Jan 1 • General discussion
2025 was Google's way of telling contractors: "adapt or get buried."
They rolled out update after update to Google Business Profiles — most powered by AI. Some features vanished. Others appeared overnight. A few made us rethink everything we knew about local SEO.
If you're running a contracting business and relying on Google to bring in leads, here's what actually mattered this year:
1. AI Mode Entered the Chat
You're not just competing for a spot on the map anymore. Your business is now being pulled into AI-generated answers. When someone asks "best roofer near me" — Google's AI is deciding who gets mentioned. The game changed.
2. RIP Q&A Section
Google quietly killed it. No more random people answering "I don't know" to "Do you install vinyl siding?" Now Google's AI decides how your business gets explained to potential customers. You lost control of that narrative.
3. Ranking Distance Got Tighter
Proximity matters more than ever. If you're a contractor 15 miles away competing with someone 3 miles away — you better have rock-solid reviews and relevance. Otherwise, Google moves on without you.
4. Social Posts Now Show on GBP
Google started pulling your social content directly onto profiles. Those job site photos you're posting on Facebook? Google's watching. And using them to learn about your business.
5. Google's AI Started Calling Businesses
Not a prank. Google's AI is literally calling contractors to collect pricing and service info. If you got a weird call asking about your rates — that was Google doing homework for your next customer.
6. Reviews Got Smarter (and Stricter)
Google's AI is now better at detecting fake reviews AND weighing review quality. A generic "great work" doesn't carry the same weight as "John's crew replaced our entire roof in 2 days, cleaned up everything, and the price matched the estimate exactly." Detailed reviews from real customers = gold.
7. Service Area Businesses Got More Visibility Options
Good news for contractors who don't have a storefront. Google expanded how SABs show up in local results. But here's the catch — your service areas need to be accurate and your categories need to be dialed in. Sloppy setup = invisible.
What this means for 2026:
AI isn't slowing down. Google Business Profiles are getting smarter, more important, and less forgiving.
For contractors, this is either a massive opportunity or a slow death — depending on whether your GBP is optimized or collecting dust.
Expect more AI-driven features. Fewer manual controls. Bigger emphasis on clean, consistent data.
You can try to keep up manually. It's possible.
But between running crews, managing jobs, and chasing estimates — who has the time?
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2025 was Google's way of telling contractors: "adapt or get buried."
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