The big changes we saw bubbling up in 2025—things like super-smart AI and how customers actually find places—are now the new normal. The message is clear: the customer experience is the new algorithm. Stop focusing so much on old, technical SEO tricks and start focusing on creating moments that people love and want to talk about online.

Success next year belongs to the businesses that inspire organic chatter on social media and community sites, platforms that the search engines and new AI tools actually trust.

Ready to see what the experts are predicting? Let’s dive in.

Myles Anderson on Gaining Confidence and Taking Action

"Your local marketing strategy for 2026 and beyond should prioritize Google first, and LLMs second."

Co-founder and CEO at BrightLocal

If 2025 was about reacting to the unknown, 2026 is about gaining confidence and taking action. We’ve realized something quite reassuring: the fundamentals of good, long-term SEO strategy, based on the goals of building trust and authority, are still the backbone of earning visibility.

My predictions for 2026:

• Google first, LLMs second: Google owns the live data of the physical world. Your primary strategy should still center on Google, while treating LLMs as a secondary (but growing) discovery layer.

• Websites must become transactional: We are moving into an era where AI agents (like those powered by Gemini and ChatGPT) are visiting your site to take action. Ensure your booking forms and stock levels are “agent-friendly.”

• Reputation everywhere: To earn trust in the AI era, you must build a strong reputation on a wider set of platforms, such as Yelp and industry-specific sites, which serve as vital data sources for LLMs.

• The agency pivot: Successful agencies will shift toward measuring “share of voice” and focusing on customer retention, helping clients turn their existing base into lifelong advocates.

• The Reddit evolution: As Reddit becomes a key source of “authentic insight” for AI, focus on genuine community participation rather than low-quality, automated spam.

Rachel Ellen on a Strong Local Presence 

"Strong local presence won’t just mean being found; it will mean being remembered, recommended, and revisited."

Local Search Strategist at Croud

In 2026, local marketing will be less about “find a store near me” and more about “where can I go that’s actually worth showing up for?” 

Consumers will always check for the basics, such as opening hours and phone numbers, but they also want to be inspired and given real reasons to visit. The spark often starts somewhere completely off-platform: a TikTok video showing a new drop happening only in one store, a Reddit thread sharing honest experiences, or a niche community recommending a location because something is happening there. Brands that turn stores and spaces into places worth talking about, through events, experiences, exclusives, or simply great local culture, will outperform those relying on templated landing pages and generic copy.

And crucially, this shift will make local marketing much more exciting and collaborative! Store staff, creators, local communities, loyalty teams, and customers will become contributors, not just recipients. Local will expand beyond “visibility” into something closer to hospitality and enthusiasm-building. Strong local presence won’t just mean being found; it will mean being remembered, recommended, and revisited. The brands that embrace this will see that community-powered experiences create measurable demand online, higher conversion offline, and a genuine reason for customers to turn up in person rather than scrolling past. I, for one, am super excited for the strategic evolution that we’ll need to embrace!

Crystal Carter on AI Agents

"If your forms, checkouts, appointment scheduling, and restaurant bookings are not accessible by AI agents, you won’t even be in the game."

Head of AI Search and SEO Communications at WIX STUDIO

I expect the agentic web to hit its stride in 2026. In case you haven’t noticed, agentic use of AI is ramping up. Google launched its Agent to Agent Protocol, OpenAI launched its Agentic Commerce Protocol, and Google also dropped the Agentic Payments Protocol, all in 2025. And they are just getting started.

At Wix, we’ve configured our website builder with the Agentic Commerce Protocol because automated shopping from AI tools will be a game-changer for users. We understand that for site owners, it means it’s not enough just to be mentioned in Google, ChatGPT, and the like; you need to build your website to become a tool for autonomous AI use via agents. If your forms, checkouts, appointment scheduling, and restaurant bookings are not accessible by AI agents, you won’t even be in the game.

Claudia Tomina on Agentic Workflows

"Visibility will depend on how well a business supports AI-assisted actions and transactions."

Founder at ReputationArm

Agentic workflows will become far more visible, moving users from discovery to action with fewer steps in between. Rankings alone won’t carry the weight they once did. Visibility will depend on how well a business supports AI-assisted actions and transactions.

Steve Wiideman on the Shift from Keywords to Context

"You can spend a month attempting to spam the web... or be the business customers are raving about, thereby allowing them to do all the LLM SEO work for you."

Owner at Wiideman Consulting Group

In the realm of multi-location SEO, platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini pay attention to focal points we already include in modern optimization: consistent business data and important passages within location or intent pages.

Most importantly, reputation takes precedence in local intent answers… We see reputation and sentiment used to solve for prompts like “highly-rated” or “top-rated,” while personalization eventually removes the need for these modifiers.

Four Key Focus Areas for 2026:

• AI-Powered Data Management: Leveraging AI to research, discover, and update business data.

• Powering LSEO with Vectors: Semantic vectors will reward listings that offer rich, contextually relevant, and entity-based information rather than just keyword matches.

• Smarter Location & Intent Pages: Moving away from 2019-style templates toward AI-driven, data-rich landing pages that are more helpful than ever.

• Convergence of Citations & Reputation: Moving past traditional “NAP” data entry toward authentic marketing on destinations visited by real people (Reddit, Yelp, TikTok) to foster visibility.

Final Thought

You can spend a month attempting to spam the web… or be the business customers are raving about, thereby allowing them to do all the LLM SEO work for you.

Will Scott on Comparison Content

"The data is clear: even self-referencing top X and comparison content is winning in AI."

Co-founder and CEO at Search Influence

We’ve been spoiled in local SEO as Google AI Overviews have left us alone so far. That’s about to change, big time. If you’re not already on the hunt for “best of [your category and city]” and “top X” lists, it’s time to get going. And if nobody else is writing them? Write them yourself. The data is clear: even self-referencing top X and comparison content is winning in AI.

Stefan Lozo on Monetizing AI

"LLM companies will try to monetize AI results..."

Founder and SEO Consultant at Lozo Digital

Businesses and bad agencies will try to use AI aggressively for quick and fast results. This will create a lot of mess, and a good SEO expert will have a lot of work to do and clean up the mess. For success, SEO alone won’t be enough, so there will be more demand for paid channels and digital PR, and their prices will increase. LLM companies will try to monetize AI results with some ad formats. SEO will definitely continue to evolve and continue to be a strategic part of the marketing strategy.

Andrew Optimisey on AI Features

"AI-geddon is coming!"

SEO Consultant and Owner at Optimisey

Google is going to push more and more AI features into local. They have to, they’ve invested so heavily in AI now it has to earn its corn:

• AI overviews in Maps +++

• “Use Gemini to book” buttons where AI calls businesses for you

• “Check stock with Gemini” ditto

• AI summaries of reviews, services, and service pages

• Web Guide style Map Packs with it split in sections, e.g., for restaurants: “Pet-friendly restaurants”, “Highest reviewed restaurants”, “Menu highlights”, etc.

AI-geddon is coming!

Key Takeaways: Your 2026 Local Marketing Action Plan

The roadmap for 2026 is clear: the era of “gaming the system” is over. To win, you must stop focusing solely on technical loopholes and start focusing on becoming a pillar of your community—the kind of business people mention by name without needing a search engine.

Here is how you can guide your business toward success in the local landscape this year:

• Be worth talking about: Search engines now prioritize “social chatter” and real human recommendations. Don’t just exist; create experiences, events, and a culture that people want to share on TikTok, Reddit, and in their own local circles.

• Build an “agent-ready” website: AI agents (like those powered by Gemini and ChatGPT) are increasingly handling the “doing” for your customers. If your website doesn’t have structured, easy-to-read forms for booking, scheduling, or checking stock, these AI tools will skip you in favor of a competitor who is more “agent-friendly.”

• Prioritize Google, but feed the LLMs: Google remains the king of live local data, but AI models like ChatGPT can’t see Google reviews. To be found everywhere, you must build a 5-star reputation on diverse platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and industry-specific directories.

• Content must be actionable and opinionated: Generic landing pages are no longer enough. 2026 rewards “comparison content” (e.g., The Top 5 Coffee Shops in London) and raw, authentic human writing. Don’t be afraid to show some personality; the “messy” truth beats AI-generated fluff every time.

• Shift your definition of success: Visibility is the new gold. As organic clicks become harder to track, focus on your “share of voice.” If people see your brand mentioned across multiple platforms—even if they don’t click a link immediately—you are winning the long game.

• The fundamentals still rule: At its core, SEO is still about trust and authority. While the tools have changed, the goal hasn’t: be the most reliable, highly recommended business in your neighborhood, and the algorithms will naturally follow your lead.

