The essentials
- Definition: the local pack (or "3-pack") is the block shown at the top of the results for local searches: a map and three Google Business Profile listings with rating, reviews, hours and Directions, Call and Website buttons.
- When: queries with a town, "near me", or an implicit local intent (restaurant, plumber, dentist…).
- Factors: relevance (category, services, content), distance (the user's position), prominence (reviews, citations, links, standing).
- Impact: the local pack captures a large share of the clicks and calls on those queries; not being in it amounts to not existing locally.
The aim of local pack (Local Pack, or 3-pack) is the block Google shows at the top of its results page when a search has local intent: a map, then three businesses with their rating, their number of reviews, their hours and action buttons. It is fed by Google Business Profilelistings, not by websites. Clicking "More places" opens the full list in Google Maps, but most of the clicks, calls and direction requests go to the first three. This article brings together our two previous guides on the subject: what the local pack is, and what decides the order.
When does the local pack appear?
| Type of query | The full destination URL | Local pack |
|---|---|---|
| Activity + town | "hairdresser Rennes" | Yes, almost always |
| Activity + "near me" | "pharmacy near me" | Yes, based on position |
| The activity alone with implicit local intent | "Italian restaurant", "dentist" | Yes, Google infers the intent |
| A business name | "Dupont Plumbing" | A full listing on the right (knowledge panel), no pack |
| An informational query | "how to unblock a sink" | No |
On mobile, the local pack takes up almost the whole first screen; the classic organic results come after. Its composition varies with the user's exact position: two people in the same town can see different packs.
The factors that decide the order
Google states three criteria, which the industry's studies break down into around thirty signals. Here are the most influential, in the order of importance observed.
| Google's criterion | Concrete signals | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | The listing's primary category | Entirely: choose the most precise one |
| Secondary categories, services, products, attributes | Entirely | |
| The linked site's content (local pages, keywords) | Entirely | |
| Distance | The user's position relative to the address | Not directly |
| The declared service area | Partly | |
| Prominence | The number, rating, freshness and content of reviews, and the responses | Largely |
| Consistency of your details (NAP) across the web | Entirely | |
| Citations on directories and local sites | Largely | |
| Backlinks and the site's authority | Largely, over the long run | |
| Engagement: clicks, calls, directions, photos viewed | Indirectly, through the listing's appeal |
The full mechanism is described in understanding local ranking. One point that is often underestimated: the listing's name. Google favours listings whose name contains the query's words, which pushes some to add keywords ("Dupont Plumbing Nantes call-outs"); that breaks the guidelines and is punished with suspension.
How to get into the local pack: the method
- Diagnose : type your key queries from several points in your area (see tracking your position on Google Maps) and analyse the three listings shown: category, reviews, photos, how long established.
- Fix the listing : the exact primary category, information 100% complete, photos, services. Guide: optimising your listing for the local pack.
- Catch up on reviews : if the competitor has 80 reviews and you have 12, organise collection (see collecting quality reviews) and respond to all of them.
- Align the NAP and earn local citations on the reference directories.
- Strengthen the site : one page per location or area, LocalBusiness structured data, local content.
- Keep it alive : one post a week, photos every month, answers to questions.
- Measure every month: position, actions from the listing, reviews.
The local pack and advertising
For some years now, a local Google Ads listing can appear above the pack's three results (marked "Sponsored"). It doesn't replace local SEO, but it lets you occupy the area in the meantime, or dominate a heavily contested query. Combining the two is covered in bringing local into an SEO and SEA strategy.
What the local pack becomes with AI
Google's AI Mode and assistants such as Gemini or ChatGPT answer local questions drawing on the same listings and the same reviews, presented as a written recommendation rather than a list. The businesses well placed in the local pack are the ones AI cites: the work is the same, the stakes are higher. Local SEO is thus one of the gateways to GEO for local businesses.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's Google Business Profile module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses does the local pack show?
Three, hence the nickname 3-pack, with a "More places" link to the full list in Google Maps. On some queries or some screens Google occasionally shows two or four results, but three remains the norm.
Why does my listing appear in the local pack from my office but not from a customer's?
Because distance is one of the three criteria: the local pack changes with the user's position. The denser the competition, the smaller the radius in which you appear. Track your positions from several points in your area rather than from one.
Can you pay to be in the local pack?
No for the three organic results, which depend solely on relevance, distance and prominence. Google Ads does let you show a local ad above the pack, marked as sponsored.
What is the most important factor for the local pack?
The listing's primary category for relevance, and reviews (number, rating, freshness, responses) for prominence. Distance can't be controlled. In most audits, fixing the category and organising review collection produces the fastest gains.