Did Local Packs really grow in 2019?
Have Local Packs really grown in 2019? Yes, and no. I tell the full story in data.
Intuitively, our perception is that local packs are growing. At the beginning of 2020, I asked my Twitter followers and 2/3 said that Google has been showing more local packs. Is that true, though? I dug into the data of 2019 and found that it's true... and not true. Let me explain.
https://twitter.com/Kevin_Indig/status/1220514139614990338
Before I had the data, my intuition agreed with that sentiment because Google started showing Local Packs for many shorthead keywords. The query "SEO" still shows a local pack today, which is counterintuitive in my mind. But, it turns out that we were all wrong.
This is part 3 in the SERP Feature impact series. The first part shows the volatility of Featured Snippets (and describes the methodology behind the data here), the second about Image Boxes and Packs.
Local Packs in the US, UK, and Germany
Over 40% SERPs in the US had a local pack at the end of 2019 on Desktop and over 19% on mobile. However, comparing January with November, we see an increase from 38% to 43% on desktop, but a decrease from 36% to 19% on mobile. It's almost as if Local Packs had jumped from mobile to desktop. It is also counterintuitive because you would assume more people having a local intent on mobile because they might search for a location when they're on the move. That assumption seems to be wrong, at least in the US.
Germany
Not all markets show a decline. In the German SERPs, for example, Local Packs increased across the whole year. Notice how mobile SERPs with Local Packs jumped at the end of March and August, while the same trend on Desktop is much more linear. If I had to guess, I would say Google collects enough information to understand that they need to turn Local Packs up, decides to do so overnight, measures the results, and then re-calibrates.
United Kingdom
The UK is interesting because it's the only market of the three I looked at with opposing trends. Mobile SERPS with Local Packs first increase at the beginning of the year, then stagnated, then decreased around June. Desktop SERPs with Local Packs increase throughout the year, even if not significantly. Both devices show similar trends, such as the short bump at the end of April, but continue to diverge as the year progresses.