When a Google core update rolls out, most businesses watch their organic rankings. What often gets missed is how local results, especially the Google Map Pack, behave during these updates.

Local rankings do move differently. Understanding why can be the difference between holding your position and quietly dropping out of view.

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Why Local Rankings Move Differently During a Core Update

The Map Pack is not driven by your Google Business Profile alone.

During a core update, Google reassesses quality, intent and proof across the entire local ecosystem. That includes your website, your reviews, your photos, and how clearly all of those elements support what your business claims to do.

Core updates do not introduce new rules. They apply existing ones more strictly.

Learn more about local ranking factors.

The Three Pillars of Local Stability: Proximity, Relevance, and Trust

During a core update, Google is effectively asking the same three questions, but with less tolerance for ambiguity.

If one of these pillars weakens, Map Pack movement becomes far more likely.

Proximity: Why Being Closest Is Not a Shield

Proximity still matters, but it does not protect you during a core update.

Google frequently adjusts how much weight it gives to relevance and trust. This is why a business slightly further away can outrank closer competitors if their website and reputation better match the search intent.

If proximity is the only thing propping you up, updates tend to expose that quickly.

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Relevance: The Website-to-Map Tether

This is where most local ranking losses start.

Google relies heavily on the local landing page linked from your Google Business Profile. This page is what Google reads to verify what services you actually provide.

If your GBP listing says you offer “Hot Water Installation” but your homepage or local page only says “Plumbing Services,” Google’s December update will likely push you down.

The fix is not subtle.

Your H1, service headings and on-page copy must explicitly match the services you expect to rank for. If the wording does not exist on the page Google reads, you are asking Google to take your word for it. During a core update, it will not.

Trust: Why Quality Recency Outranks Volume

Core updates amplify trust signals rather than create new ones.

Google looks at review quality, review recency, brand mentions, and signs of real-world activity. A smaller number of recent, specific reviews often outweighs a large volume of old, generic ones.

Trust cannot be rebuilt mid-update. It either exists or it does not.

The High-Intensity Local Audit: Proof over Claims

This is where most businesses lose ground.

Google is no longer accepting claims at face value. It is looking for proof.

The Justification Audit: Finding the Proof Gap

Look closely at the justifications shown under Map Pack listings.

If a competitor shows “Provides brake repair” and you do not, Google is telling you something very clearly. It cannot find proof on your site.

That exact service phrase needs to appear clearly and naturally on your local landing page. Not implied. Not buried in a list. Stated plainly, in context.

If Google cannot justify your service with on-page evidence, you will not hold that position during an update.

Service Area Businesses: Solving the Credibility Filter

December’s update has been particularly tough on service area businesses without physical storefronts.

Google is tightening how it validates where you actually operate. Simply listing suburbs is no longer enough.

The strongest proof comes from real-world signals, not desktop edits. Photos taken on a smartphone with location services enabled, uploaded directly via the Google Maps app or Google Updates, are far more credible than manually edited images.

This kind of activity shows Google that you were physically present, recently, in the area you claim to serve.

If your listing shows no recent, location-specific activity, visibility can drop. This is not a penalty. It is a credibility filter.

The Zero-Click Reality: Optimising for Ask AI

Local panels now include Ask AI interactions.

When a user asks, “Is this plumber good for hot water systems?”, the AI scans reviews and content to answer.

If no one has mentioned hot water systems in reviews in the last six months, the AI cannot confirm it. When the AI is unsure, it recommends a competitor instead.

This can happen even when rankings appear stable.

Your reviews now shape how AI describes your business, not just how many stars you have.

15-Minute Recovery Plan for Local Businesses

If you want to stabilise during a core update, focus on proof, not panic.

Review the exact wording on your local landing page
Match service language to how customers actually search
Check Map Pack justifications against your on-page content
Upload recent, real-world photos via Google Maps
Encourage customers to mention specific services in reviews
Watch how the entire Map Pack behaves, not just your own listing

These actions protect visibility far more reliably than technical changes.