A perfect example came from Wil Reynolds’ talk at BrightLocal’s Local SEO for Good. He showed a sign from a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop that claimed to be “authentic.” The image on the sign was AI-generated and featured the Statue of Liberty floating above Philadelphia’s skyline. As Wil put it:

“When you use AI to build out your image… what does that do to your authenticity score?”

That small detail instantly collapsed trust. The business did not intend to deceive anyone. Still, in an AI-saturated world, customers are paying closer attention to what feels fake.

This idea kept surfacing throughout Local SEO for Good. Whether it was Melissa Popp explaining why people immediately spot generic content, or Leighanne Jones reminding us that AI has never lived a human moment, speakers repeatedly returned to the same point. Authenticity is becoming a defining competitive advantage for local businesses.

AI can produce content quickly, but customers want honesty, human presence, and local relevance. They are not asking for more content. They are asking for more connection.

This article brings together these perspectives to show how local businesses can stay authentic while using AI in thoughtful and practical ways.

Why Authenticity Matters More Than Ever in Local Marketing

Local customers weigh a long list of factors when choosing who to work with. They pay attention to the people behind a business, the way a company communicates, and whether it feels trustworthy. Authenticity plays a central role in how those impressions form.

Melissa Popp captured this shift clearly:

“People can see right through” generic or AI-generated content.

This is especially visible inside Google Business Profile (GBP), where people are ready to act. Trust grows through:

• Real photos
• Human review responses
• Helpful Google Posts
• Up-to-date service information
• Clear answers in the Q&A section

BrightLocal’s Google Business Profile Audit highlights issues that weaken credibility.

Melissa also warned that posting the same asset across every platform creates distance rather than connection. AI has amplified this divide. When customers scroll, authentic content stands out while generic content blends into the background.

For local businesses, authenticity is no longer optional. It directly influences whether someone reaches out.

The Limits of AI: What Machines Cannot Recreate

AI can help with tasks, but it has no lived experience to draw from. Leighanne Jones explained this memorably:

“AI has never experienced a heartbreak. It has never lived a human experience.”

A machine has never reassured a stressed homeowner, walked into a flooded basement, or sensed the tension in a customer’s voice. Without that grounding, AI often produces content that feels disconnected from reality.

Leighanne noted that AI works best as an assistant, not a replacement. “It can provide the foundation or the bones of a strategy,” she said, “but it shouldn’t be the full implementation.”

Industry reporting continues to highlight how often AI tools introduce factual errors or “hallucinations.” A recent analysis from The New York Times showed how systems from ChatGPT to Google still fabricate details with confidence, sometimes producing misleading or entirely incorrect responses.

For local businesses, tasks like metadata, outline drafting, and research summarization work well with AI. Tasks involving empathy, lived experience, and nuanced judgment do not.

Tools like Reputation Manager support the human side of communication by helping teams manage and respond to reviews consistently.

The Authenticity Battleground: AI Pollution and Real-World Signals

Authentic work does not always rise to the top of AI-generated results. Wil Reynolds shared a revealing example from his work in banking SEO. He developed a high-quality page grounded in real interviews and industry expertise. After 30 hours of effort, the page still lost to a competitor using mass-produced content written at speed.

His reaction reflected a frustration shared by many marketers:

“My 30 hours of work got beat by what they did in 30 seconds.”

Current AI models often treat repetition as authority. Large sites can flood the web with repetitive content in ways that smaller businesses cannot match.

Google has also acknowledged the scale of AI-generated spam creeping into search, updating guidance on the risks of “scaled content abuse” and how websites should approach generative AI:

“Generative AI can be particularly useful when researching a topic, and to add structure to original content. However, using generative AI tools or other similar tools to generate many pages without adding value for users may violate Google’s spam policy on scaled content abuse.”

Despite these challenges, Wil highlighted a shift that works in favor of local businesses. As people personalize their AI tools, they direct results toward brands they already trust. Human preference, social proof, and real-world reputation begin to outweigh content quantity.

In Wil’s words, “Human data is gold.” The trust built offline and on social platforms influences how people use AI and who they choose to work with.

BrightLocal’s Local Search Audit helps uncover strengths and weaknesses in these credibility signals.

How Local Businesses Can Stay Authentic Across Today’s Most Important Platforms

Authenticity appears differently depending on where customers interact with a business. Melissa Popp offered practical guidance across four major platforms.

Google Business Profile: Trust Through Consistency

GBP rewards businesses that keep their information accurate and active. Melissa emphasized GBP’s importance:

“Google Business Profile is one of the most important places we are sharing content.”

Authenticity strengthens when businesses:

• Upload photos from real jobs
• Maintain accurate hours and service details
• Respond to reviews with care
• Use Posts to address timely questions
• Share seasonal and local updates

The GBP Post Scheduler helps teams maintain this presence without losing momentum.

Facebook: Community Conversations, Not Announcements

Melissa described Facebook as a platform rooted in neighborhood conversations. People turn to groups for recommendations, updates, and local knowledge.

During Denver’s severe hail season, she observed that promotional posts rarely resonated. Practical advice and supportive updates performed far better.

For visibility across social and directory listings, Citation Tracker helps identify inconsistencies that weaken trust.

Instagram: Honest Visuals Build Confidence

Instagram favors visual storytelling rooted in real experiences. Melissa encouraged teams to take their own photos, even if simple:

“Pull out your iPhone. Use them. That’s real.”

People respond to:

• Before and after photos
• Candid team moments
• Quick behind-the-scenes clips
• Visual stories tied to local challenges

Authenticity in imagery increases trust. Stock photos and AI visuals rarely capture that effect.

TikTok: Small, Genuine Moments Travel Farther

TikTok thrives on spontaneity. Melissa described it as a place defined by “micro moments of authenticity.”

Local businesses can share quick tips, surprising job moments, or light-hearted clips that show the personality of the team.

Using AI Without Losing Your Voice

Each speaker agreed on one key point. AI works well as a support tool but not as the creative engine that shapes a brand’s identity.

