The local pack is the box of three Google Maps business listings that shows up above the regular search results when someone looks for something nearby: "roofer near me", "med spa in Newport Beach", "divorce attorney Charleston". It's also called the map pack or the 3-pack. For most local businesses it's the most valuable spot on the page, because it shows your stars, your hours, a call button and directions before the searcher ever reaches a website.
The local pack is Google's top-3 map results. Google picks them by relevance, distance and prominence. Local pack SEO is the work of earning one of those three spots: a fully built Google Business Profile, steady reviews, consistent citations, location pages on your site and local links.
What the local pack looks like
A local pack shows a small map with pins and three business listings. Each listing typically includes the business name, star rating and review count, category, hours, and buttons to call, get directions or visit the website. Clicking "More places" opens the full Google Maps list, where the same ranking order mostly continues.
Google shows a local pack whenever it decides a search has local intent. That includes obvious searches with a city or "near me", but also plain service searches like "emergency plumber" or "teeth whitening", where Google assumes the searcher wants someone close by.
Why the local pack gets the calls
- It's above the organic results. On many phones the local pack fills most of the first screen.
- It answers the buying question. Ratings, hours, distance and a one-tap call button are what a ready-to-hire customer wants.
- It's only three spots. Position 4 means a tap on "More places" before anyone sees you, and most people don't tap.
How Google picks the three businesses
Google says local results are based mainly on three things:
1. Relevance
How well your Business Profile matches the search. Your primary category, secondary categories, services list, business description and the words customers use in reviews all feed this.
2. Distance
How far your business is from the searcher, or from the location named in the search. You can't move your address, but you can make sure Google has it right, and you can build relevance and prominence so you rank across a wider radius.
3. Prominence
How well known and trusted the business is. Review count and rating, links and mentions from other sites, citations in directories, and your website's own strength all count.
What local pack SEO actually involves
Local pack SEO (also called map pack SEO or Google Maps SEO) is the set of work that improves those three signals:
- Google Business Profile optimization: the right primary category, every relevant secondary category, a full services list, accurate hours, real photos and regular posts. Our GBP optimization guide covers this in detail.
- Reviews: a steady flow of genuine reviews, with owner responses, from every happy customer.
- Citations: the same name, address and phone number on the major directories and your industry's directories.
- Location pages: pages on your website for each service and city you want to rank in, so Google connects your business to those places.
- Local links: mentions from local organizations, news sites, suppliers and partners.
Local pack vs. organic results
The blue links under the local pack are ranked by Google's organic algorithm, which leans much more on your website's content and links than on your Business Profile. The two overlap: a strong website helps your map ranking, and a strong profile drives clicks to your site. For local businesses the local pack usually produces calls faster, while organic rankings build up over time. Most businesses need both. Local SEO vs. national SEO explains the difference.
How long does it take to get into the local pack?
Fixing a wrong primary category or an incomplete profile can move rankings within a few weeks. In competitive markets, where the businesses in the top three have hundreds of reviews, expect three to six months of consistent reviews, content and links. If the businesses beating you are much closer to the searcher, distance may cap how far you can rank from your address no matter what you do.
Want to know where you rank in the local pack?
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Get a free local SEO audit →Related reading
- How to rank in the Google Map Pack: the step-by-step version.
- Local pack SEO services: how we do it for clients.
- GBP optimization service.