News
Google Maps policy now limits promotions and pricing in listings
Google expanded the advertising and solicitation rules for Maps and Business Profiles: no time-bound promotions, pricing or calls-to-action in the listing.
Local SEO - Business Profiles, maps and local packs
What Local SEO means
Local SEO is the work of getting a business found for searches with local intent, such as a service plus a place or a near-me query. Google answers these mostly from Business Profiles in Maps and the local pack, ranked by relevance, distance and prominence, with reviews and a consistent name, address and phone number as core inputs.
News
Google Business Profile policy adds a misuse of support channels rule
Google added a Misuse of support channels section to its Business Profile policies: repeated unfounded complaints can be rejected without assessment.
News
Google tests two rows of buttons in the mobile local panel
Google is testing two rows of action buttons in the mobile local panel, after earlier tests of a scrollable row and a numbered show more button.
News
Google Maps bug puts some business pins in the ocean
A reported Business Profile bug puts map pins in the ocean for some service area businesses that hide their address. Google has not commented.
News
Google Maps now asks you to sign in to read all reviews
Google Maps now asks for a Google account to read all reviews, sort them or leave one. Search Engine Roundtable guesses it aims at scrapers.
News
Google Business Profile posts now allow verified contact details
Google's posts policy no longer bans every phone number. It now removes unverified phone numbers, emails and social handles from Business Profile posts.
Algorithm Updates
Hawk update (2017): the unconfirmed local filter change
Hawk is the industry name for a local search change observed on 22 August 2017 that loosened Possum's proximity filter. Google never confirmed it.
Algorithm Updates
November 2021 local search update (Vicinity): dates and what changed
Google's November 2021 local search update ran from 30 November to 8 December 2021 and rebalanced local ranking factors. SEOs called it Vicinity.
Algorithm Updates
Openness local ranking change (2023): what Google confirmed
Google confirmed in December 2023 that whether a business is open became a stronger local ranking signal for non-navigational queries.
Algorithm Updates
Pigeon update (2014): what it changed and what local SEO needs now
Google's July 2014 local search algorithm update tied local results to web search signals. Search Engine Land named it Pigeon. What applies today.
Algorithm Updates
Possum update (2016): the unconfirmed local search change
Possum is the industry name for a local search ranking change first observed on 1 September 2016. Google never confirmed it.
Algorithm Updates
Venice update (2012): what it changed and what it means now
Venice was Google's February 2012 launch codename for a local search change that relied more on main search ranking to trigger local results.
News
Google Business Profiles tests setting your hours automatically
Google is testing a Business Profile tool that reads a plain-text description of opening hours and fills in the schedule, per a report on X.
Studies
BODYBAR Pilates: unique studio pages lifted organic sessions 116%
Oneupweb rewrote 17 duplicate franchise studio pages for BODYBAR Pilates. Organic sessions rose 115.9% and conversions 198.1% year over year.
Reports
Whitespark's 2026 local ranking factors: what actually moved
Whitespark surveyed 47 local search experts on 187 ranking factors for 2026. Here is the verified top 10 for the local pack and what changed since 2023.
Studies
GBP overhaul at an auto detailer: calls up 471% year on year
A Map Ranking case study on CDC Detailing LLC in Pitman, NJ: Google Business Profile calls rose from 21 to 120 a month, March 2026 against March 2025.
Research
Local ranking factor percentages: what's real, what's not
A specific local ranking percentage breakdown circulates widely. It doesn't match Whitespark's real 2026 chart, and Google names no percentages at all.