AI can lighten busywork. It speeds up research, outlines, metadata, and idea generation. Leighanne described it as useful for the “bones” of a strategy.

The limits become clear when AI is asked to imitate emotional intelligence or local understanding. Review responses, community messages, and service-oriented content benefit from a human voice that reacts with context and empathy.

AI can help you deliver faster. It cannot help you sound more genuine.

The Authenticity Playbook: five practical steps

1. Begin with customer language

Interview real customers. Pull keywords, concerns, stories, and local references straight from the people you serve. No model can recreate that texture.

2. Adapt a single idea into multiple formats

Melissa’s guidance still applies. One concept can be shaped differently for GBP, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Each platform rewards a different kind of storytelling.

3. Infuse content with local detail

Use examples that only someone in your region would know. References to weather patterns, neighborhood quirks, or common homeowner issues give content a sense of place.

4. Highlight the team

People trust a familiar face. Real staff photos, quotes, and day-to-day glimpses anchor a business in humanity.

5. Reinforce your true differentiators

Wil’s testing revealed that repeating accurate, meaningful information about your business helps AI models understand what you do. Authentic details, when reinforced across your site, become stronger signals.

Conclusion: Authenticity Remains a Durable Advantage

AI will continue to evolve, but lived experience will always shape the most compelling stories. Wil expressed it clearly:

“You’re not going to win by outsourcing your authenticity.”

Melissa showed how trust grows through steady, real engagement.
Leighanne reminded us that human insight cannot be automated.
Wil demonstrated the long-term value of real-world credibility.

These themes surfaced across Local SEO for Good because they reflect how people decide who to work with. Customers rely on honest communication and meaningful connections when making local choices.

AI can help teams work faster. It cannot replace the qualities that make local businesses memorable and trusted. Authenticity remains the strongest foundation for long-term success.

You can see how we’re implementing AI to help teams and small businesses work faster in our AI Roadmap.

Which is why we’re happy to be launching our brand new MCP server. We want you to be able to access all the data you need on your locations, wherever it is you choose to use it.

This forms part of our new AI Roadmap, which forms part of our commitment to helping you get more from BrightLocal.

What is an MCP Server?

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server is a service that allows you to connect a tool, like BrightLocal, to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and n8n.

It allows you to connect your BrightLocal account to a Large Language Model (LLM) or AI tool, and then use the AI tool to ask questions or take action. This shares your account data with the LLMs and tools.

For BrightLocal, this means you can ask questions about that data, such as ‘What is our best performing location?’. Later, you’ll be able to take action too, with prompts like ‘Update the opening hours of our main street branch to…’.

Once you’ve connected the tool to BrightLocal, you can do all of this without even opening BrightLocal. Letting you stay in ChatGPT, Claude, or the LLM of your choice.

In the words of Ed Eliott, our Tech Advisor & Co-founder:

“The MCP server enables you to have natural language conversations with your BrightLocal account. It enables you to get data from your account in the way you want, and to derive insights from that data.”

In other words, you can take the data from your BrightLocal account to your favorite LLM. This then lets you start these natural language conversations and really interrogate your data.

Then, in the next round of updates, it’ll also enable you to add locations, set up reports, and make changes to your locations and reports.

The BrightLocal MCP currently works with a number of LLMs, depending on the plan you have with that tool:

• ChatGPT – plan dependent
• ClaudeAI – Pro plan or Teams account
• Mistral – any plan, including a free plan

You can connect with n8n for workflow automation.

Examples of Use

If that sounds a little complex, then let us run you through some use cases to help you get your head around the implications.

Rather than simply opening a report dashboard, now you can attach your favorite LLM and prompt it to do things like:

• “Give me a list of all my BrightLocal locations based in New York.”
• “List the locations in my BrightLocal account that have received a one-star review in the last 2 weeks.”
• “Update the opening hours for all of my Chicago stores to Monday-Friday, 9-5 pm.”
• “Add ‘restaurant’ as an additional keyword to all of my LSG reports.”
• “Give me an overview of the review sentiment, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and present some opportunities based on recent reviews from the Le Bernardin location in my BrightLocal account.”

Why have we made one?

We want our customers to get the most out of their data and use their accounts in a way that works for them.

We recognize that many people now conduct a significant portion of their work using LLMs, so we’ve introduced our MCP to enable you to do the same. Once it’s set up, you don’t even need to log in to your BrightLocal account. You can do everything you need in your AI account.

That even includes taking action. It’s not just for running reports. You’ll be able to add locations, configure reports, and make changes to push out across your profiles, too.

How can you access the MCP?

Our MCP Server forms part of BrightLocal Anywhere, our package designed to help you take your BrightLocal data wherever you need it, via LLMs or APIs.

To access the MCP server and BrightLocal anywhere, you’ll need two things:

• An active Grow Plan and access to BrightLocal Labs
• Access to one of the supported AI platforms

For guidance on setting up the supported tools, visit our help center:

• Connect BrightLocal to ChatGPT
• Connect BrightLocal to Claude
• What is BrightLocal Anywhere?

How can you get your hands on BrightLocal’s AI features?

Our MCP Server and BrightLocal Anywhere are just the beginning of our new AI features in 2026.

You can discover our plans in our AI Roadmap.

Get Early Access with BrightLocal Labs

If you want to get your hands on features early and join our beta environment, then you can sign up for BrightLocal Labs. This gets you priority access to new features and direct input to help shape the product.

If you’re an existing customer who wants to request access to BrightLocal Labs, contact support.

The good news, though, is that Google Business Profile will play a key role in what comes next.

As he put it:

“Google Business Profile is the digital storefront. It’s the point of truth across Google Search and Maps.”

From Keywords to Conversations

According to Riaz, search has moved far beyond “pizza near me.” Today’s customers type, or speak, more nuanced queries: “find me a gluten-free deep-dish pizza with vegan cheese that I can enjoy on a dog-friendly patio.” These conversational searches carry more context and more commercial intent.

