Geo-grid size and spacing
Which grid and spacing to start with for each kind of business, with credits and distances worked out.
Read the guide: Geo-grid size and spacingGuide
Why Google Maps rankings differ on a phone and on a computer.
Search for the same business from the same spot on a phone and on a computer, and Google Maps can list different businesses in a different order. We can’t see inside Google’s ranking, so this page sticks to what we measured.
Last updated · Written by the Local Pinmeter team in Phoenix, Arizona
The short answer
They are two different lists, so a tracker has to pick one.
A rank tracker reports where a business appears for a search. If the phone and the computer show different lists, a report built from the computer’s list can disagree with what a customer on a phone saw. So many local searches, especially “near me” searches, happen on phones that Local Pinmeter scans Google Maps as a phone sees it by default.
That is a choice we tested, not just made. In our accuracy test, scans that used a computer’s view were farther from what a phone showed than scans that used a phone’s view.
What we measured
Phone view against computer view, pin by pin
In our accuracy test (PinProof™), a virtual phone searched Google Maps at the pins of a grid around Element Nail Bar’s 16th Street salon, for “nail salon near me” and “pedicure near me”. We scanned the same pins with several Local Pinmeter settings and measured how far each was from what the phone showed. A pin outside the top 20 counts as 21.
One business, one area, two keywords, two rounds two days apart. The phone is a virtual phone, not validated against a real phone. Context from the test, not part of the pre-registered claim. Method and limits
| Local Pinmeter setting | Average gap from the phone, in ranks (lower is closer) |
|---|---|
| Phone view, zoom 12 | 0.62 |
| Phone view, zoom 14 (one scan: what the app does) | 0.58 |
| Phone view, zoom 17 | 0.53 |
| Computer view, zoom 13 | 1.43 |
| Computer view, zoom 14 | 2.54 |
| Computer view, zoom 17 | 2.70 |
| Phone view, zoom 14, “near me” left out of the keyword | 4.41 |
92 pin and keyword readings, the held-out half of two rounds (October 17, 2026 and October 19, 2026). This is context from the test, not part of its pre-registered claim.
- The phone view stayed close to the phone at every zoom we tried: 0.53 to 0.62 ranks apart on average.
- The computer view was farther, and it moved with zoom: 1.43 at zoom 13, 2.54 at zoom 14 and 2.70 at zoom 17.
- Leaving “near me” out of the keyword was the biggest gap: 4.41 ranks, when the phone had searched the “near me” version.
Limits. One business, one area, two keywords, two rounds two days apart. The phone is a virtual phone (an Android emulator), not validated against a real phone, and it is signed in to the business’s own Google account. These numbers describe our settings in that test; we make no claim for other tools or other places. Method, numbers and limits on the accuracy page.
What to do with it
Scan the way your client’s customers search
- Use the phone view. It is the default here. Keep it the same from scan to scan.
- Type the keyword as customers do, “near me” included.
- Keep the zoom the same between scans you want to compare. What zoom means.
- Don’t compare a phone scan with a computer scan. The two lists differ, so the gap may be the view, not a change in your client’s ranking.
Compare it with the tool you use now
- Pick a client and one keyword.
- Run the same grid, centre and spacing in your current tool and in Local Pinmeter, at the same time. Google Maps rankings move during the day.
- Compare the two maps pin by pin.
Questions
Questions about phone and computer rankings
Is the phone view or the computer view the right one for local rankings?
Neither is wrong: they are two different result lists. Local Pinmeter scans the phone view by default because so many local searches, especially “near me” searches, happen on phones. What matters is to compare scans only when they use the same view and the same zoom.
Why does zoom matter?
Zoom changes how much of the map is in view when the search is made, and with it which businesses Google shows. In our test the phone view stayed close to the phone at zooms 12, 14 and 17 (0.53 to 0.62 ranks apart), while the computer view moved with zoom (1.43 at zoom 13 to 2.70 at zoom 17). The default here is zoom 14.
Why does “near me” matter in a keyword?
A “near me” search is ranked around where the searcher is. When we left “near me” out of the keyword we scanned, while the phone searched the “near me” version, the scans were much farther from the phone: 4.41 ranks apart on average, against 0.58 with it. Scan the keyword the way customers type it.
How was this tested?
A virtual phone searched Google Maps at the pins of a grid around one salon, and we compared each of our settings with what it showed. It is one business in one area, and the phone is a virtual phone, not a real one. The accuracy page has the method, the numbers and the limits.
Can I check this on my own clients?
Yes. Run the same grid in your current tool and in Local Pinmeter’s free trial, then compare the two maps pin by pin. The trial is 1,000 free credits, no card. The steps are here.
Trust every pin.
See your client’s map as a phone sees it.
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