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.

 

[JoyHawkins]

I did a pretty detailed write-up about this and the trend we are seeing across hundreds of listings. Clicks are down for most. The main reason why is more ads (and better placement), more AI, and the removal of call buttons on mobile for most industries.

 

[UniqueTradesMarketer]

Thanks! It’s helpful to hear that others are seeing similar trends with engagement declining even when rankings improve.

I’ll definitely dig into the write-up mentioned and keep monitoring how LSAs and other SERP features are affecting behavior in our market. Really appreciate the perspective from this group!