“We’ve gone from people typing ‘pool cleaning’ to asking ‘why is my pool green and how do I fix it?’ Search is becoming more conversational and contextual.”

For businesses, this means two things:

1. Your visibility depends on how complete and accurate your information is.
2. Customers are closer to taking action when they find you.

Search Without the Search Box

Riaz pointed to Google Lens, Circle to Search, and AI Overviews as proof that discovery is expanding. One in five Lens searches already has purchase intent.

“One in every five Lens searches has commercial intent. That’s a huge opportunity for businesses.”

Add to that AI summaries at the top of results, and even AI Mode, which reasons through complex questions, and you have customers discovering businesses in entirely new ways. 

Local businesses can no longer rely solely on text-based search. Visibility now requires being present in images, summaries, and AI-driven conversations.

Google Business Profile: The Digital Storefront

Despite the buzz around new AI features, Omar stressed the central role of the Google Business Profile. He described it as the “point of truth” across Maps and Search, and now, increasingly, across AI-driven results.

“Businesses with complete profiles see up to seven times more clicks than those without.”

Complete profiles, with categories, attributes, hours, and rich visuals, are far more likely to surface in conversational queries. In other words, GBP is no longer just a listing; it’s the storefront through which AI introduces your business to customers.

For practical steps, see our guides on Google Business Profile optimization.

SEO Isn’t Dead, It’s Evolving

Riaz was clear: don’t throw away your SEO playbook. The fundamentals still matter — crawlability, technical health, and unique content remain the foundation.

“The fundamentals of SEO are even more important now than before. The goal is still to help people find outstanding original content that adds unique value.”

But in an AI-first world, the yardstick is shifting. Success is measured less in raw clicks and more in engagement, conversions, and loyalty. For marketers, that means rethinking what performance looks like — focusing on outcomes, not just traffic volume.

Our Local SEO Checklist can help make sure you’ve got the essentials in place.

2025 Priorities for Local Businesses

Looking ahead, Google is steering businesses toward four key content priorities:

• Messaging and chat: adding WhatsApp and SMS directly into GBP.
• Social integration: linking Instagram, YouTube, and X to build authenticity.
• Google Posts: using posts as part of an active social strategy.
• Structured menus and ordering: especially for restaurants and cafés, where customers expect to browse and book without friction. For more, check out our restaurant SEO guide.

“We’re advising businesses to treat Google Posts as part of their social strategy — updating at least once a week improves visibility.”

The thread running through all of these? Freshness, completeness, and authenticity. Google wants GBP to be an active channel, not a static listing.

The Data Gap and What Comes Next

One audience concern resonated: visibility into AI traffic. Right now, tracking is limited. While Omar acknowledged this frustration, he noted that these are very new products, and analytics will evolve.

“AI Mode has only just launched in over 180 markets. Tracking and analytics will evolve, but right now it’s still very new.”

For now, his advice was to double down on what’s within your control: strong content, complete business profiles, and consistent engagement.

Google Doubling Down

Omar Riaz’s session underscored an important truth: Google isn’t moving away from local business visibility, it’s doubling down on it. By weaving AI into search, by expanding the role of Google Business Profile, and by emphasizing fresh, authentic content, Google is signaling that the businesses that adapt now will be best positioned tomorrow.

As Riaz made clear;

“Those who invest in completeness, authenticity, and adaptability will be the ones who thrive in Google’s AI-first future.”

Google has removed the ability to view 100 search results per page. This was done by adding the parameter “&num=100” to the URL. 

It’s not confirmed whether this is a bug or a new feature right now, but you do need to be aware of the implications.

As you can see from this query for ‘coffee near me’, where filter is set to num=100, you don’t get 100 results.

What does this actually mean?

For Google users, this simply allowed you to view 100 results per page, which, while useful, isn’t necessarily an issue.

For businesses that rely on Google Search Console, you’ll likely notice a drastic drop in impressions.

Source: Brodie Clark

For rank tracking tools, this presents a problem, too.

• Any rank tracking tool that reports on data above the top 10 results will have been affected.
• You may have seen a jump in average rank due to this.
• This means that to get 100 results for a rank tracker, they’d need to make 10 requests rather than 1.

There is a chance that this has happened due to LLMs scraping search results, but Google hasn’t confirmed anything as of right now.

How does that affect you?

While things are being ironed out, your reports may look a little different. This is the case whether you use Search Console or any number of local rank trackers.

In reality, though:

• Actual rankings are unaffected.
• Some tools are pivoting on the number of results they are reporting on.
• Top 10 rankings will still be returned by most tools, and these are the most valuable to report on, regardless.
• The top 20 are still available for most tracking tools. These are where your opportunities often are.
• Anything outside the top 20 often drives minimal clicks or impressions and sees significant flux. Not being able to track keywords that rank here is not the end of the world.
• Local Pack rank tracking will not have been affected.

What is BrightLocal doing?

At BrightLocal, we offer two local rank tracking solutions. Only one of these has been affected.

• Local Search Grid: Our geo-grid rank tracker has not been affected by this change.
• Local Rank Tracker: Our local rank tracker provides the top 50 results, which means it has been affected by the change.

What is the plan for Local Rank Tracker?

To get 50 results for Local Rank Tracker, we now need to run 5 requests instead of one.

We have rolled out a temporary fix to make sure we will continue to provide you with the data we previously offered.

We will monitor the situation and, if anything changes, inform you of any effect this could have on our API and Local Rank tracker.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your account manager or contact customer support.

We’ve previously talked about the changing nature of SEO, and how that means some tactics can become outdated or even no longer seen as best practice. Combine that with some of the, um, questionable advice that can sometimes be found online, and you can find yourself in a bit of a pickle.

Mistakes happen, but some can be more costly than others. If your business no longer ranks in the local map pack or organic results, that’s a problem because it means prospective customers aren’t able to find you. If you’ve recently received several negative reviews and didn’t respond to them in the hope the issue might go away, that’s a problem because it’s going to affect the way consumers perceive your business.

