Why am I seeing more and more no website businesses rank in 3 pack

[Friedrice14]

Lately I've been seeing a good bit of no website companies list in the 3 pack, when others well below them have websites with near perfect seo. Any idea why this is happening (and seems to be happening more)?

 

[Yan Gilbert]

Interesting...I have not noticed that particularly.

Without knowing the centered search location or the keyword used for this search, it is difficult to analyze all the pieces here.

I would think that it is just a factor of distance, but maybe you are doing searches in niches that have less connected websites.

 

[Friedrice14]

Interesting...I have not noticed that particularly.

Without knowing the centered search location or the keyword used for this search, it is difficult to analyze all the pieces here.

I would think that it is just a factor of distance, but maybe you are doing searches in niches that have less connected websites.

Search is "insulation contractor Pensacola" searched from in Pensacola city limits. I actually get nearly the same results for that search from everywhere.

The sites at the bottom of that search all have websites with a few (including mine) with city targeted landing pages. There's even one with tons of relevant high authority backlinks from supply companies, home builder associants etc and they dropped out of the pack completely.

It's like the results are completely upside down.

 

[Yan Gilbert]

When you add the 'Pensacola' location modifier you are basically telling Google to start the search in the middle of Pensacola. Which seems to be at the point in the image.

Distance from this point will be a very large factor is determining which businesses show up.

But I do find it curious that two non-verified businesses without any reviews are showing so prominently.

 

[Friedrice14]

Yep and what makes even less sense is my business is directly between those too. Which I'll admit mine isn't as aged, but I and many others cross off all the other prerequisites.

It hasn't effected my business much though because one place doesn't answer, one only works in factories, and one is a building supply store. So after the customer calls all them, they call me. The joys of Google.

 

[Digitaldar]

I've noticed this as well!
I was looking for "hearing clinic Orleans" and a site without a website is ranked in the maps... they have lots of citations as they are listed in a gazillion directories... but no website

 

[Friedrice14]

What methods are you all using to search from say "sometown five miles outside Pheonix, AZ" to see if any Pheonix listings show up? I'm trying to get an accurate guage on how proximity is working.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

What methods are you all using to search from say "sometown five miles outside Pheonix, AZ" to see if any Pheonix listings show up? I'm trying to get an accurate guage on how proximity is working.

This is my preferred tool - View Google Search Results from any Location in any Country

I will typically set my location to a specific zip code in order to see the results that someone in close proximity to the business would see.

 

[Tim Colling]

This is my preferred tool - View Google Search Results from any Location in any Country ...

That is the one that I use too.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Lately I've been seeing a good bit of no website companies list in the 3 pack, when others well below them have websites with near perfect seo. Any idea why this is happening (and seems to be happening more)?

I've seen a big uptick in this as of July 2017. With the recent algorithm update in August as well.

Google treats ranking for the local results completely different than the organic results. With organic, it's all about getting links and authority built up towards a specific website. With local, it's about building authority for a specific entity/place. You don't need a website for this to happen, although, I always suggest having one because it makes it much easier to manipulate.

I think the reason why we don't understand why some listings rank that have no websites is because there are lots of details about the business that we simply don't know. How long has their listing been around? How many users arrive there every month using Google Maps? How busy is their location? What websites is Google attaching to the listing on the backend to give it authority?

Etc.

I think ideally Google is looking to rank the "best" in the area but that isn't always evident based on the most links or the best website content. The best sushi restaurant in my area has the world's worst website and probably non-existing links.

I agree that it makes our lives (as SEOs) difficult but I would predict this trend will continue.

 

[adammaxum]

When I see this it's usually a random listing that disappears after a bit. It usually contains the keyword you're searching in the business name which I believe is a factor. I tend to see it happen around algo updates or around keywords that are less competitive. For the most part, it doesn't last, unless it's a small market with little competition. "insulation pensacola" is a small market and small niche within that market so it's not that surprising.

 

[Bobster]

What methods are you all using to search from say "sometown five miles outside Pheonix, AZ" to see if any Pheonix listings show up? I'm trying to get an accurate guage on how proximity is working.

isearchfrom.com

 

[JonClassyBrain]

Lately I've been seeing a good bit of no website companies list in the 3 pack, when others well below them have websites with near perfect seo. Any idea why this is happening (and seems to be happening more)?

Hey Rice,

If you want to get a better idea of where your business or someone else's business stands in the map pack the link below allows you to check rank within the map pack and organic using a zip code.

From time to time I've seen this as well and its usually GMB spam but in this case it seems more about where you're searching from. Try a couple different zip code searches with your keyword phrase.

View Google Search Results from any Location in any Country