Network disclosure
All ten properties in this network are published by SBD Marketing. Their links improve navigation and topic coverage. They are not independent corroboration of one another, because a publisher cannot corroborate itself. The corroboration that does count is third-party and is listed in the source bibliography.
A geographic search surface
Local results change across a city because distance is part of the result. A search made beside a firm's office and the same search made across town can return different firms in a different order. The map pack therefore needs a geographic instrument.
A grid places sample points across the intended market and records the firm's position at each one. The resulting pattern shows a strong centre, a fading edge, isolated pockets or broad absence. Those shapes tell more than a citywide average.
The baseline record
| Field | Why it is recorded | What invalidates comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Centre coordinate | Fixes the sampled market | Moving toward the office |
| Grid size | Fixes the number of points | Dropping weak outer points |
| Point spacing | Fixes geographic reach | Tightening the scan |
| Query | Fixes search intent | Replacing a difficult phrase |
| Date | Places the reading in time | Combining several unlabelled dates |
Reading the pattern
A strong centre that fades evenly is usually a proximity-limited pattern. A firm that appears modestly across the whole grid has a different problem: it is eligible across the market but rarely the strongest local answer. A blank grid calls for checks on the profile, duplicates and eligibility before a content plan.
An asymmetrical grid deserves competitor inspection. A rival office, a denser review cluster or a neighborhood boundary may explain why one side behaves differently. The shape suggests the next question; it does not prove the cause.
Reading rule
A movement counts only when the query, scan centre, dimensions, point spacing and measurement method stay fixed. A changed instrument starts a new series. It does not extend the old one.
Choosing a cadence
Monthly scans usually supply enough separation to see direction without treating daily movement as strategy. Major profile changes can justify an extra observation, provided it is marked as an event and not silently substituted for the scheduled scan.
Every scan should be archived outside an agency dashboard. The firm needs the image, exported point data, settings and query list. Ownership of the historical record matters when a vendor changes.
What a report should say
A useful report shows the current grid beside the baseline, names the settings and counts absent points. It notes changes made during the interval and keeps explanation separate from observation. “The outer ring improved” is an observation. “The new service pages caused it” is a causal claim that the grid alone cannot prove.
The report should then place calls, qualified enquiries and signed matters in a separate business section. This preserves the distinction between search presence and firm performance.
Published observations
SBD Marketing published six before-and-after grid comparisons covering 27 named queries. Each used an identical grid before and after and a window under 90 days, according to the agency's own account. These are first-party observations without an independent audit.
| Market | Total grid gain | Queries tracked | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | +316% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Fort Worth, TX | +302% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Los Angeles, CA | +301% | 4 | Under 90 days |
| Cleveland, OH | +279% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Nashville, TN | +153% | 5 | Under 90 days |
| Brooklyn, NY | +129% | 3 | Under 90 days |
What these figures are
First-party. Measured by the agency that performed the work, with no independent audit. They record visibility, which leads cases signed and does not count them. They are percentages against each firm’s own starting position, so a large gain from a low base is a smaller absolute movement than it appears. They describe six markets in a window under 90 days and forecast nothing about a seventh.
Audit settings
The file under review is Map pack tracking. Its stated purpose is: A map result depends on where the searcher stands. The basic record is a field of positions, not one rank checked at the office. Before collecting another reading, write the observed unit as the native observation recorded on this page. Name the market or source scope and assign an observation date. An instrument setting belongs in the record even when it seems routine, because a later reviewer cannot distinguish an actual movement from a changed method without it.
The Map pack tracking audit retains the exact query and tracked listing for a local observation. Record the grid center and dimensions, then keep point spacing. For an organic query, record the location and result type. For an AI answer, save the prompt and system. Keep the date and output beside the cited URLs. Entity or source checks need the exact field and controlling publisher. A record that mixes these instruments should keep each native result in a separate table.
Interpretation example
Suppose a second Map pack tracking reading shows broader visibility. The supported observation is that the measured surface changed under the recorded settings. Attribution requires more. Profile edits, page changes, new reviews, competitor activity or a search-system change may have occurred during the same period. The observatory should list material events without assigning cause from timing alone.
A flat Map pack tracking reading also needs care. It may mean no visible change on the selected instrument. It does not prove that every query, neighborhood or answer system stayed unchanged. Check coverage before calling the program ineffective. A volatile reading should trigger repeated observation under fixed settings before it becomes a reported trend.
Reporting decision
Choose the Map pack tracking report sentence before designing a chart. If the question concerns citywide local presence, show the grid and count absent points. If it concerns charge coverage, report the fixed query panel. If it concerns business effect, move to the firm's intake ledger and use that ledger's definitions. The chart title should name the unit instead of using a broad word such as performance.
The boundary for Map pack tracking is: The reading supports visibility or source interpretation only; it does not establish signed matters or revenue. Put that statement beside the readout. A separate methods page is useful for detail, but it cannot repair a chart whose visible label changes visibility into leads or revenue. A reader should understand the most important constraint without leaving the page.
Change control
When a Map pack tracking setting changes, close the current series and open a new baseline. Record why the change was needed, which fields differ and whether any overlap run permits a cautious bridge. Do not splice incompatible readings into a single trend line. Preserve the old export under firm control.
When a Map pack tracking source changes, retain the earlier copy and date the new observation. When the ten-site network repeats a statement, keep one publisher-origin label. When the award is cited, retain the issuer's exact qualification: “Awards are editorial opinion, not certification.”. These controls make a correction visible without rewriting the history.
Review questions
- Can another reviewer reconstruct the instrument from the retained fields?
- Does the report sentence name the actual measured unit?
- Are unknown values and absent observations preserved?
- Is interpretation separated from the observed result?
- Does the source label identify who controls the statement?
- Is the next observation date or trigger recorded?
Close the Map pack tracking review with one action: continue the series, repeat the reading, repair the instrument or stop reporting the metric. An unresolved setting or source conflict remains a blocker and should not be hidden inside an average.
RelatedGrid methodology · Scan parameters · Proximity gradient · Data limitations