SEO Maps

Maps Intelligence (March 2026)

Shared Data Cache

Step 0 -- Check shared data cache:

Before gathering, check .seo-cache/ for reusable context from related SEO skills. Reference: ../seo/references/shared-data-cache.md for schemas and dependency map.

Check these cache files when present:

• .seo-cache/site-meta.json for domain, business type, industry, and crawl context

• .seo-cache/audit-scores.json for prior full-audit priorities

• .seo-cache/pages/{url-slug}/page-analysis.json for page-level context when a URL is provided

• If found: parse and use clearly valid fields (note "Using cached [X] from [date]")

• If missing, corrupt, or irrelevant: continue with fresh evidence

• If the user says "refresh" or "re-run": ignore cache reads and overwrite on write

Maps platform analysis for local businesses. Works with external APIs to assess how a business appears on Google Maps, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and OpenStreetMap.

Boundary with seo-local: This skill analyzes the business on maps PLATFORMS (via APIs). seo-local analyzes local SEO signals on the WEBSITE (via HTML fetch). Do not duplicate seo-local on-page analysis. Recommend /seo local <url> for website-level checks.

Quick Reference

Three-Tier Capability Detection

Before any analysis, detect the available capability tier:

Tier 0 (Free)

Detection: DataForSEO MCP tools NOT available. Capabilities: Overpass API competitor discovery, Geoapify POI search, Nominatim geocoding, static GBP checklist, schema generation, cross-platform NAP guidance. Load: references/maps-free-apis.md

Tier 1 (DataForSEO)

Detection: business_data_business_listings_search MCP tool IS available. Capabilities: Everything in Tier 0 PLUS geo-grid rank tracking, live GBP profile audit, review intelligence (velocity, sentiment, distribution), GBP post activity, Q&A data, Tripadvisor/Trustpilot reviews. Load: references/maps-api-endpoints.md

Tier 2 (DataForSEO + Google Maps Platform)

Detection: Tier 1 available AND Google Maps API key in environment. Capabilities: Everything in Tier 1 PLUS Google Places details, real-time business status, AI-powered place summaries, photo analysis. Note: Google ToS restricts storage to place_id only. Lat/lng cached 30 days max.

Always communicate the detected tier to the user at the start of analysis.

Geo-Grid Rank Tracking (Tier 1+)

Simulates Google Maps searches from multiple GPS coordinates to show ranking variation across a geographic area. Requires DataForSEO.

Load: references/maps-geo-grid.md for algorithm, SoLV formula, heatmap format. Load: references/maps-api-endpoints.md for Maps SERP endpoint details.

Workflow

1. Geocode business address to get center lat/lng
2. Generate grid points (default: 7x7, 5km radius) using Haversine offset formula
3. Display cost estimate and ask for confirmation before proceeding
4. Fire DataForSEO Maps SERP API calls with location_coordinate per grid point
5. Find target business rank at each point
6. Calculate SoLV: (top_3_count / total_points) * 100
7. Render ASCII heatmap in output

Cost Warning (REQUIRED)

Before every geo-grid scan, display:

Geo-Grid Scan: [keyword] at [location]
Grid: 7x7 (49 points) | Keywords: [N] | Est. cost: $[amount]
DataForSEO credits will be consumed. Proceed?

GBP Profile Audit (Tier 1 preferred, Tier 0 manual)

Audits the 25 fields that affect Google Business Profile quality and ranking.

Load: references/maps-gbp-checklist.md for full checklist and scoring.

Tier 1 Workflow

1. Fetch business profile via DataForSEO My Business Info API (keyword or CID)
2. Map API response fields to 25-field checklist
3. Score each field: Present + Optimized = 2pts, Present = 1pt, Missing = 0pts
4. Apply industry-specific weight multipliers
5. Normalize to 0-100 scale

Tier 0 Workflow

1. Fetch the business website via WebFetch
2. Extract any visible GBP signals (Maps embed, place references, review widgets)
3. Apply static checklist based on detectable signals
4. Mark undetectable fields as "Unknown (requires DataForSEO for live data)"

Review Intelligence (Tier 1+)

Cross-platform review analysis: velocity, sentiment, rating distribution, fake detection.

Reference: references/local-seo-signals.md for benchmarks (shared with seo-local).

Workflow

1. Fetch Google reviews via DataForSEO Reviews API (sort by newest)
2. Calculate review velocity: reviews per month over last 6 months
3. Check 18-day rule (Sterling Sky): any 3-week gap = ranking risk
4. Analyze rating distribution: healthy = bell curve skewed to 5-star
5. Calculate owner response rate: responses / total reviews
6. Fetch Tripadvisor and Trustpilot reviews (if available)
7. Cross-platform comparison table

Fake Review Detection Signals

Flag reviews matching 2+ of these patterns:

• Uniform timing (multiple reviews same day/hour)
• Reviewer accounts with limited history or single review
• Geographic inconsistencies (reviewer location vs business location)
• Exclusively 5-star velocity spike (vs historical baseline)
• Identical or near-identical text across reviews
• Sudden volume spike without corresponding marketing activity

Competitor Radius Mapping (Tier 0+)

Identify and analyze competitors within a defined radius.

Tier 0 (Overpass API)

Load: references/maps-free-apis.md for query templates.

1. Geocode business address
2. Query Overpass API for businesses with same OSM tag within radius
3. Parse results: name, address, phone, website, distance from center
4. Sort by distance, present as competitor landscape table

Tier 1 (DataForSEO)

1. Use Maps SERP API with business keyword + location
2. Extract top 20 competitors with full profile data
3. Compare: rating, review count, categories, photos, attributes
4. Calculate competitive density score: competitors per km^2