The truth is, Google doesn’t just take your word for it when you fill out your Google Business Profile (GBP). Google loves to crowdsource information, and reviews are the best, most verifiable way for the search engine to do that. Your reviews are a direct, lagging indicator of how customers perceive your business, and they hold the key to ranking higher, converting better, and improving operations.

Julian Hooks, SEO Director at Asurion, who oversees more than 700 franchise and corporate locations, recently joined us for our Local SEO for Good event to share the strategic insights he uses every day.

We’ve taken his advice and compiled it into this helpful guide to mining your reviews for gold.

1. Identify Keyword-rich Themes (And Apply Them Everywhere)

In reviews, customers naturally describe your business in their own words, and these phrases are your high-converting keywords disguised as compliments.

The Golden Nuggets (Positive Reviews)

Your first step is to scan your positive reviews for recurring language, specifically, top adjectives, service descriptions, and value statements.

For example, a recurring phrase might be: “Same day phone repair,” “friendly and knowledgeable staff,” or “fixed my iPhone fast.”

Here’s how to apply these recurring phrases to your SEO strategy:

• On-page content: Incorporate these customer-validated phrases into your H1s, content, titles, and service blurbs. If customers rave about your “friendly service,” make sure that phrase is featured on your landing page.
• Conversion rate optimization (CRO): Use these phrases in your meta descriptions to help increase your click-through rate (CTR).
• The ranking factor debate: While some experts argue that keywords in reviews don’t matter for ranking, data from businesses with hundreds of locations suggests otherwise. Julian has seen that keywords in customer reviews do have a great impact on where you rank for specific terms. Google increasingly highlights verbatim review snippets in the local pack to justify relevance, often over service descriptions or website mentions.

“We’ve seen data across hundreds of locations showing that keywords in customer reviews do have a great impact on where you rank for specific terms. Google will often highlight those verbatim snippets to justify its relevance.” 

2. Embrace the Gift of Negative Feedback

No one likes getting a one-star review, but every negative review is an opportunity that should not go underutilized. Think of negative feedback not as criticism, but as a valuable gift for improvement.

Frequent complaints highlight operational and content opportunities. Your job is to identify and fix the issue, and then fix your reputation with the customer.

“We have to think of a negative review not as criticism, but as a valuable gift for improvement that should not go underutilized. It’s an opportunity to identify and fix both an operational problem and a content problem.”

How to turn negative feedback into improvement:

• Create FAQs: A lot of negative feedback comes down to simple miscommunication. If important details are “buried in the fine print,” and they keep showing up in reviews, you need to be more upfront. Use the complaint to create a clear, front-and-center FAQ section on your website or Google Business Profile.
• Rewrite service descriptions: If customers think they are getting one thing, but receive a different product or service, their expectations aren’t aligned. Rewrite your service descriptions and landing pages to clarify exactly what is (and isn’t) included.
• Run CRO tests: Use the pain points mentioned in negative reviews to inform your CRO testing and user experience updates on the site.

3. Scale Your Insights with AI

It is impossible to do this analysis manually for hundreds of locations, but even a local business with a few dozen reviews can effectively use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini.

You don’t need a custom API; you can simply:

1. Use a tool like Pleper.com or BrightLocal’s Reputation Manager to scrape and download your reviews (and your competitors’).
2. Upload that Excel file into an AI tool.
3. Ask the AI to “look for themes,” “analyze sentiment,” and “tell me what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong”.

This will save manual hours and provide instant data on things like keyword frequency, sentiment, and even how often a specific employee’s name is mentioned (great for incentivizing staff!).

4. Don’t Stop at Google: Multi-platform Optimization

While Google is the “big dog” in search share, you can’t ignore other platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and Reddit.

As Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI search tools (like Perplexity and ChatGPT) become more prevalent, they are heavily citing reputation and citation data from multiple ecosystems. Your strategy must include:

• NAP consistency: Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistent everywhere. This isn’t just a Google ranking factor; it prevents an AI from citing an old directory from ten years ago and sending a customer to the wrong place.
• Monitor all platforms: If you have no presence on Yelp or Facebook, you will come up short in these LLM-driven searches. You must monitor and optimize your presence on all relevant platforms.

Build a 5-star Reputation

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5. Master the Art of the Ask

The best way to get a keyword-rich review is to master the art of asking.

The Power of the Personal Ask

The in-person ask at the point of sale by far outperforms everything else.

“The best way to get a keyword-rich review is to master the art of the ask. The in-person ask at the point of sale will by far outperform every follow-up email, text message, or automated prompt you try.”

Customers are much more likely to leave a review if they believe they are leaving a review for the person who assisted them, not the corporation.

The Script

The employee should simply say, “I hope you had a great experience. It would be great for my career and my job here if you could leave me a review. Please just mention what I did for you or what I fixed for you.”

Why does this work? Because they are leaving John a review on his service, which makes the request feel personal and easy.

Phrasing Digital Requests for Keywords

If you are sending follow-up emails or text messages, it’s all about the questioning.

• Don’t ask, “What could we have done better?” (This tends to turn them toward something negative.)
• Instead, ask, “What did we fix for you today?” or “How did we help you today?”.

This phrasing inherently encourages the customer’s answer to include the product or service you want to rank for (e.g., “You guys fixed my cracked iPhone 3 on the same day. It was awesome.”).

A Firm Stance Against Review Gating

In the conversation, Julian was asked about using a “middle page” to filter positive reviews to Google and negative ones to an internal channel.

His advice? Do not review gate.

It is a violation of guidelines, and you must “take the give” and accept that you will sometimes get a negative review. The benefits of a natural, honest review profile far outweigh the risk of being seen as fake or violating policies.

When a suspension occurs or a verification fails, it can feel like Google just pulled the rug out from under you. To help you stay one step ahead, our CEO, Myles Anderson, sat down with two of the industry’s sharpest minds, Joy Hawkins and Ben Fisher, at the 2025 Local SEO for Good event to get their most practical, no-nonsense Google Business Profile advice.

Here’s a breakdown of the top strategies and insider tips they shared.

Mastering Suspensions and Reinstatement

Suspensions remain one of the biggest frustrations for GBP managers, but if you prepare properly, you can be reinstated.

Be Proactive and Patient

Joy Hawkins’ advice was simple but critical:

“Have your required documents, like your business license, ready before a suspension hits.”

— Joy Hawkins, Owner/Founder, Sterling Sky

Don’t wait until panic mode sets in. Gather your documentation early, keep it updated, and store it safely.

Patience is also key. Reinstatements can take time, and Google’s new appeal process can be unforgiving. Once prompted, you may only have 60 minutes to upload all your files.

Your Suspension Reinstatement Checklist

When submitting an appeal, your goal is to provide a body of proof that your business exists and operates legitimately at its stated address.

Here’s what to include:

• Business license: The name and address must match your GBP listing exactly. There can be no variations or typos.
  
• Secretary of State entry: Provide either a link to your official record or a screenshot of it alongside the search URL.
  
• Utility bills: Only include if necessary, and make sure they match the business name.
  
• Alternative utility proof: If utilities are included in your rent, use a cell phone bill in your business name instead, but ensure it is in the exact GBP business name, not a personal name or parent company name.
  
• DBA/fictitious name: Have your DBA (Doing Business As) information handy and updated.
  
• Third-party proof: Gather supporting evidence from organizations like the Better Business Bureau or the Chamber of Commerce that can prove your business’s existence.

Verification Made Simple

Verification can be confusing, especially for service area businesses (SABs).

For Service Area Businesses (SABs)

Ben Fisher cleared up one major misconception:

“A service business doesn’t have to verify using the owner’s home address.”

—Ben Fisher, Co-Founder and Diamond Google Product Expert, Steady Demand

• Verify at a client location: You can drive to a location that matches your service area (e.g., a home you are selling if you are a realtor) and use that for verification.
• Signage is not required: If you are a service area business and your address is hidden, you do not need to show signage during video verification.

How do you handling failed video verification?

• Check the link: Google’s messaging can be poor. If you receive an email saying verification failed, click the link to view your profile; it may actually be verified.
• Request a live agent: If the automated verification fails, contact support and request a live agent to conduct the video verification. This allows you to interact and explain your situation (e.g., if you are in a new development without street signs).
• Bulk verification: If you manage ten or more storefront locations with the same business name, you should use the bulk verification process via Google’s Business Profile Help Center.

Ranking, Service Areas, and Physical Addresses

When it comes to local rankings, location still matters… a lot!

As Ben Fisher put it:

“The data is clear: having a physical address has a massive impact on your ranking radius.”