Understanding the consequences of mistakes and missed opportunities can help you make sure they don’t happen. And if they do? We’ve gathered some of the biggest local SEO mistakes from our industry friends, and shared their fixes here with you. 

Not investing in the right platforms

It may come as a surprise, but the biggest mistake could be simple inactivity.

In August 2025, we surveyed 778 SMB owners and managers. While 72% of them said that SEO had a medium-high impact on their business, the reality of their tactics highlighted some serious mistakes.

• 40% said they have a dedicated website.
• 35% of SMBs have Google Business Profiles.

So before we get into the specific mistakes that experts often see across these platforms, it’s worth knowing that the biggest mistake of all is not being present in the first place. A Google Business Profile and a website are basic foundations for ranking and interacting with your customers.

The good news is these mistakes are simple to fix, and we can help. Read our guides on creating a Google Business Profile (they’re free, and simple to claim), and our step-by-step advice on creating a website from scratch.

Google Business Profile mistakes

There are many mistakes you can make with a Google Business Profile (GBP) beyond being among the two-thirds of businesses that don’t have one. If you are, quickly go and claim one now. Read on for tips to help you avoid a profile suspension and find out why adding secondary categories is more than just a tick-box exercise.

"GBP category errors are almost always highlighted in our audits and pitches."

Rachel Ellen, Local Search Strategist at Croud

When setting up or managing your GBP, you’re given the option to choose one primary category and up to nine additional ones. Sounds simple enough, but this is hands down one of the most common (and costly) mistakes I see across the wide range of clients I work with, no matter the industry.

Correctly chosen categories help your listing show up in the right local searches. But get them wrong, or worse, leave out relevant ones, and you’re practically handing over visibility to your competitors.

Take a recent example: I was reviewing a client’s GBP who specialises in boots and shoes. They hadn’t selected either “Boot shop” or “Shoe shop” as a category. Instead, they’d gone with something vague and less helpful. No wonder they were struggling to rank for the terms that actually mattered to them.

And it’s not just about visibility, it’s about instilling confidence in potential customers. Even if your profile does rank, having a broad primary category like “Clinic” while your competitors are listed as “Physiotherapy clinic” or “Chiropractor” can make you seem like a less relevant choice. Someone looking for a specific service is much more likely to click on the profile that spells it out clearly.

In multi-practitioner scenarios, think doctors, therapists, or dentists, shared primary categories across all profiles can even result in a practitioner profile outranking the main business listing. One way around this is to diversify categories across listings to protect your brand’s presence in local results.

"Time and time again: a merchant gets unsuspended or verified, and immediately makes changes to their GBP"

Ben Fisher, Founder and Lead Consultant at Steady Demand

I see it time and time again: a merchant gets unsuspended or verified, and they immediately do things like change their business name or add or remove an address. This can trigger another verification process and usually a suspension.

Another big thing I see is with profile suspensions in particular. The situation usually unfolds like this: the merchant is suspended and they do not read the appeal screen properly and rush through the process. They will ignore the section for adding proof or forget about it. Then, after the appeal is denied, they rush through the review process. These are your two chances to appeal, so don’t waste them.

Missed opportunities for content

Many business owners don’t realize the opportunities that posting their own photos, videos and posts to GBP presents. As Claudia Tomina explains below, it’s now more important than ever.

"Photos and videos aren’t just nice-to-haves anymore; they’re ranking signals"

Claudia Tomina, CEO at Reputation Arm

One of the most common mistakes I see in local SEO is the lack of content. Specifically, not generating enough photos and videos. These aren’t just nice-to-haves anymore; they’re ranking signals. Google now uses visual content to extract context, keywords, and relevance, so when businesses neglect this area, they’re missing a major opportunity to improve visibility.

The fix? Stop overthinking it and start recording. For service-based businesses like plumbers, contractors, or restoration teams, the job site is your content studio. Capture before-and-after photos, record quick videos explaining what was done, and upload consistently.

You don’t need to be a polished presenter, authenticity will resonate. Over time, this habit will build trust with potential customers and strengthen your brand presence across search.

"Hire a professional photographer to upgrade the quality of your images"

Mike Blumenthal, Co-founder at Near Media

For Mike Blumenthal, one of the biggest local SEO mistakes is:

Using stock photography. Hire a professional photographer for a day to upgrade the quality of the images uploaded to GBP.

Not carrying out competitor research

Local-level competitor research may seem like a ‘nice to have,’ but if you aren’t monitoring your closest competitors then you could be harming your own visibility without even realizing. Amsive’s Bambi Frazier explains in more detail below.

"People think they know what’s holding them back, when in reality, it’s their top competitors simply executing better at the local level."

Bambi Frazier, Sr. Product Manager (Local SEO) at Amsive

Review management missteps 

We’ve all seen funny examples of negative business reviews with sarcastic owner responses. But in reality, this response sentiment can be a detriment to the brand and how others perceive it. And not responding to reviews at all? Customers do notice.

"So many business owners don’t realise they shouldn’t do this: replying poorly to negative Google reviews."

Elizabeth Rule, SEO Analyst at Sterling Sky

"Appreciate those who write reviews"

Greg Sterling, Co-founder at Near Media

Not responding to business reviews. Business owners or managers should respond to all reviews to address concerns, appreciate those who wrote reviews and demonstrate general engagement and responsiveness. This will help with consumer perceptions of the business and may indirectly help with local visibility.

Responding to all of your business reviews

The 2025 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 89% of consumers would use a local business that responds to both positive and negative reviews.

 

Hopefully, these mistakes and missed opportunities have given you some food for thought, and something to keep front of mind as you navigate the realms of local marketing. But if you feel that these have simply added to your never-ending list of things to do, you might also want to consider how fully managed local SEO services could help you.

If you’re no longer the best person to handle the ongoing maintenance and upkeep required, you can transfer Google Business Profile ownership to a designated replacement. Read on to find out how to start this process and what you’ll need to consider along the way. 

Can I transfer Google Business Profile ownership?

