"Seafood restaurant near me". "Hotel with pool". "Plumber open now". Every day thousands of people search like this — phone in hand, ready to buy. "Near me" searches are growing at twice the speed of traditional local searches, and 78% of local mobile searches end in an offline purchase.
There's only one question: when someone searches your category in your area, do they find you or your competitor?
The local pack: where the game is won
When Google detects local intent it shows the local pack: the map with three highlighted businesses, above the normal results. That's where the vast majority of clicks go. Getting in requires three things: a well-kept Google profile, managed reviews and a consistent website. In that order.
1. Google Business Profile: your second website (free)
A complete profile receives 7x more clicks than an incomplete one, and for many local businesses it drives the majority of conversions. Yet 90% of the profiles we analyse have empty fields. The checklist:
- Exact primary category (plus relevant secondary ones): "Seafood restaurant", not a generic "Restaurant"
- Always-updated opening hours, holidays included — nothing irritates more than an "open" that's closed
- Real, recent photos: venue, dishes, rooms, team. Profiles with photos get far more direction requests
- A description using the words customers use (not marketing speak)
- Regular posts: offers, events, news — they signal to Google that the business is alive
- Monitored Q&A: answer before a random user does