—Ben Fisher, Co-Founder and Diamond Google Product Expert, Steady Demand

Service area businesses (SABs) rank, on average, within a two-mile radius of their address. A storefront location, however, can rank anywhere from five to ten miles away.

Should SABs get a physical address?

If the potential lead generation outweighs the rent cost, SABs should invest in a staffed office. A published physical address provides a clear ranking benefit and can expand your reach fivefold.

Guidelines:

• The office must be staffed during business hours.
  
• Avoid coworking spaces as they frequently trigger filtering issues. As Joy warns, “Avoid them at all costs—they’re the landmines of local SEO.”
  
• Adding service areas to a storefront listing will not help you rank. You should never have overlapping service areas on multiple listings, as this is a cause for suspension.
  
• You cannot set your service area to be more than two hours of driving time from your verification address.
  

Resolving Missing Reviews

You’ve earned the review, but it’s not showing up. Frustrating, right? This often happens when Google’s filters remove reviews from brand-new accounts or shared Wi-Fi networks.

Here’s how to fix it:

1. Identify the cause: Reviews from new Google accounts are most likely to disappear.
   
2. Escalate to Support: Contact GBP support. Remember to reply to the first self-directed email you receive to open a path to a human agent.
   
3. Provide detailed proof: You need to help Google manually match the review to your profile. Ben explained why: “Google has to manually match up the review to your profile because reviews live in the Maps database, not the GBP database.” Provide a spreadsheet containing the reviewer’s name, the date, and the full review text.
   
4. Extract text easily: If a customer sends you a screenshot of the review, upload it to an OCR tool to quickly extract the text for your spreadsheet.
   

AI Content and NAP Consistency

Is NAP consistency still important?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. You no longer need to obsess over exact matches in punctuation or address formatting (like “Street” vs. “St”) across all directories. Google’s algorithm is smart enough to handle minor variations.

For managing citations at scale, tools like BrightLocal’s Citation Builder ensure your listings are correct where they count.

Can you use AI-generated content and images?

• AI-generated text: You can use Google’s feature to generate a description with AI inside the GBP control panel, as tests have shown there’s no negative impact on GBP ranking.
  
• AI-generated images: Proceed with caution. Google appears to be working to devalue them, and tests have shown that an initial ranking benefit was later reversed.
  
• Text on images: Adding keyword-rich text to an image and uploading it to your profile can provide a small, marginal ranking impact for long-tail queries.
  

Final Thoughts

Getting the most out of your Google Business Profile comes down to one thing: planning ahead.

Gather your documents early, keep your data clean, and build from a real, staffed address when you can. If AI tools save you time, great, but stay human at the core of your marketing.

You can see more of the videos from this year’s Local SEO for Good event on our YouTube channel.

This is a real issue that has grown significantly in recent months, so much so that Google has introduced new guidance and recommendations. While facing a sudden flood of negative reviews can feel stressful and even overwhelming, it’s important to know that you’re not alone and that there are clear, calm steps you can take to protect your Google Business Profile. Let’s look at what’s happening and how to handle it with confidence.

Understanding the Google review scam

This phenomenon, often called review bombing, is a coordinated effort in which a business receives a high volume of unearned, fraudulent 1-star ratings on Google Business Profile, often dropped all at once. Sometimes, the review includes a little text, but often, it’s just the star rating.

Source 

The unfortunate reality is that many of these campaigns are actually extortion attempts. The individuals responsible will post the negative reviews and then contact the business, claiming they can “fix” the problem and remove the reviews for a fee.

It’s crucial to understand that these attacks are not a reflection of your quality or service. They are a criminal scheme designed to panic you into paying.

If you are contacted by anyone claiming they can remove the bad reviews for money, the most important piece of advice is not to engage with them and not to pay them anything.

Paying the ransom simply encourages the criminals and makes your business a target for future attacks. Google’s platform is the only legitimate way to have fraudulent reviews removed.

New Policies & Shady Review Schemes: Is Google Helping or Hurting?

Learn more

How to confirm and identify Google review sabotage

Before raising the alarm, you need to confirm that you are dealing with a malicious attack and not an unfortunate wave of genuine complaints. Look out for these tell-tale signs of review sabotage:

• Sudden influx of negative reviews: Review ‘attacks’ often come in sharp waves. Keep an eye out for an immediate, unnatural spike in negative reviews on your Google Business Profile, particularly if they are all posted within a day or two.

If you are dealing with just one or two potentially fraudulent reviews that are not part of a coordinated attack, you should still report them.

You can find the steps for removing any fraudulent Google reviews here. 

• Phone numbers in reviews: Some fraudulent reviews may even include a phone number in the review text or even in the profile picture. This is a crucial red flag, as including contact information in a review is almost always against Google’s guidelines and is a clear indicator that the review should be removed. Under no circumstances should you call the number provided; this is just another tactic to draw you into contact with the scammer.
• Check reviewer history: Check how many reviews these Google accounts have made elsewhere. In most cases, fraudulent accounts will have none or only a few other reviews. Genuine, active reviewers typically have a broader history of activity.
• Look for red flags in the Profiles: Do the names and profile photos on Google look legitimate? Profiles with no profile picture and a generic alias as the name are often clear signs of a fake account. One person even saw someone use “John Doe” for one of the accounts. 
• Cross-check your system: Do your due diligence by checking your booking system, client records, or sales data to confirm whether these individuals had actually visited or purchased from you. This is the strongest way to verify which Google reviews are genuine and which are fraudulent.
• Trust your instincts: Do the reviews just feel wrong? If the content or tone of the reviews is inconsistent with your usual feedback, especially if you have a history of thousands of glowing reviews, it’s highly likely to be part of the attack. Some of the fake reviews have a very obvious pattern across each review. With a similar structure and generic complaints that could have been generated by AI.

Source

How to get these Google reviews removed

Dealing with a review bomb or extortion scam requires a calm, systematic approach. Focus on immediate flagging, thorough documentation, and a clear escalation path.

Step 1: Flag the reviews immediately

This is your first and most immediate action.

• Go to the negative review.
• Click the stop sign with an exclamation point next to it, and select ‘spam’.
• Ensure you are logged into Google as the manager/owner of the Google Business Profile (GBP).

Clay Seaman’s experience emphasizes the importance and speed of this initial step:

“I manage around 500 GBPs. Had this happen ONCE before about a year ago, and they mentioned in the review to pay them or more negative reviews were going to continue. I flagged those and they were removed very quickly.

On October 8, 2025 we had “10” 1 star reviews posted on one of our GBPs in a row with a lengthy specific message that looked legit but also you can see it was fake—all 10 had a similar message. Flagged all 10 on the 9th first thing. Google removed this morning first thing when I checked.”

Step 2: Document everything (build your case file)

You need evidence in case the initial flagging isn’t successful within a few days.

• Take Screenshots: Capture all suspicious Google reviews, noting the reviewer’s name, the time, and the date.
• Collect evidence: Save any emails or messages from people offering to remove the reviews for money. This evidence of a coordinated attack is vital. You can find advice from Google here on what evidence to prepare.

Step 3: Appeal/escalate to Google

If the reviews are not removed within 3 days after flagging, it’s time to escalate using Google’s dedicated tools.

• Submit a Report: Report the reviews immediately to Google using the dedicated reporting form. Provide all the requested information and attach the screenshots and files you collected in Step 2.

Step 4: Post a professional response

While you wait for Google to investigate, it’s a good idea to manage public perception.

• Post a Simple, Professional Response: Consider posting one general response to the cluster of fake reviews on your Google Business Profile. This lets your real customers know what’s happening.

Step 5: Dilute the impact and consider escalation

Here are proactive measures you can take while waiting for Google’s final decision.

• Encourage genuine reviews: To soften the blow to your overall average, gently encourage your recent, happy customers to leave an honest review on Google. A positive influx of real reviews helps dilute the impact of the fake ones.
• The Multi-layered strategy (if all else fails): If you are facing significant resistance or delays, you can consider a more aggressive approach, as advised by Local SEO specialist and spam fighter, Jason Brown:

“Flag the reviews using the tool. Go back and appeal the reviews and upload the image from the scammer. Then post for help on the forum. Finally, contact the local news stations. Once the press contacts Google, the reviews get removed prior to the story going live.”

Stay informed and prepared

The world of online reviews is always changing, and Google is constantly updating its policies to better combat these shady schemes. Understanding Google’s rules is your best defense.

For an in-depth look at the shifting landscape of review policies and the tactics being used, read this helpful BrightLocal article on shady review schemes.

By staying vigilant and handling these attacks calmly, you can successfully protect the great reputation you’ve worked hard to build on Google!

If you’re ready to move beyond the entry-level tips and truly master the platform to protect your listings and scale your success, then our new course, Google Business Profile: Eligibility, Verification, Support, and Suspensions, is for you.

