Local pack
A map with typically three local business listings shown for queries with local intent, drawn from Google Business Profile data rather…
AlgorithmsPigeonPossumVicinity update
Local search updates (Pigeon, Possum, Vicinity)
Informally named updates that shaped local ranking: Pigeon (2014) tied local results to web signals, Possum (2016) changed filtering, Vicinity (2021) raised proximity's weight.
In full
None of these names are Google's own; they were coined by the industry to describe observed shifts. Pigeon aligned local results more closely with traditional ranking signals; Possum changed how listings sharing an address or category are filtered and made searcher location more influential; the November 2021 Vicinity update markedly increased proximity's weight, reducing the reach of keyword-stuffed business names. Together they explain why local visibility is inherently location-bounded.
Example
After the Vicinity update, a firm ranking city-wide found its pack visibility contracted to a radius of a few kilometres.
Related terms
Proximity
The physical distance between the searcher and a business, one of the three factors Google names for local ranking and often the most…
Google Business Profile
The free business listing that powers a company's presence in Google Maps, the local pack and business panels, renamed from Google My…
Local grid rank tracking
Measuring local pack rankings from many simulated points across a map to reveal how visibility varies by searcher location.
Local SEO
Optimising a business's visibility for geographically constrained searches, across both the map pack and localised organic results.