What is Google’s Local 3-Pack and How Can You Use It to Rank Higher?

Digital marketing has been essential to operating a successful local business for at least ten to 15 years, but today, its significance has multiplied – virtually exponentially

Numerous studies and consumer data have shown that COVID 19 mitigating techniques have increased internet use by a staggering 70%.
That’s not all, though.

Even after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed, people continued to spend an astonishing amount of time looking for local information, goods, and services online.

According to multiple studies, only 25 percent of users go to the second page of search results.

That means 75 percent of users stick to the first page of search results.

Your content is most likely to appear on the 12th, 13th, or even 40th SERP if it isn’t optimized, interesting, and compelling.

You should start optimizing for the Google Local 3 Pack because people only skim over the first page of SERPs with an attention span of 7 seconds (and it is becoming shorter). What do you do to differentiate yourself from the competition and leave a lasting impression?

It’s easy. You make your content Google 3-Pack-optimized.

What is the Local SEO 3-Pack?

The Google 3-Pack, to put it simply, is a collection of the top three local search results.

A local search frequently uses the words “near me,” “close to me,” or “in [place],” when a typical search does not.

For instance, the following Google 3-Pack will appear if you search for “Italian restaurants in Houston”:

Similarly, if you search for “barbershop in Downtown Dallas,” you’ll see the following Google 3-Pack:

Observe how the 3-Pack provides internet visitors with thorough, yet condensed, information on the most pertinent, well-liked, and reliable local search results.

People may quickly find the following details about the top three companies by performing a straightforward search:

Name
Address
Phone number
Introductory image
Map with personalized directions
Link to website
Rating
Number of reviews
Timings
Key features (e.g. dine-in, delivery, curbside pickup, etc.)

If they choose to engage with the listing, they can view even more details, including:

Additional images
FAQs
Popular times
Detailed critic reviews and testimonials
Amenities
Pricing
Booking options

For local searchers, the Google 3-Pack is a quick, precise, and time-saving gold mine.

Google lowered the number of the top five local queries from seven to five over time. To improve convenience, ease of use, and relevancy, the pack was further simplified in 2015 by dropping from five to three listings.

It’s not surprising that a staggering 92% of organic traffic comes from the search results on the first page of Google. The top result in the Google 3-Pack has a stunning CTR of 34.36%. (click-through rate).

Customer engagement is lower for results that appear below the Google 3-Pack. The amount of traffic generated by first-page search results outside the 3-Pack is still significant, but it is decreasing for the second, third, and subsequent pages.

How to Optimize for the Google 3-Pack?

1. Check Where You Currently Stand

It should not be surprising that when individuals conduct a local search, the Google 3-Pack shows up 93% of the time.

Optimizing your content to rank locally on Google is crucial if you own a local business. Additionally, assessing where your company sits right now is a terrific place to start.

Even while you might be tempted to jump right into 3-Pack optimization, skipping the necessary research could end up being more detrimental than helpful.

Instead, to find out if your company appears in the top 20 local search results, we advise speaking with SEO professionals. This will assist in streamlining and improving your company’s optimization strategy.

2. Claim, Fill and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

One of the best strategies to appear in Google Local 3-Packs is to use Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
Customers can identify, access, and interact with your business much more easily thanks to Google My Business, which is Google’s internal platform.
We advise starting by visiting here if you haven’t yet claimed your free listing. Simply type in the name of your business or, if it’s not currently listed, add it to Google.
Take your time when completing the necessary fields after you’ve claimed your listing. As this data may show up in the Google 3-Pack, take extra care to guarantee correctness and relevancy.
You will be asked to share your business:

Name
Address
Phone number
Website URL
Industry category
Images
Business hours
Types of payment accepted
Description

The more information you provide, the greater your chances of showing up on the Google 3-Pack.
Ensure NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency to lend legitimacy and credibility to your business.
Any deviations could reduce the authority of your business and prevent customers from accessing information or finding your listing altogether.
The actual job starts after the pertinent information has been entered.
One of the most effective techniques to help your company go in SERPs is to optimize and update your listing.
To maintain relevance and keep your audience interested, upload photos weekly and provide high-resolution images.
Google reports that companies with photos receive 42% more queries for directions to their area and 35% more website clicks.
Include several aspects of your company, such as the storefront and various inside angles.
Ensure that crucial information, such as the business’s operating hours, is current. The visitor-to-lead conversion rate can be greatly increased by maximizing relevance.

3. Create a Mobile-First Website

In 78% of local smartphone searches, a transaction takes place. A mobile-friendly website is essential as smartphones take center stage in today’s society.

You won’t be able to reach the vast majority of Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X clients if your website isn’t mobile-friendly.

We advise choosing clear graphics that are pleasing to the eye, user-friendliness, and eye-catching CTAs (call-to-actions).

In reality, Google uses your website’s mobile friendliness to assess the reliability and quality of your company.

If your website isn’t responsive to mobile devices, Google has no reason to display it in the 3-Pack.

The last thing Google wants is to hear complaints from customers who dealt with a 3-Pack company that didn’t have a responsive website.

