Local pack (map pack)

The local pack is the block of 3 business listings with a map that Google shows for searches with local intent.

It sits above the normal blue-link results, so for a search like "electrician near me" it's often the first list of businesses people see.

What ranks there is driven by your Google Business Profile rather than your website, though the website supports it.

Google's own help page says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence.

Distance depends on where the searcher is, which is why someone in the CBD and someone in Elizabeth see different results for the same search.

Google says prominence reflects how well-known a business is, including its reviews, and complete, accurate profile details help with relevance.

Results change across a suburb, so I check rankings from a grid of points across the area customers search from.

What this means for you

For a local service business I treat the local pack as its own piece of work alongside the website, because it runs on the Business Profile.

This one sits under Local SEO.

I'll look at what you've got and tell you where it stands, in the same plain terms.