GTrack | Scheduled Scans Tutorial

Use the Scheduled Scans feature to automatically track your business rankings daily, weekly, or monthly, eliminating the need for manual setup each time.

Step 1: Go to Scheduled Scans

• In your dashboard sidebar, click on Scheduled Scans.
• Then click the + New Schedule button at the top to create a new one.

Step 2: Create a Scheduled Scan

Now it’s time to configure your Scheduled Scan.

1. Start by searching for your business name in the field at the top and selecting it from the results.

(Service Area Businesses (SABs) are also supported. GTrack can find and track businesses that don’t display a public address on Google Maps.)

2. Next: switch between Kilometers or Miles depending on your preference.
3. Choose your grid size and distance unit.

For example: select 9×9 grid and 1 km distance between pins.

4. Select the scan type you want to run:

• Maps (Google Maps)
• Local (Local Pack)

How scan types work

Maps scan

• Tracks your rankings at each pin of the geo-grid directly on Google Maps.
• Credits are equal to the number of pins. Example: 9×9 = 81 credits per keyword.

Local scan

• Tracks your rankings in the Local Pack (Map Pack) that appears in Google Search.
• Credits are 2× the number of grid pins. Example: 9×9 = 162 credits per keyword.

💡 Tip:

Use Maps when you want detailed visibility across your entire map area.

Use Local when you want to monitor how often your business appears in the Local Pack for searchers in specific locations.

⚠️ Note:

For Scheduled Scans, you can choose either Maps or Local - not both in the same schedule.

Each scan type generates unique statistics and results, so combining them would produce inaccurate data.

If you need both, simply create separate schedules for your Maps and Local scans.

5. Enter a descriptive Schedule Name to easily identify your scan later.
6. Add the keyword(s) you'd like to track:

• 🔹 Free Plan: up to 3 keywords
• 🔹 Starter Plan: up to 5 keywords
• 🔹 Advanced Plan: up to 10 keywords
• 🔹 Business Plan: up to 20 keywords
• 🔹 Pro Plan: up to 30 keywords

You can add keywords in three ways:

• Manually type the keywords you want to track and press Enter to add them. GTrack automatically shows Google keyword suggestions as you type to help you find related phrases.
• Bulk Add Keywords - Click the “Bulk Add Keywords” link, enter your keywords separated by commas or line breaks, and click “Add Keywords” to insert them all together.
• Use the AI Keyword Suggestions

Take advantage of our AI Keyword Suggestions feature to generate up to 20 recommended keywords based on your selected business.

• Click the blue star icon next to the keyword input field to open the AI suggestions modal.
• Select the desired keywords from the generated list by clicking "Add" next to each suggestion.

7. Choose Scan Frequency

Click on the Frequency dropdown and select how often you’d like the Scheduled Scan to run.

You can choose from several options:

• Daily: runs every day at the selected time
• Every Other Day: runs once every two days
• Weekly: runs once a week
• Every 2 Weeks, 3 Weeks, or 4 Weeks: for less frequent scans
• Monthly: runs once a month

Your choice depends on how closely you want to track changes in your Google Maps and Local Pack rankings.

For most users, a daily or weekly frequency provides the best balance between consistency and credit usage.

8. Set Time of Day

Below the frequency dropdown, set the Time of Day (24h format) when you want your scan to start.

For example, you can schedule it for 12:00 or any other preferred time.

Choosing a consistent time helps compare results accurately over days or weeks.

Many users schedule scans during off-peak hours to reduce load and ensure consistent data from Google.

9. Advanced Search Settings

Here you can set a custom Zoom Level and change the Language Settings. By default, the Zoom Level is set to 13z, but you can adjust it to any preferred level between 1 and 20 depending on how focused or broad you want the scan. The default Language is set to English.

📘 Learn more in our full guide: Set Zoom Level and Language in GTrack

10. Optionally, check "Send email when scans complete" if you want to receive a notification every time your Scheduled Scan finishes.
11. You can disable pins on the map to exclude specific locations from the scan, this helps focus only on relevant areas and reduces the number of scan credits used. 🔗 Learn how to Enable or Disable Pins to Get More Accurate Rankings
12. Click Create Schedule to finalize the setup, you’ll receive a confirmation message once it’s created successfully.

Step 3: View Your Scheduled Scan

View Your Scheduled Scan

Once your scan is created, it will appear in the Scheduled Scans list with full details displayed on its own card.

Scheduled Scan box will also display a colored label at the top:

• Local: for Local Pack (Map Pack) scans
• Maps: for Google Maps scans

This helps you easily distinguish between your scan types in the dashboard.

Each card contains key information about your Scheduled Scan:

• Business: The selected business you’re tracking.
• Keywords: The search terms being tracked across your map grid.
• Scheduled: How often and at what time the scan runs automatically.
• Grid: The size and spacing used for your scan area.
• Next Run: When the next Scheduled Scan will occur.
• Scan Credits: The total number of credits that will be used per run.
• Status: Indicates whether the scan is Active, Paused, or Completed.
• Notifications: Shows whether email alerts are Enabled for completed scans.

