Articles on: GTrack - Google Maps Rank Tracker

GTrack Run a Local Pack Scan in GTrack and Verify Results

⭐ How to Run a Local Pack Scan in GTrack and Verify Results


GTrack allows you to track your Local Pack rankings and verify them directly in Google Search.

This tutorial shows how to set up a Local Pack scan, view your results, and check them live in Google Search using the GTrack Spoofing Extension.


⚠️ Note: The Local Pack Scan feature is available on Paid plans.


How to Run the Local Pack Scan


🖊️ Step 1: Start a New Scan

  1. From your dashboard, click New Scan.
  2. Search for your business by typing your Business name and selecting it from the results. (Service Area Businesses (SABs) are also supported. GTrack can find businesses that don’t display a public address on Google Maps.)
  3. Add up to 5 Keywords (Take advantage of our AI Keyword Suggestions feature, click the blue star icon next to the keyword input field to open the AI suggestions modal).





📍 Step 2: Choose Local Pack Scan


Select one of the scan types:


  • Local (Local Pack) - checks your Local Pack rankings in Google.
  • Maps (Google Maps) - checks your Google Maps rankings on the grid.
  • Both - runs Local and Maps together.




📐 Step 3: Set Grid and Distance


  1. Select your preferred unit of distance: Kilometers or Miles
  2. Choose your grid size (e.g., 9x9*).
  3. Select your distance (e.g., 1 km).
  4. Click Initiate Scan.


⚡ Important:
A Google Maps scan uses credits equal to the number of grid points (e.g., 81 for a 9x9 grid).
A Local Pack scan uses double credits (e.g., 162 for 81 locations) since it collects extra data from Google’s Local Pack results.





📊 Step 4: Local Pack Results


After you initiate the scan, GTrack will process each keyword separately.


🔎 In the Scan Type column, you will notice two labels:

  • Local → Local Pack results.
  • Maps → Regular Google Maps results.


This way, you can clearly distinguish between Local Pack and Maps scans in your results list.

  • Click on Business Name **or **View Details to open the Local Pack scan results for that specific keyword across the selected grid.




🔎 Step 5: View Local Pack Rankings


You’ll see your ranking distribution across the grid.


📌 Notice that some grids include small icons or markers, these indicate sponsored ads (paid results) that appear for this keyword.

GTrack not only shows your organic rankings but also helps you identify and track sponsored ads in the Local Pack.






🔎 Step 6: See Local Pack Results on the Map


Click on any pin from your grid to open the detailed Local Pack results.

Here, you’ll see both the organic business rankings and any sponsored ads that appear for the same keyword.


This view allows you to check exactly how your business and competitors are displayed inside Google’s Local Pack.

From here, you can also open a detailed Competitor Report for any business to see their full ranking performance, visibility, reviews, and ads.

👉 Learn more in the Competitor Report Tutorial.






Click the Copy Link button to open your Local Pack results directly in Google Search.


⚠️ Geo Spoofing Required
If you try to open the link without spoofing, you’ll see this message.
👉 Follow the tutorial link to enable the GTrack Spoofing Extension so results match correctly.


📝 Why use the Spoofing Extension?

Google results are influenced by your real location, cache, history, and personalization.

The GTrack Spoofing Extension ensures you see results exactly as if you were searching from the scanned location, removing these outside influences.

This way, you can confirm that GTrack’s Local Pack reports reflect accurate and unbiased data.





🛰️ Step 8: Copy and Apply the Coordinates


Now, assuming you’ve already followed the tutorial and installed the GTrack Spoofing Extension, let’s get back to the Local Pack results.


Click the Copy button next to the GPS coordinates (Latitude & Longitude).

You’ll immediately see a green confirmation box saying:


✔️ “Copied & Applied: [ GPS coordinates]”


This means the spoofing extension has automatically applied the correct location.

👉 No other actions are required.






Click the Copy Link icon at the top of the Local Pack results.

This will copy the full Google results link to your clipboard.






Finally, take the copied link and paste it into an Incognito window.


⚠️ Important:

Always open the link in an Incognito window with the GTrack Spoofing Extension enabled.

This ensures that the results you see in Google Search are accurate and reflect the correct location data.





📣 Understand Local Ads with Ads Analysis (for every Local Pack scan)


Every Local Pack **scan includes an **Ads Analysis tab so you can see who’s paying for visibility around your grid and how competitive the ad landscape is.



🧭 Step 1: Open Ads Analysis

From the scan results header, click Ads Analysis to switch from the map to the ads report.




📊 Step 2: Read the Summary Cards

At the top you’ll see three key metrics:


  1. Most Seen Business - The advertiser that appeared in the most grid points for your keyword at scan time (e.g., Appears in 25 locations).
  2. Ad Coverage - The percentage of grid points where at least one ad showed (e.g., 52% → 42 of 81 grid points). Higher coverage = more ad presence across your area.
  3. Competition Density - The average number of advertisers per grid point (e.g., 1.9 advertisers/point). Higher density = tougher paid competition.




🧾 Step 3: Review the Advertisers List

Scroll to see a detailed table of all advertisers detected in the Local Pack across your grid.


What each column means:

  • Business - The advertiser’s brand name (marked with an AD badge). See the full business address and the categories they are listed under.
  • Rating / Reviews - Their current Google rating and review count (useful context on credibility).
  • Appearances - How many grid points showed this advertiser’s ad. This is your best proxy for ad share of voice in the area.
  • Contact - Phone and/or website so you can check landing pages or calls-to-action.
  • Location - Where they’re based (as detected at scan time).
  • Hours & Timezone - Open/closed status at the moment of the scan, plus their timezone.
  • Actions - Quick links to the Google Maps business URLs so you can directly investigate each advertiser.


You can search/filter this table by business name, address, or categories to focus on the advertisers most relevant to your analysis.




💾 Step 4: Export & Act

Click Export to CSV to download all ad data for sharing or deeper analysis in Sheets/Excel (e.g., trend tracking, client reporting, competitor watchlists).





💡 Tips

  • Spot dominance fast: “Most Seen Business” + high Appearances points to who’s investing most.
  • Gauge paid pressure: High Ad Coverage and Competition Density usually mean you’ll need stronger budgets or tighter geo-targeting.
  • Align organic & paid: Compare your Local Pack ranks with the advertisers list to decide where paid support can unlock more coverage.


That’s it: use Ads Analysis after every Local Pack scan to understand the paid landscape around your business and outsmart competing advertisers.



🎉 Done!


You’ve successfully run a Local Pack scan in GTrack and verified the results directly in Google Search.

This ensures your GTrack reports are accurate, transparent, and validated against real Google search results.


📊 Every Local Pack scan also includes an Ads Analysis tab.

Here you can see which businesses are running paid ads, how often they appear across your grid, and compare ad visibility vs. organic rankings.

This gives you a complete view of both organic performance and the competitive ad landscape in your target area.


Updated on: 10/11/2025

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