Episode Summary

This first episode recaps the major SEO stories from the week of May 25, 2026, with a focus on how Google’s AI search direction affects local service businesses.

The big picture: AI search is not replacing local SEO. It is raising the bar for accurate business data, clear service pages, strong reviews, useful content, and visible trust signals.

Key Takeaways

• Google’s May 2026 core update was still rolling out, so ranking movement should be annotated and reviewed after the rollout settles.
• AI Mode and AI Overviews are pushing local search toward comparison, evaluation, and task completion.
• Google says AI search still relies on core Search ranking and quality systems, so strong SEO fundamentals still matter.
• Google Business Profile photo and video ...