Local SEO: 8 Strategies to Conquer the Map Pack

Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Securing a spot in Google’s Map Pack is a feat worth celebrating for any business. The good news is that there are steps you can take to improve your website for local SEO and pave the way to those coveted positions.

Unclear on the power of the Map Pack and why it warrants your attention? Visit Part 1 of Local SEO: Meet the Map Pack.

Local search—and search in general—is changing fast, yet the Map Pack is as valuable as ever. Here’s how to earn your place.

Part 2: Local SEO: How to Get Your Business in Google's Map Pack

When determining which businesses earn the sought-after Map Pack spots, Google considers various ranking factors. Whitespark has outlined the most significant factors and their respective weights for 2026, giving us a strong foundation to build a local SEO strategy to earn your business a seat at the cool kids’ table this year.

1. Curate a Killer Google Business Profile Your Google Business Profile is one of the most important pieces of your local search presence, so cultivating an accurate and comprehensive profile is a smart first step in a strong local SEO strategy.

There are a few things to keep in mind here:

• Ensure consistent spelling across your profile

• Select enticing on-brand imagery

• Use benefit-led copy in your business description

• Include detailed, accurate information

• Add identity-based attributes and manage your social media links

• Select thoughtful primary and secondary categories
  

To expand upon the last point, it’s crucial to be precise when choosing your primary category. There are thousands to choose from, so it’s important to intentionally select one that aligns with your business's goals and the searches you want to rank for.

You can then select additional secondary categories to support the primary category and add context, optimizing your Google Business Profile. Category options are updated regularly, so check back frequently and maintain accurate categories on your profile.

Tip Time: You can sneak a peek at your competitors’ categories to use as a reference point for your own.

Here’s How:

1. Click on their Google Business Profile

2. Right-click and select “View Source”

3. Ctrl-F or ⌘-F (Mac), enter their primary category listed on their GBP. Any additional phrases after the primary category are secondary categories!

Building a strong GBP isn’t complicated or time-consuming—the secret lies in maintaining it and ensuring that it remains accurate and optimized.

2. Get Rave Reviews

Reviews are important for a variety of reasons. More than just opinions, they give you direct insights into your consumers and their satisfaction! 

The more reviews you receive, the more data is available to analyze, and you can use that information to look for trends and pinpoint areas for improvement in your business operations. Reviews offer a no-nonsense critique of your strengths and weaknesses as a business.

They also play a substantial role when it comes to local SEO rankings. Reviews also support local visibility and help potential customers feel more confident choosing your business.

Some of the most important review factors include:

• How many reviews does your business have?

• How frequently does your business receive reviews?

• The source of the reviews – do they include first-party reviews (on your website) and third-party reviews from other websites like Google?

• Are those third-party sources diverse (including Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, etc.)?

  
  

Encourage your clients to leave reviews not only to gain insightful feedback but also to improve your local SEO!

3. Optimize with On-Page Signals

On-page SEO also plays an important role in local visibility, helping search engines understand what your business offers, where you're located, and which searches your website is relevant to. At the top of the list is your metadata, specifically your webpage title tag. Your title tag acts as a descriptor and a differentiator for a web page, telling Google exactly what makes your page unique within the context of your website and when compared to other search results.

Using relevant and descriptive title tags is essential to earning a spot in Google’s top three local search results. 

You also want to make sure that your business name, address, social media links, and phone number are present and accurate on all pages of your website, and that those relevant keywords are incorporated into your website copy.

Need a little help with those keywords? Explore The Brand Brew ®’s SEO & GEO Strategy to find and feature the best terms for your business!

4. Benefit from Behavioural Signals

Local visibility gets customers to your website, but the experience they have once they arrive still matters. Clear title tags and meta descriptions can encourage clicks, while useful content, accessible design, intuitive navigation, and strong calls to action help turn that visibility into meaningful engagement.

You have a few techniques at your disposal to improve your website’s behavioural performance. For instance, you can strengthen your title tags and craft specific meta descriptions that set you apart and improve your CTR.

Content marketing strategies can help you to attract a larger audience to your website, keep them engaged for longer, and prompt them to take action. 

Your website’s accessibility plays a role as well, as a website that is easy to read and navigate will yield a stronger behavioural performance. You also have the option of creating enticing offers and promotions alongside quality content to further increase interactions with your website.

5. Get Lucky with Links

Okay, maybe it’s not luck, but links are another important element for a strong local SEO strategy.

Think of it this way – if someone constantly talks about how great they are, that’s mildly convincing at best. But if an entire community of respectable individuals are willing to vouch for them? That’s far more validating.

This is where backlinking comes in. It’s a way of building a positive reputation for your business based on the references of others, and it can profoundly affect your local SEO ranking.

Check out our Backlinks and SEO: The What, Why, and How blog for a more in-depth look at backlinking and its importance from an SEO perspective.

Both inbound and outbound links play a role in your SEO, GEO, and AEO rankings, and the quality and volume of those links are both taken into account.

Domain authority is huge when it comes to linking, and for good reason – would you be more likely to trust the word of a trusted expert or that of a random person you pass by as you shop for groceries? 

Links to and from reputable, authoritative sources shouldn’t be overlooked in the local SEO game. This requires networking with other leaders in your industry, building virtual relationships, and actively seeking to be included in relevant blogs and articles in order to develop a robust collection of high-quality backlinks.

That way, you have a whole community of trustworthy sources supporting you when Google decides its rankings.

6. Create Consistent Citations

With regards to local SEO, citations are mentions of your business name, address, or phone number (aka NAP) on websites other than your own. 

Accurate listings across online business directories help to build citations, as well as customers “checking in” to a business online or tagging a business in a photo. 

Establishing your business across platforms like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Yahoo, and Better Business Bureau will help to build your citations and, therefore, your local ranking.

Businesses can further improve citations by regularly uploading brand images with keyword-optimized alt text, and encouraging customers to interact with the business online and tag them in their own social media posts.

7. Build a Distinctive Local Presence

Strong local visibility goes beyond listings and keywords. Consistent messaging, strategic website design, on-brand photography, and useful content help customers recognize your business, understand what makes it different, and feel confident choosing you.

This really all comes down to effective marketing, SEO and GEO-rich copywriting, on-brand photography, and investment in strategic website design. It’s about making sure the business stands out from the competition.

8. Sweeten the Deal with Social

Social is the final piece of the puzzle. It won’t carry you into the Map Pack on its own, but it does help confirm you belong there. An active, well-kept presence signals that your business is real, current, and engaged in its community.

Tagged posts, check-ins, and shared photos extend your visibility beyond your website and listings, quietly backing up your local SEO efforts. The goal isn’t to see how many likes you can rack up, but to build consistency and alignment. It’s about showing up the same way everywhere customers can find you, whether that’s a TikTok reel or in the midst of a chat with their favourite AI companion.

There’s a lot that goes into a strong local SEO strategy, from your Google Business Profile and reviews to your website, content, and broader search presence. The goal isn't simply to chase a Map Pack position, but to make your business easier to find, understand, and choose.

The Brand Brew ® can help. Our SEO & GEO Strategy brings these ingredients together to strengthen your visibility across Google, local search, and AI-powered discovery. Already have a website? Our SEO & GEO Website Audit can uncover what's working, what's holding you back, and where the strongest opportunities lie.