When someone in your city searches for your service, the Local Pack shows three results at the very top. These three spots win around 70% of all clicks for local searches. Position 4 gets less than 5% – the difference is enormous.
Google uses three central ranking factors: Relevance (how well does the business match the search?), Distance (how close is the business?) and Prominence (how well-known is the business online?). You can't influence distance – but you can influence relevance and prominence.
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Check all 7 Local Pack factors and compare yourself with the top 3 competitors.
76% of local searches lead to a visit. GBP audit from €29.
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The most important single factor. Google matches the category with the search query. Always choose the most specific available category and check the categories of your top competitors.
Name, address and phone must be identical on your website, Google Business Profile and all directories. Even minor formatting differences create inconsistency signals for Google.
Both average rating and review count matter. A profile with 4.8 stars and 12 reviews usually loses to 4.5 stars and 200 reviews. Target for the DACH market: minimum 50 reviews.
Google has an internal completion score. Required: name, address, phone, website, primary category, opening hours. Recommended: description with keywords (750 characters), 5 secondary categories, 20+ photos, all available attributes.
Keywords in descriptions, Google Posts and Q&A answers help Google with matching. Never add keywords to the business name if they're not part of the real name – Google can suspend profiles for this.
Prominence is built through directory listings (Yellow Pages, Yelp), mentions in local media and links from local partner businesses and associations.
Google favours active profiles. Minimum 2 Google Posts per month, quick responses to new reviews, updated opening hours especially for holidays, at least 1 new photo per month.
A GBP audit covers all seven factors systematically. You get a Local SEO score (0–100), direct comparison with the top 3 competitors in your region and prioritised quick wins.
Start GBP audit now
Check all 7 Local Pack factors and compare yourself with the top 3 competitors.
76% of local searches lead to a visit. GBP audit from €29.
GDPR compliant · No data sharing
“I didn't realize how many customers simply couldn't find us. After the audit and 3 changes: 30% more call inquiries.”
Julia R. · Inhaberin, Physiotherapie-Praxis
