Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees — before your website, before a phone call. In 2026 it changed more than it has in years, mostly because of AI. Here is what is new, what quietly went away, and what still matters most.
AI now answers for you
Google is replacing the old customer question-and-answer feature with AI. Instead of waiting for you to reply, Google's assistant reads your profile, your reviews, and your website, then writes an instant answer for the customer. Google is also generating short AI summaries of businesses, pulled from reviews, posts, and web content.
The takeaway is simple: the information on your profile and website now feeds an AI that speaks for your business. If it is thin or outdated, the AI has less to work with, and less reason to recommend you. Local-search publications like Search Engine Land have tracked these shifts closely through 2025 and 2026.
Verification got stricter
Video verification is now the default for many new listings. You record one continuous video that shows your signage, your space, and proof that you manage the business. It is worth doing carefully the first time so you are not stuck re-recording it — Google's Business Profile Help walks through the current steps.
Everything moved to one place
The old per-profile dashboard was retired. Management now happens through your Google account at business.google.com. If you have not logged in for a while, it is worth checking that your hours, services, and contact details are still correct.
What still works, and matters more than ever
- Complete, accurate information. Name, address, phone, hours, and website — consistent everywhere. AI and customers both distrust mismatched details.
- The right categories. Choose the most accurate primary category and relevant secondary ones. This remains one of the biggest local ranking factors.
- Reviews, and your responses. Keep asking happy customers, and reply professionally. Reviews now feed the AI summaries too.
- Real photos, added regularly. Profiles that go stale — no new photos or posts for a month or more — can quietly lose visibility.
- Service pages on your website. Link out to pages that actually explain each service. Rich, connected content is what gets your business cited in AI answers instead of skipped.
The simple takeaway
The mechanics changed, but the principle did not: an active, complete, trustworthy profile wins. AI just raised the stakes, because now your profile is not only read by customers — it is read by the AI that decides what to tell them. Keep it accurate, keep it active, and connect it to a website that backs it up.