This course, created in collaboration with Google Business Profile Diamond Product Expert Stefan Somborac, is designed to transform you from a competent user into an advanced GBP strategist. You can take the full program or use it as a quick-reference resource to dip in and out of when facing a specific issue.

Stefan cuts straight to the key elements—from eligibility and verification to support tools and avoiding suspensions—allowing you to find the information you need to resolve challenges efficiently and keep your profiles compliant.

What you’ll learn 

• Setting up a robust profile: Deep dive into Google’s eligibility and guidelines. Learn how to build profiles that are less likely to be suspended and understand the process for getting them reinstated when necessary.
• Communicating with GBP support: Learn the tools and best practices for contacting the Business Profile support team to resolve tough issues like suspensions, verification problems, and fake reviews.
• Mastering business groups: Gain a deeper understanding of business groups and how to use them to easily and efficiently manage a large number of listings and control user access for multi-location businesses or agencies.
• Unlocking Business Profile attributes: Learn how to maximize the value of the often-ignored attributes section to enhance your profile’s visibility and better showcase specific business offerings.
• Bulk management with spreadsheets: Master the process of using spreadsheet uploads to update profiles in bulk. Learn the shortcuts for efficiency and, critically, the pitfalls to avoid to prevent breaking your listings.

When you’re done, you can take a final exam to earn a certificate for your hard work, perfect for showing off your new skills on social media!

Here’s Stefan with a quick overview:

Who is this course for?

While there’s valuable insight for any small business owner or marketer looking to move past the fundamentals, this course is specifically targeted towards those who manage multiple listings and navigate complex GBP scenarios:

• Agency marketers: Streamline client management, troubleshoot complex issues, and solidify your reputation as a GBP expert.
• In-house marketers for multi-location organizations: Learn how to efficiently manage a high volume of profiles without risking suspensions or inconsistency.
• Freelance contractors: Equip yourself with the advanced knowledge to take on larger, more complicated clients and projects.

How can I join?

Anyone can access this course, whether or not you’re a BrightLocal customer. You can also be among the first to find out when new courses drop by enrolling for free. Here’s how:

If you’re a BrightLocal customer, you can access the Academy via your BrightLocal account. Log in, click the question mark icon at the bottom of the screen, then ‘Webinars and training’, followed by ‘BrightLocal Academy’.

You must create a free BrightLocal Academy account before enrolling in the ‘Google Business Profile: Eligibility, Verification, Support, and Suspensions’ course.

If you’re not a BrightLocal customer, you can join BrightLocal Academy for free and follow the steps above to enroll in the course.

Want to know more about BrightLocal Academy? 

Check out the official BrightLocal Academy FAQs here: 

What is BrightLocal Academy, how does it work, and how can I enroll?     

What courses does BrightLocal Academy offer, and how long do they take?     

If you have any questions of your own, feel free to get in touch with us. We hope you find this fresh new course useful, and we can’t wait to hear how it’s helped you improve your local SEO skills.

Most standard audit templates are generic and assume everyone just needs to do the same set of actions. Led by Local SEO expert Greg Gifford, the How to Create Custom Local SEO Audits That Win Clients course will show you how to build an audit that looks at the factors that truly matter for local businesses. 

For instance, you can customize your audit to adjust the weight of the Google Business Profile (GBP) section if it’s more important for a specific type of business. Perfect for a home services company. 

Once you have your custom audit, you can use it in three main ways to maximize its value:

1. Internal guidance: It can be used by a delivery team to quickly identify areas for improvement for new and existing clients.
2. Sales tool: Using the audit on sales demo calls allows you to discuss specific problems on a prospect’s site or Google Business Profile, which can make your agency appear more competent and increase your close rate.
3. Lead generation: Offering a free audit on your website can serve as a lead magnet. You can collect contact information through a simple form and follow up with a meeting to discuss your findings. 

What You’ll Learn 

You’ll learn how to create your audit by making a copy of Greg’s Google Sheets template. The course is packed with interactive tasks and quick quizzes in each module, to help you customize your template and check your understanding as you go. Including lessons on:

• How to create different versions of your audit for specific industries, such as car dealers, attorneys, or restaurants.
• How to adjust the scoring weights for different sections—like on-site, links, GBP, and reviews—to reflect their importance in the local algorithm.
• Three powerful ways to use your audit with both new and existing clients. 
• Master the formulas and functions used in Google Sheets to ensure you can tweak and customize your audits with ease.

When you’re done, you can take a final exam to earn a certificate for your hard work—perfect for showing off your new skills on social media!

Here’s Greg with a quick overview:

Who is this course for?

Whether you’re a freelancer, an agency professional, or working in-house, this course is designed for those who already have a solid understanding of Local SEO. If you’re ready to stop using generic templates and start winning more clients with a powerful, customized audit, then this course is for you!

How can I join?

Anyone can access this course, whether or not you’re a BrightLocal customer. You can also be among the first to find out when new courses drop by enrolling for free. Here’s how:

If you’re a BrightLocal customer, you can access the Academy via your BrightLocal account. Log in, click the question mark icon at the bottom of the screen, then ‘Webinars and training’, followed by ‘BrightLocal Academy’.

You must create a free BrightLocal Academy account before enrolling in the ‘How to Create Custom Local SEO Audits That Win Clients’ course.

If you’re not a BrightLocal customer, you can join BrightLocal Academy for free and follow the steps above to enroll in the course.

Want to know more about BrightLocal Academy? 

Check out the official BrightLocal Academy FAQs here: 

What is BrightLocal Academy, how does it work, and how can I enroll?     

What courses does BrightLocal Academy offer, and how long do they take?     

If you have any questions of your own, feel free to get in touch with us. We hope you find this fresh new course useful, and we can’t wait to hear how it’s helped you improve your local SEO skills.

Citations and local listings are back in the spotlight

There’s been a lot of talk about citations in the context of AI search. For traditional SEOs, citations mean unlinked brand mentions, i.e., your business being mentioned in a news article, blog post, or PR, but without a direct link back to your site. While these have always been part of a solid online presence, now these unlinked mentions, along with local citations and listings, are being seen as key for ranking in AI searches.

Obviously, for local SEOs, citations are something we’ve been using for years.

Citations in the form of local listings and aggregators used to be absolutely vital for local visibility. In recent years, they have become more of a foundational task. But with AI-driven search on the rise, they’re making a big comeback, often being referenced directly by these new AI platforms.

For example, Data Axle points out how crucial it is to get your locations synced with major voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri, and to ensure accuracy for GPS services like Uber. If your business doesn’t refresh and rebuild its listings and citations for this new AI-driven world, it’s definitely going to miss out.

Foursquare’s surprising role with ChatGPT

Here’s a real head-scratcher that shows just how important diverse local data sources are: the partnership between Foursquare and ChatGPT. A few months ago, Foursquare teamed up directly with ChatGPT, meaning Foursquare’s location data is now powering many of the AI’s responses.

What’s really wild about this is that Foursquare has pretty much retired its consumer-facing apps and websites. Yet, it’s now a key aggregator for AI search. It’s important to note that Foursquare isn’t necessarily appearing as a directly linked source in the way other citation or listing sites might. Instead, AI models are pulling information straight from their vast database. Reports suggest that a significant 60% and 70% of local results on ChatGPT come straight from Foursquare’s city guide listings, especially for smaller towns or niche businesses.

This really hammers home that listings beyond just Google Business Profile (GBP) and Yelp have real value. If ChatGPT doesn’t find enough info on Foursquare, then it turns to other sources, including Google Business Profile. With over 100 million points of interest in more than 200 countries, Foursquare’s database is a surprisingly powerful player in the AI search game.

Source

What we’re seeing in AI search: All LLMs are using directories for sources, and Yelp is prevalent

From what we’re observing across various AI search platforms, there’s a clear shift in how local business info is being pulled and presented. We did some real-world searching and found the following.

Directories are key for AI search

All LLMs are using directories and citations for business information across every industry.

• Platforms like MapQuest were frequently leveraged by both Google AI Mode and Perplexity, demonstrating that even long-standing directories remain highly influential in the AI ecosystem.
• For specialized sectors, AI models exhibit a strong preference for industry-specific directories.
  • In our dentistry searches, for example, ChatGPT exclusively sourced information from ten different dental directories. Toprateddentist.com appeared as a key source for Gemini, AI Mode, and ChatGPT across these searches.
  • Similarly, sites like Superlawyers.com and Findlaw.com were heavily relied upon by ChatGPT and Perplexity for legal-related queries. This emphasizes the need to be present and accurate within your specific industry’s leading directories.

