Local Pack: The Top 3 of Local Search Results

Why the Local Pack determines local customer acquisition

Anyone searching locally first sees a map and three businesses. This block, the Google Local Pack, appears at the top of search results and pushes the classic organic results down. For locally operating businesses, this is the most valuable position on the entire search results page.

The effect is measurable. According to internationally cited data, 42 percent of local searchers click on results within the Google Map Pack. Local searches quickly lead to real actions: 76 percent of people who search on their smartphone for something nearby visit a business within a day (Google, 2016). Those in the Top 3 benefit directly. According to a SOCi analysis of more than 300,000 Google listings (2022), businesses in the Google 3-Pack receive 126 percent more traffic and 93 percent more conversion-oriented actions than listings that only appear in the Local Finder.

For the Austrian market, visibility on Google is decisive. In May 2026, Google's search engine market share in Austria was 81.87 percent, ahead of Bing with 9.01 percent and DuckDuckGo with 2.75 percent. The reach is nearly complete: At the beginning of 2025, 8.69 million people in Austria used the internet, with a penetration of 95.3 percent. The Local Pack is thus the central lever for reaching local customers in the DACH region.

What the Local Pack is and how it differs from Maps and Organic

The Local Pack, also called Local 3-Pack or Map Pack, is a distinct section in Google search results. It consists of a map and exactly three business listings, fed directly from the Google Business Profile. Each entry shows name, star rating, number of reviews, category, address, and often opening hours, as well as buttons for call, directions, and website.

The distinction from two other surfaces is important:

• Organic results: These are the classic website results without a map. They rank according to the general Google algorithm, not local factors. A page can rank well organically and still not appear in the Local Pack, because the Local Pack displays only Business Profiles.
• Google Maps: The Maps application delivers its own, usually longer list of results. The Local Pack is essentially a shortened excerpt from it, embedded in web search. If a user clicks "More places," they reach the Local Finder, an expanded list view with more than three businesses.

These three surfaces rank according to partly different logics. Anyone wanting to build local visibility must treat the Local Pack as a separate objective and not equate it with organic ranking.

The three official ranking factors: Relevance, Distance, Prominence

Google officially names the logic behind local results. According to Google Business Profile Help, local results are based on three factors: Relevance, Distance, and Prominence.

• Relevance: How well does the Business Profile match the search query? Google compares categories, description, services, and other profile information with the search term. A complete, precisely categorized profile is rated as more relevant.
• Distance (Proximity): How far is the business from the searcher's location? Google uses the known or calculated location to evaluate proximity. This factor ensures that the same search delivers different Top 3 results depending on location.
• Prominence: How established is the business? This includes reviews and links, among other things. Google states this directly: More reviews and positive ratings can improve local ranking, and prominence also includes how many websites link to the business.

The three factors work together. Google can rank a slightly more distant but very well-known and relevant business higher than a closer one with a weak profile. Those who address all three levers maximize the chance of securing one of the three positions.

Fully optimize Google Business Profile

The Business Profile is the foundation of the Local Pack. Only businesses with a maintained, verified profile appear there. These components matter:

• Categories: Choose the most precise primary category and add appropriate secondary categories. The primary category has the greatest influence on which search terms the business is even considered for. A category that is too generic costs visibility for the actually relevant queries.
• NAP consistency: Name, Address, Phone must be written identically across all platforms. Discrepancies in address additions, phone formats, or legal form weaken trust in data quality and thus ranking.
• Attributes: Features such as accessibility, payment options, appointment booking, or amenities increase relevance for specific queries and filter-based searches.
• Photos: Logo, exterior and interior shots, as well as product or service images increase click-through rate and trust. They are the first visual signal in the Local Pack.
• Opening hours: Keep regular hours and holiday rules current. Incorrect hours lead to frustration and negative reviews, which in turn burden Prominence.

A complete profile affects all three ranking factors simultaneously: categories and attributes affect Relevance, the verified address affects Distance, reviews and activity affect Prominence.

Reviews as a ranking lever: Quantity, recency, rating, velocity

Reviews are one of the strongest levers for the Local Pack because they directly contribute to Prominence. Several dimensions are relevant:

• Quantity: Many reviews signal establishment. A Semrush analysis shows that businesses in the Top 3 of local search results have an average of 561 Google reviews. This is not a threshold, but an indication of the level typical in competitive markets.
• Star rating: Top-3 businesses achieve an average rating of 4.8 stars according to the same source. A high rating improves both the ranking signal and click probability.
• Recency and velocity: Fresh reviews carry more weight than old ones. According to a US consumer survey (n=1,002), 74 percent of consumers specifically seek reviews from the last three months. A steady influx of new reviews, the review velocity, is therefore more effective than a one-time surge.
• Responses: Responding to reviews, including critical ones, signals activity and customer orientation. Reviews are overall purchase-decisive: 97 percent of consumers read reviews about local businesses.

Important: This review data comes from a Semrush analysis without country breakdown and a US survey. The magnitudes are transferable to the DACH region, but the specific numbers do not apply specifically to Austria.

Understand and use proximity, including for Service-Area-Businesses

Distance is the factor that makes the Local Pack most dynamic. If the searcher's location shifts by a few kilometers, the order of the three results changes or the entire selection changes. A business can rank first in the center and not appear in the Pack at all on the outskirts.

It follows: Proximity cannot be directly controlled because the location lies with the searcher. But the environment can be influenced:

• Build location-specific relevance: Anyone wanting to be visible in a neighborhood should build relevance and prominence there, for example through local content, mentions, and reviews with local reference.
• Service-Area-Businesses (SAB): Businesses without walk-in customers, such as tradespeople or mobile service providers, can enter a service area instead of a storefront address in the Business Profile. They then appear for searches from that area, even without a physical address on site. The address itself is hidden for SAB.
• Realistic expectation: In densely populated city centers with many competitors, the proximity effect is strongest. Here, exact proximity often determines the Top 3, which is why a single location cannot rank everywhere in the catchment area.