Whether you’ve run out of time, changed jobs, or sold your business, there could well come a time when you wish to transfer ownership of your Google Business Profile to someone else. While Google has numerous policies around listings management, it does allow primary owners to merge Google Business profiles and to transfer ownership of a listing to someone else. 

Things to Consider Before Transferring Google Business Profile Ownership

While the process of transferring ownership of your listing is straightforward, there are still a few things that you’ll need to consider. 

Roles

There are two main roles within the Google Business ecosystem: owners and managers. Owners are further categorized as primary owners and owners.

Your profile can have multiple owners and managers, but only one primary owner. The primary owner is the only one who can transfer ownership of the listing to another user. A primary owner can only remove themselves from a listing when another user is appointed as the primary owner to take their place.

There’s a Holding Period

Transferring ownership is a quick process, but once the primary owner role is assigned to another user, a seven-day holding period will commence. During this handover phase, the new primary owner will have limited capability to enact changes. They won’t be able to remove other owners or managers, for example, nor can they recover a deleted profile or delete a listing.

Listing Accuracy

When transferring ownership to another user, the listing information, including reviews, will be maintained. However, it’s still a good idea to check the listing for accuracy and ensure all contact information, opening hours, and location information are up to date.

Communicating the Change

While you won’t need to tell anyone outside of your organization that you have successfully transferred Google Business Profile ownership to someone else, there may be people within the business that you’ll need to notify. 

How to Transfer Ownership of a Google Business Profile

There are several steps involved in the ownership transfer process:

Step 1: Log in to your listing

Go to business.google.com to access your listing control panel and admin tools.

Step 2: Choose your listing

Click the listing you wish to transfer and then navigate to ‘Settings.’ You can find this by clicking on the three dots icon to the right of your screen.

Step 3: Navigate to ‘People and access’

When the Business Profile settings menu loads, select the ‘People and access’ option. This is where you add and remove other managers and owners and assign roles.

Step 4: Add the new owner (option A)

When the ‘People and access’ menu loads, you’ll see that you have the option to add a person to the listing.

If the person you wish to transfer ownership to isn’t already a manager for the listing, you’ll need to add them. Enter their email address and select ‘Owner’ from the two role options given. Then click ‘Invite’.

Step 4: Change role to owner (option B)

If the person you’re transferring ownership to is already a manager, you can change their role to ‘Owner’ rather than add them to the listing.

Simply click on their name and then select ‘Primary owner.’

Step 5: Await invitation acceptance

If you’ve invited a new user to own the listing, you’ll need to wait for that person to accept the invitation before you can proceed. They can do this by opening the email sent by Google and clicking on the link provided.

Step 6: Remove the previous owner

When the new owner accepts their invitation, you’ll need to log back into your Google Business Profile, navigate to the ‘People and access’ menu, and remove the old owner. This process will complete the transfer of ownership. 

Why might I need to transfer Google Business Profile ownership?

There are multiple reasons why you may need to transfer ownership of your Google Business listing. Often, these reasons relate to a notable change within the business, such as the arrival of new owners or the appointment of a new marketing team. During that transition period, your profile must remain helpful, trustworthy, and up-to-date, and for that to happen, you need to ensure the right person has ownership.  

A Change in Business Ownership

If you’ve sold your business, the new owners will need full access to the Google Business listing to manage their presence on Google Search and Maps. They’ll only have complete control of their profile when they become the primary owner.

The Departure of a Key Employee

The primary owner of your Google listing may be an employee or contractor rather than the physical owner of the local business. Often, this is because that person originally set up the listing or was given responsibility for managing the Google Business Profile as part of their role.

If that employee leaves or the contract reaches an endpoint, someone within the business will need to be appointed as the primary owner so they can manage the profile and assign roles in the future.

Changes to Agency Relationships

If your business has worked with a marketing or local SEO agency, that agency may have initially claimed the business listing. It’s always advisable to request the transfer of ownership to yourself or someone within your business when this happens so that you don’t lose control if you cease work with that agency.

To Create a Central Management Team

Are you opening a new location? Or perhaps you already have multiple locations? Businesses with more than one storefront or service area will have multiple listings to manage. Often, it’s more efficient to consolidate that management into a centralized hub, with one designated owner responsible for updating and maintaining those multiple listings. 

Conclusion

Your Google Business Profile listing is a central pillar of your local search presence. It can be an invaluable tool, but it’s only an asset to your business when it is accurate, provides up-to-date contact information, and is proactively maintained. Our Local Business Discovery and Trust Report 2023 found that 62% of consumers would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information online.

If your circumstances change, whether due to a business sale, a transition into a new role, or the arrival of a different marketing team, transferring the ownership of your Google Business profile can ensure it continues to perform at an optimal level.

The process of appointing a new listing owner is straightforward, but as we have seen, there are a few steps to follow and several things you’ll need to consider. Use the above information as your guide, and you should find the process quick and easy. 

This article is from our Agency Growth Handbook—a collection of guides created to help local SEO agencies grow and succeed. It is chapter eight of ‘Part 3: Retention & Growth’.

Running an agency is difficult. Growing your agency is even harder.

For many, that growth comes organically with some big client wins. For others, it requires years of grinding. Regardless of how you’ve achieved your growth, there’s a good chance it’s going to come with difficulties that need to be navigated.

“The bigger you get as an agency, the easier it is to slip away from the things that made you successful to begin with”

– Laura Salter, Director of Operations, Kick Point

Maybe it’s the right hire, but at the wrong time. Or, suddenly, you find yourself floundering without the right processes in place, leading to a lack of consistency. Maybe important clients suddenly leave. It could be that you’ve not been able to scale headcount fast enough.

“This taught me a crucial lesson: scaling an agency isn’t just about adding headcount.”

– Vera Shafiq, Fractional CMO and Consultant

Whatever it is, you’re probably not the first agency to have those issues. Our 2024 Local Marketing Industry Survey found that 66% of agencies were planning to hire new staff in 2025.

So to help you navigate these chaotic times, we’ve talked to a number of agency founders and leaders to find out what problems they had as they grew, and how they overcame them.

