Local pack ranking factors that actually matter

Map pack ranking is driven by a short list of inputs, and proximity dominates several of them in ways no amount of content will change. This skill separates what you can influence from what you cannot, and stops spend on the latter.

The skill file

---
name: local-pack-ranking-factors
description: Use when local visibility has plateaued and effort is being spread evenly across tactics instead of concentrated on the few inputs that move map pack position.
---

# Local pack ranking factors that actually matter

Map pack ranking is driven by a short list of inputs, and proximity dominates several of them in ways no amount of content will change. This skill separates what you can influence from what you cannot, and stops spend on the latter.

## What you need first

- Grid-based rank tracking across the service area
- The profile configuration and category set
- Review velocity and count versus competitors
- The linked website and its local relevance

## Method

1. Run a geo grid rather than a single-point check, and read the shape of the result: a tight ring around the pin means you are proximity-bound and only entity strength expands it.
2. Confirm the primary category first, because category eligibility gates everything downstream and is the single highest-leverage change.
3. Assess the linked website page, since the destination page relevance and its authority feed the profile - pointing every profile at the homepage wastes this.
4. Weigh review signals by velocity and recency rather than lifetime count, and check whether review text contains the service terms you are targeting.
5. Treat citation quantity as a hygiene floor, not a lever: once the major aggregators and category directories are correct, additional citations return almost nothing.
6. Ignore engagement metrics you cannot verify, and re-run the grid after each single change so you can attribute movement to one input.

## What this produces

A ranked list of the inputs affecting this profile, with the proximity-bound portion of the service area identified and excluded from effort.

## Where this goes wrong

- Buying more citations after the top sources are already correct, which is the most commonly sold and least effective local tactic
- Changing several inputs at once so no movement can be attributed
- Chasing rankings in areas the grid shows are proximity-locked to a competitor with a closer premises

---

From the QuQi skill library - https://www.quqi.io/skills/local-pack-ranking-factors

What you need first

• Grid-based rank tracking across the service area
• The profile configuration and category set
• Review velocity and count versus competitors
• The linked website and its local relevance

Method

1. 01 Run a geo grid rather than a single-point check, and read the shape of the result: a tight ring around the pin means you are proximity-bound and only entity strength expands it.
2. 02 Confirm the primary category first, because category eligibility gates everything downstream and is the single highest-leverage change.
3. 03 Assess the linked website page, since the destination page relevance and its authority feed the profile - pointing every profile at the homepage wastes this.
4. 04 Weigh review signals by velocity and recency rather than lifetime count, and check whether review text contains the service terms you are targeting.
5. 05 Treat citation quantity as a hygiene floor, not a lever: once the major aggregators and category directories are correct, additional citations return almost nothing.
6. 06 Ignore engagement metrics you cannot verify, and re-run the grid after each single change so you can attribute movement to one input.

What this produces

A ranked list of the inputs affecting this profile, with the proximity-bound portion of the service area identified and excluded from effort.

Where this goes wrong

• Buying more citations after the top sources are already correct, which is the most commonly sold and least effective local tactic
• Changing several inputs at once so no movement can be attributed
• Chasing rankings in areas the grid shows are proximity-locked to a competitor with a closer premises

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