The basics of good marketing have not changed: know who you are trying to reach, make it easy for them to choose you and stay consistent. What has changed in 2026 is where people look and what the platforms reward. These are the priorities we are building into client plans right now.
1. Treat your Google Business Profile like a second homepage
For local businesses, your profile is often the first thing a customer sees, and Google uses that same information when it builds AI answers. Keep hours, services, photos and categories current, post updates, and answer every review. Google itself lists keeping Business Profile information up to date as one of the best practices for showing up in its AI features. Our step-by-step Google Business Profile guide walks through it.
2. Write for real questions, not keywords
People now type, and speak, full questions into Google and into AI tools. A 2026 BrightLocal survey found that 45 percent of consumers have used AI tools like ChatGPT to find business recommendations, up from 6 percent a year earlier. Give each core service its own page, answer the questions customers ask before they buy, and name the areas you serve in plain sentences.
3. Make video and carousels your social backbone
Short-form video is still the most watched format, and carousels are being saved and reshown more than ever. Shares, saves and comments now count for more than likes, so build posts people want to send to someone, not just tap.
4. Turn reviews into a system
Ask every happy customer, at the right moment, with a direct link. Steady reviews help in Google Maps, in AI answers and in the decision itself. Here is how to get more Google reviews the right way.
5. Measure what matters
- Calls, form fills and direction requests, not just traffic
- Which pages and posts actually lead to enquiries
- Cost per lead for every paid campaign
- How customers say they heard about you
6. Plan in quarters, review monthly
The businesses that grow fastest are rarely the ones doing the most. They pick a few priorities for the quarter, do them well and adjust based on what the numbers say.
If you would like a second set of eyes on your plan for the year, book a discovery call and we will tell you what we would do first.
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