💡 You can use the icons at the top of the scan card to:

• View scan history
• Share the schedule report
• Run Scan Now to start the scan immediately
• Edit schedule settings
• Pause/Resume the scan or notifications
• Delete the schedule

In the next steps, we’ll walk you through each of these functions, so you’ll know exactly how to manage and get the most out of your Scheduled Scans.

Managing Your Scheduled Scans

📊 View Scan History

1. Click the View History 📷 icon on your Scheduled Scan card to open the full scan timeline and results history.

Here’s what you’ll see:

• A scrollable timeline at the top - select any date to view scan results from that specific day.
• The map view displays pin rankings for each scan point, color-coded by performance.

✅ You can select each keyword from the dropdown to view its results and ranking distribution individually.

📌 The Scheduled Scan Report gives you a full view of how your business performs in local search compared to competitors.

With insights on rankings, reviews, categories, and competitor strength, you can track progress over time and take action to stay ahead.

Click on any pin to view full Google Maps results for that exact location:

• See how your business ranks against others

Quick actions:

• Access quick links to View on Google
• New Scan: instantly run a new scan centered on this competitor
• Track: start monitoring this competitor in your Competitor Tracking list

📌 Learn more in the Track Competitors tutorial

• Competitor Report: generate a detailed competitor report with side-by-side analysis

📌 Full details in the Competitor Report tutorial

🔗 Share Scheduled Scan Report

Easily share your scan results with clients, teammates, or collaborators - without requiring them to log in.

2. Click the Share icon on any scan card to generate a public share link for that specific Scheduled Scan. Click Copy and share the link to anyone .

✅ Anyone with the link can view:

• The full scan map
• Ranking pins
• Business name and keyword details
• Ranking progress chart
• Scan history by date

📘 Want to learn more? 👉 How to Share a Scheduled Scan Report

⚡ Run Scan Now

3. Click the Run Scan Now ⚡ icon on your Scheduled Scan card to start a scan immediately, without waiting for the next scheduled time.

• This generates a scan that is included in your Scheduled Scan report but does not affect your Scheduled Scan timeline.
• You can use this option once every 24 hours. When you hover over the icon, you’ll see a tooltip showing the remaining time until the next manual scan can be triggered.
• The Run Scan Now action works as a regular scan, so depending on your selected grid size and number of keywords, it may take some time to complete.

✏️ Edit Your Scheduled Scan

4. Click the Edit icon ✏️ next to the scan card.

You can update the following fields:

• Scheduled name
• Keywords - Add or remove keywords manually, or use the AI Keyword Suggestions feature to generate keyword ideas.
• Grid size and distance unit choose between km or miles
• Scan frequency Daily, Weekly, Monthly
• Time of day to run the scan
• Toggle the checkbox to receive email notifications when scans complete

Once done, click the Update Schedule button.

⏸️ Pause or Resume a Scheduled Scan

5. Use this option to pause or reactivate any of your Scheduled Scans:

• Click the Pause icon ⏸️ to stop the scan temporarily.
• The status will change to Paused
• The scan will not run until resumed

• To reactivate it, click the Resume icon ▶️.
• The status will change back to Active

This feature is useful if you want to temporarily stop tracking without deleting the scan setup.

🔔 Enable or Disable Email Notifications

You can control whether you receive an email every time a Scheduled Scan completes.

6. Click the Email Notification icon 🔔 on the scan card.

• If notifications are enabled, clicking the bell icon will turn them off - perfect for when you want a quiet inbox.
• If notifications are disabled, click to turn them back on - so you never miss an update when your scans complete.

Whether you're laser-focused on tracking results or just need a breather, you're in full control. Get notified when it matters, or keep things quiet when it doesn’t.

🗑️ Delete a Scheduled Scan

7. If you no longer need a Scheduled Scan, you can remove it permanently.

• On the Scheduled Scans page, find the scan you want to delete.
• Click the Delete icon 🗑️ at the top-right of the scan card.

⚠️ Warning:

Once deleted, the scan and all its history will be permanently removed, this action cannot be undone.

Only delete a scan if you're sure you no longer need the data or future tracking for that business and keyword set.

✅ That’s It!

You’ve now successfully learned how to set up, manage, and share Scheduled Scans using GTrack.

This powerful feature allows you to:

• Automatically track your business rankings on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis
• Get email alerts when scans are completed
• Monitor keyword performance trends over time
• Instantly run a scan manually using Run Scan Now (once per 24 hours)
• Optimize credit usage by disabling unnecessary pins
• Share scan reports with clients or team members without requiring them to log in

Share scan reports with clients or team members without requiring them to log in

📊 Want to turn your Scheduled Scans into professional keyword performance reports?

👉 Learn how to generate a Rankings Report from Scheduled Scans

🔗 Want to share your Scheduled Scan results with clients or team members?

👉 How to Share a Scheduled Scan Report

Ready to automate your local SEO tracking and deliver clear, data-driven results?

Start using Scheduled Scans today and watch your rankings grow.

Updated on: 08/11/2025