Local Pack Rank Improving, Views & Interactions Decreasing

[UniqueTradesMarketer]

I manage the GBP for a plumbing company. Our Google Business Profile rank has improved by about two positions year-over-year, and based on what we’re seeing in our service area, we now hold the best average position among competitors within a ~15-mile radius. (LocalFalcon, BrightLocal, Whitespark).

However, despite the ranking improvement, total GBP views and interactions are down roughly 30% YoY every month since December 2025. My current theory is that Local Service Ads may be absorbing a larger share of the attention and clicks, even when the GBP ranking itself is strong.

Questions for the group:

• Are LSAs having that significant of an impact on GBP impressions/interactions in your markets?
• Have you seen GBP engagement drop despite improved ranking?
• Are there other factors (UI changes, AI results, etc.) that might be contributing?

Curious if others are seeing similar trends.

 

[keyserholiday]

Yes, engagement is down with LSA and AI overviews.

 

[fisicx]

People are increasingly using AI tools to research and find local services. This bypasses all the normal search behaviors and can make a GBP redundant.