Local on-page and technical signals

The Business Profile alone is not enough in competitive markets. Your own website primarily supports Relevance and Prominence. These signals contribute:

• Local landing pages: Separate pages per location or service area, with clear local reference in title, headings, and text. They give Google context for local relevance.
• LocalBusiness schema: Structured data according to LocalBusiness markup provides name, address, phone, opening hours, and geo-coordinates in machine-readable form. This supports correct assignment and consistency of NAP data.
• Local keywords: Terms with local reference (service plus location) as well as generic terms with local intent naturally incorporated into content, without over-optimization.
• Internal linking: Link location and service pages meaningfully to each other and from the homepage. This distributes authority and makes the local structure comprehensible to Google.

This on-page work pays off doubly: It strengthens Local Pack ranking and simultaneously improves organic visibility for local queries.

Build citations and backlinks for Prominence in the DACH region

Prominence is built outside your own profile. Two components are central: citations and backlinks.

• Citations and NAP entries: Every mention of the business with NAP data in a directory is a citation. Volume and consistency of these entries are a recognized local signal. The key is that the data is identical everywhere.
• Backlinks: Links from other websites directly contribute to Prominence, as Google confirms. A Semrush analysis shows the level: businesses in the Local Map Pack have an average of 993 backlinks and 216 referring domains. The analysis does not name a country, so treat these values as guidance, not as an Austrian target.

For the Austrian and DACH region, specific sources are available:

• HEROLD: Austria's leading business and telephone directory, an important NAP entry for local businesses.
• WKO Firmen A-Z: The business directory of the Austrian Economic Chamber, an authoritative citation source with high credibility.
• Additional platforms: Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, and industry-specific directories complement the citation profile. Regional and local media, industry associations, and partner companies are sensible backlink sources with genuine local reference.

Quality beats quantity: A few authoritative, consistent entries work more effectively than many incomplete listings in unknown portals.

Common mistakes that cost the Top 3

• Incorrect or too generic categories: An imprecise primary category prevents the business from even being considered for relevant searches.
• Inconsistent NAP data: Even small discrepancies in address or phone number across different platforms weaken the entire local profile.
• Neglecting reviews: No active review management means few, old reviews and thus a weak Prominence signal. Fresh reviews are important because many consumers specifically seek current ones.
• Treating profile as static: A profile created once and never updated loses against actively maintained competitors. Opening hours, photos, and posts should be regularly updated.
• Ignoring proximity: The expectation of ranking throughout the entire catchment area with a single location is unrealistic. Those wanting broader visibility need location-specific relevance and prominence.
• Relying only on the profile: Without local landing pages, schema, and backlinks, the necessary authority to reach the Top 3 is missing in competitive markets.

Measure Local Pack performance

Local Pack success is measurable when the right metrics are tracked. The most important KPIs:

• Local Pack rankings: Track position for local keywords, ideally location-dependent via geo-grid. Since distance changes ranking, a single measurement in the center says little about the outskirts.
• Profile interactions: Calls, direction requests, and website clicks are shown directly in the Google Business Profile. They are the most concrete evidence that the Local Pack brings customers. According to the same SOCi analysis, 3-Pack businesses get 93 percent more conversion-oriented actions than listings that only appear in the Local Finder.
• CTR by position: Click-through rate decreases with position. As of September 2026, First Page Sage reports a Local Pack CTR of 14.8 percent in position 1, 12.6 percent in position 2, and 11.9 percent in position 3. Position 1 is noticeably worthwhile, but the gap to position 3 is smaller than for organic results.
• GSC tracking: Google Search Console shows impressions, clicks, and positions for local queries on your own website. It complements profile data with the organic side of local visibility.
• Review metrics: Track review count, average rating, and review velocity in parallel, as they drive Prominence and thus ranking.

Define a baseline before starting. Only then can the effects of profile optimization, review management, and citation building be demonstrated.

Austria-specific aspects and current developments

The Austrian market has some particularities. German-language queries with local reference, regional spellings, and Austrian directories shape local search. HEROLD and the WKO business directory A-Z are the obvious NAP sources, supplemented by the major international platforms. Since Google clearly dominates in Austria with 81.87 percent market share, Local Pack work focuses almost entirely on the Google ecosystem.

Regarding SERP developments, a change is emerging. AI-powered answers, such as AI Overviews, are moving up in search results and changing the display. The Local Pack with its three entries remains an established element that continues to be prominent for local queries, as it combines map, reviews, and action options that AI answers do not replace in this form. The important consequence: Local visibility no longer ends with classic ranking. Anyone wanting to rank highly in local search should see a maintained Business Profile, strong reviews, and consistent citations as the foundation that feeds both the Local Pack and increasingly AI-powered local recommendations.

Further reading

The Local Pack is the most valuable position in local search because it combines visibility, trust, and direct action options. The path to the Top 3 leads through the three official factors: Relevance through a precisely categorized, complete Business Profile, Distance through location-specific relevance and realistic expectations, Prominence through reviews, citations, and backlinks. These levers interlock. Those who systematically address them, measure results location-dependently, and keep an eye on the development of the local search results page build local visibility that brings more calls, directions, and qualified inquiries. Google's official factor overview is the best starting point for aligning measures and measurement.

If you would rather not build the profile, reviews and citations for a Vienna location yourself, our local SEO agency in Vienna handles it.