What radius is my map listing good for?

[Timur]

Hello, I am new to this forum so please excuse me if something is not pointing right.

I am wondering how to widen the local 3-pack presence, if possible. I mean I have a business holding 2nd place in 3 local packs but only in one particular zip code where the business is. Very next zip code the business is in 20th position and roughly the same for the whole city. Is there something we can do about it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Timur]

Anybody here? Is my post even visible?

 

[Conor Treacy]

How are you validating the search zone? What type of business are you in? What are the other businesses in your area doing (are they in different zip codes?)

A common thing people reviewing results when starting out is to search for something like "house cleaning 68144" or "house cleaning 68128" but this is not how normal people search the web. Most don't use a zip code. They may use a city, but rarely a zip.

The test comes into real play when you are physically in a different location; how does your business show at that point - without city modifiers? There are tools and software online that will give you GRID positions as to how you're doing in one location versus 1 mile down the road etc.

When you search for your keyword, look in the map pack and see how wide the map shows (the small map). That's going to be the initial radius for that type of industry. The more powerful the competitor listings are in an area, the smaller that map can get. Also, if there is a cluster of powerful businesses, they can move the center of the map to a different part of the city.

 

[Timur]

@Conor Treacy Thank you for the response!

It's a SAB appliance repair in SoCal. I don't validate the search zone; we simply search for "appliance repair" from different devices in different zip codes that Google automatically detects. If the devices are located in a particular zip code where the business is, the business appears at position 2 no matter what device we're using. The further we go, the lower the position becomes, obviously.

I was wondering if there is a way to improve Local 3-pack positions in other zip codes, or at least be in the top 5 or 10?

Also, which grid service would you recommend? I tried Brightlocal, and it showed the business in 18th position in its own zip code, which doesn't seem trustworthy

 

[Conor Treacy]

For us, we use Brightlocal and haven't had issues, but others here use LocalFalcon or PlacesScout - all three seem to get decent reviews.

When moving from area to area doing your checks, be sure not to be logged in on your phone - use incognito etc - I'm sure you're already doing that, but worth mentioning.

As far as increasing the rank in one area or zip code, location pages and information regarding that area can help boost the map. That's the main thing we use to boost in specific areas.

 

[Timur]

@Conor Treacy I used the Brightlocal trial yesterday, and it showed me a competitor in the first place. But when I ran the grid for this competitor, Brightlocal showed it in 22nd position in the same grid spot it had previously shown as 1st when I tested my own company. This didn't really inspire confidence in the accuracy of the tool.

 

[Conor Treacy]

I personally haven't experienced that issue, but I'd recommend that you reach out to BrightLocal and see what they have to say. There could be a glitch, or there could be a bigger issue, but only they will have the answer.

 

[Jenny_BrightLocal]

@Conor Treacy I used the Brightlocal trial yesterday, and it showed me a competitor in the first place. But when I ran the grid for this competitor, Brightlocal showed it in 22nd position in the same grid spot it had previously shown as 1st when I tested my own company. This didn't really inspire confidence in the accuracy of the tool.

Hey @Timur thanks for using our trial. We'll need to look into what happened to provide any further insight here. Please feel free to raise a support ticket (simply use the live chat Support widget at the bottom of your screen) and our team will be happy to look into this for you. Thanks again, Jenny