The local pack
For searches with local intent (“dentist”, “coffee near me”, “roof repair Springfield”), search engines often show a map with a short list of businesses (the local pack) above or among the regular results. These listings come mainly from business profiles, such as Google Business Profile.
Google’s three local ranking factors
- Relevance: how well a profile matches what the person is searching for. Complete, accurate information helps.
- Distance: how far the business is from the searcher’s location or the location in the query.
- Prominence: how well known the business is, based on information from across the web such as links, articles, directories, and review count and ratings. Organic search ranking also contributes.
Google states you cannot pay to rank higher in local results (local search ads are separate and labelled). You also cannot change your distance, so focus on relevance and prominence.
Who needs local SEO
Any business serving customers in a specific area: shops, restaurants, clinics, trades, law firms, and service-area businesses that travel to customers.
Key takeaways
- Local packs show nearby businesses for local-intent searches.
- Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence.
- You cannot buy local rankings; improve relevance and prominence.
Practice: Check your local visibility
- Search three of your core services with your town name.
- Note whether you appear in the local pack and who does.
- Repeat on mobile from a different part of town if possible.
Go further: List what the top-ranked businesses do better (reviews, photos, categories).