Your Google ranking number may not mean what it used to
A Google staffer says the old position 1 to 10 idea is now hard to map to how your site shows up, so do not panic over shifting position numbers. Also: AI answers spotted on local searches, and a fix for copy-paste city pages.
What changed
Your Google position number may not mean what it used to
Google's John Mueller says the old "position 1 to 10" idea (where your page sits in the list of ten regular results) is hard to map for site owners now. Glenn Gabe adds that Google counts an AI Overview (the AI-written answer box at the top of results) as one block, so every link inside it gets the same position number in your Search Console performance report (Google's free report on how your site shows up in search). Our take: that means your average position can move for reasons that have nothing to do with your page climbing or falling.
Google's @johnmu says the old "position 1 - 10" is hard to map for site owners
For Gen-AI, it's treated as a block (at least for AIOs), so all links get the same position.
Who this affects: Anyone who checks their average position in Search Console.
- Our take: judge your progress by clicks and impressions in Search Console, not by average position alone.
- Our take: if your average position jumps or drops but clicks stay flat, an AI Overview may be counting you as part of a block, so do not rush to change your pages.
Worth watching
AI answers may be starting to show up on local searches
Two SEOs spotted Google showing AI Overviews (the AI-written answer at the top of results) on local searches, one of them with a map inside it. @kevin_indig said it was the first time he had seen one for local results. This is a couple of sightings, not a confirmed rollout, and nobody knows yet how often it shows.
First time seeing an AI Overview for local results.
seems like Google just want to increase number of queries for which it's serving AI Overviews
Who this affects: Local businesses that rely on showing up in the map results.
- Do nothing yet: a few sightings are not a confirmed change.
- Our take: search your own service and town while logged out and note whether an AI answer now sits above the map.
Things to do
Delete location pages that only swap the city name
One local SEO, The SEO Guy, posted a long checklist for ranking a local business. Two points stand out: make each city-plus-service page truly local, and if you have dozens of pages with the same text and only the city swapped, delete them. In a later post he added that mass-produced AI articles almost never rank, and even when they do, they almost never bring in customers.
location pages that are actually localized. if 40 of your pages are the same content with the city swapped, delete them.
mass produced ai articles almost never rank, and even if they do, they almost never convert
Who this affects: Local businesses with a page for each town or service they cover.
- Open two of your location pages side by side. If only the city name differs, either make each one truly local or delete them.
- Before writing a blog post, decide which real customer question it answers. If you use AI to draft it, give it a detailed prompt and read the result over yourself before publishing.
Quick hits
Google now shows view counts on your Business Profile posts again
Google announced today that view counts for Google Posts (the updates you publish on your Business Profile) are back. Barry Schwartz says the feature existed before, vanished, and quietly returned a few weeks ago, ahead of the official announcement.
A phone number scam is using photos on Google Maps listings
Barry Schwartz reports a phone number scam that uses contributor photos (pictures anyone can upload to a Google Maps listing) on Google Business Profiles and Maps. He calls it embarrassing for Google.
Shoppers who use AI still use regular search too
Aleyda Solis shared a Similarweb report finding that 89% of shopping journeys that involved AI also included regular search, and only 11% used AI without search. Journeys that used both converted (ended in a purchase) at 23%, 5.7 percentage points above search only journeys.