The Google Local Pack — the three-pack of local listings that appears above organic results — is driven by three weighted factors: relevance (how well your business matches the query), distance (proximity to the searcher), and prominence (how well-known your business is online and offline). For Canadian businesses, the recipe is mechanical: a fully completed and category-accurate Google Business Profile; verified physical address using a real Canada Post-recognized format; primary category set to the single most accurate option (not your most aspirational one); secondary categories covering all genuine service lines; complete services and products fields with descriptions; weekly Google Posts; geotagged photos uploaded monthly; and structured Q&A populated proactively. Review velocity matters more than total review count. Google's local algorithm appears to weight recent reviews (last 90 days) more heavily than older ones. The most effective Canadian businesses we work with run a structured post-service review request workflow — usually a templated SMS sent within 24 hours of service completion. Hitting 5–10 fresh reviews per month outperforms a one-time push to 100 reviews followed by silence. NAP consistency across Canadian directories specifically matters. Audit and clean: Google Business Profile, Yelp.ca, YellowPages.ca, 411.ca, Canada411, Foursquare, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, plus vertical-specific Canadian directories (RateMDs for medical, Lawyers.ca for legal, Houzz for home services). Inconsistencies (different phone numbers, abbreviated street names, suite numbers in different positions) confuse Google's entity model and suppress Local Pack inclusion. Locally-relevant backlinks from Canadian sources move the needle: regional media (Globe & Mail, CBC regional sites, local dailies), Canadian universities and colleges, .ca municipal and government sites, Canadian trade associations, and .ca business directories. One link from a respected Canadian source typically outweighs a dozen generic directory listings.