"Let Go and Keep Learning"

Blake Denman, President & Founder at RicketyRoo

The biggest challenge I have faced while growing RicketyRoo has been letting go.

I founded the agency on February 1, 2009, and have been actively involved for the vast majority of its life. However, as we’ve continued to grow, the things that I had been in charge of have been taken over by someone else on the team.

Operations was the last thing I truly let go of, and for a period of time, I felt more or less like the Pulp Fiction meme of John Travolta standing there with his coat, pointing one way, then pointing the other way, not sure which way to go.

Up until that point, I knew what I needed to get done within the agency to keep moving forward. I’ve learned that the only way to keep growing is to let go and remain teachable in all aspects of not only agency life, but life in general.

"Never Lose Focus on Your Culture"

Laura Salter, Director of Operations at Kick Point

The bigger you get as an agency, the easier it is to slip away from the things that made you successful to begin with. You’ll likely find yourself questioning whether a few tight months mean you should sacrifice the things that made your culture attractive and retain those talented, engaged people on your team.

Wherever you can, find creative places to trim that are not essential to who you are as an organization. If you don’t know what those essential things are, ask your team. And listen.

"Putting Processes in Place to Save Quality"

Nick Meagher, Owner at icepick

The biggest challenge for me was scaling without sacrificing quality.

What made the difference was creating clear SOPs and processes, then hiring talented people who could execute them well. That foundation allowed us to grow quickly while maintaining high standards.

"Talent Getting Bogged Down with Admin"

Vera Shafiq, Marketing Strategy Consultant at Vera Shafiq

The biggest challenge I have faced during rapid growth periods at agencies is watching talented media buyers and strategists get bogged down in administrative tasks while client demands intensify.

Despite hiring great people, our team’s strategic output would suffer because they were spending too much time on reporting, manual data entry, and repetitive processes instead of the innovative thinking that drives real results.

This taught me a crucial lesson: scaling an agency isn’t just about adding headcount.

It’s about ruthlessly automating the mundane work first. By prioritizing process streamlining and removing administrative friction, we could free our team to focus on what they do best: developing breakthrough strategies and delivering measurable growth for clients. By doing this, not only does work quality improve, but team morale soars when people can actually practice their craft.

Grow Your Own Way

Each of these agency leaders has gone through distinctly different issues. But the key message is one of adapting without losing sight of what you started in the first place.

While processes are important, for instance, you shouldn’t be against changing them. But doing so in a way that could affect your culture is one you should avoid.

If you need more help growing your agency, the Agency Growth Handbook offers insights from local SEO and digital agencies to help you grow your own without facing the same pitfalls they did. 

We’d love to hear what’s happened on your growth journey so far. Drop us a comment on Linkedin, X (formerly Twitter) or Bluesky with your own.

At Google I/O 2025, we learned more about Google’s vision for AI search, and just before then, we found out about some new Google Business Profile (GBP) functionality. The direction is clear. Google is doubling down on AI and trying to improve the user experience of searchers.

So, what’s at the heart of this strategy? A renewed focus on personalization using AI, local discovery, smart spending, and seamless, enjoyable experiences, especially when it comes to food, events, and things to do.

AI Mode and the Future of Search

As part of the keynote on day one of Google I/O, Google announced a brand new AI Mode, along with a number of upgrades to Google Gemini.

While these aren’t local specific, there’s a good chance they’ll affect how users search for and discover businesses moving forward.

AI Mode is a fully AI search experience. Google created it early in 2025 in Search Labs and is now rolling it out to the whole of the US.

In their own words:

“AI Mode is our most powerful AI search, with more advanced reasoning and multimodality, and the ability to go deeper through follow-up questions and helpful links to the web. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see a new tab for AI Mode appear in Search and in the search bar in the Google app.”

– Elizabeth Reid, VP, Head of Search, Google

Right now AI Mode is opt-in; you have to navigate to it as it sits in its own tab at the top of the screen. But realistically, and hammered home by Liz Reid, Google’s Head of Search, this is the future of search. A truly personalized experience.

So what does that mean for you? How can you future-proof yourself?

It means that traditional search is not necessarily long for this world. AI Mode is designed to learn from you. It’ll look at your emails, your search history and try to tailor your searches based on that.

“Today the search experience for someone looking something up varies from postal code to postal code, but with this type of feature it’s going to vary from individual to individual.”

– Ross Simmonds, CEO, Foundation & Distribution.ai via LinkedIn

If it knows you’ve booked a hotel in downtown Miami, for instance, it can start giving you a tailored itinerary, and local restaurant suggestions.

If you’ve told it about allergies, it can omit any recipes it suggests in a search that includes those ingredients. That doesn’t sound too much of an issue for a local business, right? You’re not giving someone a recipe. But think about what that sort of learning and personalization actually means.

• When a user asks for a list of places to buy products in their local area, Google will already know their shopping preferences from their emails (and other sources). It could exclude certain shops from their list, while including them more regularly for others.
• If Google knows about an allergy, it can give tailored suggestions for places to eat based on the menus in Google Business Profiles.
• It can tailor recommendations based on the vibe it knows a user has. If it knows all about their interests, the brands they interact with, the papers they read, the inspirational content they interact with, the bands they listen to, or anything else, it can give them a recommendation that matches it.

This truly tailored searching is likely to be what Google wants all search experiences to be like in the future. So, while AI Mode may be in its own tab, for now, there’s a good chance it will inform how search works in the future. Therefore, it will affect how people find your business.

It’s currently available across the US.

For marketers or local businesses, AI Mode will bring some new truths:

• Clicks will likely go down.
  This is already the case for a lot of sites based purely on AI Overviews. But AI Mode may decrease them even more, even when it does provide links.
• Ranking for general terms may become less important.
  Depending on the personalization, the same term could show completely different results.
• Your brand and reputation is more important than ever.
  Making sure AI understands your brand, and that your brand is both familiar and respected locally will be crucial for getting it found. It goes without saying, but continue to work at getting more reviews.
• Diversifying your channels is going to be important.
  Look beyond simply optimizing for Google. Where else is your brand visible? TikTok, YouTube, Yelp?
• Your Google Business Profile remains important.
  In the examples Google uses in its presentation, the AI continues to surface the full profile for the local businesses it recommends.
• You can’t track traffic from AI Overviews or AI Mode.
  As it stands, Google is not offering the opportunity to track traffic from its AI search functions. 