4. Master the Art & Science of On-Page SEO to Rank Locally on Google

Disregarding on-page One of the most frequent errors that get local small companies into trouble is SEO.

To rank websites, Google’s algorithm takes into account more than 200 distinct parameters. You can cross most of these off your list quite easily by developing a solid on-page SEO strategy!

For instance, most small business owners are unaware that speeding up their website might enhance the likelihood that they will show up in Google 3-Pack.

Pages that load rapidly rank much higher in SERPs, according to a new study.

79% of users who experience a website’s slow loading time say they won’t visit it again in the future.

Here are some quick techniques to help your website load faster:

• Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
• Minimize HTTP requests
• Reduce server response time
• Opt for the right host (shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated server)
• Enable browser caching
• Compress images and optimize files
• Use a CDN (content delivery network)

Use pertinent keywords, title tags, meta descriptions, headings, header tags, short descriptive URLs, and alt text to further optimize your content.

These tactics will significantly improve your business rank in Google Local 3-Pack search results.

Get Your Business a Ton of High-Quality, Positive Reviews

It can be challenging to optimize for the Google 3-Pack when you’re just getting started. Things are simplified through reviews.

Leveraging reviews can seem like one of the least practical ways to get your company to appear in the Google 3-Pack, but it’s one of the most successful.

84% of consumers believe online evaluations to be just as reliable as personal recommendations.

You may find a ton of critic and consumer reviews by clicking on any listing in the Google 3-Pack.

Google loves reviews.

Why?

They are relied upon greatly and are trusted by their customers!

You will appear in the top 3 Maps results if your company has a large number of favorable reviews. You’ll move up the SERPs and obtain a slot in the Google 3-Pack as a result of this ranking.

To ensure that users get the best possible experience, Google continually reviews related businesses to identify the most reliable solutions.
The likelihood is that you will land up at the bottom of SERPs if your company, for instance, has a terrible ranking of 2.6/5.

Your chances of being in the Google 3-Pack will immediately increase if you turn it around by improving your ranking.

How do you approach this, though?
by asking for reviews.

Over 97% of consumers read internet evaluations of nearby companies, according to a recent survey.

Customers know how important it is to provide reviews in addition to giving them priority when reading them.

You may get positive evaluations for your company by following these strategies:

Ask clients to leave reviews for goods or services they recently utilized by sending them a polite and interesting email. The likelihood of getting a speedy and favorable evaluation will rise if you choose a customized strategy.
On your website, create a “Review Us” page. Customers should be taken to your Google Review URL when they click on the link. This is a fantastic strategy to guarantee that the reviews raise your chances of landing in Google’s 3-Pack.
Customers can be directed to your Google Review page by cleverly using a QR code. You can create a QR code for free by clicking here.

6. Create Engaging, Unique, and Value-Added Local Content

To rank in the top 3 Maps results, local content creation and product/service page optimization using local keywords are effective strategies.
To find and employ local keywords efficiently, we advise using Google Keyword Planner or getting in touch with SEO specialists.

To further ensure you reach a large local audience, generate material around regional events, celebrations, news, and popular themes.

You may improve your company’s Google Maps ranking and reach a wider range of local demographics by optimizing your content for local search.

Of course, keep in mind that the material must be interesting, useful, and persuasive.

Creating poor content that doesn’t resonate with your target audience will put you back where you started, regardless of how effective your local SEO approach may be.

Instead, combine quality and local SEO to develop and carry out a successful content marketing campaign.

We advise concentrating on developing high-quality and optimized:

Blogs
Articles
Guest Posts
Regional pages
Product Pages
Service Pages
Press Releases
Infographics
Instructpgraphics
Videos

7. Claim External Third Party Review Sites.

Yelp, Nextdoor, Foursquare, Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, and Yellowpages are just a few of the well-known external review sites that are essential traffic generators for your company.

Each review on a third-party review site sends a signal to Google, helping your company’s SERP rankings.

To ensure compliance, we advise perusing each platform’s unique review standards.

You’ll observe a rise in viewer engagement and retention once the reviews start to roll in.

Your business will move up the SERPs and land a slot on the Google 3-Pack if you consistently receive favorable ratings.

8. Earn Local Backlinks From Websites With High Domain Authority

A tried-and-true method of optimizing for the Google 3-Pack is to consult the experts.

We can help you improve your SERP rankings if you’ve been unhappy with them.

We provide professional local SEO services and Google Maps optimization services to clients all over the world as the top digital marketing specialists in Houston.

We can help you get started whether you are a just established – recently launched start-up or manage a small local business serving a specific local market, or own a larger business serving a metro city area or a broader regional area.

Our Local SEO specialists – our SEO wizards – have a wealth of real-world experience assisting clients in moving up SERPs and landing on the Google 3-Pack.

To grow your business from high-quality traffic, high conversions, little customer attrition, and a growing flow of sales, we’ll help your company rank higher on all Google Channels targeting a local audience.

9. Expert Google Map Optimization Services and Local SEO Services Win!