This is a game-changer for consumers, saving them from making multiple calls themselves.  But for business owners, it raises practical concerns:

• How does Google select which businesses to call?  It prioritizes based on traditional local search rankings—proximity, relevance, and profile strength play a big role.
• What if you miss the call or don’t provide pricing?  Studies (like one from Invoca in late 2025) show that about 26% of these AI calls go unanswered, and nearly half of answered calls don’t result in shared pricing info (often because staff aren’t prepared).  Missing opportunities here could mean your business gets excluded from the user’s summary, potentially reducing leads.
• Best practices moving forward:  Train staff to recognize and handle these calls professionally (the AI identifies itself upfront).  Consider adding clear pricing to your website or profile where possible, as Google may fall back to scraping that if calls fail.

This feature saw massive adoption growth—pricing request calls surged over 300% month-over-month by November 2025.   Businesses that respond well are seeing new high-intent leads; those that don’t are risking invisibility in these AI-mediated comparisons.

#2 Service areas in GBPs Don’t Directly Impact Local Rankings

Don’t believe the rumors floating around in SEO groups—adding more cities, ZIP codes, or bigger service radii to your Google Business Profile won’t magically improve your rankings in those areas. It’s a total myth.  Real-world tests all through 2025 (including from trusted Monster’s trusted experts) keep proving the same thing: Service areas are just there to help customers.  They put a shaded overlay on Google Maps so people can quickly see if you cover their location. That’s it—they don’t actually affect how high you show up in search results.

For businesses that don’t have a public storefront (like plumbers or cleaners), Google still bases your rankings mainly on your official registered address (even if you hide it from customers), plus the usual important stuff: your reviews, how close you are to the searcher, how well your categories match, and how complete your profile is.

Google’s own official docs back this up—service areas are for showing info to users, not for boosting your spot in the rankings.

Still, it’s smart to keep your service areas accurate and current.  It builds trust with customers and prevents problems like bad reviews from people who thought you served their area when you don’t.

#3 Google Emails Businesses with Review Restrictions—and when they’ll lift

Review restrictions (temporary blocks on new reviews due to suspected spam, fake engagement, or policy violations) have long frustrated business owners, often leaving them in the dark about duration and recovery.

In a welcome transparency improvement rolled out in 2025, Google now proactively sends emails notifying owners when restrictions are applied and specifying the exact end date when normal review flow resumes.

This helps you plan better—no more guessing when your profile’s “review velocity” will recover. Restrictions can still hurt short-term (slowing review growth and giving competitors an edge), but the clear timeline reduces uncertainty.

If you receive one, focus on compliance: Avoid incentivized reviews, monitor for spam attacks, and appeal violations promptly through the proper channels. Positive, genuine reviews remain one of the strongest local ranking signals, so nurturing them ethically pays off long-term.

These updates highlight Google’s push toward more AI-driven, transparent, and user-focused local search. Staying proactive with your profile—accurate info, quick responses, and authentic engagement—will keep you ahead in 2026.