What's changing in Google search

What changed. Google Search added agentic booking for local services. For categories like home repair, beauty, and pet care, someone searching can ask Google to phone businesses for them, gather pricing and availability, and hand back booking links.

Why it matters. A real person is no longer the only one calling you. If nobody answers, the assistant simply moves to the next business and you never see the lead. Answering every call, every time, is now a ranking-adjacent business decision.

What we do about it. We recommend an AI phone assistant on every account that takes inbound calls, so calls are answered 24/7 with accurate hours, services, and pricing — and every inquiry is captured.

What changed. Business Profiles are rolling out a Collected info section showing details Google gathered from phone and chat conversations with the business, with the option to delete individual items.

Why it matters. Google has been quietly changing profile details based on call transcripts. Wrong info here can misroute customers without the owner ever knowing why.

What we do about it. We check Collected info during the monthly profile review on every account and remove anything inaccurate.

What changed. The industry calls this AEO — Answer Engine Optimization — being the business an AI answer names, in Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode as well as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. Google states there is no special markup or hidden setting for it. The same signals that power Search power the AI answers, and Google's one explicit tip is to keep your Business Profile current.

Why it matters. AEO isn't a separate service you bolt on, and it isn't something you can buy your way into. Your Google presence is the foundation: a complete, verified profile with real, recent reviews is the fact source these answer engines lean on for who you are, what you do, where you work, and whether you're any good. Weak Google presence, weak AEO. Strong Google presence, and you get named in both places at once.

What we do about it. We treat SEO and AEO as one job. We keep your profile complete and fresh, keep genuine reviews coming, and write your pages the way an answer engine quotes them: the real questions people ask, answered directly, with your services, areas, hours, and prices stated plainly — plus a named expert behind the content so the answer has someone credible to cite.

What changed. Multiple agencies report Google leaning on a steady stream of recent reviews rather than lifetime totals, and filtering reviews that look solicited on the spot or written from a script.

Why it matters. Stacking reviews in a single push can now do less than a handful of honest reviews every month — and pressured requests risk being discarded.

What we do about it. We keep review invitations steady and unscripted for service businesses. For schools we don't send review requests at all — we monitor reviews and handle responses instead.