A complete walkthrough on setting up and using the Local Search Grid feature in your EMR dashboard — written specifically for agencies managing local SEO for clients.
1. What is Local Search Grid?
The Local Search Grid is a visual SEO tool that helps you track where your clients' businesses rank on Google Maps based on physical location. Instead of just checking one rank for a city, it shows ranking positions from multiple points ("pins") across a map — just like real customers searching from different areas.
2. Why Use Local Search Grid?
✅ Track your client's local visibility — Understand exactly where they rank in different parts of their city or service area.
✅ Prove ROI to clients — Visually show SEO improvements over time and justify your agency fees.
✅ Monitor competitors — Identify which competitors dominate specific areas around your client's business.
✅ Support SABs — Perfect for clients like plumbers, locksmiths, electricians and other Service Area Businesses that don’t display a public address.
3. What Features Do We Support?
- 📌 Multi-pin scan grid (configurable size)
- 🤩 Drag-and-drop pin placement for custom reports
- 📍 Rank tracking based on actual GPS coordinates
- 🛠 SAB (Service Area Business) support
- 🌐 Choose between Google Places API or DataForSEO Maps API
- 🧠 Smart scheduling for automated scans
- 📊 Snapshot history and ranking summaries
- 🔗 White-label shareable links to show your clients their live map scan results
- 🔢 Exportable images to use in reports, presentations, or pitch decks
- 📈 Competitor tracking to compare your client with local rivals
- ♻ Unlimited scans for all users regardless of plan
4. How to Set Up Local Search Grid (Google API Method)
If you're just getting started, we recommend using the Google API — Google includes $200/month in free usage credits, which covers most agencies' needs.
Step-by-Step Setup
1. Create a Google Cloud Project
- Visit: Google Cloud Console
- Click "New Project" and name it
2. Enable Required APIs
Inside your project:
-
Navigate to APIs & Services > Library
-
Enable:
- ✅ Places API
- ✅ Places API (new)
- ✅ Maps JavaScript API
- ✅ Geocoding API
3. Create Your API Key
- Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
- Click "Create credentials > API key"
- (Optional) Restrict the key to specific APIs and referrers
4. Add to Local Search Grid Settings
- Open your EMR dashboard
- Go to Agency > Local Search Grid
- Click "Add API Key"
- Paste your API Key into the "Google Places API Key" field
Note: Even if you choose to use DataForSEO for scans, your Google API Key is still required for address search, Google Autocomplete, and internal map previews. Don’t worry, the $200/month free tier from Google usually covers this part.
5. How to Set Up DataForSEO (Advanced Option for Agencies)
DataForSEO is a premium 3rd-party API — ideal for agencies, especially when managing multiple client locations or SABs.
Why Use DataForSEO?
- 🚀 Built for scale — scan more pins, more often
- 🔒 Works with SABs that don’t display addresses
- 💰 Up to 50× cheaper at scale compared to Google API
| Google API | DataForSEO API |
|---|---|
| ~$0.288 per scan | ~$0.0054 per scan |
| $200/month free | Paid usage only (sandbox mode available) |
Who Should Use This?
- Agencies managing many client accounts
- Agencies running regular weekly scans
- Agencies working with Service Area Businesses
- Note: DataForSEO scans may take longer to complete we use the standard queue to save you money. - Don't worry all scans run in the background so you can continue working while they complete.
Step-by-Step Setup
1. Create a DataForSEO Account
- Sign up at https://dataforseo.com
- Access your login and password for API usage
2. Enter API Credentials in EMR
-
Go to Settings > Local Search Grid in your dashboard
-
Add your:
- API Login
- API Password
3. (Optional) Enable Sandbox Mode
- Use Sandbox to test the setup without spending credits
- This will return dummy data only (no real ranking results)
Why Still Use Google API With DataForSEO?
Even if you choose DataForSEO, the Google API is still required for:
- 🧠 Autocomplete suggestions during location setup
- 🗘 Map previews within EMR
Don't worry — Google's $200/month free tier usually covers this part. For reference, it typically covers:
- ✅ Thousands of Autocomplete requests/month
- ✅ Around 600–700 Local Search Grid scans/month based on 9-pin grids (If not using DataForSEO)
✅ Final Tips for Agencies
- Start with a 3x3 or 5x5 grid depending on local area size
- Use Snapshots to show before/after SEO improvements
- Combine with feedback requests to improve rankings and visibility
- Educate clients using visual scan reports as part of your deliverables
Happy scanning — and impress those clients! 🌟