Both local and national businesses can benefit from SEO, but the approach is different. Local SEO uses local keywords and is useful for businesses with a local reach, while national SEO is suitable for bigger companies reaching for a national or global audience. Fundamentally both serve the same function: to rank highly and get maximum traffic.

For example, a local business might focus exclusively on trying to rank in the local 3-pack while disregarding national search, or a national company might ignore local ranks altogether. Approaching SEO from one side or the other, despite the schism in Google’s algorithms, is a flawed strategy.

The Local 3-Pack

The Local 3-Pack is a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) feature that appears at the top of the search enginers when a user makes a search with local intent. It contains a map and three local business listings relevant to the search. The Local Pack is also known as the Map Pack, Snack Pack, or Google 3-Pack

There are several ways a local business can improve its search engine ranking. Here are some tips:

1. Claim your Google My Business listing and optimize it with accurate and up-to-date information about your business, including your address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. This will help your business appear in the Local 3-Pack.
2. Optimize your website for local search by including local keywords in your content, meta tags, and URLs. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed.
3. Build high-quality backlinks to your website from other reputable websites. This will help improve your website’s authority and credibility.
4. Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing and other review sites like Yelp. Positive reviews can help improve your business’s visibility and reputation.