With all the recent updates, I keep seeing mixed results. Some local businesses with fresh reviews and active Google profiles are climbing, while others with more backlinks are slipping. In your experience, what is making the biggest difference these days, reviews, content, links, or something else? Would love to hear what is working for you.

Check your client's Google Business Profile once a week, even when nothing seems wrong. Timings change, someone suggests a wrong edit, or a small issue quietly starts hurting the profile.

Five minutes of checking saves hours of fixing later, and the client also feels the work is being looked after properly.

What is the one small check you always do for your local clients?

More people now read the AI answer on Google and never click any website. For local businesses the call still matters more than the click, but the game is shifting.

Has AI search changed anything in the way you work on local SEO, or is it business as usual for you?

When a client's Google Maps ranking drops suddenly, what is the first thing you check? I start with the profile itself, hours, category, and any recent edits, before touching anything else. What is your first check?

When a new client wants fast results, how do you set expectations in the first week? I usually keep it honest from the start, no big promises in week one, and explain what the first month will actually cover. What works for you?

Do you upload new photos to a client's Google Business Profile regularly, or only when something changes? Fresh photos seem to keep the profile looking active, but most profiles go months without a new one. What is your routine, weekly, monthly, or only when needed?

Hey Serpworks family 👋I noticed people stressing over the recent spam update don't start purging your backlinks just yet. Google automatically ignores most bad links, so focus your energy on fixing thin pages instead:)

Hey team, Just wanted to ask when a landing page randomly drops in search traffic, what’s the very first thing you check?

Quick question. What is the one local SEO task you never skip for a new client, no matter how small the budget is? For me it is getting the Google Business Profile fully filled out and accurate first, everything else builds on that. What is yours?

Genuinely curious about this. If a local client gave you a budget for just one thing over the next six months, would you put it into getting more Google reviews or building local backlinks? I keep going back and forth on it, so I would love to hear what is actually working for you guys.