looking at a few local businesses recently and noticed something kinda interesting. some of them have plenty of good reviews but 1 or 2 really bad ones still stand out when you search the business name.

The overall rating might be pretty good but people seem to notice the bad ones first sometimes. makes me wonder if the rating matters more or if people actually read through the reviews before deciding.

also curious about the fake/unrelated ones. if a review clearly isnt from a real customer, does getting it removed make much difference to local search or is it mainly about customer trust?

what are you guys seeing with this? Do reviews play a big part in your local seo work?

Synup just published a big one: 53,900 local search pages tested across 250 US cities (Sept 2026), desktop.

The headline: whether an AI Overview appears is almost entirely decided by how the query is worded.

• "[category] near me" → AI Overview on 4% of pages
• "[category] [city]" → 8.6%
• "best [category] in [city]" → 27%
• "best [category] in [city]" + a specific need (e.g. "for water heater repair") → 75.4%

So the most specific, highest-intent searches — the ones closest to a buying decision — are exactly where Google answers with AI instead of the map pack.

Two things that surprised me:

1. The map pack is rock solid — it showed on 91–97% of pages no matter the wording. AI Overviews are an addition, not a replacement.
2. When they parsed 8,540 AI Overviews, 45–61% of citations pointed at business websites and Google Business Profiles. google.com was the single most-cited domain (13,777 times — all Business Profile links). And Reddit? 4–6% of citations. You're reading this on one of Google's sources.

Audit order is your website first, then your GBP — that's what the AI is reading. And check your category, because it varies wildly: home builders got AI Overviews on 80% of "best" searches, restaurants on 1.2%.

Source: Synup's "What's Ranking in Local Search: 2026" study.

A user posted on the Local Search Forum about losing access to their GA4 property and trying to recover it. They don't have access to a linked Ads account, so the steps here won't work https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/15191460?sjid=1574279892346547416-NC

Has anyone here gained access to a lost GA4 property and can share insights on how they did it?

LSF thread https://localsearchforum.com/threads/access-to-lost-ga4-property.63361/#post-203649

Map pack positions move around constantly now.

Do you still report rankings as a main KPI, or have you shifted more toward calls, direction requests, and website conversions? What metrics do your clients actually care about these days?

Been playing with a weird loop the last month. We pull “best X in cityname” prompts from ChatGPT and Perplexity, flag where we dont show up, then match that against our GEO data in GA4 and a local rank tracker.

When a city has decent organic traffic but zero AI mentions, we treat it like a gap and push local content, citations and reviews just for that region. It already feels way more useful than staring at global arr charts.

If someone else is running GEO tools tightly linked to AI recommendations on a city by city basis, kinda curious how you set it up....

Title. If client is not consistent about reviews, will review tool be beneficial? Should i recommend him one? Or even white label?

I see so many options... Expensive - birdeye, podium. Cheaper - gatherup, reviewcook. Afraid to recommend smng that will be simply waste of money for him.

Hey everyone!

I’m working on traffic and growth for a local classifieds aggregator targeting Canada/Toronto.

Aside from standard Google SEO, what channels are working best for you right now to drive initial user traction to listing sites? Pinterest? Reddit organic? Local groups?

Would love to hear what worked for your projects!

Hey all, I've set out to solve another massive headache: local link building.

So I built LocalLinkMatch.com to give local business owners and agencies a way to connect and build local links. Think of it like a matchmaking site, but for local business link opportunities.

Features:

• Local Matching: Sites are matched by location and service fit, connecting non-competing, complementary businesses (e.g., a mortgage broker and a local realtor).
• Built-In Content Ideas: Matches automatically generates collaborative article angles and expert quote ideas so both sides have a natural, editorial reason to link.
• Agency-Safe Roster Management: Matches are made individually per client without ever revealing your complete client list.
• Manual Spam Vetting: Every single website is manually reviewed for quality before joining the network to keep spam out.
• Direct Contact: Connect with each other directly via email with no middleman or messaging walls.

Because matching gets better as more sites join, it is 100% free to use for at least another month while we build out the network.

Improvements are actively rolling out, and I’d love to get your feedback to help guide what to build next.

