Guide
What Is the Local 3-Pack?
The local 3-pack (also called the Google map pack) is the block of three local business listings, complete with a map, that Google shows above organic results for searches with local intent, such as "plumber near me." It's built from Google Business Profile data, not standard webpage SEO.
How the Local 3-Pack Works
Search Google for something with local intent, "electrician near me," "coffee shop downtown," and above the regular blue-link results you'll usually see a map with three pins, each tied to a business card: name, star rating, review count, category, and a short bit of address or hours info. That block is the local 3-pack. Click "More places" underneath it and you'll drop into the full Google Maps results, showing every nearby match, not just the top three.
The 3-pack is pulled entirely from Google Business Profile data, not from crawling and ranking a website the way organic results work. Google decides which three businesses earn those slots using a mix of relevance (does your category and listing match what was searched), distance (how close you are to the searcher), and prominence (review volume, ratings, and how well-known and complete your profile is). None of that is something you buy your way into; it's earned through local SEO fundamentals like an optimized profile, consistent NAP data, and an ongoing stream of reviews.
Why It's the Most Valuable Local Search Real Estate
For location-based searches, the 3-pack sits above almost everything else on the results page, including paid ads in many cases and virtually all organic listings. A searcher deciding "who do I call" often never scrolls past it. That makes it disproportionately valuable for local businesses: three slots serve an entire market's worth of "near me" and city-plus-service searches, and whoever holds them captures the calls, direction requests, and website clicks that would otherwise go to a competitor one spot down.
Curious where your business currently lands for the searches that matter to you? Run a free check with the local rank checker to see where you rank in the pack across your service area.
Local 3-Pack vs. Organic Results vs. the Knowledge Panel
These three pieces of a Google results page often get conflated, but they're distinct:
- Local 3-pack. Three map-linked listings shown for local-intent searches, ranked from Google Business Profile signals.
- Organic results. The standard list of ranked webpages below (or alongside) the 3-pack, driven by your website's own SEO, not your profile.
- Knowledge Panel. The single info card that can appear when someone searches your exact business name, pulling from your Business Profile plus other verified sources like your website and Wikipedia/Wikidata where applicable.
A business can show up in some of these and not others; ranking in the 3-pack doesn't guarantee a top organic spot, and a strong website doesn't guarantee a 3-pack slot on its own.
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Frequently asked questions
- Why is it called the "3-pack"?
- Google shows exactly three local listings in this block by default, each with a name, rating, category, and short address, plus a "More places" link to the full map results. Earlier versions of this feature showed seven listings, which is why some older SEO content still refers to a "7-pack."
- How do I get my business into the local 3-pack?
- There is no guaranteed way in, but the strongest levers are a complete, accurately categorized Google Business Profile, a steady flow of reviews, and how close your business is to the person searching. See What Is Local SEO? for the full set of ranking signals.
- Does the local 3-pack look the same for every search?
- No. It only appears for searches Google interprets as having local intent, and which three businesses show up can shift by neighborhood, since Google evaluates proximity separately for each searcher.
- Is ranking in the 3-pack the same as ranking #1 in organic results?
- No — they're separate systems. A business can rank in the 3-pack without ranking well organically, and vice versa, though strong local SEO tends to help both.