If you’ve been paying attention to the SEO industry over the last year, you’ve probably heard all the panic:
Google’s changing again.
AI answers are creeping in. Entire sites that once got thousands of clicks a month are suddenly invisible.
Publishers like HubSpot, GQ, and New York Magazine have lost up to a third of their organic traffic.
Independent blogs and affiliate sites have been hit even harder, watching years of work vanish in the blink of an eye as Google floods the top of search results with Reddit threads, Quora answers, and AI-generated summaries.
I’ve spent the last few years working as a freelance SEO consultant, watching this shift unfold up close.
And in the ashes of Google’s latest changes, one thing is clear: local businesses are coming out on top.
Here’s why:
Google still rewards local SEO it can verify
Anyone can publish perfect AI-generated content.
Most of it reads fine.
But Google knows that “fine” doesn’t mean credible.
So instead of rewarding the best-optimised sites, it’s prioritising the ones that show evidence of genuine expertise.
Service-based businesses naturally provide that proof.
They have the qualifications, accreditations, and customer results that show authority in their field.
A CNC subcontract manufacturer might hold ISO 9001 certification to prove the quality of its production process.
Care homes list their CQC registration on their website to show they meet regulated standards.
These are signs of credibility.
Google’s latest changes are a win for all service-based businesses.
But local businesses are even easier for Google to verify.
They have a physical location that matches their Google Business Profile, appear on Google Maps, and are mentioned in local press and news outlets – signals that show the business is active and trusted.
Most non-local service providers don’t have that advantage.
In the era of AI, local SEO has stayed predictable
When someone searches a local keyword like chartered accountant in leeds, Google’s goal is simple — to show a business they can book on the spot.
That’s why real, local businesses sit at the top of search results for these types of keywords.
And because those rankings depend on relevance, proximity, and reputation — not backlinks or content volume — small businesses with less resources can realistically compete and win.
You don’t need hundreds of articles or a big marketing budget to rank.
You just need a complete Google Business Profile, a few strong reviews, and consistent local signals that prove you’re active and reliable in your area.
The bar for local SEO is still low.
Most local businesses haven’t even claimed their Google Business Profile, let alone optimised it.
In less competitive sectors, you’ll find many businesses with outdated websites, broken contact forms, and inconsistent addresses across the web.
Which means even the most basic SEO upkeep can move you to the top of the Map Pack.
Now compare that with sites which are built entirely around content, not customers.
Their traffic depends on chasing high-volume keywords, publishing faster than competitors, and surviving Google’s updates.
Each algorithm update can wipe out months of work overnight.
Local businesses don’t face that kind of volatility.
And in a search landscape where content sites rise and fall with every update, that kind of consistency is rare — and incredibly valuable.
Local SEO has become the one part of SEO that’s still predictable and stable while everything else has been shaken up by AI and algorithm updates.
How to rank your business for local SEO searches
Start with local keywords that match your site's authority
Before doing keyword research, you should learn about website authority.
Website authority measures how much search engines trust your site.
It’s based mostly on the quality and number of backlinks your website gets.
If your website gets a lot of relevant backlinks in your niche, you’ll have a much easier time ranking for keywords in your niche.
But let’s say your website isn’t there yet. Maybe the only links you’ve got are from a few directories. You’re starting from scratch — almost zero authority, no SEO budget, and no idea where to start.
If that’s you, start small.
Target very low-competition keywords.
Most people assume high search volume means a keyword is valuable, but that’s not always true.
Sometimes, it makes more sense to go after low-search-volume, ultra-specific keywords over broad, popular ones.
The high-volume keywords might bring in traffic, but the smaller, more targeted ones (long-tail keywords) usually bring in people ready to buy right now.
Here’s how to find these types of keywords:
- Go on Semrush and look for long-tail keywords with the lowest difficulty scores.
- Use Google’s Autosuggest for inspiration — start typing your main keyword and see what real people are searching for.
- Check the “People Also Ask” section at the bottom of search results for more ideas.
Make reviews your marketing engine
Ask every happy customer for a review, respond to everyone you get, and show off your best ones on your homepage.
Most customers are happy to leave a review — they just don’t think to.
Make it easy, ask in the moment, and you’ll start building the kind of reputation that markets your business for you.
Lock down your Google Business Profile
Complete your Google Business Profile. It’s one of the strongest signals Google uses to confirm you’re an active business.
Focus on:
- Service areas: Add every town, city, or postcode you serve. This helps you appear when people search <service near me> even if you’re a few miles away.
- Photos: Upload real, high-quality photos of your work, staff, and premises.
- FAQs: Add a few short, useful answers to questions customers ask.
- Weekly updates: Post once a week — share a quick tip, a recent project, or a short customer story.
Google’s changing fast, but one thing hasn’t: it still wants to reward the local businesses who do real work for real customers.
Brush up on your local keyword strategy, get the basics right and you’ll be miles ahead of most local businesses.
