How can we get our business to appear in the Google 3 Pack? (A 2026 Guide)

Author: Ryan Walsh
Date: 15/01/2026

Read time: 10 Minutes

Introduction

There is a lot of discussion at the moment about how to increase a business’s AI visibility. No matter if you’re on an SEO agency’s website or reading a celebrity magazine, they’re all talking about AI optimisation right now!

Well, not in the celebrity gossip magazines, that’s a slight exaggeration- but you get our drift!

And that’s with good reason: as shoppers get more accustomed to chatting with ChatGPT, they may make the permanent switch to using it for all their search queries.

However, sometimes we have to take a step back and have a look at the bigger picture.

And for local businesses in particular, it’s more important than ever to get their business to appear in the Google 3 pack. The reason is that, with AI, some companies might not have the budget or time to improve their organic search engine optimisation or AI visibility.

Therefore, so businesses can still attract more local customers, perhaps they should focus on improving their local SEO on Google Business.

This is something many businesses have focused on in the glorious city of Cardiff to great effect.

So you’re looking for advice on this, that’s how to get your business appeaing in Google’s 3-pack– well, you’ve come to the right place.

 

What Is the Google 3 Pack?

The Google 3 Pack is often referred to as many things, such as the “local pack”, the “map pack”, “Google Business listing”, etc., etc.- you get the idea.

In layperson’s terms, it just means the Google Local Business Results.

And these results depend on where someone is at that very moment in time with their smartphone. So if you’re looking for, say, a sandwich company to produce 1000 sandwiches for a business conference, well, the results might be different depending on where you search in that city.

If you’re in the car on the other side of the city, the Google Business results will be different if you search say in a high-rise tower block on the other side of the city. Not that how high up you are varies the results- its just based on proximity!

So, the map pack, how do you get your business appearing there?

Well, it all boils down to the following factors:

– Number of reviews
– How authoritative your business is
– How long have the listings been live
– NAP consistency
– Many other factors, which we will explain in this rather excellent article

Sock it to me: what are the benefits of ranking in the Google 3 Pack?

More visibility

Now, presuming you’ve selected the right business category, more visibility and more eyeballs on your listing can result in more traffic, which means more customers.

Therefore, greater visibility can lead to more sales.

Trusted

Now, here’s the thing: if you see a business with over 100 positive reviews, you’re more naturally inclined to call that business.

So, often the best businesses locally are the ones with positive reviews. Therefore, when you gain a lot of positive reviews on Google Business, this is like throwing your chips on the floor in front of a bunch of hungry seagulls.

Just as seagulls spot an opportunity, the thousands of shoppers online in your city, town or hamlet will see that you’re the business to call, and they will flock to you like hungry seagulls!

I am sold: how can I get my business to appear in the Google 3 pack?

 

Create and verify your Google Business Profile (GBP)

To be in with a chance of winning, you have to participate; it’s a bit like the national lottery in that sense.

So, your business is never, in a million years, going to appear in the Google Business results, unless, you guessed it, you pull your finger out and get your business its very own Google Business Profile.

Then there’s no other option other than to crank up that coffee machine, grab a cake (why not) and start filling in all the relevant details into your Google Business Profile. Don’t rush this process; take your time, eat the cake, and add the following information:

– Business name
– Business address
– Business phone number
– Business description
– Choose the right business category
– Add website URL
– Verify your listing
– Add opening hours

Add a custom business description / plus don’t neglect on-page SEO

So, here’s the thing: you want to approach your local SEO with a hand-in-glove approach.

Let us explain what that means.

Well, if you really, genuinely want to stand out as the bee’s knees in your area, often you want a joined-up marketing strategy. You will want to improve your business’s organic search engine optimisation and local SEO at the same time. Now, to that, we would recommend writing high-quality content marketing- think Google EEAT, think inbound backlinks, think local SEO success and becoming local super-star (you deserve it, your worth it)

Add blog posts that answer the questions customers have in their heads.

