Local SEO Pulse: October 2026
The October 2026 Local SEO Pulse: 1,450 ranked Google Business Profiles measured across 29 US markets and 5 trades. Median 222 reviews, average completeness 1.4 out of 5 and 33% with a booking link.
Collected 2026-10-01 · 1,450 listings · 5 trades · 29 US metros
Cite as: ES Studios, “Local SEO Pulse: October 2026”, 1,450 Google Business Profiles, 29 US markets, 5 trades, collected 2026-10-01. https://ericscottstudios.com/pulse/local-seo-pulse-2026-10
Overall snapshot
Median review count by trade
Median reviews across all ranked positions (1-10). Sorted highest to lowest.
Booking link adoption by trade
Share of ranked listings with an active booking link in GBP. Overall average: 33%
GBP signal adoption
Share of all 1,450 ranked listings with each signal present.
Recent Google Posts, the services section and photo counts are not shown. The collector could not tell a missing signal from one it failed to detect, so a 0% would be a detection failure and not a finding.
What stands out
HVAC carries the heaviest review load of the 5 trades tracked, at a median of 800 against 77 for Landscaping, a ratio of about 10.4 to 1.
33% of ranked profiles have an active booking link, led by HVAC at 44%. It is a one time setup step in the profile dashboard.
Against the previous collection the median review count rose 6 to 222.
Methodology
Data collected 2026-10-01 via automated browser extraction of Google Maps search results. 10 results per query, 5 trades by 29 metros = 1,450 listings. Signals published: review count, website link and booking link. Recent posts, services and photo counts are collected but not published because the collector cannot detect them reliably. Q&A presence was tracked until Google removed the feature in December 2025. No data is estimated or interpolated. Full methodology in the 2026 Benchmark Report.
Full Dataset
See the interactive 2026 Benchmark Report
The full report covers all 1,450 listings with interactive trade and city breakdowns.
View Benchmark Report →