How to Use Google Local 3-pack for Your Small Business

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What Is a Local 3-pack?

The local-3 pack is a feature in Google search. It shows the three most prominent local businesses with a map for users' search queries.

Google considers these most relevant to the query based on location and quality. Appearing on the local-3 pack must be the goal for every local business. You can achieve this through local SEO tactics.

7 Ways to Use Google Local 3-pack for Your Small Business

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1. Supercharge Your Google My Business (GMB) Profile

The Local-3 pack results are sourced from Google My Business (GMB). So, if you haven't claimed your business listing on Google yet, you may want to start there.

After you have claimed it, it's time to optimize it to make it stand out from your competitors.

You can add plenty of information in your GMB profile that's useful to searchers. The more valuable people find your listing, the more Google favors your business for a local 3-pack listing.

Here Are A Few Tips To Optimize Your GMB Profile For Best Results:

• Ensure that the information listed is accurate—especially the NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) data. Check the map location and update any new phone numbers.
• Select the right business category while updating the profile.
• Create a separate profile if you have businesses in multiple locations.

Here’s a screenshot of the page in which you must specify your business category:

Read: Step-by-step Setup Guide for Google My Business Set up

2. Get Star Reviews on Google

Google factors many things when it features a business in the local 3-pack. For example, it looks at your ratings and positive reviews compared to other similar companies in your local area. A sure way to crack the local 3-pack is to get more positive reviews.

Besides ranking better on Google, more reviews drive more traffic and engagement with new customers.

A challenge is that even though people may love your business, not many leave reviews voluntarily. Sometimes you need to use a different approach to build your positive reviews.

A Few Ways To Do It Are:

• Start asking happy customers to leave a review on Google.
• Share the link by SMS or social channels. You can even add a link in any email communication. This gives them a gentle nudge to leave a positive review.

Here’s what star ratings look like on Google:

3. Optimize for Local SEO

If you want to show up in the local 3-pack, it's vital to have a solid local SEO strategy. Local SEO follows many typical traits of standard SEO but has a more local focus.

It would help to tailor your local SEO campaign to drive maximum traffic. It's also crucial that you monitor the page results to see if your strategies are working.

Work on optimizing your website. Use both on-page and off-page tactics to spruce it up for search friendliness. Hire a professional to get you started. It may involve some costs but pays off.

Some Things You Can Do To Boost Search Rankings Are:

• Make your site mobile-friendly and fast loading.
• Check and update the website's metadata tags, such as titles, headings, etc., with top-ranking local keywords.
• Make your content relevant and easy to read by people and search engines.

You can use the Mobile-Friendly Test tool by Google to check if your website is suitable for viewing on mobile phones:

4. Create Engaging and Quality Local Content

The value of great content on the web is irrefutable. It draws traffic and builds credibility. Useful blogs are a source of organic traffic and engagement for your site and social channels.

However, the most overlooked type of content is local content. Creating quality content around local holidays and events can give you a big boost.

Higher page traffic is one of the criteria for Google to feature a business in the local 3-pack.

There are many ways to harness the power of local content.

A Few You Can Try Are:

• Identify and effectively use local keywords that people would search for online. For example, a popular local keyword could be "Christmas NYC Electronics sales."
• Research on topics trending locally and use them in your articles, posts, and product promotions.

You can search for local keywords using KWFinder:

5. Upload Original Photos and Videos

Studies show that businesses with pictures and videos on Google get more footfalls. It's only natural since it shows that you are an actual entity and hints at what to expect.

GMB lets you add a wealth of information about your business. You can add images, videos, infographics, and even virtual tours. Google gives you helpful tips on what type of content or media is effective in a GMB profile.

Adding rich media such as images and videos helps you rank higher and eventually gets you a spot on the local 3-pack when done well.

Use These Effective Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your GMB Profile:

• Use high-quality and original pictures and videos. Do not use stock images. These show your business in a poor light.
• Encourage customers to upload photos with reviews.

Here’s an example of a customer’s review with photos:

6. Work on Quality Backlinks

Link building has time and again proven to be an effective SEO strategy. Quality backlinks from local sites of authority can boost your local search traffic.

For example, A respected local newspaper's article links to your website's articles. It can help you gain the coveted local 3-pack listing in your area.

Unlike other SEO tactics, quality link building can be tricky and time-consuming. Don't expect overnight results. Work on it in phases to see the best results.

Here We Have A List Of Tips That Can Get You Started:

• Maintain a solid online presence and follow top communities and accounts. It helps you build strong relationships.
• Do not 'buy' backlinks from online companies. These are almost always low-quality and can get you penalized by Google.
• Balance the use of internal and external links on your website.

You can analyze the backlinks to your website with a backlink checker:

Read: Best Practices to Earn High-Authority Backlinks for Your Website

7. Consider Paid Local Search Ads

Along with local SEO, a good strategy is to try paid search ads on Google. Advertise on Google maps to display your business ad to local searchers. Doing so will show your business ad within the local 3-pack listing.

This is an effective method to feature in the pack but costs higher than regular SEO efforts. It does have some clear benefits. It leads to more calls and store visits from customers. It also helps people in the vicinity learn more about your business.

Running a great PPC campaign may not be easy for everyone.

Use These Excellent Tools To Get You Started:

• Google Ad Editor: A free tool that lets you create and edit ads. Download it and work offline and make bulk changes to all your ads.
• Optmyzr: Optimize all your ads with machine learning.

Here’s a screenshot of Google Ad Editor:

Key Takeaways

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• Find and claim your Google My Business (GMB) Listings.
• Focus on optimizing your GMB profile. Try and complete it as much as possible.
• Select the right business category on GMB. The more accurate it is, the more visitor traffic you expect in the store.
• Add original photos and videos of your business on your GMB profile. Avoid stock images.
• Optimize your website for local SEO. Identify the right local keywords that drive traffic and engagement.
• Proactively follow-up with customers to get 5-star reviews for your business. Encourage them to add photos.
• Run local search ads if your budget allows it.