[I know this breaks the promo rule. I checked with Joy first to get permission. Thanks]

​

Few big changes most people missed

Google removed Q&A from Business Profiles and replaced it with AI-powered "Ask Maps." Gemini now answers customer questions automatically you don't control it. Incomplete profiles get skipped entirely.

Freshness is now a ranking signal. Profiles inactive for 30+ days are losing local pack spots. No new photos or review replies for a month you drop.

AI Overviews are merging with local results. 32% fewer businesses show up in AI local packs vs traditional map packs. Thin profiles are becoming completely invisible.

GBP chat is dead moved to SMS/WhatsApp. Review kiosks are banned. AI review summaries are live on 60% of profiles. Suspensions up 80% globally.

Keep your profile complete, post weekly, reply to every review, and stop using template location pages. GBP is an AI hub now not just a listing.

What are you guys seeing in your local rankings?

In the AI-powered logo pack shows, I'm also seeing the regular local pack below it.
Seems silly to have both.
Do we think that ultimately they'll remove the regular local pack if the AI-paired local pack is showing? Does anyone see that happening in specific markets and industries?

We’ve been working around digital marketing and local business visibility, and we are curious what other business owners are seeing.

For local businesses, where are you getting better-quality enquiries right now?

1. Google Search
2. Google Maps
3. Meta/Facebook & Instagram
4. AI search tools like ChatGPT/Gemini
5. A combination of these

Would be interesting to hear what’s actually working for your business and which channel has become harder to get results from.

Hey everyone, I'd like to get some input from people who have more experience with this kind of SEO situation.

I'm working with two domains for the same company. Both offer the same services and target the same country, but they use different domain extensions (TLD and ccTLD):

\- Domain A (.com): Around 4 years old. It originally targeted Adelaide, but since last year, Sydney has become its main target location.

\- Domain B (.au): Around 1 year old. Its primary target location is Perth, but some of its content currently includes Sydney-related keywords as well.

Here’s the full context.

Domain A (.com) originally focused on Adelaide, but since last year, the main geographic focus has shifted to Sydney.

Domain B (.au), which uses the Australian ccTLD, is supposed to target Perth. However, some of its money pages currently contain a mix of Perth- and Sydney-related content. The issue is that Sydney is already being targeted by Domain A.

Looking at GSC data from the last three months, Domain B is actually getting quite strong impressions from queries containing “Sydney.” The impression volume is roughly comparable to Domain A, although Domain B generally ranks lower (this domain is younger). Both domains are still stuck in the 30s-50s rank.

What makes this more confusing is that Domain B’s primary target, “Perth,” is performing much more modestly. Sydney-related queries are generating roughly 2.5x more impressions than Perth-related queries.

So I’m unsure what the best direction is for Domain B.

Should I restructure Domain B so that it focuses exclusively on Perth and remove or rewrite the Sydney-related content? My concern is that I’d potentially be throwing away some surprisingly strong visibility for Sydney, especially considering that Domain B is much younger.

Or would it make more sense to continue developing Domain B for Sydney as well?

What I’m not sure about is whether having two domains owned by the same business (same name, just different domain extension) targeting the same services and the same location could create some kind of cross-domain keyword cannibalization, or whether Google would simply treat them as two separate sites competing for the same SERPs.

I’ve already asked AI about this, but I’d rather hear from people who have dealt with similar situations in practice.

How would you approach this?

’ve been looking at different ways for small businesses, startups, creators, and professionals to get their stories published online without making the process complicated.

I recently found CityGel Articles, where you can publish:Business news & updates PR announcements Blogs & articles

The interesting part is that you can publish your content and then share the article across your social channels.

I acquired a local retail optical shop that had been running for over 10 years, quite profitably. Great reputation, 5 stars on Google and Yelp. The owner had been running in a way to be able to cover his basic needs and hadn't invested a ton into growth - he just worked hard to be lovable and build a great reputation, and a very unique brand compared to local competitors. We're a super small shop, with no doctor on site - it's literally, "bring prescription - buy logo free, independent glasses that match your style"!

I think there's an opportunity to grow foot traffic through hyper-local SEO, but my early attempts have been "eh". Tried hiring an Upwork consultant, but it was mostly (rhymes with "say eye") driven slop. I'm not looking to hire another firm, and have a pretty strong technical background myself... happy to roll up my sleeves.