Yelp is a strong influence

Despite a fluctuating reputation among some users, Yelp remains an undeniable force in AI search:

• Yelp was used as a source in 33% of our overall searches. Perplexity notably used Yelp in every single industry we investigated, though not for every individual search within those industries.
• While Google Gemini was the only LLM that did not directly cite Yelp, Google AI Mode still pulled information from Yelp for multiple industries, including dental, hospitality, and fitness.
• LLMs utilized Yelp not only to extract specific business information but also, crucially, to surface and summarize customer reviews.

Google Business Profile is still essential for Google’s LLMs

Unsurprisingly, Google’s own AI models heavily favor Google Business Profile listings:

Even in instances where GBP wasn’t the main cited source, AI Mode would still display GBP information within its results. It often summarizes key details via text alongside data from other sources before presenting the full GBP listing further down. This highlights its importance for visibility within Google’s AI environment.

Your business website really matters

Perhaps the most reassuring finding for businesses is the continued importance of their own websites.

In our previous ChatGPT source study in December 2024, we found that ChatGPT used business websites as a source 58% of the time. This continues to be the case.

The vast majority of sources across every single LLM and industry were businesses’ own websites. This finding really highlights just how critical it is to have your own, well-maintained website. Your website serves as the ultimate authoritative source for LLMs seeking the most accurate and complete information.

How to Build a Local Business Website From Scratch (Without Screwing It Up)

Learn more

Other notable findings

While directories and your website form the backbone, our research also points to other content types and platforms influencing AI search results:

• For industries like hospitality, blogs and lifestyle-oriented websites frequently appeared as sources, indicating the value of content marketing and partnerships beyond traditional listings.
• Social platforms are increasingly contributing to the AI search landscape.
  • Instagram was cited as a source by both Google AI Mode and Perplexity.
  • Facebook was used by Google AI Mode and ChatGPT.
  • YouTube content influenced results for both Gemini and Perplexity.

This shows your business needs a complete online presence with accurate information, good review management, and engaging content on many different platforms to help AI find you easily.

What this means for your business

The rise of AI search is a game-changer for how your business needs to approach getting found online. To make sure your business stays in the running in this new era, here’s what you need to focus on in terms of citations and listings: 

1. Build and optimize your foundational citations (including niche and key directories)

Our research clearly shows that directories are key for AI search. LLMs are extensively using them across every industry. This means actively working on getting your business mentioned across all sorts of online platforms, both broad and niche-specific. 

Platforms like MapQuest were frequently cited, highlighting the continued importance of even long-standing directories. Also, for specialized sectors like dentistry (where Toprateddentist.com was a key source) or legal (with Superlawyers.com and Findlaw.com), AI models show a strong preference for industry-specific directories.

Our Citation Builder service can streamline this process. Our team of experts finds and builds high-quality citations on relevant directories for you. You can also use our Citation Tracker tool to keep an eye on your existing citations, helping you spot inconsistencies or new opportunities that can boost your online authority.

2. Prioritize Google Business Profile

Google AI Mode consistently relied on GBP as a primary information source, often summarizing its details even when other sources were also used. This highlights that a complete, accurate, and optimized GBP is non-negotiable for visibility within Google’s AI environment.

3. Optimize your website

Our findings show that your business’s own website is often the dominant source for LLMs. This means your website is truly your most important online asset. Ensure it’s up-to-date with essential information, including your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP), detailed services offered, current opening hours, compelling photos, answers to FAQs, customer reviews (and links to review platforms), and comprehensive business descriptions. 

4. Leverage data aggregators

Platforms like Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustar, and others are crucial for making sure your business info gets shared across AI search engines, voice assistants, and navigation systems. These aggregators push your core data out widely, ensuring LLMs have access to consistent information.

As part of our Citation Builder service, we offer direct submissions to the five major Data Aggregator Networks (including Data Axle, Foursquare, and Neustar). This ensures your core business information is pushed out to thousands of directories, apps, and mapping services, widening your reach to where AI models get their data.

5. Stay on top of your listings management

Our research, particularly on Yelp, demonstrates the strong influence of review platforms. Yelp was a source in a significant 33% of our searches, used not just for business info but crucially, to summarize customer reviews. This underscores the need to make absolutely sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are identical across all your online listings, your website, Google Business Profile, Foursquare, Apple Maps, and social media. 

Keep all your profiles complete, accurate, and up-to-date with details like categories, hours, and photos. And don’t forget to actively manage customer reviews; they play a big part in how AI pulls together information and ranks businesses. Also, using strategic keywords in your listings can help improve their performance in local searches.

Our Active Sync tool ensures your most important business information is consistent and accurate across major platforms like Google, Facebook, Apple Maps, and Bing. It helps prevent unwanted edits and quickly pushes out updates. 

With our Reputation Manager tool, you can monitor reviews across 80+ sites, get notified of new feedback, and even generate more positive reviews, all helping to build the strong online presence AI algorithms are looking for.

6. Cultivate local mentions and PR

Beyond directories and your website, our findings show that other content types and platforms are influencing AI search. For instance, content and lifestyle sites were sources for hospitality queries, with reputable lifestyle publications like Time Out and smaller, more location—or industry-specific blogs.

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube were also cited by various LLMs. 

Cultivating local mentions and securing links from local news sites, community blogs, and other authoritative online sources is increasingly important. Our research into AI sources shows that these types of online local mentions are key signals in the eyes of AI algorithms. So, investing time in local public relations and actively seeking out these non-directory mentions will play a crucial role in your success.

AI search isn’t something that’s coming; it’s here now. Adapting your local SEO strategies to fit this new AI landscape will put you in the best position to get seen by customers, no matter where they’re looking.

What is listings management?

Listings management is the process of creating, updating, and optimizing your business information across a multitude of online platforms. This includes major search engines like Google, Bing, and Apple Maps, social media sites like Facebook, and countless online directories and review sites.

The goal is to ensure that your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistent and accurate everywhere your business is found online, along with other important details such as opening hours, services, photos, and customer reviews.

Listings management also includes monitoring suggested edits, tracking performance, and proactively responding to customer interactions, helping you to present a reliable and trustworthy brand.

How it Differs from Building Citations

While often used interchangeably, ‘listings management’ and ‘citation building’ are two different but related practices.

Citation building primarily focuses on creating new citations (mentions of your business’s NAP) on various directories and platforms. It’s about establishing a foundational presence and expanding your reach. 

Listings management, on the other hand, is an ongoing, proactive activity. It includes not only building new citations but also monitoring existing ones, ensuring their accuracy, optimizing them for search, responding to reviews, and managing any suggested or external edits that may arise. 

In short, citation building is one of the activities involved in listings management. 

Why You Need It

Proper listings management isn’t just a best practice; it’s necessary for any local business aiming to thrive online. Here’s why:

• Boosts Search Visibility: Accurate and optimized listings show search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy, leading to higher rankings in local search results and maps. Plus, AI search engines use these as sources for information, too.
• Helps New Customer Discovery: When potential customers search for businesses, complete and optimized listings make it easier for them to find you, understand what you offer, and choose you over competitors.

  For example, according to our Local Business Discovery and Trust Report, 61% of consumers use business information sites to discover new local businesses.

• Provides Essential Customer Information: Online listings give potential customers key information like your hours, phone number, and location, making it easier for them to decide to become customers.
• Enhances Customer Trust and Experience: Inaccurate information can frustrate customers and damage your reputation. In fact, BrightLocal’s Local Business Discovery and Trust Report 2023 reveals that 62% of consumers would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information online. Consistent and reliable listings build trust and provide a seamless experience, whether they are looking for your phone number or checking if you offer curbside pickup.
• Improves Local SEO Performance: Search engines prioritize businesses with accurate and consistent information. By actively managing your listings, you provide clear signals that improve your overall local SEO position.

Not All Listings Sites Are Equal

While there are thousands of listing sites out there, your focus should be on these four powerhouses: 

• Google Maps
• Apple Maps
• Bing
• Facebook

Why? Because together, they capture the vast majority of local consumer engagement, meaning that’s where your customers are looking.

Now, imagine the holidays are coming up, and your opening hours are changing. You need to update them across every single platform where your business is listed, especially those crucial four. Going to each site manually to make those changes is a time-consuming headache.

Centralizing it is a much better option.

Tools like BrightLocal’s Active Sync act like a central control panel for all your business information, saving you valuable time and ensuring consistency. Here’s what it does:

1. Keeps everything correct and consistent: You tell Active Sync your business details once, and it automatically makes sure that the same correct information is on all the important websites where your business is listed. 
2. Makes updates easy: If your hours change or you get a new phone number, you just update it in Active Sync. It then pushes that change out to all your connected listings, saving you a lot of time and hassle.
3. Give more control: It directly connects to big sites like Google Business Profile and Apple Maps, giving you more power over how your business appears there.
4. Monitors external edits: Many listing platforms, including Google and Bing, allow consumers or other data sources to suggest edits to your business information. These external changes, if incorrect, can negatively impact your local search visibility and customer experience.

