u/ElizabethRule

With so many changes to Google local search recently, from algorithm updates targeting "spam" to the the ever-increasing presence AI overviews & AI local packs on the SERPs, local SEO in 2026 is vastly different compared to previous years.

I am curious to know what you all are doing differently in 2026, and what you are seeing work the best for organic search and GBPs.

A few SEO tactics I am doing more of in 2026:

Press releases: These are great for AI visibility and surprisingly effective for map rankings too.

More content: With AI giving users the ability to do longer, more specific searches than ever, having detailed, unique content that answers those highly specific questions is imperative for search & AI visibility. The focus is on creating unique content using a business's own 1st-party data.

Google Business Profile: A GBP is maxed out when it ranks in the map pack for top keywords across as wide a radius as possible and has the highest SoLV score. Once a GBP is maxed out, the goal is to get more. This means expanding a business's physical footprint with additional offices in areas where they currently do not rank. I am reccomending this a lot more in 2026 than previous years.

Diversifying to Ads: Ads in local SERPs are increasing visibility every day. If a local business isn't running ads, they are leaving money on the table. Focusing on high-converting placements, like Local Pack Ads, is key. Spending time figuring out how to show these ads as much as possible pays off big time, as it's a top-converting ad placement.

Sometimes local businesses come to Sterling Sky for SEO help and we uncover low-hanging fruit in our initial audit. Like this business that didn't even mention their main service on their homepage or in their title tags. A few quick optimizations to make it clear to Google what services they offer and where, and BOOM, they jump right into the map pack for those same services.

Love a good quick win!

Found this in the wild this week and actually LOL'd. I know how hard it is for some real businesses to get verified on Google, so the fact that this friendly rooster was able to get verified is so laughable.

There are probably tons of these types of listings out there, so if you have any examples please share. If not, just laugh at this with me, and if you ever visit this Rooster in Azores Portugal, please leave a review and let us know if they are truly friendly.

Sterling Sky runs multiple real-world tests on 5 massive local SEO myths that agencies and tools keep repeating.

The TL;DR results?

•  Title Tags: Don't actually need to be under 60 chars (200+ chars can rank).
•  Service Areas: Zero impact on Local Pack rankings—it's just a visual map outline.
•  Review Clicks: Mass-clicking the "More" link does NOT permanently change review order.
•  GBP Backlinks: Driving links directly to your GBP gives no sustainable ranking boost. Build them to your website instead.

 Let’s talk: Do you disagree with any of these? Show your tests - let's chat about it!

And more importantly... what is the most.... useless..... "local SEO tactic" or myth you still see people pushing today?

Drop it below! 

To me, it looks like they just added a fancy, dynamically expanding input box and called it a day. I fail to see how Gemini 3.5 Flash or "Generative UI" changes the way normal people actually look for a local plumber or HVAC companies day-to-day.

It maybe feels like another step toward "AI mode" replacing standard search, but is it going to impact Local at all, or is it just corporate hype to boost their stock prices?

Curious to hear what everyone here thinks about the I/O announcements from yesterday. Am I completely missing something, or is this a non-event for local businesses and local search?

https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/

I get asked all the time about the best local rank tracking tools for local SEO. I’m always hesitant to point to one single tool and say it’s definitively THE best, because everyone’s workflow, budgets, and needs are different. But Places Scout is easily one of the top local grid rank tracking tools in my book.

Since so many people wonder about it and ask me about it, I figured I’d just drop a quick, honest pros and cons of Places Scout to help everyone figure out if it's the rank tracking tool for them.

The Cons

Let's start with the obvious one: the pricing. Everyone always asks why they don't list their prices transparently on the website. It’s likely because they’re more expensive than the competition, and they don't want to scare people away before they get them into a sales demo. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly, basic rank tracker, this isn't it.

Also, they were recently bought out by Yext. Some SEOs have always had mixed feelings about Yext (me included). Some love it and some hate it. Right now, Places Scout is exactly the same as it’s always been and works great, but down the road, there’s a chance you might have to buy into the whole Yext ecosystem to keep using it. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Another big downside is the user interface, the UX definitely leaves a lot to be desired. They have absolutely ALL the data you could ever want, but actually finding it inside the tool itself can be a massive pain. The dashboard is pretty clunky, and honestly, to get the maximum real value out of it, you often have to export everything into a spreadsheet or pull it through their API into your own tool to reliably dig into the numbers.

For example, if you just want to see how many 3-Pack Paid Ads (local pack ads) are showing up for a specific keyword, you can't just easily view that in the tool on their ranking page (it's not currently a result type you can sort by). You have to export the data into a sheet first just to find it and then sort by it. It's an awesome database, but the platform it's built in feels pretty outdated. And it can be very slow... not nearly as fast to pull one off reports as some tools.

The Pros

The biggest selling point is just how much local SERP data it can pull that other trackers completely miss. They can crawl and report on a ton of newer SERP features and result types that competitors don't yet like AI Overviews, AI Local Packs, and Local Pack Ads (attached screenshots to show what I mean).

If you need to show clients exactly how they are showing up in the modern, Ad & AI-heavy search results, it's unmatched. It also takes screenshots of every search result, which is a game changer for before and after ranking analysis. They also have a nice Before / After Report Comparison I use a lot to see who were the winners and losers from a major ranking fluction or an algo update.

Another huge thing for me is that they track both organic search results and local pack results, not just map rankings. There is a major difference between ranking in search (the map pack) vs maps, and since a majority of our clients still get most of their traffic from search and the map pack, and not Google maps directly, having a tool that tracks search results and not map results is a must.

The Verdict

It’s definitely a premium tool with a premium price tag, so it might be overkill if you just need basic local rank tracking. But if you have the budget and want deep, advanced local search data, it's easily one of the best local rank tracking tools out there right now.

🚨 Breaking News: Google is now pulling Reddit threads directly into Google Business Profiles. A new “About this place” section is now showing on some Google Business Profiles on desktop, primarily for food and drink businesses. Valentina Vasileva first spotted this section, and when I went to check it out myself, I noticed these Reddit threads.

Google just handed you your local business Reddit strategy. If this were my business, I would make sure my voice is on every one of these threads:

• If someone has a question, answer it.
• If someone recommends your business, thank them.
• Bonus: start engaging on all of the subreddits that Google is referencing on your GBP (and your competitors’ GBPs)

We know Google has been flooding the search results with Reddit, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a direct connection to Google Business Profiles.

Go get your business mentioned on Reddit ASAP!

Do you have a blog page that is performing well but could rank better? Sometimes, all Google wants is a table of contents or a TL;DR added to the page to help users navigate the content better.

We recently did this for a client and saw traffic improve almost instantly. Talk about a WIN!

We find this works best on informational content compared to localized service pages.