06/11/2025
This year brought big shifts in how small businesses show up in local search. It’s no longer just about keywords.
Small businesses started showing up in new ways, and Google started paying more attention to real-world trust signals.
Here’s what that looked like:
✔️ Google Business Profiles pulled in posts from your social channels
✔️ More customers judged businesses by how they responded to reviews, not just the reviews themselves
✔️ Local podcasts and community-driven content became unexpected visibility boosters
✔️ The basics, like having friendly staff, being easy to contact, and doing what you say you’ll do, still mattered most
It turns out, Google is favouring businesses that behave like good neighbours.
So if you’ve been stuck thinking SEO is all algorithms and keywords, this is your reminder: Your reputation, both online and off, is part of your SEO now.
And that’s great news, because if you’re already delivering a great service, you’re halfway there.