Google local packs for a keyword

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

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  Chris Boggs: what "type" of geo-modified keyword is it? would it normally be searched locally without the place name? are you searching it locally or from another city/country?
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: yes. it would be searched locally with and without the geo modifier. it has entirely two separate results for both keywords
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: Thanks for prompt reply.
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  Chris Boggs: where are you performing the actual search? on a laptop or mobile device in the same area?
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: laptop
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: provides the same result on mobile too
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  Chris Boggs: the short answer is you cannot "make" the local pack appear. I was wondering if maybe you simply are not seeing it based on where you are doing the search. Since local packs are served based on perceived user intent, one caveat is you could theoretically make one begin to appear by faking enough searches happening but I have not tried this tactic from the Mechanical Turk days.
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: 😁 ha ha good one.
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: so its basically based on search volume
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: but the same is not happening for nation level keyword also
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: okay, for the national level Google wouldn`t show the local packs anyway
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: got it
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  Chris Boggs: I would guess not as much pure search volume as interest + likely intent to find a local business. Say for example the difference in the results between "jewelry store" and "online jewelry store." This is easy for Google to serve a map for one but not the other. This used to be harder for the bigger brands but you now have local packs serving for basic terms like "silverware" and these are usually dominated by Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. It is my theory that the combination of local SEO these big brands have done plus ecommerce-level seo is making this happen.
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  Jayasanker Jayakrishnan: thanks that was helpful. my business is more SaaS oriented. but clients usually likes to get it done locally. any ideas how to influence google`s interpretation of "likely intent to find a local business"
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  Chris Boggs: IMO that would almost require a complete abandonment of the typical online SaaS sales model, and actually selling the SaaS from a physical storefront. Maybe if a large brand like Staples created a category and optimized, and then others followed suit.
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  Michael Stricker: Chris Boggs yup. Find a business category that is definitively a local office, retail or service area business, that you can apply on GMB and cite on-site. Tech service. Business services. Computer repair.
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  Michael Stricker: Plus, all of the usual geo-local SEO: GMB, map markers, define centroid, service area or radius, deploy consistent citations, comprehensive profiles, directories, local links
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  Tim Capper: They typically are not triggered unless there are 3 listing / business that offer that service.
  
  Find two competitors and help them get listed on GMB or set their categories correctly. (Thats a joke - dont do this)
  
  However - if there is 0 local pack - DONT try and trigger one, rather work on your local SEO and get a 1 pack just for yourself !!!
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  Richard Hearne: Poor fella was probably starting to search right before he read "(Thats a joke - dont do this)".