   Active Sync helps monitor your listings, so if someone tries to change your information incorrectly (like a wrong phone number), it will alert you so you can catch it and fix it.

Things to Consider for Effective Listings Management

To truly master your business listings, consider the following key things:

Crafting a Business Description

Your business description is often the first impression a new customer has. It should be clear, succinct, and highlight your unique selling points, products, and services. Keep character limits in mind for platforms like: Google (750 characters) and Apple Maps (500 characters), and always avoid keyword stuffing. Active Sync can help you manage and update these descriptions efficiently across platforms.

Using Phone Tracking Numbers or URLs

While most major platforms don’t strictly prohibit tracking numbers or URLs, be cautious when using them. Google, Apple, and Bing generally allow them as long as they connect directly to your business location and you have direct control.

However, consistency is key: using different tracking numbers can confuse both consumers and search engines.

How Frequently to Update and Optimize Your Listing

Your listings should be living documents, updated as often as necessary to reflect any changes in your business. This includes:

• Seasonal or special opening hours
• Changes to products, services, or pricing
• New payment methods
• Updates to contact information
• Adding new photos and responding to reviews (at least weekly for Google Business Profile)

As mentioned, Active Sync enables you to push these critical updates instantly, ensuring your information is always current across all synced listings without having to update each platform manually. 

The Smarter Way to Manage Listings

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Monitor and Audit Listings

Regularly auditing your business listings is a crucial yet often overlooked step. Over time, your business information can become outdated, duplicated, or even (as mentioned earlier) altered by third-party sources. If left unchecked, these inconsistencies can hurt your visibility, confuse customers, and destroy trust.

By making listing audits a regular part of your local SEO strategy, we’d suggest quarterly at minimum, you maintain control over how your business is represented online and ensure customers always find the right information when they need it. 

Scan for and Eliminate Duplicate Listings

So, at least every quarter, scan for duplicates. Duplicate listings, especially on platforms like Google, Bing, and Yelp, can split your ranking power, confuse search engines, and send mixed signals about your business. Identifying and removing or merging them ensures you maintain a single, authoritative version of your business information across every directory.

Double-check Your Map Pins and Address Formatting

Next, verify the accuracy of your listing details, especially your map pins. A misplaced location pin on Google Maps or Apple Maps can send customers to the wrong place, leading to missed opportunities and frustration. Manually check that your business appears correctly on each platform and that the address formatting is consistent.

Use Tools to Monitor and Maintain Listing Health

Finally, use reliable tools to uncover issues and track your listing’s health. BrightLocal’s Citation Tracker can quickly highlight inconsistencies, duplicates, and missing information across major platforms. Tools like Active Sync not only help you manage updates but also monitor your listings in real time, flagging issues before they escalate. 

Monitor Google Business Profile Insights and Use UTM Tracking

Keeping tabs on how your listings are performing is just as important as managing the information they contain. Google Business Profile (GBP) provides valuable insights that show how customers are interacting with your listing, and these metrics can help guide your optimization efforts.

Here’s what you should be monitoring regularly:

• Website Clicks: See how many people are visiting your site directly from your GBP. If clicks are low, it might be time to refine your description, add clearer calls to action, or improve your images.

• Direction Requests: A high number of requests suggests strong local interest. If these numbers drop suddenly, it may signal that there’s an issue with your map pin or location info.

• Phone Calls: GBP Insights show when and how often people call your business. Use this data to track trends over time and see if certain days or promotions are generating more inquiries.

• Search Impressions: This shows how often your business appears in local search results. If you see a drop in these numbers it may indicate listing or SEO issues.

Additionally, to gain even more granular data on website traffic originating from your GBP, implementing UTM tracking is highly recommended. UTMs are simple code snippets you can add to the end of your URLs. When someone clicks a link with a UTM code, it sends specific information back to your Google Analytics (or other analytics tool), allowing you to see exactly where your website visitors came from and what campaign drove them.

For your GBP website link, you might use UTM parameters like:

• utm_source=google_my_business

• utm_medium=organic

• utm_campaign=gmb_listing

This allows you to differentiate traffic from your GBP from other organic search traffic, providing a clearer picture of your listing’s performance in driving website visits.

Monitor and Respond to Reviews

Online reviews are more than just feedback; they’re one of the most influential trust signals for local consumers and search engines. When someone looks up your business on Google, Yelp, or Facebook, reviews are front and center. That makes review monitoring and responding a core part of effective listings management.

Ignoring your reviews (even the positive ones) means missing out on the chance to build stronger customer relationships, enhance your reputation, and boost your visibility in local search. In fact, 89% of consumers expect business owners to respond to all types of reviews, according to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey.

Best Practices for Review Management

• Monitor Reviews Across All Platforms
  Keep an eye on your reviews. Each listing is a customer touchpoint that influences perception and buying decisions.
  
  
  Tip: Use our Reputation Manager tool to monitor, manage, and respond to reviews across multiple platforms from one centralized dashboard.
• Respond Promptly and Professionally
  Make it a habit to respond to every review—positive or negative—ideally within 24–48 hours. Thank customers for kind words and address any issues in a polite, constructive manner. This not only reassures the original reviewer but also shows potential customers that you value feedback.

• Spot Trends and Take Action
  Pay attention to recurring themes in reviews. Are customers frequently mentioning slow service, unclear directions, or outdated business hours? These insights can signal problems in your operations or your listings that need addressing.

• Encourage New Reviews
  A steady stream of recent reviews signals to both customers and Google that your business is active and relevant. Make it easy for happy customers to leave reviews by sharing direct links, adding reminders in post-service emails, or using in-store signage.
  
  
  Tip: With our Get Reviews feature, you can send review requests by email or SMS and direct happy customers to your preferred platforms.

How Abbreviations Affect NAP Consistency

NAP consistency is essential for local SEO. While Google and Bing are often smart enough to understand common abbreviations (e.g., ‘St.’ for ‘Street’), it’s best practice to maintain exact consistency across all listings. If you choose an abbreviation, stick to it everywhere. As mentioned already, Active Sync can help keep all your business info the same everywhere online. This stops confusing differences that could make it harder for people to find you in searches.

How to Manage Multiple Business Listings at the Same Time

Managing listings for a single business location is already a significant task, but when you operate multiple branches or franchise locations, that complexity multiplies. Each location may have unique hours, services, contact details, and reviews to manage. Without the right systems in place, things can quickly spiral into inconsistency and confusion.

Here’s how to effectively manage multiple business listings without losing control:

Use a Centralized Listings Management Platform

The key to managing multiple locations efficiently is centralization. A tool like Active Sync becomes indispensable when handling multiple listings. It allows you to:

• Control all listings from one dashboard: Manage every location’s information from a single interface instead of logging into separate accounts

• Maintain location-specific information: Even with centralized management, you can customize descriptions, categories, and attributes for each location to reflect local differences.

• Stay on top of suggested edits and duplicates: Active Sync monitors each listing for third-party edits or duplicate entries, alerting you so you can act before issues impact your visibility.

Centralize Review Management

With multiple listings, reviews can come in from many platforms and locations simultaneously. Using a tool like Reputation Manager, you can:

• Aggregate and track reviews from all major platforms
• Get notified of new reviews in real-time
• Respond quickly and consistently, maintaining a strong brand voice across all locations

This central approach helps to ensure no customer feedback slips through the cracks and reinforces trust with both search engines and potential customers.

Leverage Google Business Profile Manager

For businesses with multiple locations on Google, the Google Business Profile Manager is essential. It allows you to:

• Create and manage profiles in bulk
• Organize listings using business groups
• Apply updates across multiple locations simultaneously
• Share access with team members or franchise managers, with controlled permissions

This ensures your presence on Google remains consistent, accurate, and easy to manage at scale.

Assign Roles and Responsibilities

If multiple team members are involved in listings management, clearly define who’s responsible for what. Whether it’s updating business hours, responding to reviews, or conducting regular audits, assigning specific tasks ensures:

• Accountability
• Timely updates
• Fewer errors or oversights

Monitor Performance Across All Locations

Tracking performance by location helps you understand what’s working and where improvements are needed. Use tools like BrightLocal, Google Business Profile Insights, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console to monitor key metrics such as:

• Website clicks: To measure engagement and conversion potential
• Direction requests: To track local demand
• Call volume: To identify peaks in customer interest
• Search impressions: To evaluate overall local visibility

This data enables you to identify top-performing branches, optimize underperforming listings, and catch issues like outdated info or negative reviews before they impact your reputation.