“Right now, ranking #1 for a broad key phrase means you get a lot of clicks, but many people will drop out when the price is wrong, the brand isn’t a good fit for them, or doesn’t fit some kind of personal requirement.

The personalisation we’ll see within AI-type systems will mean a “broad” term with 50,000 searches a month may generate 1,000 different sets of results/recommendations based on the user profile. Fewer clicks, but much higher qualification is likely the future—so as Myriam Jessier has been publishing, making sure AI systems understand what your brand is, will be paramount.”

– Mark Williams-Cook, SEO Direct, Candour via LinkedIn

On top of AI Mode, Google announced a number of upgrades to Google Gemini and a rollout of AI Overviews to new countries. If you hadn’t realised by now, Google is all in on AI.

Google Business Profile Releases: Event Posts and ‘What’s Happening’

Just before Google IO, Google rolled out a brand-new Event Post display for restaurants and bars. This significant update makes GBP Posts more visible than ever in mobile search.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Displays prominently for branded searches on mobile
• Pulls content from your GBP event posts or connected social accounts
• Highlights timely updates like ‘Live Band Tonight’ or ‘Happy Hour Today’
• Prioritizes recency—outdated content disappears quickly
• Not available on Maps or desktop (yet)
• Live in English-speaking markets: US, UK, CA, AU, NZ
• Available only for single-location listings

And there’s more! Google has also introduced the new ‘What’s Happening’ section for restaurants and bars. This is a dedicated space at the top of a GBP profile to spotlight events, deals, and specials.

“This is the first time in a while that Google has made Posts more visible in search. The intent is clear: Google wants to surface what’s happening right now at your business.”

– Claudia Tomina, Google Product Expert and CEO, Reputation ARM via LinkedIn

This space is designed to drive immediate engagement, putting updates like ‘Today’s Special’ or ‘Live Music Saturday’ front and center. To be eligible to appear in this new space:

• Post directly to your GBP using Google Posts, or
• Connect your Facebook, Instagram, and X profiles for automatic syncing.

It’s a small change with a big impact, especially for businesses that rely on footfall and timely promotions.

What These New Features Mean for Local Businesses

These recent GBP changes are all about enhancing the discoverability and appeal of local businesses. From event-led footfall to deal-driven dining decisions, Google is reinforcing the power of local relevance and giving businesses more tools to stay visible and competitive.

At BrightLocal, we’ll be tracking these developments closely and helping businesses make the most of every new feature as it rolls out.

If Google detects multiple listings for the same business, that profile won’t be eligible for inclusion in Google’s Local Pack and Google Maps, meaning duplicate Google listings could be actively harming your search visibility.

Having various profiles is something of a minefield for local business owners, as there are multiple reasons why an extra listing or two might have popped up:

• It could be that a Google Business Profile was created by a previous employee or local SEO agency, and you didn’t have permission to manage that listing, so you created another one
• Perhaps you moved to a new location, and rather than update the existing listing, you created a new profile
• Your service business may have created multiple listings to represent each unique service, rather than including them on a single profile
• You might even have created a duplicate listing by mistake

Whatever the reason, you’ll need to resolve the conflict to be eligible for Search and Maps.

At this point, you’re probably wondering how to merge two Google Business listings. You’re in the right place! We’re here to walk you through it, but first, a word of warning: proceed with caution because this process can be more problematic than it first appears.

Is it possible to merge Google Business Profiles together?

The short answer is yes; you can merge two or more Google Business Profiles to create a single listing. 

The longer answer is that it isn’t just a case of selecting a few duplicate listings and then combining them into one page. As you’ve probably guessed, Google will only allow multiple listings to be merged in certain circumstances.

The main requirement is that you can only merge listings for the same business. The addresses must be the same, and the information for each listing must be broadly very similar.

Additionally, you’ll only be able to merge multiple listings if you are the verified owner of each listing and can see each profile within your Google Business dashboard.

These requirements do rule out some instances where you may want to merge several different listings. If you were to acquire a new business in a totally different location, for example, you couldn’t merge that firm’s listing with your own existing Google Business Profile. Ditto if you find a dupe that you’d like to fold into your main listing but don’t own or manage that additional profile.

How to Merge Two Google Business Listings

The good news is that only a few steps are required to combine additional listings into one main profile for your business.

Step 1: Confirm you meet Google’s requirements

First things first, you’ll need to double-check that you meet each of these requirements:

• Duplicate listings do exist
• Each listing gives the same business name
• The address stated on each listing is the same
•  The listing information is virtually identical across each profile
• You own or manage each listing via your Google Business Profile account 

With those requirements met, here’s what you’ll need to do next.

Step 2: Locate each profile’s ID

Each Google listing has a unique ID that identifies it specifically. To merge multiple pages, you’ll need to note down the ID of each listing to be merged.

1. To find the ID number, log into your Google Business Account and find the first listing to be merged.
2. Once the listing is open, locate the menu in the top right corner.

   
   

3. Select ‘Business Profile settings’ and then from the following menu click ‘Advanced settings’.
   
   
4. Your ID will be at the top of the next screen. Copy that ID and repeat each step until you have the ID for each listing you wish to combine.

Step 3: Submit a request

1. Open the Google Business Help Centre and select the profile you wish to merge from the drop-down box. In the ‘Tell us what we can help with’ box, enter ‘Merge duplicate profiles’ and then click ‘Next’.

2. Select your issue from the options given and click Next.

3. Provide the IDs and request a merger.

Pros and Cons of Merging Google Business Profiles

Local search visibility is a powerful tool for your business, so you’ll want to do all you can to present the clearest and most accurate version of your business in Maps and Search. Cleaning up duplicate profiles and consolidating your presence is one way to do that, but merging two or more listings isn’t always smooth sailing.  

