When you search Google for something with a clear local intent, such as "plumber Leeds" or "chippy near me", you often first see a small map with three businesses below it. That block is called the local pack. It usually sits above the regular blue links and shows each business's name, rating, address, opening hours and buttons to call or get directions.
For many SMEs with physical premises or a clear service area, the local pack is where customers make their decision. Someone who urgently needs a locksmith rarely scrolls past those three names. If you appear there, you get the call. If you don't, you effectively don't exist for that searcher.
Google itself says local results depend mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is about how well your business matches the search. Distance is how close you are to the searcher or to the location in the search. Prominence is about how well known your business is online and offline, for example through reviews, mentions on other websites and the quality of your own site.
The foundation of it all is a fully completed Google Business Profile. Without a profile, you won't appear in the local pack.
You have no control over where a searcher is, but you do over the other signals. A practical checklist:
Take a roofer in Leeds. He works across West Yorkshire, but only appears in the local pack for searches around Leeds itself. By creating separate, substantial pages for his work in Bradford and Wakefield, and by asking customers from those towns for reviews, he gives Google more reasons to show him there too. There are no guarantees, but the signals get stronger.
AI assistants are also answering local questions more and more often. Ask Gemini or ChatGPT for "a good bakery in Bristol" and you get a short list of names with brief explanations. Those answers probably rely partly on the same sources: business profiles, review platforms and local websites. Google AI Overviews also often simply show the map and business details for local questions. So if your local SEO is in good shape, you are also laying a foundation for AI visibility.
Your position in the local pack varies by street and by search term, which makes it hard to assess accurately yourself. A visibility audit of your local presence maps out which searches you appear for, where competitors overtake you and which profile details are still missing. That way you know where to act first.
Request your free AI visibility plan. An expert analyses your business and contacts you within 1 working day to present your plan in person.
