Practical, no-fluff guides on winning more local leads for trades and service businesses: local SEO, Google Ads, AI search and social media. Plus our search timeline: what changed each month since January 2020, and what it means for your business.
AI Mode replies to searches like a conversation, not a list of links. We explain how it chooses sources and what UK trades should change on their sites.
Seeing more impressions but fewer clicks? AI answers cut visits, not customers. Here are the KPIs trades businesses should track instead.
Sell parts, products or vouchers online as well as working locally? Here is how to plan, write and link your category pages so they rank and sell.
Google now lets websites leave AI Overviews and AI Mode while staying in search. What the switch does and why most local trades should keep it off.
What Google’s AI Max for Search does, when a local trade business should switch it on, the guardrails to set first and how to tell if it pays off.
A simple monthly method for checking if ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews name your trade business, plus how to see AI visits in GA4.
People now search TikTok like Google. How trades and local firms can find search phrases and use captions, on-screen text and speech to get found.
Sponsored cards now show under ChatGPT replies for free users. What they are, who sees them and whether a local trade business should test them.
AI tools quote pages that answer fast, state clear facts and show real expertise. A practical GEO writing guide for UK trades and local businesses.
GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot and more: what each AI crawler is for, and how a local trade business should set up robots.txt to stay visible.
Changing platform, domain or design? Our step by step SEO checklist helps trades and local firms protect rankings before, during and after launch.
What experience, expertise, authority and trust mean for a UK trades business, and simple ways to prove them to Google and AI search tools.
How UK trades and service firms with several branches or towns can win map results with Business Profiles, location pages and reviews done properly.
A simple system for UK trades: turn one well-researched topic into a blog post, short videos, social posts and an email, without repeating yourself.
August is when to plan your busy season. How UK local businesses got Q4 2026 ready across Google, AI search, paid social and email before November.
IAB UK valued UK digital ad spend at £40.5bn for 2025, with social up 21%. What the numbers mean for local businesses planning search and social ads.
In June 2026 Google revealed a Search Console setting to leave AI Overviews and AI Mode, prompted by the CMA. Why most local trades should stay in.
In May 2026 Google said Preferred Sources was coming to AI Mode and AI Overviews. Why letting people favour sites rewards local firms with loyal fans.
By April 2026 Maps, AI Overviews and ChatGPT all recommended local firms. A spring checklist for your Google Business Profile, reviews and details.
With automation running most Google Ads accounts, a spring check keeps it on track. A simple checklist for local firms covering tracking and wasted spend.
Early in 2026 OpenAI started showing labelled ads to free ChatGPT users. How it worked and what it means for UK trades weighing up paid search.
January 2026 was the ideal moment for a content audit. A simple way for trades to decide which pages to keep, improve, merge or remove for Google and AI.
How local businesses could plan 2026 once AI answers and social search sat alongside Google, with one plan built around customer questions.
Black Friday 2025 was the first UK peak driven by AI Mode, AI Overviews and AI assistants. What worked for businesses selling or booking online.
By October 2025 AI assistants could compare products and help people buy. What local businesses selling online needed to fix in their product data.
In September 2025 many sites saw Search Console impressions drop while average position improved. We explain why and how to read your figures now.
Google began its August 2025 spam update on 26 August. Here is what it targeted and how a local trade business can stay well clear of spam problems.
Google AI Mode reached the UK in July 2025 and Instagram posts from business accounts became findable on Google. What it meant for local trades.
Google launched its June 2025 core update on 30 June. How local businesses can tell ranking losses from AI-driven click changes, and what to improve.
May 2025 saw AI Mode open to all US users and AI Max announced for Search campaigns. What it meant for local firms running Google Ads and SEO.
OpenAI added product cards with prices and reviews to ChatGPT search in April 2025. What it means for local businesses that also sell online.
Google unveiled AI Mode in Search Labs in March 2025, the same month a core update rolled out. What it meant for UK trades and local service firms.
OpenAI opened ChatGPT search to everyone in February 2025, no login needed. Why AI referral visits started appearing in UK small business analytics.
TikTok went briefly offline in the US in January 2025 as a legal deadline hit. A lesson for UK local firms in channel risk and owned audiences.
Google wrapped up 2024 with a December core update and a spam update. What they meant and the SEO lessons local trades can take from a busy year.
The November 2024 core update aimed to show helpful content from more sites, smaller ones included. What happened and why it mattered locally.
On 31 October 2024 OpenAI added live web search with source links to ChatGPT. What it means for local trades and how to make sure your site can show up.
A month after AI Overviews reached the UK, clear patterns showed which pages got quoted. What local trades can learn about writing pages AI cites.
AI Overviews reached UK searchers in August 2024, the same month as a core update. What it meant for local trades and how to get cited today.
Google scrapped its plan to remove Chrome’s third-party cookies in July 2024. Why old style tracking never came back and what local firms should track.
June 2024 brought a Google spam update on top of new site reputation abuse enforcement. Here is what it meant for local business websites.
At I/O in May 2024 Google gave every US user AI Overviews. How results changed and what UK trades took from it ahead of the August UK rollout.
Google’s March 2024 core update finished in April. A practical way for local firms to audit their content and win back lost visibility.
March 2024 brought a huge core update, spam policies on scaled content and site reputation abuse, and INP in place of FID. What changed and what to do.
In February 2024 Bard became Gemini and Gemini Advanced launched. Why AI assistants turned into a real way for customers to find local trades.
Chrome limited third-party cookies for 1% of users in January 2024 as Consent Mode v2 deadlines neared. What local advertisers had to put right.
