Google Search is changing the way people find local businesses.
Traditional search results are still there, but they are no longer the whole story. Over the years we have seen Google move from the old “ten blue links” style of results to a much more crowded page: Google Ads, map results, organic listings, People Also Ask, featured snippets, directory results and, more recently, AI Overviews.
Now Google is moving further again.
With AI Overviews and AI Mode, Google is starting to behave less like a simple list of links and more like a decision assistant. Instead of only matching the words someone types into the search box, Google is trying to understand the intent behind the search and present a more useful answer.
That has caused the usual panic.
“SEO is dead.”
“Google has killed small business.”
“Rankings no longer matter.”
I do not think that is the right way to look at it.
SEO is not dead. But the way we think about SEO, especially local SEO, does need to evolve.
Google’s own guidance says that the fundamentals of SEO still matter for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google has also said there are no special extra technical requirements for appearing in these AI features beyond being eligible for Google Search and following normal Search guidance.
So the answer is not to chase the latest gimmick.
The answer is to make sure your business is clearly understood.
That means your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, your service pages, your local signals and your enquiry pathways all need to be working together.
The old ranking mindset is becoming incomplete
For years, many businesses measured SEO with one main question:
Where do I rank for this keyword?
That question still matters. I am not saying keyword rankings are useless.
But they are no longer enough on their own.
A business can rank well for a handful of tracked keywords and still have a weak overall search presence. It might have poor service pages, thin content, weak local signals, inconsistent business information, missing conversion tracking, or a neglected Google Business Profile.
In the old SEO world, a ranking report could make things look neater than they really were.
In the new search world, the better question is becoming:
Does Google understand, trust, surface and describe my business correctly?
That is a much bigger question than “am I ranking number one for this keyword?”
It looks at whether Google can clearly understand what you do, where you do it, who you serve, what makes you credible, and when your business should be recommended.
A small local test: plumber in Chadstone
To get a practical feel for this, I ran a small local test.
This was not a scientific study. It was just a simple comparison to see how the same local search behaved in different Google search experiences.
I searched for:
I need a plumber in Chadstone
Chadstone is a suburb in Melbourne, so this is a fairly normal local service search.
In the traditional Google results, I saw the kind of result page we have become used to: an AI Overview near the top, sponsored ads, local business/map results, organic listings, directories and related searches.
Nothing especially surprising there.
The traditional Google result still showed a familiar mix of AI Overview, sponsored results, organic listings and local/map-style business results.
Then I ran the same search through Google AI Mode.
The result looked very different.
Instead of simply showing the same ranking list in a new layout, the AI Mode result grouped businesses by likely customer need. For example, it showed sections such as emergency plumbers and general maintenance/local specialists.
That is important.
The AI result was not just asking, “Which page ranks first for plumber Chadstone?”
It appeared to be asking something closer to:
What type of plumbing help does this person probably need, and which businesses look like suitable matches?
That is a different search experience.
In AI Mode, the same local search was presented as a smaller set of business recommendations grouped by likely customer need.
The results were not identical
One of the most interesting parts of the test was that the AI Mode recommendations did not simply mirror the traditional local results
Some businesses appeared in both places. Others appeared more prominently in one experience than the other.
For example, Hook, Line & Sink Plumbing appeared strongly in both the traditional results and the AI Mode result. That suggests they were sending strong enough signals across more than one search experience.
But other businesses were presented differently depending on the search layout.
That does not mean we can draw a universal conclusion from one test. Google results can change based on location, personalisation, timing, device, query wording and many other factors.
But it does suggest something important:
Local SEO visibility is becoming broader than one fixed ranking list.
A business may need to be visible across multiple search surfaces: traditional organic results, map results, Google Business Profile panels, AI Overviews, AI Mode-style recommendations, directory mentions, reviews and other trusted sources.
That is why I think the old “you rank number three for this keyword” conversation is becoming too narrow.
It is still useful information.
It is just not the whole story anymore.
Google Business Profile is becoming even more important
One of the strongest takeaways from the test was the role of the Google Business Profile.
When I clicked into a business result, the profile-style information became central to the experience: reviews, rating, opening hours, services, photos, phone number, areas served and website button.
In other words, the website still mattered, but the Google Business Profile was doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
This is not surprising.
Google’s own local ranking guidance says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Google also recommends keeping your Business Profile complete and accurate, adding photos, responding to reviews and keeping business information up to date.
Google’s guidance on improving local ranking
For local businesses, that matters.
When a business was selected, profile information such as reviews, services, photos, hours, phone number and website link became highly visible.
Your Google Business Profile is not just a side listing anymore. It may be one of the main ways Google understands and presents your business in local search.
