Local SEO guide
The Google map pack: what it is and how to get into it
Updated November 1, 2026
Search for a plumber, a dentist or a roofer and Google usually shows a map with three businesses under it before any website. That block is the map pack, also called the local pack or the 3-pack. For most local searches it's the first thing people see, and for many of them it's the only thing they look at before they call.
This guide explains how Google chooses those three businesses, why the result changes from street to street, and what you can do to show up in it more often.
What counts as the map pack
The map pack is the box of local businesses Google shows for searches with local intent, such as "roof repair", "dentist near me" or "family lawyer in Guelph". It usually lists three businesses with their rating, review count, category, hours and buttons to call or get directions. Clicking "More businesses" opens the full Google Maps list.
The same ranking drives Google Maps itself. Being first in the map pack and being first when someone searches inside the Maps app are closely related, which is why people talk about "Google Maps rankings" and "map pack rankings" almost interchangeably.
How Google picks the three businesses
Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Everything you can do to rank better falls under one of them.
- Relevance: how well your Business Profile matches what was searched. Your primary category matters most, followed by your additional categories, services, business description and the content of your website.
- Distance: how far your business is from the searcher, or from the place named in the search. You can't move your business, but you can make sure Google understands every area you serve.
- Prominence: how well known and trusted your business is. Google looks at reviews (how many, how recent, how good), links and mentions across the web, and how strong your website is in regular search.
Why your position changes from street to street
Because distance is part of the ranking, there is no single map pack position. A searcher standing next to your shop and one ten kilometres away can see completely different businesses for the same search.
That's why checking your ranking by searching on your own phone is misleading: you only see the result for where you are, and Google also personalises results for you. To know where you really stand, you need to check from many points across your service area. Tools call this a geo-grid or grid scan: a map of your rank at each point, so you can see where you're in the top three and where you disappear.
How to get into the map pack more often
These are the changes that tend to move map pack rankings, roughly in order of impact for most local businesses.
- Choose the most accurate primary category. It's the strongest relevance signal you control. Look at the categories the top three competitors use for your main search.
- Complete your Business Profile: services, service areas, hours, attributes, photos and a description that names what you do and where.
- Get reviews steadily, not in bursts. Ask every happy customer, and reply to reviews. Reviews that mention the service and the town help Google connect you with those searches.
- Build a page on your website for each main service, and for the towns you most want to win. Your Business Profile links to your site, and Google uses that site to judge relevance and prominence.
- Earn local links and mentions: suppliers, local associations, sponsorships, chambers of commerce and local news.
- Keep your business name, address and phone number consistent everywhere they appear online.
- Measure across your whole area and recheck every few weeks, so you can see which changes actually moved the map.
What doesn't work
Stuffing keywords or town names into your business name can work briefly, but it breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended. Fake reviews, fake addresses and duplicate listings carry the same risk. None of them is worth losing the profile that brings in your calls.
Questions
Is the map pack the same as Google Maps?
They use closely related rankings. The map pack is the box of three businesses in Google search results; Google Maps shows the longer list. A business that ranks well in one usually ranks well in the other.
Why is my business in the map pack for me but not for my customers?
Google personalises results and takes the searcher's location into account. You're probably searching close to your business, where you rank best. Customers further away see different results.
How long does it take to get into the map pack?
It depends on your competition and how far you are from where people search. Profile and category fixes can show up within weeks; reviews, links and website content build over months.
Can I pay to get into the map pack?
Not directly. Google sells ads that appear above or inside local results, but the three organic map pack spots can't be bought.
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