The Local Pack & How to Get There

Updated June 7, 2024

Local SEO

Being a digital marketing agency with a focus on White Hat SEO, we work with a wide range of different clients. Anything from international engineering companies to local chiropractors. Because of the diverse nature of our clients, we get the chance to see a wide range of SEO problems and solve them in different ways. For example, the best way to raise organic visibility for a multi-national bakery might not be the same as it is for a local law firm. Let’s look at the “local pack” area on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

Three Tips To Get Listed in The Local Pack

The local pack is a selection of area businesses that are listed above or beside organic search results on the SERP. This is now limited to 3 companies, so competition is often tough, especially if you’re located in a big town or city. Here are some tips to aid in local SEO:

1. Register for Google My Business. Continuing with the local law firm example, you must first focus on who is already showing if you want to be included you need to focus on being in the local pack. Most likely the SERP is dominated by large online legal companies. A small law firm will find it hard to compete with deep marketing pockets. But the large firms may not have local locations and their website may not have the local SEO power to dominate local search results. To join the local pack , you first need to register your business on the Google My Business site. Then follow the steps. If you want more information on running an effective Google My Business, then check out some of our related blog posts here.
   
2. Even if you’re in the local pack, you must have a website.  I know this sounds like a no-brainer. But you’d be surprised at how many small businesses don’t have a website. According to SmallBusinessComputing.com, nearly half of U.S. small businesses don’t have a website. When a potential customer sees your contact information in the local pack, they are comparing your listings with other business. Those with a website win out as searchers can click directly from the list. Searchers equate a good website with quality and trustworthiness. The simplistic thought is “if they can afford a good website, they must be better than this other firm who only has a phone number.” If you don’t have a website, create a simple, easy-to-maintain site. List all the main services you offer. For law firms, create profiles for your lawyers. Then list where and how they can get in touch with you. Having a simple but well-done website can be enough to make you stand out.
3. You need to get online reviews. Most small business owners know this already but it’s always worth repeating this point. The more online reviews you have, the better. Getting online reviews or client testimonials is often forgotten, or seen as an awkward question to ask. Use your judgement on who to ask. We suggest making it a part of your customer service process for all clients when you finish working with them. Not all will create reviews, but some are better than none. Make sure you have reviews on your website, Google, Yelp (if applicable), and Avvo.com (for lawyers).

Judging Local Firms From the Local Pack

If you follow the three steps detailed above you should be on your way to making your presence show in the local pack. Outside of these initial steps, we suggest you look into content marketing, link building, and other practices to round out your SEO efforts.

Are you part of the local pack? What tipped the scales for you?

Photo credit – Top: Pixel Bay
Photo credit – Bottom: Wikipedia