In 60 Seconds
- •You cannot pay to be in the Organic Map Pack. You earn it.
- •Factor 1 - Proximity: How close is the searcher? (You cannot control this, except by opening new offices).
- •Factor 2 - Relevance: Does your category and website content match their search? (You control this via on-page SEO).
- •Factor 3 - Prominence: Are you the popular choice? (Reviews, Citations, Backlinks).
- •If you rank #1 at your office but #20 five miles away, you have a 'Proximity' problem. You need to boost 'Prominence' to expand your radius.
When a customer searches "Plumber near me," three businesses show up on the map.
Those three businesses split about 50% of the total traffic. Everyone else fights for scraps.
Getting into the Local Pack (the 3-Pack) is the primary objective of Local Visibility. But Google doesn't choose favorites randomly. It uses a specific algorithm.
The 3 Pillars of Local Ranking
1. Relevance (The Match)
- Question: "Does this business do what the user asked?"
- Controller: You.
- Action:
- Primary Category must be exact (e.g., "Divorce Lawyer" not just "Lawyer").
- Website Landing Page must mention the service clearly.
2. Proximity (The Distance)
- Question: "Is this business close to the user?"
- Controller: God/Geography.
- Action: You cannot move your office every day. This is the limiting factor. You will always rank highest close to your verified address.
3. Prominence (The Reputation)
- Question: "Is this business trustworthy and popular?"
- Controller: You (Hard work).
- Action:
- Review Velocity: Getting more reviews than competitors.
- Citations: Being listed on Yelp, Bing, BBB (NAP Consistency).
- Backlinks: Local news sites linking to you.
How to Expand Your "Ranking Radius"
Think of your visibility as a light bulb.
- Small bulb (Low Prominence) = Only lights up the room (1 mile radius).
- Big bulb (High Prominence) = Lights up the street (5-10 mile radius).
If you want to rank in the next town over, you cannot change Proximity. So you must overload Prominence. You need more reviews and better content than the guy who is actually located there.
What to Measure Weekly
Don't obsessive over rank trackers daily. Look at the inputs.
- Review Count: Did we get 3+ reviews this week?
- Photo Uploads: Did we add 2+ real photos?
- Q&A: Did anyone ask a question? Did we answer?
- Spam Fighting: Did a fake competitor appear in the top 3? Report them.
Verification Checklist
- Category Audit: Is your Primary Category the most specific one possible?
- Website Link: Does your GBP link to your Homepage (Title: Brand) or a Location Page (Title: City + Service)? Location pages often rank better.
- Attributes: Have you filled out "Women-owned", "Wheelchair accessible", etc.? These are tie-breakers.
Common Mistakes
[!TIP] Keyword Stuffing is Dead Don't add "Plumbing & Drain Cleaning" to your business name. It works for a week, and then you get suspended. Build long-term equity with Reviews, not cheap tricks.
- Setting it and Forgetting it: Google degrades inactive profiles. login weekly.
- Ignoring Bing: Apple Maps and Bing drive 10-20% of voice search traffic (Siri/Alexa). Don't ignore them.
FAQ
Q: Why does my rank change every day? A: Competitors move, users move, and Google tests results. Look at the 30-day trend, not the daily blip.
Q: Can I pay to be in the Map Pack? A: Only via Google Ads (Promoted Pins). These appear above the organic 3-pack. It's a good strategy, but it costs money per click.
Sources and References
- Whitespark: Local Search Ranking Factors Survey - The industry standard report.
- Google: How to improve your local ranking - Official Guide
Changelog
- 2024-04-10: Initial publication.
Read Next in This Hub:
- Buying Moment Coverage Score - Measure the result.
- Reviews and Local Rankings - Boost distinctiveness.
Related System:
- Local Visibility Systems - The engine room.