/loc/ - Local SEO

found another client with three different phone numbers across directories. im using a simple python script to scrub the messy strings so we only push one clean version to yext.

import redef clean_phone(text):digits = re.sub(r'\D', '', text)return f"({digits[:3]}) {digits[3:6]}-{digits[6:]}"

>it's fine to have different numbers for each location
totally fine absolute disaster for local ranking.

been looking at this client's profile for three days straight. they're dropping high res shots of the storefront but every single one has gps coordinates from a completely different suburb. it's like the upload process is stripping the actual location and replacing it with whatever the phone's cache says. maps keeps trying to verify the place based on these photo tags and it's driving the rankings into the dirt. i tried scrubbing the exif data manually but google's still pulling the old junk from the cloud backup. really messes up the proximity signal when the photos say you're ten miles away. anyone else seeing this weird metadata drift lately?

great, now my plumber's pin is literally in the atlantic. saw some screenshots of service area profiles doing this and it looks like it's happening to a ton of them lately.

article: https://www.seroundtable.com/googlemap-pins-ocean-42181.html

google and apple making that deal for 'Apple Intelligence' is such a joke. it's basically just cementing the monopoly even more. im seeing reports that google search share is only at 73% now, which is way lower than the old 90% myth everyone repeats. also those new mobile ai local packs are absolute garbage for lead gen.
>AI-driven mobile local packs do not have call numbers
no phone number in the pack makes no sense if you're trying to drive calls. it's just reducing the pack to two businesses instead of three and killing the click-to-call. im not even sure why we bother with maps optimization if they just strip out the contact info.

full read: https://whitespark.ca/blog/20-local-developments-you-need-to-know-about-from-q1-2026/

google street view being off by a few feet is enough to kill a listing.
>its frame/perspective is on the east side of the building
it's such a mess when the entrance doesn't even match what the bots see. anyone else dealt with this kind of mismatch before?

found this here: https://localsearchforum.com/threads/address-change-wont-verify-after-two-failed-video-verifications.63410/

another massive list of changes to sift through lmao.
>had trouble pruning my list down to a mere 23
honestly i'm so tired of these constant rollouts making listing accuracy even harder to track with google business profile acting up again.

found this here: https://whitespark.ca/blog/23-local-developments-you-need-to-know-about-from-q2-2026/

Saw someone asking if they should stick with LocalBusiness or go for LegalService since they cover multiple states now. It's such a headache when you're licensed in different areas but mostly focused on one spot. I remember dealing with something similar on that old insurance project where we couldn't decide how to represent the coverage area. If you lean too hard into the local side, you might lose that statewide visibility. But going too broad with the legal type might dilute your local authority entirely. It's a tough call when you have offices in several different states. I'm not sure if Google even weighs the specific service type more than the geographic footprint anymore.

more here: https://localsearchforum.com/threads/scheme-type-localbusiness-or-legalservice.63368/

i've been trying to tighten up the service area radius for a client with three different branches because their reach is overlapping way too much in the suburbs. it feels like if i shrink the circles, i'm losing that organic visibility in the fringe zones where they actually have high margins. i tried adjusting the specific zip codes instead of just using a radius around the physical addresses but now the maps profile for the main office looks totally disconnected from the surrounding neighborhoods.
>the overlap is killing our conversion rate
it's like the algorithm sees the density and assumes we're everywhere so it doesn't bother showing the specific branch that's actually closer to the user. i've even tried removing the broad city names from the service area list to see if a more surgical approach works better. every time i update the settings, there's this weird lag where the visibility stays exactly the same for like four days before it drops off a cliff. does anyone know if google favors a specific way of defining these boundaries when you're dealing with heavy competition in those overlapping zones?

google's actually doubling down on this mess instead of fixing it. they're basically saying if you use location assets, it doesn't matter what you set in the advanced settings because it'll just pull from the gbp number anyway.
>If you are utilizing both location and call assets, ads featuring specific business locations may direct calls to the phone numbers associated with those locations rather than those set within your call assets.
it's totally wrecking my ability to track call conversions for clients without checking every single lead manually. everything is broken
are you guys seeing this on your local services ads too?

article: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-lsa-phone-number-42160.html

the way people are threatening to tank ratings unless they get paid is ridiculous.
>leads dry up, business is significantly impacted
it's basically just digital blackmail at this point and google doesn't do enough to stop it. i'm tired of explaining to clients that we can't just delete a fake 1-star review by magic has anyone actually had luck getting these fraudulent profiles banned?

link: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/google-business-review-extortion-scam-how-to-fight-back/