Reference
Local SEO glossary
The working vocabulary of Google Business Profile, the Map Pack, and AI search — written for SEO agencies, in-house teams, and the operators behind the listings.
Each term has its own permalink — link to the one you cite.
- Map Packalso: Local 3-Pack, Local Pack, Snack Pack
- The block of three Google Business Profile results that appears with a map at the top of many local search queries on Google. Historically called the 7-Pack until 2015. Different from the organic ('blue link') results below it. Permalink →
- Google Business Profile (GBP)also: GMB, Google My Business
- Google's free business listing product that powers results in Google Maps and the Map Pack. Renamed from Google My Business in 2021. Managed via the search experience itself and the Business Profile Manager. Permalink →
- Local Finder
- The expanded list of local results shown when a user clicks 'More places' under the Map Pack. Ranks more businesses than the 3-Pack and is a useful test surface for ranking diagnostics. Permalink →
- NAPalso: NAP+W
- Name, Address, Phone — the canonical business identity that should be consistent across the web. NAP+W adds Website. Inconsistencies across citations historically hurt rankings and still hurt trust signals. Permalink →
- Citations
- Mentions of a business's NAP on third-party sites (Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places, niche directories). Once a primary ranking lever; today more of a trust and discovery baseline. Permalink →
- Proximity
- The user's distance from the business at query time. The single biggest factor in Map Pack ranking — closer queries usually win, all else equal. Permalink →
- Prominence
- Google's term for how well-known a business is — driven by reviews, links, mentions, and offline signals. One of the three official local ranking factors alongside Relevance and Distance. Permalink →
- Relevance
- How well a Business Profile matches the query, driven by the primary and secondary categories, business name, services, and the content on the linked website. Permalink →
- Primary Category
- The single most important category on a Business Profile. Has outsized impact on which queries the listing competes for. Choosing the wrong primary category is the most common avoidable ranking mistake. Permalink →
- Secondary Categories
- Additional categories on a GBP listing. Influence relevance for adjacent queries but carry less weight than the primary. Permalink →
- Service Area Business (SAB)
- A business that travels to customers (plumbers, mobile detailers) and hides its street address. Different ranking and verification dynamics than storefronts. Permalink →
- Suspensionalso: Hard suspension, Soft suspension
- Google's removal of a Business Profile from Maps. Soft suspensions remove edit access; hard suspensions remove the listing entirely. Triggered by guideline violations, often around address, name, or category. Permalink →
- Reinstatement
- The process of recovering a suspended GBP listing via the Business Redressal Complaint Form, typically with documentation proving eligibility. Permalink →
- Google Posts
- Short updates published directly to a Business Profile. Surface in the listing's knowledge panel and occasionally in Maps. Marginal ranking signal; useful for offers and announcements. Permalink →
- Reviews
- First-party Google reviews displayed on the Business Profile. Volume, recency, velocity, and keyword content all factor into prominence. Permalink →
- Review Velocity
- The rate at which new reviews arrive over time. Sudden spikes draw spam filters; steady growth correlates with ranking improvements. Permalink →
- Justifications
- Snippets Google pulls into Map Pack results (e.g. 'Their website mentions emergency service'). A direct connection between on-site content and Map Pack relevance. Permalink →
- Attributes
- Structured tags on a Business Profile (wheelchair accessible, women-owned, outdoor seating). Used in filtering and increasingly in justifications. Permalink →
- Q&A
- The user-submitted question and answer section on a Business Profile. Often ignored by owners — and frequently abused by competitors or spam. Permalink →
- Spam Listing
- A Business Profile that violates Google's guidelines (keyword-stuffed names, fake addresses, virtual offices marketed as storefronts). Reportable via the Business Redressal form. Permalink →
- AI Overviewsalso: AIO, SGE
- Google's generative-AI summaries that appear above the traditional results for many queries. Pulls from indexed pages and increasingly Business Profile data. Permalink →
- AI Mode
- Google's full conversational search experience, separate from AI Overviews. Treats local queries differently — sometimes surfacing Business Profile cards, sometimes not. Permalink →
- Ask Maps
- Google Maps' built-in conversational AI feature that lets users ask natural-language questions about places. A new surface for local visibility, less mature than traditional Maps ranking. Permalink →
- E-E-A-T
- Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness — Google's framework for evaluating content quality. Increasingly applied to the website associated with a Business Profile. Permalink →
- SAB Geo-Grid
- A heatmap visualization showing where a business ranks across a grid of geographic points. The standard tool for diagnosing ranking variation by location. Permalink →
- Local SEO Tools
- Software like BrightLocal, Local Falcon, Whitespark, Birdeye — used by agencies for citation management, rank tracking, and review monitoring. Permalink →
- Knowledge Panel
- The structured information box that appears for a business on Google Search, populated primarily from the Business Profile. Permalink →
- Local Service Ads (LSAs)
- Pay-per-lead ads for service businesses that appear above the Map Pack. Separate ecosystem from GBP organic but increasingly intertwined. Permalink →