Search “roofer near me” on your phone. Before any website shows up, Google puts a map on the screen with three businesses under it: their star ratings, how far away they are, and buttons to call or get directions. Most people pick one of those three and never scroll further.

That box is the map pack, and getting into it is the whole point of local SEO. Here’s what it is, how Google decides who’s in it, and what we do to get our clients there.

What local SEO is

Local SEO is the work that helps Google show your business to people nearby who are searching for what you do. It covers two places: the regular search results, and Google Maps, including the map pack.

Regular SEO is mostly about your website. Local SEO is your website plus your Google Business Profile, your reviews and how your business is listed across the web.

What the map pack is

The map pack (also called the local pack or the 3-pack) is the map and the three business listings Google shows for searches with local intent, like “dentist near me,” “HVAC repair in Columbus” or just “plumber.” It usually sits above the regular results, so on a phone it can fill the whole first screen.

Each listing comes straight from that business’s Google Business Profile: name, rating, review count, hours, and buttons to call, get directions or visit the website. A customer can call you without ever opening your site.

How Google picks the three

Google is open about this. It says local results are based mainly on three things:

  • Relevance: how well your profile matches what someone searched. If your categories and services don’t say you do it, Google won’t guess.
  • Distance: how far you are from the person searching, or from the place they typed into the search.
  • Prominence: how well known you are. Google looks at your reviews and rating, links and articles about you across the web, and how your website ranks in regular search.

You can’t move your building closer to every customer, so distance is mostly fixed. Relevance and prominence are where the work is, and they’re where most local businesses leave the door open.

Relevance Does your profile match the search? You control this
Distance How close are you to the searcher? Mostly fixed
Prominence Reviews, mentions and your website’s strength. You control this
Google’s three local ranking factors. Two of the three are yours to win.

What we do to get you in

1. Build out the Google Business Profile

The right primary category and the additional ones that fit, every service you offer, accurate hours (holidays included), real photos of your work, your team and your location, and regular posts. A complete profile gives Google more reasons to show you for more searches.

Your businessProfile strength
0%
  • Primary and additional categories
  • Every service listed
  • Accurate hours, holidays too
  • Real photos of your work and team
  • A post every week
  • A reply on every review
Example. A complete profile gives Google more reasons to show you for more searches.

2. Keep reviews coming in, and answer every one

Google says high-quality, positive reviews can improve your visibility. We set up a simple way to ask happy customers for a review right after the job, and we reply to every review, good or bad. Replies show the next customer that someone is paying attention.

Jen, homeowner★★★★★
2 days ago

“Showed up when they said they would, fixed the leak the same day and cleaned up after. Would call them again.”

Response from the owner

Thanks, Jen. Glad we could get it sorted the same day. We’re here if anything else comes up.

Example. Ask right after the job, and reply to every review, good or bad.

3. Make your name, address and phone match everywhere

Your business shows up on dozens of directories, map apps and data sites. When the name, address or phone number is different from one to the next, Google is less sure which details are right. We clean them up so every listing agrees.

Before
  • GoogleSmith Roofing(614) 555-0142
  • FacebookSmith Roofing & Gutters LLC(614) 555-0142
  • YelpSmith Roofing Co.(614) 555-0199
After
  • GoogleSmith Roofing(614) 555-0142
  • FacebookSmith Roofing(614) 555-0142
  • YelpSmith Roofing(614) 555-0142
Example. When every listing agrees, Google trusts the details.

4. Make the website back it up

Your website is a big part of prominence. We build a page for each core service and for the areas you serve, add local business schema so search engines can read your details, and connect the site and the profile. The site should confirm everything the profile says.

5. Make it fast on a phone

Most “near me” searches happen on a phone, often in a hurry. We hand-build sites that load in under two seconds, so someone who taps through from the map pack doesn’t give up before they call.

6. Track what it brings in

Rankings matter, but calls matter more. We report where you show up and the calls, direction requests and website visits your profile and site bring in, in plain English.

What not to do

  • Don’t stuff keywords into your business name. Google’s guidelines say the name on your profile should match your real-world name. “Smith Roofing | Best Roofer in Columbus” can get a profile suspended.
  • Don’t buy or fake reviews. Google prohibits fake reviews, removes them and can take action against the profile.
  • Don’t set it and forget it. Competitors keep collecting reviews and posting updates. A profile that sits untouched for a year slips.

What it looks like when it works

Creegan’s Windows Plus ranks #1 on Google for 27 of its core service searches, including “window replacement” and “window installation.” Voto Manufacturers Sales moved from an average position of 27.9 to 6.5, from page 3 to page 1. Superior Urgent & Primary Care more than doubled its search clicks after a fast domain relaunch. All three are Google Search Console figures, and the full stories are in the Creegan’s, Voto and Superior case studies.

Client sites we built and manage. Figures from Google Search Console.

Want to know where you stand?

Ben will look up where your business shows up on Google Maps for the searches that bring you customers, compare your profile with the three businesses beating you, and tell you what would move the needle. It’s a free 30-minute call.

Check where I rank

Or read more about our local SEO and AI search service.