Article
Local marketing changes in August 2026: 6 tests to run
August 2026: 6 local marketing changes explain what to test in AI search, training, Google ads and Business Profile review recovery.
Owners of independent local service businesses in the United States
- Supporting sections
- 6
- Sources
- 4
- Research captured
- 2026-10-12
August 2026 brought six local marketing changes worth reviewing with the people who manage your search visibility, advertising and Google Business Profile. They cover AI Overviews, small-business AI training, three Demand Gen updates and missing reviews after profile reinstatement. Each calls for a different response, from measuring search performance more carefully to checking that reviews have returned.
Choose the changes that fit your business. A messaging test depends on how you handle inquiries, travel features apply to relevant accounts, and an announced test needs different expectations from a generally available feature.
The argument
The thesis
Turn these six changes into focused tests and verification steps. Measure outcomes against a baseline, distinguish capabilities still being tested from generally available tools, and apply travel-specific updates only where the business and offer make them relevant.
1. Measure searches with AI Overviews separately
An August 1, 2026 Ars Technica report described a Pew Research study of 900 US adults that concluded Google AI Overviews reduced website referrals by almost half compared with the traditional “10 blue links” format. That finding makes searches displaying AI Overviews worth examining separately when reviewing organic performance.
For your business, total traffic alone may not show whether a change is concentrated among those searches. Start with target queries where you observe an AI Overview, and establish a baseline for impressions, clicks, click-through rate and referral activity. Annotate the observed presence of the feature so that comparisons retain that context.
Compare those measures over time with your marketing provider. Use the results to describe what happened to clicks and referrals associated with the monitored searches. The study does not establish the effect on your own business, and a change during your monitoring period should not automatically be attributed to AI Overviews.
2. Test practical AI training for your team
A 2026 Thryv survey reported that small-business AI adoption rose from 55% in 2025 to 66% in 2026. It also found that 70% of small businesses said they needed more AI training. Entrepreneur covered those findings on August 31, 2026.
The combination supports testing practical education alongside access to AI tools. If your agency offers AI-assisted marketing workflows, ask it to pilot a short workshop covering the workflows it has approved. Keep the session tied to the work participants are expected to use afterward, so the training can be assessed against that purpose.
Track attendance, participants’ confidence before and after the session, and which workflows they subsequently use. Review those measures with the agency when assessing the training service. Attendance records participation; changes in confidence and later workflow use provide separate information. The survey figures justify exploring a training need, but they do not establish what your own team needs or how well a workshop will work.
Takeaway
Choose the next action according to your business’s current situation. If target searches display AI Overviews, establish a separate performance baseline. If your team needs help using approved AI workflows, assess a short training pilot through confidence and subsequent use. For Demand Gen, check messaging access and compare matched video formats before expanding; use travel features where the account is relevant. After Business Profile reinstatement, verify review counts and content and track unresolved gaps. Each action should produce a documented comparison or recovery check that you and your marketing provider can review together.
Sources
4 sources, captured 2026-10-12 · show· hide
- Ars Technica: As Reddit stock falls, CEO questions value of Google’s AI Overviews — August 1, 2026
- Entrepreneur: Most Small Businesses Are Using AI. The Real Challenge Is Learning How to Use it Well — August 31, 2026
- Google: Reach your audience in new ways with August’s Demand Gen Drop — August 27, 2026
- Search Engine Roundtable: Google Aware Of Reviews Missing After Google Business Profile Reinstatement — August 24, 2026
Vendor pages change. Figures are as published on the capture date; confirm before deciding.