additional ranking is actually worth paying for.
That feels like a very different strategic decision than local SEO itself.
Its all about helping them know where the blind spots are, knowing the where you lack is first step towards fixing it.
I agree.
The interesting question for me is what happens after the blind spots become visible.
Finding them is one decision. Deciding which ones are actually worth acting on is another, and that's where I think the bigger strategic challenge starts.
I've got a couple of thoughts on that which are easier to explain than fit into a thread. If you're interested, what's the best email to reach you?