What Is the Local Pack?
The local pack is the group of three business listings that Google displays prominently in search results for queries with local intent. It is sometimes called the map pack or the Google 3-pack.
These results appear above the standard organic results. Each listing shows the business name, star rating, address, trading hours, and a link to its Google Business Profile. A Google Maps panel sits alongside them and shows where the three businesses are.
Appearing in the local pack is one of the most valuable positions in local SEO. Studies consistently show that local pack results attract a significant share of clicks for local intent queries, particularly on mobile devices.
Consider a service-area business in South Africa. A local pack position for a competitive category like "electrician Pretoria" or "accountant Cape Town" can deliver a meaningful volume of phone calls and website visits. Best of all, it does this without any paid advertising spend.
Google determines which three businesses appear in the local pack using a combination of relevance, distance, and prominence. Relevance refers to how well a business's categories and content match the query.
Distance is how close the business is to the searcher at the time of the query. Prominence covers the business's overall online authority. This includes the number and quality of Google reviews, citations from other websites, and the strength of the business's own website.
Because the local pack only shows three results, competition is intense for popular business categories. A strong local SEO strategy for a local pack position usually covers four things. You optimise the Google Business Profile, build consistent citations across South African directories, earn positive reviews, and make sure the website carries clear location and service area signals.
Local Pack In Practice
The scenario below is an illustrative example, not a Juicy Designs client result. The figures indicate the scale of effect that local pack optimisation work typically produces, so treat them as indicative rather than measured.
Picture a Johannesburg accounting firm that targets the query "accountant Sandton" and wants to appear in the local pack. Three competitors consistently occupy those positions, and the firm's Google Business Profile has few photos, only around twelve reviews, and a generic business description.
A local SEO programme over four months would focus on the specific ranking factors. The firm might upload professional photos, add specialised service categories to its profile, and write a description that names its core service areas. It would also request reviews from current and past clients, build citations on SA-specific directories and make sure its NAP data stays consistent.
By month four, a firm like this could plausibly start entering the local pack for "accountant Sandton" during off-peak hours, then gradually secure a more consistent position. The likely result is a rise in inbound calls, which the GBP listing's own call reporting would typically show, with no extra advertising spend.
How to rank in the local pack
The local pack, the map and three business listings shown for local searches, is won mainly through the Google Business Profile, local relevance and prominence. The essentials are a complete, accurate and active Business Profile with the right primary category; consistent name, address and phone across the web; genuine reviews and responses to them; and locally relevant content and links. Proximity to the searcher is also a factor you cannot control, which is why the pack varies by location. For most local businesses, a fully optimised and actively maintained Business Profile, combined with consistent citations and a steady flow of reviews, does the heavy lifting for local pack visibility.
Local pack versus organic results
The local pack and the standard organic results are separate opportunities with different rules, and appearing in one does not guarantee the other. The local pack is driven by the Business Profile, proximity and local signals; the organic listings below it are driven by the usual on-page, technical and authority factors. A business can rank in the pack but not in the organic results for the same query, or vice versa. Because the pack sits prominently at the top for local queries, and often satisfies searchers without a website click, competing for it is essential for local businesses, while a strong organic presence captures the searchers who scroll past it or want more detail.
FAQ
What factors determine which businesses appear in the local pack?
Google uses three main factors: relevance (how well your categories and content match the query), distance (proximity of your business to the searcher), and prominence (reviews, backlinks, and overall online authority). Optimising all three gives you the best chance of local pack visibility.
Can paid ads appear in the local pack?
Yes. Google Local Services Ads and Local Search Ads can appear above the standard local pack. These paid placements are separate from the organic local pack results, which are earned through local SEO rather than advertising spend.
How many businesses show in the local pack?
Typically three business listings alongside a map, which is why it is often called the map pack or three-pack. Because only three appear, competition for those places is intense, and the results shown vary with the searcher's location.
Why is my business not showing in the local pack?
Common reasons include an incomplete or unverified Google Business Profile, the wrong primary category, inconsistent business information across the web, few reviews, or simply being further from the searcher than competitors. Distance is a factor you cannot change; the profile and citations are where the work goes.