Local SEO in 2026: What Changed, What Still Works
Local SEO in 2026 has a new referee (AI answers) but the same scoreboard: who gets the call. Here's what actually changed, minus the panic content.
What changed
AI summaries now answer many searches before the links, and they pull from businesses with clean, consistent, specific information. Vague sites don't get quoted. Review recency and replies weigh more than raw counts: a steady trickle with owner responses beats a dusty pile of five-stars. And your Google profile's activity (posts, photos, Q&A) behaves like a ranking pulse.
What still works (and still decides)
A page per service, a page per town, the fundamentals, because both Google and its AI need something specific to rank and quote. Real proof, real photos, real addresses. Speed. Consistent name-address-phone everywhere it appears.
The 2026 move most owners miss
Write like an answer. "How much does a paver patio cost in Glenview?" answered plainly on your page is exactly what AI summaries lift, with your name attached. My whole cost guide engine is built on this principle; steal it for your industry.
Want the machine version? Content targeting real local questions, published monthly, is what a Growing plan does while you run the business.
← All plays · Guides: costs by industry · tool matchups · AI playbooks
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