What local search looks like in the Valley
The San Fernando Valley is not one market. It is a large, spread-out part of Los Angeles made of many distinct neighborhoods and communities. A search for a dentist, plumber or med spa in Sherman Oaks does not return the same map as the same search in Reseda or Northridge.
Google says local results depend on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Distance is the one Valley owners feel most. Your listing competes mainly with other businesses within a few miles. A person standing in Studio City sees one set of results. A person near Woodland Hills sees another. The map pack can change block to block.
Many searches happen on the move. People look for "near me" along Ventura Boulevard, or while stuck near the 101, 405, 118 or 5.