Conclusion

Managing your business listings properly is an ongoing process that requires attention to detail and consistent effort. By understanding the nuances of listings management, differentiating it from simple citation building, and leveraging powerful tools like BrightLocal’s Active Sync, you can ensure your business information is always accurate, optimized, and working hard to attract and retain local customers.

Service-area businesses (SABs) face unique challenges when it comes to ranking in local search. No physical storefront, limited GBP visibility, pages that compete with each other, or worse, hurt your SEO. We’ve heard it all! So with the help of local SEO specialist Amanda Jordan, we’ve packed everything you need to know into one in-depth, easy-to-follow course called Get Found Online: Local SEO for Service-area Businesses. 

What You’ll Learn

This course is designed to help local SEOs, marketers, and business owners without brick-and-mortar locations build visibility. You’ll learn how to:

• Structure and optimize service area pages (SAPs) that rank and convert
• Use Google Business Profile (GBP) effectively — even without a public address
• Avoid SEO pitfalls like thin content and doorway pages
• Build citations and local backlinks that actually move the needle
• Track performance using local rank tracking tools and conversion metrics

Here’s Amanda with an overview of the course

Each module is packed with interactive activities and quizzes to enhance your learning. At the end of the course, you can take an exam to earn a certificate, which you can proudly share on social media to showcase your newfound expertise.

Who is this course for?

This course is perfect for local SEOs, agencies, and freelancers looking to sharpen their skills, as well as service-area business owners who want to take control of their local SEO and do it right. It’s also ideal for in-house marketers working with franchises or businesses that serve customers across multiple regions. If you’re aiming to boost visibility for a SAB or support a client who is, this course offers a clear, practical, step-by-step guide to help you get there.

How can I join?

Anyone can access this course, whether or not you’re a BrightLocal customer. You can also be among the first to find out when new courses drop by enrolling for free. Here’s how:

If you’re a BrightLocal customer, you can access the Academy via your BrightLocal account. Log in, click the question mark icon at the bottom of the screen, then ‘Webinars and training’, followed by ‘BrightLocal Academy’.

You must create a free BrightLocal Academy account before enrolling in the ‘Get Found Online: Local SEO for Service-area Businesses’ course.

If you’re not a BrightLocal customer, you can join BrightLocal Academy for free and follow the steps above to enroll in the course.

Want to know more about BrightLocal Academy? 

Check out the official BrightLocal Academy FAQs here: 

What is BrightLocal Academy, how does it work, and how can I enroll?     

What courses does BrightLocal Academy offer, and how long do they take?     

If you have any questions of your own, feel free to get in touch with us. We hope you find this fresh new course useful, and we can’t wait to hear how it’s helped you improve your local SEO skills.

A comprehensive local SEO reporting stack allows businesses and agencies to:

• Monitor rankings across different locations and search engines.
• Analyze competitor performance to identify opportunities.
• Track Google Business Profile (GBP) insights to optimize visibility.
• Audit technical SEO for local search optimization.
• Manage reviews and sentiment to enhance online reputation.
• Track call conversions and form submissions to measure lead generation.
• Monitor website analytics and user behavior to optimize conversion paths.

By choosing the right combination of tools, you can streamline reporting, automate insights, and make more data-driven decisions to enhance local search success. In this guide, we’ll break down the essential tools you need to build a powerful local SEO reporting system.

Key Components of a Local SEO Reporting Tool Stack

Building an effective toolstack for local SEO reporting requires selecting the right tools for different aspects of your SEO campaign. Here are some options that you could incorporate into your reporting stack.

1. Rank Tracking Tools

Rank tracking is the foundation of local SEO reporting. For businesses managing SEO across multiple regions, the ability to track rankings at a granular level is essential. There are a number of tools on the market that can help you with this, so let’s take a look at a few of them.

BrightLocal’s Local Rank Tracker and Local Search Grid

BrightLocal offers two powerful local rank-tracking tools that provide more ways to monitor, enhance, and report on local rankings. Both tools generate customizable, white-labeled reports that can be easily shared via a link with clients and stakeholders, making it simple to keep everyone informed and engaged.

1. Local Rank Tracker monitors your business’s search rankings in different search engines and can highlight where your business appears in search at the time the report is run. Up to 100 different keywords (search terms) can be monitored at one time, making it easy to monitor changes and trends in search rankings — this can help you to develop your marketing strategy (e.g., which content to include on a website, where to focus link-building activities), as well as improving ranking for underperforming keywords.

Like all BrightLocal reports, Local Rank Tracker reports are fully customizable. You can add your own logos, colors, and branding for a professional touch. You can also say goodbye to the end-of-month scramble with automated reports delivered straight to your inbox at a time that works for you. 

If you’re a BrightLocal customer, learn eight ways to hone your local SEO strategy with Local Rank Tracker here.

2. Local Search Grid can tell you exactly where your business is ranking on a granular level.

Instead of giving you one ranking number for a whole city, the grid tells you where you rank from one street to the next so you can discover who your competitors truly are. The report is color-coded to help you understand where you’re ranking well and where the opportunity lies.

Simply enter up to 5 keywords and the area of the city or town you want to track them across. The report returns search rankings for your business and the top 10 competitors for each of the keywords (see image below). This enables you to easily see what your business needs to change or improve.

For example, if you saw that you had more reviews and a similar star rating to your top three competitors but that your Category was different, then changing that within your Google Business Profile might help to improve your rankings.

The useful timeline at the top of the report shows you how your landscape changes over time, giving you the power to showcase your impact and success with clients and colleagues.

GS Location Changer

Another tool that every local SEO professional should have is GS Location Changer in their browser extension bar. This tool allows you to manually check local SERPs by setting your IP to search from any specific location. It’s fast, accurate, and invaluable for verifying rankings, especially when a client sends a screenshot showing different results for their GBP or website. By using this extension, you can cross-check ranking positions and ensure your reports are accurate.

Other Popular Rank Tracking Tools:

• SEMrush offers rank tracking that includes local pack performance and keyword tracking across various regions, helping businesses monitor their competitive landscape.
• Ahrefs allows you to track rankings for up to 10,000 keywords, segmented by specific locations (city, state, and postal code) for both mobile and desktop searches.

The Best Geo Grid Local Ranking Tools Compared

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2. Google’s Reporting Platforms

Google provides a suite of powerful (and free) tools that track search performance, website traffic, and user behavior, which are essential for effective local SEO reporting. They offer real-time insights into how users find and interact with your site, helping you measure success, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Integrating these tools ensures accurate reporting and clearer ROI for stakeholders, so setting them up is a great first step in any local SEO reporting strategy. 

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

GA4 is essential for tracking how users find and engage with your website. By analyzing organic search traffic, conversions, and user journeys, you can understand what’s working and what needs improvement. 

With GA4, you can set up powerful reports to track key insights, such as:

• Traffic acquisition: See where your visitors are coming from (organic search, social media, referrals) to understand which channels drive the most valuable traffic. 
• Converting pages: Identify which pages lead to the most conversions. This will help you optimize high-performing content and improve underperforming pages. 
• Demographics and user behavior: Learn about your audience, including their location, device usage, and engagement patterns, so you can tailor your local SEO strategy accordingly. 

Check out the free BrightLocal Academy course from GA4 pro Dana DiTomaso for expert guidance on how to set up and use GA4 for local SEO, and don’t miss the BrightLocal blog Getting Started with Google Analytics 4 for Local SEO for a step-by-step introduction.

Getting Started with Google Analytics 4 for Local SEO

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Google Search Console (GSC)

GSC provides invaluable insights into your website’s search performance, indexing issues, and keyword rankings. It helps identify technical SEO problems and tracks which search queries are driving traffic. 

A common frustration with GSC is its data filter and comparison feature, which lacks the flexibility of GA4’s date range selection and comparison options.

The GSC extension by Thijs van Hal offers a solution that makes date range selection and comparisons more intuitive. It also displays percentage changes and search volume data directly within the platform, enhancing usability and efficiency.

For a deeper dive on Google Search Console, check out these two articles:

• An Introduction to Google Search Console for Local Businesses
• An Advanced Guide to Google Search Console for Local Search

Google Business Profile (GBP) Performance

For businesses with a physical location, GBP Performance offers data on how customers interact with your listing, including search impressions, direction requests, calls, and website clicks. You can then use this data in reports to demonstrate areas to optimize your listing for better engagement. 