Google unveiled its Gemini AI models in December 2023. Why that matters for local search, and how Gemini now sits behind AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Google’s November 2023 core and reviews updates hit just before Black Friday. How local firms can plan for busy seasons so a ranking wobble does less harm.
Google ran a spam update and then a core update in October 2023. How to tell spam problems from quality problems and keep your local site safe.
A big helpful content update and a new robots.txt control for AI training both arrived in September 2023. What they meant for local websites.
Google’s August 2023 core update shook rankings again. What happened, why rushing changes backfires and how local trades should read core updates.
Threads arrived in July 2023 and Twitter became X soon after. What the shake-up meant for local firms deciding where text-based social is worth it.
June 2023 was Universal Analytics’ final month of data. What local businesses had to set up in GA4, and the tracking checks still worth doing now.
Google showed off the Search Generative Experience at I/O in May 2023, the trial behind AI Overviews. What it revealed and how local firms can prepare.
Google’s April 2023 reviews update grew beyond products to services and businesses. How local firms can write reviews that show real experience.
March 2023 brought a Google core update and the launch of GPT-4. What each meant for local business websites and how to respond to both today.
How Bing’s AI chat, Google Bard and Google’s view on AI-written content in February 2023 started the AI search race, and what local firms can do now.
In January 2023 businesses piled into ChatGPT to write content. What local trades learned about speed, accuracy and keeping their own voice.
In December 2022 Google added experience to its rater guidelines, turning E-A-T into E-E-A-T. What it means and how trades can show hands-on know-how.
OpenAI released ChatGPT on 30 November 2022. How it changed the way customers look for answers, and what it means for UK trades and local firms today.
Google’s October 2022 spam update and Twitter’s change of owner carried the same lesson for local firms: follow the rules and spread your risk.
Two Google updates landed days apart in September 2022. How to make sense of overlapping updates and what local businesses should improve.
August 2022’s helpful content update went after pages written for search engines, not people. How it changed content for trades and local service firms.
Instagram’s July 2022 push into full screen video and suggested posts upset users. What the backlash taught local firms about relying on social reach.
From 2022 Google folded Smart Shopping and Local campaigns into Performance Max. What it meant for local firms selling online, and how to stay in control.
Google’s May 2022 core update caused big ranking swings for many sites. What changed, who was hit and how local firms should react calmly.
Google added multisearch to Lens in April 2022, so people could search with a photo plus words. Why visual search matters and how to prepare your images.
In March 2022 Google said Universal Analytics would stop processing data in July 2023. How the switch to GA4 changed reporting for local businesses.
From February 2022 Google applied page experience signals to desktop results too. What it covered and why speed and stability count on every screen.
An Austrian ruling in January 2022 put Google Analytics in the spotlight. Why it mattered for UK firms and how consent affects your enquiry data.
Google’s December 2021 reviews update asked for proof of real use and links to several sellers. What it means for trades writing about products.
Google’s November 2021 core update was followed by a local search update. What moved for trades in the map pack, and how to firm up local rankings.
Facebook’s company became Meta in October 2021. What the new name meant for local firms advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
In September 2021 TikTok said it had passed one billion monthly users. How that changed social marketing for local firms and made TikTok a search tool.
From August 2021 Google wrote its own titles for more search results. Why your page titles get swapped and how local firms can write ones Google keeps.
Google’s July 2021 link spam update went after manipulative links and told sites to label sponsored ones. What safe link building looks like for trades.
In June 2021 Google started rolling out page experience and Core Web Vitals as ranking signals, plus a core update. What it meant for trades.
Google revealed MUM at I/O in May 2021, an AI model built for complex questions. How it pointed towards AI Overviews and what trades can learn.
April 2021 brought Google’s product reviews update, favouring first hand reviews, and Apple’s tracking prompt. What both meant for local businesses.
In March 2021 Google said it would not create new IDs to follow people across the web after cookies. Why your own customer data now matters so much.
Google launched passage ranking for US English searches in February 2021. Why tidy, well-organised pages win, in Google and AI search.
The Brexit transition ended on 1 January 2021. What it meant for UK firms selling online into the EU, and the delivery, pricing and SEO fixes needed.
Google rolled out a core update on 3 December 2020, right at peak season. What happened and how local firms can protect their busiest months.
In November 2020 Google set a date for its page experience update and relaunched Crawl Stats in Search Console. How local firms can use both now.
Google revealed passage ranking and wider use of BERT at Search On in October 2020. Why clear, well-organised sections matter even more in AI search.
Apple launched iOS 14 in September 2020 and announced App Tracking Transparency. What it meant for Facebook and Instagram ads run by local businesses.
Instagram added Reels in August 2020 to take on TikTok. How short video changed social media for local firms, and what still works for trades now.
When the UK reopened in July 2020, people kept buying and booking online. How local firms joined up search listings and online booking.
In June 2020 big advertisers paused Facebook ads over harmful content. What the boycott taught small UK firms about ad placement and channel risk.
Google introduced Core Web Vitals in May 2020 as part of page experience. What they measure, how they changed, and what local firms should check now.
In April 2020 Google said products could show in the Shopping tab for free. What it meant for local firms selling online, and how to use Merchant Center.
The first UK lockdown in March 2020 changed what people searched for within days. What shifted, how local firms responded and lessons that still hold.
Chrome 80 changed cross-site cookie rules in February 2020 and some tracking broke. What happened and what it still teaches local firms about measurement.
In January 2020 Google stopped listing featured snippet pages twice on page one and released a core update. What changed and what it means for trades.
