Google Local Pack: Info, Ranking Signals & More
What is the Google Local Pack and why is it important for SEO? Continue reading to learn all about it!
Google Maps is great for users that look for businesses and for businesses looking for customers. Whether you’re looking for a restaurant, local plumber or hairdresser. Google Maps will show you the best places near you with the best customer reviews. Truly a tool we easily take for granted.
If you’re hoping to increase online and local traffic. The Google Maps package is what you need.
What is the Google Map Pack?
The “Google Map Pack” (or the Google Local Map Pack) is an important component in Google’s local search results that displays the best-rated local listings for your location or search site.
The Google Map Pack lists businesses in addition to their geographic location, contact information, business hours and other useful information.
Users can click on a listing for more information about the business, call the contact number use Google Maps navigation for the physical location.
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How does it work?
The Google Map Pack is shown as a set of three or more Google Maps results when a user is searching for a local business. The businesses being interpreted by Google’s algorithm as most relevant will show first.
Usually, these Google Maps results are shown above traditional organic search results, because the algorithm understands that the user wants to find a physical location.
With the Google Map Pack, users can more easily find the specific business they are looking for or view businesses in a particular category (e.g., restaurants, stores, etc.).
The Map Pack provides contact information, address, website link, business hours, prices, photos, customer reviews and more.
Local Map Pack statistics to know
Nearly 1 in 3 mobile searches are location-based, and Google is the leading search engine users use to find local businesses.
In fact, 99% of consumers surveyed by Brightlocal have used the Internet to find local businesses in the past year.
Knowing that, optimization for the Google Map Pack is one of the best local SEO strategies businesses can use to generate local traffic.
It starts with creating an online listing and website followed by optimizing for the search terms your target audience uses to find business like yours.
As mentioned, another benefit of the Google Map Pack is showing customer reviews.
This is a feature that businesses should consider using, especially since 94% of consumers say that positive reviews make them more likely to use a business.
Read on if you want to know more about why the Google Map Pack is important for SEO.
Why is Google Map Pack important for SEO
The Google Map Pack takes the top spot in Google’s local search results. It’s very important for businesses because the first place gets the highest click-through rate of all listings.
Businesses often need to employ local SEO strategies to rank high in the Map Pack. It is important because it can be a major driver of organic traffic if optimized correctly.
Optimizing for the Google Map Pack has a lot of benefits, like:
More organic traffic – When your business ranks higher in Google Map Pack it often means a higher click-through rate, driving more traffic to your website.
More local traffic – Your business is one of the first listings users see when they search for a business if it is ranked higher in Google Map Pack. Which means people are more likely to navigate to your physical location via Google Maps.
More phone calls – You can attract more users when you come at the top of the Google Map Pack, making it more likely to receive more phone calls, which can result in more leads for your business.
Competitive advantage – Ranking higher than your competitors in the Map Pack can lead to more customers, which leads to more customer reviews and overall, more visibility for your business. In a competitive market, this can make all the difference.
More mobile traffic – The Map Pack takes up most screen space on a phone, so users respond quicker and are more likely to pull up your listing on the go.
Enterprise SEO – Geo-specific listings for your physical locations can really help drive traffic to your business. When businesses do not meet the parameters for a specific location users will often skip them which can be a big problem if you have a large business.
Google Map Pack Fields and Features
Google Maps offers different features for businesses and consumers that are mostly for enhancing the user experience.
The purpose of Google Maps is to make it easier for users to find and connect with the business they are looking for through local searches.
As a marketer or business owner, here are a few key Google Map Pack features you should know about:
1. Company name – The name of the company; when clicked, the hyperlink leads to the full listing of the Google company profile.
2. Rating – Number and quality of reviews; usually represented as a number (out of 5) and as stars.
3. Price – Indicates the assumed pricepoint of the company’s services or products. Usually shown by a series of dollar signs (e.g., $).
4. Address – The physical address of the business.
5. Open/Closed – Indicates whether a business is currently open or closed, based on its hours of operation.
6. Hours – The hours that a business is open or closed; specify the day and times (open to closed)
7. Description – A brief description of the business (e.g., “Seasonal Italian Cuisine & Wine Arrangements”).
8. Service options – Indicates whether a business offers in-store pickup, online ordering, dining, delivery, etc.
9. Tag – An attribute indicating the type of business (e.g., “Italian” or “Men’s clothing store”).
There are a lot more features included in a full Google Business Profile, like a website link, photos, directions, busiest times and more.
Users can also contribute to Google Maps by updating listings and adding additional information.
How do I rank in Google Map Pack
There is no shortcut on ranking into the Google Map Pack. It requires a combination of local SEO strategies to rank higher.
Here are a few basics for a position in Google Maps:
Create a Google Business Profile listing
Step 1 is creating or claiming your Google Business Profile listing. You can either claim an existing business listing or create a new one.
Provide your listing with all available information
Step 2 is to fill in the blank spots in your profile. Provide the Tag, Service options, Opening Hours, Description, Address, Price and Company Name.
Keep optimizing your listing
Send in new Google Posts, respond to reviews. Show Google you are actively monitoring and optimizing your profile.
Optimizing your listing and getting reviews
To optimize your listing, you should enter as much of your business information as possible, correctly.
Which means adding your address, phone number, hours of operation, website link, business description, tags, photos and all the “features” mentioned above.
There are also a few features that are important ranking factors for your business, such as the number and quality of reviews and keyword usage.
Google itself provides different tools to help you complete your listing. You can follow the Google Business Profile SEO Guide for more tips on optimizing your GBP.
Embed Google Maps on your website
Once you have created your Google Maps listing, you can embed the map on the Contact Us page (or similar page) on your website.
Having a map for your business makes it easier for users to find and navigate your physical location.
Also, optimizing your website for local SEO can help you rank in local organic search results.
Local SEO can help increase your local Map Pack listings and your organic rankings. This gives users multiple opportunities to find your business before your competitors.
Optimize for the Google Local Pack to get more traffic
The Google Map Pack helps users find relevant businesses and easily find contact information for their favorite local destinations.
If you are a business owner, optimizing for the Google Map Pack is an important way to generate more local and online traffic.
Local SEO is the main method used to optimize for the Map Pack, but includes a variety of strategies.
You first optimize your Google Business profile and then you can look into optimizing for keywords, getting more reviews to rank higher than your local competitors.