Map Pack (Local Pack)

Definition

The Map Pack (formally called the Local Pack by Google) is the set of typically three local business listings shown in search results for queries with local intent — "coffee shop near me," "dentist in Austin," "plumber [city name]." The Map Pack appears above or near the top of organic results, with a Google Maps embed and three business cards showing business name, address, phone number, rating, hours, and sometimes photos. Clicking a business card opens the full Google Business Profile (GBP) listing or navigates to Google Maps. A fourth "More places" link expands to additional results. Eligibility for Map Pack: the business must have a verified Google Business Profile with a correct physical address or service area. Map Pack ranking is determined by three factors: **Relevance** (does the GBP category and content match the query); **Distance** (physical proximity of the business to the searcher\'s inferred location); **Prominence** (how well-known and highly rated the business is online — reviews, ratings, GBP activity, website quality, and organic search authority). Map Pack results are distinct from the regular organic search results — a website can rank on page 1 organically and not appear in the Map Pack, or vice versa. Map Pack clicks are generally higher-intent than organic clicks for local service and retail queries.

Why it matters for SEO

For local businesses (restaurants, service businesses, retail, healthcare, professional services), the Map Pack captures the majority of clicks for high-intent location-based queries. Ranking in the Map Pack typically drives more phone calls and directions requests than organic blue-link clicks. The Map Pack has become more prominent on mobile SERPs (occupying much of the above-the-fold view) and has largely replaced traditional organic rankings for heavily local queries. Optimising for the Map Pack requires GBP optimisation (complete accurate NAP data, correct categories, regular updates, photo additions, review responses), local citation building, and proximity signals — distinct from organic ranking optimisation.

How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this

DeepSEOAnalysis checks local SEO signals on crawled pages that contribute to Map Pack ranking: LocalBusiness JSON-LD structured data (checking for name, address, phone, openingHours, and geo coordinates), NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency between the on-page content and what would appear in GBP, and the presence of the hCard/schema.org microdata equivalent. The audit does not check the actual GBP listing — Map Pack ranking depends on the GBP itself, which requires a separate GBP management tool or the Google Business Profile dashboard.