Google map pack: 10 things that decide who shows up in the local 3 pack
The Google map pack, also called the Google local pack or 3 pack, is the short list of businesses with a map that shows up when someone nearby searches for what you do. Getting into it is where most calls come from. Here is how Google picks those three, why the list changes from street to street and how to see where you stand.
- One business of each type per area
- No contract
- Nothing changes without your approval
How to get in the map pack: 10 things that decide the Google local pack, and what we do about each
Google uses three main factors: relevance, distance and prominence.
Google says local results are based mainly on how well a listing matches the search, how far the business is from the searcher and how well known the business is. No single trick replaces any of the three, so the businesses that hold the map pack usually do well on all of them.
What we do: we look at all three on your profile and on the businesses that win your map, so you know which one is holding you back.
Relevance starts with your primary category.
Your primary category tells Google what kind of business you are, and it carries a lot of weight in which searches you can show up for. We have scanned roofers filed under window installation and movers filed under warehouse, and they struggled to reach the Google map pack.
What we do: we compare your categories with the businesses in the 3 pack for your main searches and change them after you approve.
Your services and description back up the category.
A clean list of the services you offer and a clear description help Google connect your listing to more specific searches. An empty services list leaves Google guessing, and one stuffed with search phrases looks like spam.
What we do: we build a clean services list and write a description inside Google's 750 character limit that says what you do and where.
Distance is measured from the person searching.
When someone searches near me or just types a service, Google usually uses where that person is, not the city name on your profile. That is why the local pack a customer sees across town can look nothing like the one you see from your shop.
What we do: we scan 49 points across your service area so you see the Google local pack from where your customers actually search.
Your pin or service area has to be right.
If Google places your listing in the wrong spot, distance works against you everywhere you want work. We have found listings pinned in another state, hundreds of miles from the business. Service area businesses usually still rank from the address they verified with, even though the address is hidden.
What we do: we check where Google places you, fix the address or set you up as a service area business with the towns you want, and confirm it on the live map.
How service area businesses work on GoogleProminence includes reviews, but not only reviews.
Google says review count and rating are part of prominence, along with how well known you are across the web, such as links, articles and directory listings. Reviews alone do not win the map pack. We have scanned a plumber with more than 1,400 reviews in the top 3 at only 2 of 49 points.
What we do: we suggest replies to every new review for you to approve and help you set up a steady way to ask customers for reviews.
Consistent listings across the web build trust.
Your name, address and phone number on directories, your website and social pages should match your Google profile. Old phone numbers and old addresses floating around can make Google less sure about your details.
What we do: we check and clean up your main citations so your business details match everywhere Google looks.
An active profile looks like an open business.
Fresh photos, weekly posts and current hours show customers and Google that the business is running. A profile untouched for years can lose clicks to a competitor that looks more active, even when your work is better.
What we do: we publish one post a week with up to three photos from your work, approved by you before it goes live.
Ads can sit above or inside the map pack.
Some map results are paid and labeled Sponsored, and Local Services Ads can show above everything. Those spots are bought, not earned, and they stop when the budget stops. The unpaid map results are decided by the factors on this page.
What we do: we focus on the unpaid map results you do not pay per click for, and tell you plainly when an ad might make sense alongside them.
A 49 point scan shows your real Google map pack coverage.
Checking your rank from one spot tells you almost nothing because the 3 pack changes every mile or two. In our scans of 532 local businesses, 32% did not reach the top 3 at any of 49 points and the median business reached it at just 1 of 49.
What we do: we scan a 49 point grid across your service area before we start, showing green where you are in the top 3 and red where you are not, then rescan the same points every month.
What we have seen in real map pack scans
We sign mutual NDAs with our clients, so we describe the work instead of naming the business.
Every business and market is different. We do not promise rankings. We show you the same map every month so you can see what changed.
Why owners hand us their map pack work
- One business of each type per service area. We will not work for your direct competitor in the same towns.
- Google Business Profiles and Google Maps are what we focus on, not a menu of everything.
- You see the proof: a 49 point map of your area before we start, and the same map every month after.
- Nothing changes on your profile without your written approval, and you stay the owner of it.
- No contract. Stay because it is working.
What you get every month
- A 49 point Google Maps scan of your service area before we start
- Profile fixes: categories, services, description, service area, hours, attributes and booking or quote links
- One post a week plus up to three photos from your work, approved by you
- Suggested replies to new reviews, posted only after you approve
- A weekly profile check that catches changes Google or anyone else makes
- A monthly rescan on the same 49 points, with a plain update on your map, calls and clicks from Google, what we did and what comes next
Pricing comes with your scan. Request your map scan at no cost and we will send your map, a short video walkthrough and pricing together.
Get my map scanMore Google Business Profile guides
Profile setup and fixes
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Google Business Profile verification
- Google Business Profile suspended
- Add your business to Google Maps
- Claim your business on Google
- Service area business on Google
- Duplicate Google Business listing
- Google Business listing changed
- Add a manager to Google Business Profile
- Google Business Profile categories
- Change business address on Google
- Delete Google Business Profile
- Google Business Profile posts
- Google Business Profile photo size
Reviews
Rankings, Maps and leads
Common questions
See where you show up in the Google map pack.
Send us your business and the towns you want customers from. We will run your 49 point map scan and send your map, a short video walkthrough and pricing together.
- 1.We run your map scan and look at your profile and search results.
- 2.You get a short note with what we would fix first.
- 3.If it makes sense, we set it up on a 15 minute call.