New Google Updates Local Businesses Need to Know About
Updated: 3 hours ago
The Google changes that matter most for local businesses right now are: a run of spam and core ranking updates in 2026 (the latest spam update finished on October 8), new Search Console reporting for image-based searches like Google Lens, and a stricter rule on contact details inside Google Business Profile posts. None of them call for panic. Most call for steady, honest housekeeping.
Last updated: October 2026
We checked every update in this post against Google's own sources (Google Search Central, the Google Search Status Dashboard and Google Business Profile Help) on October 22, 2026. Anything we couldn't confirm from Google or a reputable trade publication was left out.
1. Google's 2026 ranking updates, at a glance
Google lists confirmed ranking updates on its Search Status Dashboard. Here's what it shows for 2026 so far:
March 2026 spam update: started March 24.
March 2026 core update: started March 27.
May 2026 core update: started May 21, completed June 2.
June 2026 spam update: started June 24.
August 2026 spam update: started August 18.
September 2026 spam update: started September 24, completed October 8. It applied to all languages worldwide.
There was also a February 2026 update specific to Discover, which matters less for most local service businesses.
What a core update means for you
Core updates are broad changes to how Google ranks content overall. Google's own guidance is calm about them: "most sites don't need to worry about core updates," and for a small drop in position, "There's no need to take drastic action."
If you do see a large, lasting drop:
Confirm on the Search Status Dashboard that the update has finished.
Wait at least a full week after it completes, then compare that week in Search Console with the week before the update began.
Look honestly at your most affected pages. Are they genuinely helpful, specific and current?
Avoid quick fixes. Google recommends improvements that serve people over the long term, and treats deleting content as a last resort.
What a spam update means for you
Spam updates target sites that break Google's spam policies. Sites that violate the policies may rank lower or not appear at all. If you lost visibility during a spam update, review your site against those policies first.
Recovery is slow. Google says changes may help "if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies." And if links were the problem, any benefit those links gave you is gone for good.
For local businesses, the most common risks we'd check:
Near-duplicate city pages. Ten pages that only swap the town name and say nothing new about each area.
Paid or traded links from unrelated sites.
Mass-produced content written to fill space rather than to help anyone.
2. Search Console now reports image-based searches
In September 2026, Google announced web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console. According to Search Engine Journal's coverage of the announcement, the new "multimodal" filter in the Performance report covers web searches where someone used an image: Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search and Chrome's "Search this image." Because these searches start with an image, Search Console doesn't show text query data for them.
Why it matters for service businesses: if you're a landscaper, roofer, contractor or anyone whose work is visual, people may find you by searching with a photo. You can now see whether that's happening.
What to do:
Open the Performance report, select the multimodal filter and see whether any of your traffic comes from image searches.
Use original photos of real jobs on your website and Business Profile, not stock images.
Give images descriptive file names and alt text. "Before photo of a backyard patio project" tells Google far more than "IMG_1234.jpg."
3. Google Business Profile posts: careful with contact details
Google's Business Profile content policy now says: "To avoid fraud or abuse, we may remove posts with unverified contact information." That includes phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles. Search Engine Roundtable reported the change in late September 2026; earlier wording banned phone numbers in posts outright.
What to do:
Don't type phone numbers, emails or social handles into your post text unless they're the verified details on your profile.
Use the built-in Call now button on posts instead. It connects to your verified phone number.
Make sure the phone number, website and hours on your profile itself are correct. That's where customers and Google look first.
For more on how your profile affects Maps visibility, see our guide to Google Maps ranking for local businesses.
4. AI Overviews: how to measure them
AI Overviews now appear on many searches, which raises a common question: how do I know whether they're affecting me? Google says traffic from its AI features is included in the Performance report under the "Web" search type, not in a separate line. So you won't see "AI Overview clicks" as their own number.
That's a good reason to track outcomes, not just rankings:
Calls, form submissions and booking requests.
Calls, direction requests and website clicks from your Business Profile.
Booked jobs, and where those customers say they found you.
If you want to show up inside AI answers as well as below them, our guide to AI visibility for service businesses explains how.
What local businesses should do now
A short checklist based on these updates:
Check the Search Status Dashboard before reacting to a ranking change.
Wait for an update to finish, plus a week, before judging its effect.
Merge or rewrite near-duplicate city or service pages so each one says something unique.
Use original job photos with descriptive file names and alt text.
Look at the new multimodal filter in Search Console.
Remove unverified contact details from Business Profile posts and use the Call now button.
Track calls, forms and booked jobs alongside rankings.
For the full step-by-step version, see our checklist for getting found on Google and AI search.
What we've seen working with service businesses
We've built websites and search visibility for 20+ service businesses since 2024, and we apply the same rules to our own site.
We cleaned up our own duplicates. In October 2026 we found about 35 near-duplicate posts on our blog. They were competing with each other, so we turned them into drafts and redirected each to the strongest version. It's the same advice we give clients about thin city pages: fewer, stronger pages beat many similar ones.
We judge by trends, not single days. Our Google Search Console data for July 22 to October 20, 2026 showed impressions in the low thousands but only 22 clicks, with a long, specific guide as our most-shown post. Numbers like these move slowly and bounce around during update rollouts. Watching weekly and monthly trends gives you a truer picture than reacting to one bad day.
What nobody can tell you
Google doesn't share exactly what each update changed, so anyone claiming to know the precise cause of your drop is guessing.
Not every drop is caused by an update. Seasonal demand, a competitor's new site or a technical problem on your own site can look the same.
Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
You can handle most of this yourself: checking the dashboard, updating photos and fixing your profile posts. It's worth getting help when a drop is large and lasting, when you suspect duplicate or thin pages across your site, or when you don't have time to monitor it. That's part of our SEO, Local SEO and Google Business Profile services.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see when Google releases an update?
On the Google Search Status Dashboard, which lists confirmed ranking updates with their start and completion dates.
My rankings dropped during an update. Should I change my website right away?
No. Wait until the update finishes and give it at least a week. Then compare in Search Console and look honestly at the pages that dropped most. Google warns against quick fixes.
Can I still put my phone number in Google Business Profile posts?
Only if it's verified contact information for your business. Otherwise Google may remove the post. The Call now button is the safer choice.
Do I need to do anything about the new multimodal report?
Nothing is required. It's worth a look if your work is visual, because it shows whether people find you by searching with images.
Sources
Google Search Status Dashboard: ranking incidents history (Google)
Google Search's core updates (Google Search Central)
Spam updates (Google Search Central)
Business Profile photos, videos and posts content policy (Google Business Profile Help)
Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console (Google Search Central Blog) and coverage of the multimodal filter (Search Engine Journal)
Unverified contact information in Google Posts (Search Engine Roundtable)
AI features and your website (Google Search Central)
How to improve your local ranking on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
About the author
Alexis Tjader is the founder of ALT Digital Strategies, based in Leesburg, Virginia. She designs websites and manages SEO, Local SEO, Google Business Profile and AI search visibility for service businesses across the U.S., and has worked with 20+ businesses since 2024. More about Alexis
Not sure whether an update affected your business? Book a discovery call and we'll look at your data together.
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