Google’s Latest AI Updates: What They Mean for SEO & Local Businesses

Google’s rapid AI evolution is reshaping search—but is it helping or hurting websites and small businesses? While AI Overviews dominate results and drive down click-through rates (CTR), some low-volume keywords might actually gain traffic where AI summaries fail to generate useful answers.

At the same time, local businesses may benefit from a new local share button, and AI is now organizing local events more efficiently. But with Google filtering and sorting more content for users, are we seeing a better search experience, or is this narrowing what people can find? Here’s a breakdown of the latest updates and what they mean for site owners.

AI Overviews Are Driving Down CTR—But Could They Shift Keyword Traffic?

A recent study from Seer Interactive found a sharp decline in click-through rates when Google’s AI Overview appears in search results. This means fewer people are clicking through to actual websites because AI is answering their questions right on the results page.

However, there’s an interesting side effect. AI Overviews don’t appear for every query, and they struggle with low-volume or highly specific keywords. If Google can’t generate a strong AI response, users may still rely on traditional search results, giving niche keywords a better chance to attract clicks.

For site owners and content creators, this means that focusing on detailed, in-depth content around niche topics could become even more important.

Google’s AI Chatbot is Coming in 2025

Google is currently testing a chatbot-style AI search interface powered by Gemini, set to roll out later in 2025. This model is designed to handle open-ended questions in a more conversational way, similar to how people use ChatGPT or other AI assistants.

This could further shift search behavior, making it more interactive while potentially reducing the number of users who ever leave Google to visit a website. Businesses that rely on organic traffic will need to watch these changes closely and think about how to optimize for AI-driven search in the future.

A Small Win for Local Businesses: Easier Sharing & Smarter Event Listings

One of the more positive updates for small businesses is the new local share button, which makes it easier for users to share business listings directly. This could help increase word-of-mouth recommendations and bring more attention to local shops, restaurants, and services.

Google is also using AI to better organize local events in search results. Now, searches for concerts, museum hours, or special events are sorted by type, holiday, or occasion. This could help businesses and event organizers reach a more targeted audience.

Is AI Organizing Search in a Way That Helps or Hurts?

Google’s push to make search easier and more streamlined is great in some ways, but it also raises concerns. By filtering results and deciding what’s most relevant, AI is shaping what users see—sometimes in ways they wouldn’t choose on their own.

For small businesses, this can be a disadvantage. If AI-driven search results favor big brands, corporate websites, or a limited set of sources, it may become harder for smaller sites to get noticed. The concern isn’t just about ranking—it’s about whether Google’s AI is shrinking the diversity of content that people can discover.

Google’s Quality Guidelines Now Address AI Content

Google has updated its Quality Rater Guidelines to account for AI-generated content. Content that lacks originality, depth, or clear user value is now rated as “lowest quality.”

The key takeaway here is that AI-generated content isn’t necessarily bad, but it needs to provide genuine value. Sites relying too heavily on automated content that doesn’t add anything new could see ranking drops over time.

What Recipe Blogs Can Teach Us About SEO

Google is also cracking down on poor user experience, starting with recipe blogs. Sites that bury the actual recipe under excessive scrolling, pop-up ads, and irrelevant photos have been flagged as providing a frustrating experience.

This is a reminder for all websites—not just recipe blogs—to make sure content is easy to access and isn’t overloaded with distractions. Cluttered layouts, endless scrolling, and intrusive ads can hurt rankings and drive users away.

New Google SEO Tool: Search Console + Google Analytics Integration

Google has released an updated guide on integrating Search Console with Google Analytics. This allows website owners to track performance more effectively, identify ranking drops, and get a deeper understanding of how users interact with their site.

For SEO professionals and business owners, this integration is a must. The more insight you have into how your site performs, the easier it is to adjust and improve your strategy.

Final Thoughts: Adapting to the AI Shift in Search

Google’s AI updates are changing search in ways that aren’t entirely positive or negative—they’re a mix of both.

On one hand, local businesses may benefit from improved event listings and easier sharing. On the other, AI-generated answers and filtering could reduce the visibility of smaller sites, making it harder for them to compete.

For businesses and site owners, the key is adapting. That means focusing on:

• High-quality, original content that AI can’t easily replace
• Niche keywords that don’t trigger AI overviews
• User-friendly design that makes information easy to find

Google is reshaping how people find information. And to be honest, I’m not always a big fan of it. I think it can really make our options on both client and marketing ends much smaller as far as the breadth of opportunity and difficulty with achieving our goals from both a marketing and purchasing perspective. The question we are all asking ourselves is : How will content strategy evolve with it? The best we can do is to stay informed and adapt where we ned to while remaining in line with ethical principles and good practices.