Blog Post

Local Pack Search Results vs Localized Organic Results - What's the Difference?

Amber Blevins • Oct 23, 2020

The very basic concepts of search engine ranking have remained fairly constant over a number of years. But the way in which your site achieves its ranking has changed, as has the way search results are actually displayed.

There’s plenty to discuss about how to achieve search engine ranking success. Everyone has their preferred method, advice, and opinions on the subject. For the purposes of this post though, let’s focus on the way high-ranking search results are displayed on Google’s front page and what the layout actually means.

Local Pack vs Organic

There are various types of search results displayed on Google’s front page – paid ads, pack results, and organic results are just a few. No doubt you’ve seen these different results (and more) when running Google searches of your own.

Here at Locallogy, our clients often ask about (and are generally confused) by pack results and organic results. Both appear near the top of the page and both are triggered by a localized search. So, what’s the difference?

Local Pack Results

Local pack results, sometimes called “3 pack” (because there are three listings,) appear at the top Google’s search results, above the organic listings. The 3 pack section contains local businesses based on the Google search term(s.) The results are displayed on a map and the listings contain specific details about each business, including their contact details and business hours. Notably, each listing also contains a star rating, making this section extremely important for attracting customers.

Organic Results

Organic results usually appear just below the local pack results. Like the 3 pack, these results are also generated based on the search terms used. Unlike the 3 pack, these listings don’t contain all those useful nuggets of info, like business hours and contact details.

Organic results are what people tend to image when they think of SEO – and they’re not wrong. Organic results are tied to those basic tenets of SEO, like a user-friendly website, engaging site content, and an active blog.

Which One Should I Care About? (And Can I Rank in Both?)

Both local pack and organic search results have prime real estate on Google’s first page – right there at the top – a highly sought-after position. So, in terms of “which should you care about,” the answer is both.

Ranking in the local pack and the organic results sections are not mutually exclusive. It’s entirely possible to rank in both sections, which is a fantastic double-whammy in terms of unpaid search ranking.

While local pack and organic search ranking are backed by different strategies, they’re both extremely important for your local business.

Check out our next post to learn more about ranking in the local pack. Questions in the meantime? Reach out to us at Locallogy. We’d love to help.

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