BrightLocal’s Google Business Profile Audit goes a step further and allows you to see under the hood of your profile, revealing any SEO issues that could be harming your current performance, including duplicate listings, NAP errors, and local ranking identifiers that exist outside of your GBP listing. A major advantage of GBP Audit over standard GBP Performance is that it allows you to access 18 months of performance data. That’s three times the standard six months. This extended data range allows you to better analyze trends, make more informed decisions, and offer clearer progress reporting for clients and stakeholders.

If you’re already a BrightLocal customer, get instructions on how to set up a Google Business Profile Audit report here.

3. Local SEO Audit Tools

Ensuring that your site’s technical SEO is optimized for local search is vital, as it directly impacts visibility, user experience, and overall search performance. Regular audits provide the data needed to track progress, identify technical issues, and showcase improvements over time. 

Tools like BrightLocal, Screaming Frog, Moz, and SEMrush have powerful site audit capabilities. They can help you uncover and resolve problems such as broken links, slow page speed, and missing local SEO elements. Incorporating these insights into your reports ensures that stakeholders can see the tangible impact of technical optimizations on rankings and local search success.

BrightLocal’s Local Search Audit

Designed specifically for local SEO, Local Search Audit reports provide a comprehensive analysis of your business’s online presence, including NAP consistency, local citations, Google Business Profile health, and on-site SEO factors.

The report analyzes 300+ data points and then collates these into seven clear sections, with each section isolating and reporting on a different area of local SEO.  Each section is color-coded so you can quickly see which areas of your local strategy need the most attention.

If you click on any of the color-coded sections, you’ll be taken to a more in-depth look at what’s happening in that area and how you can improve it. 

For example, in the image above, we can see that the business lacks links—they have 149, but their average competitor has 636. This is an area they can work on. If you’re already a BrightLocal customer, get instructions on how to set up a Local Search Audit report here. 

Other Popular Auditing Tools:

• Screaming Frog: An SEO spider tool that audits on-page elements and local SEO factors like NAP consistency and checks schema markup for local SEO.
• Moz: Offers site audits with detailed reports on technical SEO issues that could be hindering local rankings.
• SEMrush: Provides a full suite of technical audits, from mobile usability to site speed, ensuring your site is optimized for local search visibility.

4. Competitor Research and Benchmarking Tools

Understanding what your competitors are doing can give you a strategic edge in local SEO. Incorporating competitor insights into your reports not only demonstrates your progress but also provides actionable recommendations for stakeholders, ensuring that your SEO strategy remains proactive rather than reactive.

8 Tools for Competitor Analysis

There are many tools that can help you to track and analyze your competitors. Here are a few: 

• SpyFu allows you to discover the keywords your competitors are ranking for in local search, providing insights into their strategy.
• Google Business Profile Audit lets you quickly assess the status of your Google Business Profile and how it compares to your top online competitors.
• Local Rank Tracker is a great way to see how your rankings benchmark against your competitors. You can add a maximum of four competitors to the section called ‘Monitor competitor search rankings’ when you set it up.

• Citation Tracker lets you monitor competitor citations and helps you to fill any gaps. We find the competitors by looking for what businesses are ranking top in Google Maps for the business type + location (e.g. plumbers in Manhattan). Once your report is complete, you’ll see a tab called Competitor Citations, where you’ll be able to see a list of citations and business mentions that your top five competitors in search have, excluding any that you already have. 

• Ahrefs lets you perform in-depth competitor analysis, tracking keywords and local rankings and uncovering local search opportunities.
• Local Search Audit has a ‘Links & Website Authority’ section that provides a snapshot of how your site’s authority compares to competitors. You’ll find both your business’s scores and the competitor’s average for key link-related metrics. Your goal is to outperform the competitor’s average in each category. 

• SEMrush provides competitor insights, benchmarking your local performance against others in your industry.
• Local Search Grid tells you how well you’re ranking for specific keywords compared to your competitors, giving you an idea of who you’re actually competing against so you can start to build a strategy for improvement.

For example, if you saw that you had more reviews and a similar star rating to your top three competitors but that your Category was different, then changing that within your Google Business Profile might help to improve your rankings.

Want to know more? Learn how to track your competitors and conduct powerful competitor analysis with BrightLocal’s tools.

5. Review Monitoring and Sentiment Tools

Online reviews are an essential component of local SEO, directly influencing rankings, customer trust, and conversion rates. Tools like BrightLocal, Reputation.com, BirdEye, and ReviewTrackers help businesses track review trends, measure sentiment, and respond effectively. Incorporating things like review volume, star ratings, and customer feedback over time into reports provides valuable insights into brand perception and areas for improvement, making it easier to demonstrate the impact of reputation management efforts.

4 Tools for Review Monitoring

• Reputation.com: Offers a complete platform for managing reviews and tracking sentiment across Google, Facebook, and other platforms.
• Monitor Reviews: This allows you to track your reviews across the review sites that matter to you in one easy-to-understand report. You can monitor the growth in reviews and fluctuations in star ratings and receive valuable new review alerts so you can respond to feedback rapidly.

Once your Google Business Profile and Facebook accounts are connected to your review monitoring report, we can also check for new reviews every day. You’ll also be able to respond to reviews on these sites directly from within this report. Reports are fully white-labeled to make it easy for agencies to share with clients.

• BirdEye: Monitors customer reviews, tracks sentiment, and provides actionable insights to help businesses improve their online reputation.
• ReviewTrackers: Allows businesses to monitor reviews across hundreds of platforms, with reporting features that help you measure customer satisfaction and reputation.

6. Call Tracking and Lead Attribution Tools

One crucial yet often overlooked aspect of local SEO reporting is call tracking and lead attribution. For businesses that rely on inbound calls—such as law firms, home services, and healthcare providers—understanding where leads are coming from is essential for optimizing marketing efforts.

CallRail

CallRail is a leading call tracking and analytics platform that helps businesses:

• Track phone calls and form submissions from SEO, PPC, and other digital campaigns.
• Identify which keywords, pages, and channels drive the most valuable leads.
• Record and analyze calls to assess lead quality and customer intent.
• Integrate with Google Analytics, Google Ads, and CRM systems to streamline reporting.

By incorporating a tool like CallRail into your local SEO reporting stack, you can attribute offline conversions to online efforts, providing a clearer picture of marketing ROI and helping businesses make data-driven decisions.

Other Popular Call Tracking and Lead Attribution Tools:

• Infinity offers dynamic call tracking, conversation analytics, and integrations with leading marketing platforms.
• WhatConverts tracks calls, form submissions, and chat conversions, providing full lead attribution insights.
• CallTrackingMetrics combines call tracking with marketing attribution and call center automation.
• Marchex uses AI-powered call analytics to measure call quality, attribution, and customer interactions.
• Invoca focuses on AI-driven call analytics and conversation intelligence for optimizing inbound calls.

Integrating Your Toolstack for Maximum Performance Oversight

Once you’ve chosen the right tools, integrating them into a seamless reporting workflow is key. Here are some ways to optimize your tool stack for maximum efficiency:

• Centralized Dashboards: Tools like Google Looker Studio, Power BI, and AgencyAnalytics allow you to integrate data from all of your reporting tools into a single, customizable dashboard. This allows for quick analysis and reporting, helping you track everything from keyword rankings to competitor performance in one place.
• API Integrations: For more advanced users, tools like Zapier and Make can automate data flows between your SEO tools, creating streamlined workflows that save time and reduce manual reporting.
• Custom Alerts: Set up automated alerts for ranking drops, review changes, or technical issues that require immediate attention. AgencyAnalytics also offers built-in alerting and automated reporting features, ensuring you stay informed and can act quickly when needed.

Reporting Best Practices for Agencies and Larger Businesses

When managing SEO for multiple clients or locations, consistent and clear reporting is essential. Here are a few reporting best practices:

• Segmented Reporting: Break down your reports by location, client, or business unit. This provides stakeholders with actionable insights specific to their needs.
• White-labeling and Sharing: Tools like BrightLocal and SEMrush allow you to generate white-labeled reports, making it easy to share insights with clients or stakeholders while maintaining your brand identity.
• Custom KPIs: Focus on the key metrics that matter for local SEO, such as local ranking movements, review scores, visibility in local packs, and local search traffic.

Conclusion

Building a comprehensive local SEO reporting tool stack is essential for businesses or agencies managing local SEO at scale. By combining powerful tools for rank tracking, GBP insights, technical SEO audits, competitor analysis, and review management, you can gain a 360-degree view of your local SEO performance. Integrating these tools into a cohesive reporting system ensures you have the oversight needed to make data-driven decisions and improve your local SEO strategy.

Ready to build your ultimate local SEO reporting tool stack? Start by exploring tools like BrightLocal today.