Series · Quarterly

State of Local

Quarterly research: a changes tracker, the numbers worth watching, and (coming) our own survey of agencies and consultants.

2stories in this edition

45%

of US consumers surveyed used AI tools for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year beforeBrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults), March 10, 2026

82.91%

of branded US desktop searches tracked by Ahrefs showed an AI Overview on Sept. 29, up from 65.1% in AugustAhrefs data, via Semrush, Oct. 6, 2026

187

local ranking factors scored by 47 experts, now including a new “AI search visibility” columnWhitespark, Local Search Ranking Factors 2026, Nov. 6, 2025

State of Local Q4 2026, our first changes tracker and reader survey, is in production.

Map Pack Monday

Map Pack Monday: AI Overviews now sit on top of most branded searches

Two datasets show AI Overviews on more than 80% of branded queries by late September. When people search your client’s name, Google’s summary may come first.

Oct. 6, 20262 min read

Playbook Friday

Playbook: read Search Console’s new AI report without fooling yourself

Google’s generative AI performance report is now global. It shows impressions, not clicks. Here’s how to use it honestly with clients.

Oct. 6, 20262 min read

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7:00●●●

The Local SignalTue, Oct 6 · 5 min

Good morning. Meta’s agent goes to work for small business, Google keeps testing ads in AI Mode, and Search profiles come to Canada.

Map PackMap Pack Monday: AI Overviews now sit on top of most branded searchesFor your clients ↗
SignalGoogle opens Search profiles to creators and publishers in CanadaFor your clients ↗
SignalGoogle’s September 2026 spam update is rolling out in wavesFor your clients ↗

Playbook FridayThe 20-minute AI Max audit