Google’s local algorithm changed—again!

2025 has seen two big core AI-powered results, which include AI overviews in AI mode and Google Business Profile (GBP) changes. These two mega updates are shaking up local search in London. Your brand’s visibility now depends on giving Google accurate, structured, and fresh signals and not just stuffing keywords on a page. During this major rollout, some brand websites also saw huge declines in ranking visibility, and some of them experienced no changes at all. What could be the reason behind these two different types of experiences? Can you survive this shift?

Here’s the playbook London subject matter experts need right now, and later, we will also discuss how Yukti Digital, as a seasoned marketing agency, can help you win and lead the success path.

Now, let’s discuss the big shifts that you can’t ignore:

Core Updates In 2025 Impact Local

Google completed a June 2025 core update (this following March) and signaled an ongoing quality recalibration. If your traffic dipped or spiked, you can assume that ranking systems have shifted and will now respond with content quality, UX, and trust improvements.

AI Overviews In AI Mode Are Expanding

Google’s AI experiences are now rolling out widely and getting smarter. It is now bringing forward local options, personalizing suggestions, and even helping users book tables via integrated partners. This means more zero-click journeys and higher bars for inclusion in AI answers. Now you need to be the source that AI can trust and look forward to other explorers.

GBP Keeps Changing, Quietly But Constantly

From mass edits to auto-added social links and new profile surfaces like “What’s Happening Nearby” for bars or restaurants, GBP is evolving into a richer local hub. This subtle shift has made keeping every field pristine and clear vital; otherwise, Google may “help” by updating it for you.

What London Businesses MUST Do Now?

The new Google Local updates aren’t waiting around, and neither should you, because waiting can do more harm to your business than anything else.

Every week you delay gives your competitors a head start in search visibility. To stay ahead in London’s fast-moving digital scene, you need to take action right now. Here’s a quick checklist from our professionals of what to do this week to keep your business visible, trusted, and in a leading position.

1) Treat GBP As Your “local homepage”

Lock NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone) and categories; fix pin or address anomalies that trigger warnings. Also, add social profiles inside GBP; if you don’t, Google might add them for you, and they can be inaccurate as well. Therefore, don’t take any chances and take a proactive step.

If you have an eatery or entertainment place, use the “What’s Happening” keyword to push weekly specials and special events straight into Search. Parallelly, post photos, offers, and updates regularly, and keep hours, services, and attributes up-to-date.

This isn’t any sideline work but is quite vital in the case of SEO. It helps your brand name to be included in the local pack, maps, and AI answers.

2) Optimize For AI Overviews

Write concise, citation-worthy sections that directly answer common local questions. For example: “Do you take walk-ins near Shoreditch?” or “Is parking available in Kensington?” Implement schema markup such as local business, organization, FAQ, product or service, and review to give Google structured data it can easily understand and display.

Show real-world experience, authorship, and transparent business info; earn local press and high-quality mentions. Additionally, design your pages to deliver value instantly and make it easy for AI to summarize your business with credibility.

3) Double Down On Reviews

Ask customers for reviews in an ethical way—every time you deliver any service or product—and use a mix of keywords they naturally type, like ’emergency plumber in Camden’ or ‘best vegan brunch near Wembley.’

Don’t forget to reply quickly and helpfully because your responses count as content signals. Keep an eye on policy issues as well; Google often cracks down on review spam after core updates.

Need help? Our audits spot these anomalies before they hurt you—talk with Yukti Digital professionals today.

4) Speed, UX, And Mobile Are Non-Negotiable

Focus on Core Web Vitals, make tap targets quick to use, and add “click to call” and directions CTAs. It is also recommended to build landing pages with clear location intent; for example, ‘Dentist in Hackney—late hours & NHS or private.’ In the main page and contact page content, include embedded maps and FAQs.

Google’s core updates now reward pages that are not only useful but also easy to use by everyone. Play your leverage right.

5) Structure Your Local Content Like A Knowledge Base

Create FAQ clusters that map to “People also ask” listings and include long-tail local intent. This helps you capture the exact questions people type into Google and increases your chances of showing up in rich results.

Second thing—add service along with neighborhood combinations, such as “emergency plumber in Wembley.” Make content-rich pages; make each page genuinely helpful with directions, contact info, and details that a local customer would actually need. This little extra work is not only great for your website’s look & feel, but it also helps build trust and relevance in Google’s eyes.

Collaborate with us and make use of content marketing to earn credible links and mentions from London publishers, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and local community sites. These local mentions boost your authority and show Google that real, trusted organizations in your area recognize your business.

6) Clean Citations And Category Fitness

Audit the top directories and niche hubs to fix inconsistencies or outdated categories in your website. After a thorough cleaning and rearrangement of categories, subcategories, and page content, make sure to reevaluate your GBP primary and secondary categories each quarter since Google frequently updates category lists and weightings.

7) Track Local Pack Volatility And AI Exposure

Monitor your visibility in the Google 3-pack, not just traditional blue links, and track how often your queries successfully trigger AI overviews. Also, check whether your brand gets cited, and at the same time, measure real conversions, such as:

  • Calls
  • Direction requests
  • Bookings

8) For Hospitality And Experiences: Lean Into Bookings

Make sure your menu, inventory, events, and reservation links are AI-readable and consistent across all platforms as well as partner sites. Keep your business’s hours, specials, and event details updated so Google can easily surface you in AI-driven flows.

Red Flags We’re Seeing In London SEO Flow Right Now

Among many, we have also found some red flags that cannot be ignored for a smooth search engine optimization flow.

  • Stale Google Business Profiles (GBPs) with outdated hours or mismatched addresses are leading to trust loss and local pack drops. Our experts have also noticed pins flagged for being “too far from the address.” This can truly hurt your business, especially if it’s a brick-and-mortar.
  • Thin service pages built only for old-school keyword matching are increasingly filtered out of AI Overviews. They are pushed down by core updates.
  • One of the major red flags that we have seen is missing social links on GBPs. They are prompting Google to auto-add, and if it is really missing, then chances are high that Google will automatically mis-add by feeding the wrong information. Do not let it happen. Own and control your data before Google does.

Yukti Digital Can Help You Survive Google Algorithm’s Shift

Whether you need local SEO services in London, content marketing expertise, or planning for an SEO audit, we can build strategies for your business that match how Google now ranks and how AI now answers. We start with a comprehensive search engine optimization audit aligned to 2025 algorithm setups, covering AI overview readiness, GBP health, and Core Web Vitals. Our seasoned marketing professionals take care of answer-first content marketing as well, ensuring your content is schema-rich, neighborhood-specific, and mapped to People Also Ask queries so AI can confidently cite it. We also focus on review growth and reputation operations, helping your brand boost both prominence and trust. And there’s more.

Ready to move the needle and lead the way? Call your trusted SEO marketing partner, Yukti Digital, and let us help your brand show up, stand out, and get chosen.