Now, you don’t need to be a mind reader for this stage, but if you’ve been in your business long enough, you will know the commonly asked questions that customers frequently ask.

You might have become bored answering the same questions again and again! But that’s the wrong approach, turn that frown upside down and do the following:

 

Write content marketing to address these questions.

Tailor it to a local audience, so, for example, let’s say you produce ice cream. All the ingredients are locally sourced, so why not write a blog post featuring all your super-friendly, smiley suppliers, each pulling a cheesy grin for the camera?

This should then show where the milk comes from locally, who makes the local toffee bits, and where the local organic fruit is grown. This all helps to improve your local search engine optimisation when done right.

Get yourself listed on local business directories.

Don’t rush this part!

It’s the part that so many businesses make a complete and utter shambles of- so don’t rush it, get more cake if you have to!

Now, you want to add your NAP details to as many quality business directories as possible.

However, you don’t want to damage your business’s search engine optimisation by adding “conflicting NAP details”. Which basically means, don’t build a ton of business citations that might contradict each other.

 

Now this sounds super confusing, right?

Well, it’s not; it just means that the business name, address, and phone number must be identical. Therefore, it’s not just a matter of writing down NAP details in as many business directories as possible; nope, it’s all about managing these listings, giving them odd spring clean make sure, well there accurate.

So, if you do move from factory 1 to factory 2 down the road, yes, you guessed it, all of the NAP details will need to be updated (don’t roll your eyes).

 

Authority

Right, all your competitors in your area will say on their websites that they are the best at what they do.

They will want to shout from the rooftops that they are the best in the business.

However, how does Google work out which businesses are most likely the best? Who’s telling porky-pies and who is really the best SEO company in the whole of the land?

Well, since the days of Google PageRank, Google has used backlinks as one of the primary ways to determine whether your business is important and influential or well, a bit lonely?

 

Does it have an abundant backlink profile, a bit like having a lot of followers on social media?

Which businesses don’t have any links, and are, well a bit lonely?

Because, let’s face it, if you have well-known brands, blue-chip multi-million-pound companies linking to you, well, you’re likely to be a hotshot company yourself. Therefore, links are essential, not just for your organic search engine optimisation but also for your local SEO.

Think of it like this: if you have a massive bunch of high-quality do-follow backlinks and a lot of positive business reviews, your business is more authoritative. Then this helps improve your company’s Google EEAT score, which, well, would need to be explained in detail in a separate article.

However, in a nutshell, the more powerful links and positive reviews you have, the more likely your business is to feature in the Google 3-pack.

Encourage your customers to leave reviews.

When we say encourage, we don’t mean beg! (Looking desperate is never a good look).

However, let’s give an example: somebody says, “That’s the best coffee blend I have ever tasted- I am coming back tomorrow, then the next day, and the next day after that!”

They could be seen as a bit nuts and over eager. Or, you could think creatively and say, well lets at least get a positive Google Business review out of them.

Well, why not get that over-eager and enthusiastic shopper to scan the QR code on their phone and go straight to your business’s Google Business profile?

Then you are capitalising on their positive experience, and asking them to leave a review- its just you have to them see them the next day, plus the day after that.

 

Do you need some help?

Not in terms of life generally but your SEO?

There’s a reason why we are one of the very best search engine optimisation agencies in the whole of Wales.

The reason is experience.

We have been at this for over 10 years!

Ryan now manages Walsh & Partners, and, well, what we don’t know about local SEO isn’t worth knowing!

That’s why everyone from the best dentists, through to construction businesses, partners with us, because we help you to drum up more business.

We make the process fun, not full of marketing hype and marketing egos!

If you want to get your business listed on Google Business, give us a call. If you want to improve your SEO, give us a call- if you’re feeling lonely, give us a call.

Call the best in the business, call Walsh & Partners today.