Advantages of Merging Google Business Profiles

Now you know how to merge two Google Business listings, let’s explore the advantages of going through this process.

• Eligibility for Search and Maps: When Google detects multiple listings for the same business name and address, those listings will no longer be visible in Search and Maps. Merging or deleting duplicate listings so you have just one Google Business Profile for your business restores your eligibility.
• Improved local search rankings: Information spread across multiple listings can hamper your ability to rank well for your core Google Business listing. Consolidating your business information and activity, such as images, review responses, and Posts, into a single, unified profile can boost your local rankings.
• A stronger review profile: Multiple listings could mean your reviews are spread across numerous profiles. Most consumers won’t click through to each listing to read your reviews, so the majority will only ever see a snapshot of your feedback. Given that more than half (53%) of consumers want to read positive experiences of local businesses, it makes sense that you’ll gain more benefits from your positive reputation if those reviews are gathered in one profile. This is also important for your local search rankings.
• An improved consumer experience: Multiple listings can be confusing for local search users and could sow a seed of distrust. Eliminating that confusion by having just one accurate and up-to-date listing ensures a more streamlined, more positive customer experience.
• More efficient profile management: Managing multiple listings is inefficient and unnecessary. Merging those unnecessary listings into a single profile frees up your time and efforts so you can focus on making your primary Google Business Profile the best it can be.

Disadvantages of Merging Google Business Profiles

While it’s always advisable to comply with Google’s policies and stick with a single Google Business listing, there are some disadvantages to merging two or more profiles.

• Loss of optimization: Chances are, the two listings you wish to consolidate have different levels of optimization. There is a risk that some of that could be lost if a stronger profile merges with a weaker one. This could result in a loss of local search visibility.
• Loss of review responses: Merging listings will also merge reviews, but it’s been widely reported that review responses often aren’t included in this process. This can be particularly problematic if you’ve had to address negative feedback recently.  
• Negative reviews: If one listing has been plagued by negative reviews, you might not want those to be pulled into your main listing without any means of response. You could consider deleting the duplicate profile instead.
• Inaccurate content: If one of the listings contains inaccurate or outdated information and images, you run the risk of that showing up on your consolidated profile. Rather than merging with an inaccurate profile, a better option would be to delete the incorrect listing.

When is it a good idea to merge Google Business Profiles?

If you’re committed to maintaining a strong local search presence, you can’t afford to drop the ball when it comes to managing your Google Business Profile. Regularly checking for duplicate listings and taking appropriate action to clean up your presence is key to staying in control (and on the right side of Google’s Business Profile policies).

It’s a good idea to consider merging duplicate listings as soon as you become aware that the issue exists. The longer you have multiple listings active, the greater the chances your Search and Maps visibility will be impacted. 

Keep in mind that merging may not always be the best option. Merging inaccurate, malicious, or very outdated listings with your main profile could do more harm than good. Consider deleting those listings (or reporting malicious listings to Google) rather than merging. 

Can I merge more than two Google Business Profiles?

In some circumstances, there may be more than two Google Business Profiles for your business. If the listings are for the same business, at the same address, and contain broadly the same information, you can merge more than two profiles to create a single consolidated profile. 

Conclusion

Having more than one Google Business Profile isn’t just against Google’s policies. It can also confuse search users, increase the risk of inaccurate information being made public, and weaken your review profile.

Merging is one way to regain control and return your search presence to a single optimized listing. While this is straightforward, you should always consider whether merging is the right course of action. Reporting malicious listings or deleting very old listings might be a better choice.

For years, we’ve offered best-in-class white-label local SEO tools to help you track, audit, and deliver incredible results for yourself or your clients. Alongside these tools, we’ve provided industry-leading Citation Building Services.

And that got us thinking.

What more could we be doing to help you win at local search?

Introducing Local SEO Services from BrightLocal. Where we do the work, and you see the results.

Yose Dhansay

Head of Client Services at BrightLocal

“I’m very excited to formally launch our Local SEO Services — a streamlined, high-impact offering to help businesses build visibility, trust, and momentum in their local markets. Clients wanted a smarter, more practical way to grow with a partner they trust.

This is our answer: simple, effective, and built to deliver more traffic and customers. We help businesses optimise for local so they can own their niche. And it’s all backed by a friendly, professional and knowledgeable team.”

Who is it for?

Ok, that sounds great. But who are these services for? We’ve broken it down below to help you see if you’re a good fit.

We make a bespoke local SEO strategy for each business we work with, regardless of whether it’s your own business, or your client’s.

Existing BrightLocal Customers

If you already use BrightLocal, you may be eligible for our Local SEO Services. You’ll just need to book a call with one of our sales team to find out how we can help your business or agency grow.

Ready to improve your rankings? Talk to us about our Local SEO Services

Book an Introduction

Our Six Pillars of Local SEO

We focus on six core pillars to help you, or your clients, rank higher in local searches.

1. Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization and management
   • Boost visibility and interactions by ranking higher in local search.
2. Website and content optimization
   • Get more leads by ranking higher for more search terms in Google. 
3. Citation building and listings management
   • Get your business listed accurately everywhere your customers are looking.
4. Review management
   • Build trust with customers by managing your reviews and reputation.
5. High-quality link building
   • Increase your authority with Google and boost your rankings
6. Monitoring and reporting
   • We track the impact of our work, delivering continuous improvements.

How much does it cost?

Our pricing, like your local SEO strategy, is tailored to your business. Each customer is completely unique. To calculate the overall cost we assess your industry, location and your local competition.

We use all of this to calculate your price. All prices are calculated on a location basis.

Prices range from $799 to $1,299 per location per month.

Agencies and consultants receive a 25% discount.

Are you ready to unlock your local SEO potential?

If you’re interested in finding out more about our Local SEO Services, all you need to do is book a call.

If you need more information, you can check out our Local SEO Services page, which will cover more in-depth questions you may have.