Google updates its search algorithm constantly, but a handful of changes each year actually affect how small businesses get found. This post is a working note on the updates I think small businesses should pay attention to right now, and what to do (and not do) in response.
By Christopher Mollard, J4G Design — Fulham, since 2017.
Last updated 20 Jun 2026
What’s actually changed recently?
The big shift since 2024 is that Google increasingly answers search queries inside the results page itself. AI Overviews summarise content directly. The “local pack” sits above the organic results for most local searches. Featured snippets pull answers from sites that structure their content for it.
For a small business, that means a Google update is less likely to be about a new algorithm tweak and more about a new surface where your customers might find you (or might not).
Why should small businesses care about AEO as well as SEO?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is about getting your pages to rank in Google’s traditional list of blue links. Answer engine optimisation (AEO) is about getting your content cited inside the AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity that increasingly sit on top of those results.
The two share most of their foundations: clear page structure, accurate schema, focused content, fast pages. AEO adds a few specific things on top — front-loaded answers, question-shape headings, structured data Google can lift directly into an answer.
For most small businesses, the practical move is to get the SEO foundations right first, then add the AEO layer once those are stable.
What updates should you actually act on?
A few I’d pay attention to right now:
- AI Overviews are eating informational queries. If your blog content answers “what is X” or “how do I do Y”, you need to structure it so AI can quote it. That means TL;DR-style first paragraphs, question-shape H2s, atomic facts.
- The local pack still dominates for local searches. Your Google Business Profile still drives more clicks for “[service] near me” queries than your website does. Complete profile, weekly posts, replies to reviews — same as ever.
- Helpful content guidance keeps getting stricter. Generic AI-generated content, thin pages and over-optimised “SEO writing” are increasingly penalised. Useful, specific, expert content wins.
- Schema markup matters more, not less. LocalBusiness, FAQ, Service and Product schemas are what feed both AI Overviews and rich snippets. Most small business sites don’t have them set up properly.
What’s worth ignoring?
A few things that get talked up but don’t matter much for small businesses:
- Core Web Vitals as a ranking obsession. Get them into the green and move on. Pushing scores from 80 to 95 doesn’t move rankings; getting them out of the red does.
- Daily AI/SEO news posts on LinkedIn. Most of them are speculation about updates that haven’t fully rolled out. By the time real impact lands, the news is six weeks old.
- Anyone promising you’ll rank for AI Overviews. Nobody can guarantee that. The honest version is: get the structure right and your odds improve.
What should I do this quarter?
If I were a Fulham or Hammersmith small business looking at this list, I’d do five things in this order:
- Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete, with weekly posts and replies to reviews
- Add proper schema to every page — LocalBusiness, FAQ, Service at minimum
- Audit your highest-traffic pages for AEO structure (TL;DR up top, question-shape H2s)
- Review your blog content for the “helpful content” test — is it useful and specific, or filler?
- Check that your site speed is in the green on Core Web Vitals — then leave it
That’s a fortnight of focused work. It’ll have more impact than chasing every algorithm update.
How do I keep on top of this without it becoming a job?
Most Google updates don’t need you to act on them. The ones that do, I write about here when they matter for small businesses. I’m happy to do a quick audit if you’d like to know which updates actually apply to you.