That means the basics matter:
- business name
- address
- phone number
- opening hours
- business categories
- services
- photos
- reviews
- service areas
- website link
If your Google Business Profile is thin, outdated or inconsistent, you are making it harder for Google to understand and trust your business.
Your website still matters — but generic content is not enough
There is another important point here.
Your website still matters.
But the content on your website needs to do more than simply exist.
A lot of small business websites say the same things:
“We are professional.”
“We are reliable.”
“We offer quality service.”
“We are locally owned.”
There is nothing wrong with those statements, but they are generic. Almost any competitor could say the same thing. And now, almost any AI tool could generate a page like that in a few seconds.
That creates a useful test for your website:
Could AI recreate your website with a few prompts?
If the answer is yes, your website probably needs more genuine business-specific information.
That does not mean you cannot use AI to help with writing. AI can be useful. But the useful material still needs to come from the business itself.
That might include:
- real examples of jobs completed
- photos from actual work
- customer questions you regularly answer
- staff knowledge
- service process details
- before-and-after examples
- case studies
- reviews
- local experience
- pricing guidance
- industry-specific advice
- explanations based on your own experience
That is the material AI cannot invent honestly.
And that is the material that makes your website more useful.
So the goal is not to write more content for the sake of it.
The goal is to make your website more clearly useful, more specific, and more genuinely connected to your business.
Rankings still matter, but visibility matters more
- I still track rankings.
- I still look at keywords.
- I still think they are useful.
- But I do not think local businesses should rely on keyword rankings as their only measure of SEO success.
The better question is:
How visible is the business across the places where customers are actually making decisions?
That includes:
- your website
- Google Search
- Google Maps
- Google Business Profile
- AI Overviews
- AI Mode-style results
- reviews
- local directories
- service pages
- enquiry forms
- phone calls
It also includes whether the business is being described correctly.
For example, if someone searches for an emergency plumber, does Google understand that you offer emergency plumbing?
If someone searches for a remedial massage therapist near them, does Google understand your services, location, hours and booking process?
If someone asks for a local business that can help with a specific problem, does your website contain enough clear information for Google to match you to that need?
This is why I think SEO reporting also needs to evolve.
Google has already announced dedicated Search Console reporting for generative AI features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode. That shows visibility inside these newer search experiences is becoming something site owners will need to pay attention to.
Google’s announcement about generative AI performance reports in Search Console
That does not mean traditional SEO reports disappear overnight.
But it does mean the conversation needs to become broader than a list of twenty tracked keywords.
What small businesses should fix first
You do not need to rebuild your whole marketing strategy overnight.
You do not need to chase every new SEO acronym.
You do not need to pay someone to “optimise for AI” if the basics of your website and local presence are still weak.
Start with the fundamentals.
- Make sure your website can be crawled and indexed properly.
- Make sure your key service pages clearly explain what you do, where you do it, and who you help.
- Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate.
- Make sure your reviews are visible and that you have a process for asking happy customers to leave them.
- Make sure your website has real business-specific content, not just generic service copy.
- Make sure your phone number, forms and enquiry pathways are obvious.
- Make sure tracking is set up properly so you know what is actually happening.
- Make sure your business information is consistent across important local listings.
These things may sound basic, but that is the point.
In a more AI-driven search world, unclear businesses will have a harder time.
Clear businesses will have an advantage.
The good news is that most small businesses do not need to panic.
This is why the SEO basics matter more than ever
The future of Google Search will probably keep changing over the next six months and beyond.
AI Mode will change. AI Overviews will change. Google Ads will change. The layout of the search results will change. The way people search will change too.
People may move away from short searches like:
plumber Chadstone
And move towards more natural searches like:
I have a blocked drain and need a plumber who can come out today near Chadstone
That is a different type of search.
It requires a different type of SEO mindset.
The aim is no longer just to rank for a short keyword.
The aim is to make sure Google can understand when your business is the right answer for the customer’s problem.
That starts with the basics.
At Rankwell, this is why we focus heavily on SEO foundations before chasing long-term campaigns or the latest trend.
If the website is unclear, the Google Business Profile is incomplete, tracking is missing, service pages are thin, reviews are weak, or enquiry pathways are confusing, then the foundation is shaky.
And you cannot build strong SEO on a shaky foundation.
Final thought
SEO is not dead.
It is evolving.
For small businesses, the opportunity is still there. But the businesses most likely to benefit will be the ones that are clear, useful, trustworthy and easy for Google — and real customers — to understand.
So before worrying too much about AI Mode, AI Overviews or whatever Google launches next, ask a simpler question:
Are the basics of my website and Google presence actually working properly?
If the answer is no, that is the place to start.