Year to date · 2026
State of Local Search 2026
A running account of Google Business Profile change, Map Pack volatility, and the slow encroachment of generative search on proximity-driven discovery — covering 1 January 2026 to date, and updated as the year progresses.
Year to date · last updated October 2, 2026 · final report publishes 31 December 2026 · Free to cite with attribution
1. Map Pack volatility, week by week
The Local Search Index tracks Map Pack churn each week on a 0–10 scale. In 2026, the index averaged 4.8 with 0 stormy weeks (score ≥ 7) — a useful benchmark for any agency or operator trying to separate client-specific issues from industry-wide movement.
2. The 2026 update timeline
Confirmed and suspected algorithm activity across the Map Pack, Local Finder, and related local-search surfaces in 2026, ranked by observed severity.
No tracked updates for this year yet — check back as the year progresses.
3. Where the story has been in 2026
Distribution of Map Observer’s 332 2026 stories so far across our beats — a rough proxy for where the action has been in local search this year.
- Google Business Profile160 · 48%
- Google Maps47 · 14%
- Industry News40 · 12%
- Local Rankings36 · 11%
- Reviews & Reputation26 · 8%
- AI & Search23 · 7%
Methodology
- Volatility: weekly SERP samples across ~100 representative service-area queries, scored 0–10 against a rolling baseline.
- Updates: a combination of official Google confirmations, our own measured movement, and corroborated practitioner reports.
- Editorial coverage: every published Map Observer story between 2026-01-01 and today, classified by beat.
- Reporting period: 1 January 2026 to date — figures on this page move as the year progresses, and are finalised on 31 December 2026.
Underlying data is available via the public API.