Local pack click-through rates: The Complete 2026 Guide

Local pack CTR follows a steep drop-off curve. The first position in the local pack captures the majority of clicks. A 2025 study by Advanced Web Ranking found that the first local pack result averaged 42% CTR, the second averaged 18%, and the third averaged 8%. This is a steeper curve than organic CTR. The reason is visual. The first local pack result is often displayed with a larger map pin and more prominent listing features. The drop from position 1 to position 3 represents a 5x difference in traffic. (https://www.advancedwebranking.com/local-pack-ctr-by-position-2025/)

Review signals directly influence CTR within the local pack. A business with a 4.5-star rating and 100 reviews will get significantly more clicks than a business with the same ranking position but a 3.5-star rating and 10 reviews. A 2025 study by BrightLocal found that businesses with 4.5+ star ratings saw 47% higher CTR than those with 3.0-3.5 star ratings at the same local pack position. Review count also matters independently. Listings with 50+ reviews averaged 2.3x the CTR of listings with fewer than 10 reviews. (https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-pack-ctr-2025/)

Google displays various features in local pack listings: photos, opening hours, price range, service buttons, and posts. Each feature influences CTR. A 2025 study by Sterling Sky analyzed listing feature impact on CTR and found that businesses with 10+ photos had 32% higher CTR than those with fewer than 3 photos. Businesses that enabled the "Book online" button saw 28% higher CTR for service-related queries. Listings with GBP posts in the last 7 days averaged 18% higher CTR than dormant listings. These features make the listing more visually prominent and signal an active business. (https://sterlingsky.ca/local-pack-features-ctr-2025/)

Not all local pack interactions result in a website click. Google displays business information directly in the local pack, including phone number, address, hours, and directions. Many users complete their journey without ever clicking through. A 2025 study by Sterling Sky found that 31% of local pack interactions were zero-click. Users called the business directly, requested directions, or viewed the website preview. For businesses whose goal is phone calls rather than website visits, zero-click interactions can be positive. Track calls from GBP separately from website clicks to get an accurate picture of local pack performance. (https://sterlingsky.ca/zero-click-local-pack-2025/)

Optimize your GBP photos. Add 30+ high-quality photos of your storefront, interior, team, and work examples. Refresh photos monthly. Google prioritizes listings with fresh visual content. Keep your hours accurate and updated for holidays. Enable the Q&A feature and answer questions promptly. Use GBP posts to announce offers, events, and new services. Posts create visual variety in the listing and keep it active. Add service attributes and clearly describe what you offer. A complete listing is a clickable listing.

Local pack CTR varies by device. On mobile, the first local pack result captures 48% of clicks on average, compared to 35% on desktop. The local pack also appears higher on mobile screens, making the first position more dominant. A 2025 study by BrightLocal confirmed that local pack CTR on mobile is 1.4x higher than on desktop for the same position. This makes mobile optimization the priority for local pack CTR. Ensure your GBP listing loads quickly on mobile. Use mobile-friendly images. Make sure click-to-call works seamlessly. (https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-search-2025/)

Google Business Profile insights provides impression and click data, but the numbers are aggregate and bucketed. Use UTM parameters on your GBP website link to track local pack traffic in Google Analytics. Track direction requests and phone calls as secondary conversion metrics. Compare your local pack CTR against industry benchmarks. A local pack CTR below 15% at position 1 indicates an optimization gap in your listing features or review signals.

The local pack CTR audit. Measure your CTR by position for your top 10 keywords. Compare against industry benchmarks. Audit your photo count, review rating, listing features, and posting frequency. Run a 30-day optimization sprint on the weakest signals. Recheck monthly.