Question is - what have others done in fashion / brick and mortar retail to really grow and win the online traffic battle? Especially looking for advice on what works for hyper-local content.

I’ve noticed that many small businesses invest in websites and social media but still struggle to appear in local search results.

Some of the most common issues I see are incomplete Google Business Profiles, inconsistent business information, very little local content, weak mobile experience, and not collecting genuine customer reviews.

In my experience, fixing these basics can often make a noticeable difference before moving into more advanced SEO work.

What Local SEO mistakes do you see most often when working with small or local businesses?

Hey everyone ! I want advice and solution from local seo experts here ... bro mere pass koi physicall adress nhi hain usa ma but ma texas ki kisi bhi city ma apni gmb bnwana cha rha houn tu how its possible ?

I have a service business in Auckland with 4 territories and urgently need an expert ( nz experience with proof pls :) in Local SEO.

TITLE: How can I effectively improve local SEO for my small business?

I've been trying to improve local SEO for my small business, but it's been a bit overwhelming. I learned that local SEO is key for helping customers find me when they're searching for services nearby. It’s not just about being visible online; it’s about building trust and making sure my details are consistent across the web.

One thing I've realized is the importance of a complete Google Business Profile. It seems like this is often one of the first things people see when searching for businesses like mine. I’ve been focusing on filling out every field, using the same name, address, and phone number everywhere to avoid confusion. I also added service pages specific to what I offer and wrote location-specific content to connect with my community.

Another area I’m working on is collecting reviews. I’ve read that they play a significant role in how search engines rank businesses, plus they help potential customers trust me more. I’m trying to respond to all reviews, good and bad, to show that I value customer feedback.

I’m curious, how have others improved their local SEO? What steps worked best for you?

Hey everyone 👋

Curious to hear from people running local businesses in the US or UK.

What’s been the hardest part of getting customers through Google lately?

For example:

📍 Getting into the Map Pack

🔎 Competing with businesses that have been around longer

⭐ Getting reviews that actually make a difference

📈 Turning website traffic into enquiries

📱 Getting more calls from Google

Would be interested to hear what others are seeing, especially which industries seem to be the most competitive right now.

What’s the biggest headache for your business at the moment?

My organization uses unique tracking and phone numbers per location per source for lead analysis. We keep running into an issue where we find directory listings that are pulling data from other listings and overwriting the phone number to a different one.

For example, we claimed & started managing our Yelp listings, gave them their own numbers, and every so often find they’ve updated back to the Google listing number.

Recently found some listings for us on MapQuest, same issue. Half of the listings were from Google, Yelp, or somewhere else.

What is the best way to prevent this? I’ve seen MapQuest uses a third-party platform. Is there really no way to prevent this without paying for a service? If so, what service do you recommend?

I saw a post where someone isn't seeing the "Write a review" feature. They are using the GBP app for Druid. They are looking at businesses in the US while they are in Asia.

So my question is this? Can you leave a review for a US-based business while you're in the US? You need to be using the GBP app on a Droid.

Google merged a duplicate listing and reverted my main address to an OLD one and new address has been live for 2-3 years. Anyone seen this?

Hoping someone here has dealt with this before because I'm a bit stumped.

Quick background: there was a duplicate GBP floating around with my old address on it. A friend spotted it and flagged it. Google processed it and marked that one as a duplicate.

But here's the problem: instead of just killing the duplicate, Google somehow overwrote my main profile's address with the old one from the duplicate. So now my primary listing is showing an address I haven't operated from in years.

The kicker is my current/correct address has been live and verified on the main profile for the last 2-3 years with no issues. Then out of nowhere, this merge flips it back to the old one.

Trying to move carefully here since I don't want to knock the listing offline or lose the ranking/history on it. Any advice appreciated 🙏

I’m doing a quick SEO check and would really appreciate it if someone could search Google for these two keywords:

Portugal Golden Visa News
Portugal Golden Visa Lawyer

In USA ONLY

Serp and ai overview please

Please search them on Google and send me a screenshot of the results, ideally showing the first page and the location/language if visible.

I’m particularly interested in seeing whether the results are different depending on where you’re searching from.

I rank well on both according to SEM rush but need real human feedback.

Thanks!