Search “emergency plumber” from your phone in Austin, and near the top of the results you’ll see a small map with pins and three businesses listed below it. That’s the local pack, often called the map pack or “3-pack”. Each listing shows the business name, star rating, number of reviews, category, distance or area, opening status, and buttons to call, get directions or visit the website. A “More businesses” link opens the full list in Google’s local finder.
Why it matters
For local searches, the local pack often sits above the organic results, so it gets a large share of attention and clicks. It’s also where the most valuable actions happen: tap to call, get directions, book. For Coastline Plumbing, appearing in the pack for “water heater repair” in its main neighborhoods is worth more than ranking first in the organic results below it.
Ads can appear in or above the pack, marked “Sponsored”, but the regular listings can’t be bought.
How Google chooses the three
The local pack is built from Google Business Profile listings, not web pages. Google weighs:
- Relevance: does the business’s category and information match the search?
- Distance: how close is it to the searcher or the place named in the search? (see proximity)
- Prominence: reviews (count, rating, recency), links and mentions across the web, citations, and the strength of the business’s website
Because distance matters so much, the pack changes depending on where the searcher stands. A business can be first for searchers two blocks away and invisible ten miles away.
How to improve your chances
- Choose the most accurate primary category on your profile.
- Complete every relevant field: services, hours, photos, description.
- Earn a steady flow of genuine reviews and reply to them.
- Keep your name, address and phone consistent everywhere (see NAP).
- Build a strong, relevant website with location and service pages.
- Earn local links and mentions from community sites.
Common mistakes
- Checking your ranking only from your office, where you’re always close
- Keyword stuffing the business name, which risks suspension
- Fake or incentivized reviews, which break Google’s policies and FTC rules
- Treating the website as unrelated. A strong site supports prominence
How to check
A single search only tells you where you rank at one spot. A local rank grid checks positions from many points across your service area at once. RankThat’s Local SEO tools include a Local Rank Grid, so you can see where you appear in the pack across a map, along with citations and review management.