January 2026 SEO roundup
If you've noticed your phone ringing a bit less or your Google Business Profile stats looking different lately, you're not imagining things. January brought a stack of changes that affect how local businesses show up in search - some helpful, some you need to adapt to.
Here's what changed this month and what you should do about it.
1/ The December Core Update Finally Settled
Google's December 2025 Core Update finished rolling out on New Year's Day. According to ALM Corp's analysis, rankings have now stabilised and recovery efforts typically show results within four to eight weeks.
The good news if you run a legitimate local business? The same analysis found that local businesses with strong reputations and genuine expertise generally maintained their rankings. It was the "SEO-optimised location pages without substance" that took a hit. In other words, if you've been doing things properly - serving customers well and building a genuine reputation - you're likely fine.
2/ Google's Killing the Q&A Feature on Maps
This one's worth paying attention to. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable confirmed that Google is removing the Q&A feature in Google Maps and replacing it with an AI-powered "Ask" button.
If you've spent time carefully answering questions on your Google Business Profile - or even better, pre-seeding it with common questions and answers - that content is going away. Don't let it disappear completely. Copy those Q&As across to your website's FAQ section before they vanish. That content still has value, just in a different home.
3/ Post Scheduling Is Finally Here
On the positive side, Sterling Sky reports that Google has officially launched scheduling and multi-location publishing for Google Posts. This has been a long time coming.
If you've been putting off regular Google Posts because it's yet another thing to remember, this removes that excuse. You can now batch your posts in one sitting and schedule them out. For anyone managing multiple locations, the multi-location publishing means you don't have to repeat the same task across every profile.
4/ Reviews Are Changing - In Several Ways
There's been a few shifts around reviews this month that are worth understanding.
First, anonymous reviews are now widespread. Since late 2025, Google Maps has been rolling out an option allowing users to display a nickname and profile photo instead of their real identity when posting a review. Google says this will encourage more people to leave reviews, particularly for sensitive services like healthcare or legal. The flip side is that savvy customers may trust these less.
Second, your responses to reviews are now being pre-moderated by Google. The same source confirms that responses are reviewed to ensure they comply with content rules, can be rejected with a request for editing, and the delay is often up to 10 minutes but sometimes up to 30 days. Bear this in mind if you're dealing with a negative review and want to respond quickly - there may be a delay before your reply appears.
Third, Google is now sending email notifications when review restrictions on your profile have been lifted - handy if you've been flagged in the past.
5/ Service Areas Might Actually Matter Now
For years, the consensus among local SEO professionals was that service area settings didn't really influence rankings. Sterling Sky's latest updates suggest that may be changing based on what they're seeing in the API. If you're a service-area business and haven't reviewed those settings recently, it's worth double-checking they accurately reflect where you actually work.
6/ The Bigger Picture: Clicks Are Down Even When Rankings Are Up
Here's the trend that should concern every local business owner. Joy Hawkins at Sterling Sky analysed 179 Google Business Profiles across 34 law firms and found something troubling: even businesses ranking really well are seeing calls from their business profile declining over time.
It's not that the traffic is going to ChatGPT - that's still only about 2% of what Google delivers for most businesses. The issue is that Google's AI Overviews are changing how people interact with local search results.
The Wellsville Sun summarises it well: for local queries like "coffee shop near me," users are now seeing curated summaries, recommendations, and business highlights often before traditional listings even come into view. This means fewer clicks, more zero-click searches, and higher expectations for accuracy and authority.
7/ What's Changed in Search Console
If you use Google Search Console (and trust me you should), there are some genuinely useful updates this month. Swipe Insight's roundup covers the key changes: weekly and monthly views have been added to the Performance report, making it easier to spot trends without the noise of daily fluctuations. There's also a new branded queries filter that separates traffic from people who already know your business name from those discovering you for the first time.
Your One Thing to Do This Week
Log into your Google Business Profile and save your Q&A content somewhere before it disappears. Copy it into a document, then add it to your website's FAQ page. It took you time to build that content - don't let Google's changes waste it.
Thanks for reading,
Ollie
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