I've been getting a lot of questions lately from law firms and agencies asking some version of the same thing: Is Google Business Profile even worth investing in anymore? With AI taking over search results, heatmaps getting less reliable, and the familiar three-pack starting to disappear from search pages, it's a fair question.
Here's my honest answer: GBP is not dead. Not even close. But if you're managing it the same way you were two years ago, you're going to fall behind and fast.
I spent over a decade at Google overseeing operations for Google Maps and Google Business Profiles. I left at the beginning of 2024, and since then, I've watched the landscape shift more dramatically than in any comparable period I can remember. So let me break down what's actually happening and what it means for your firm.
Google Business Profile Data: Why Is GBP Data More Valuable Than Ever in the AI Era?
Here's something a lot of people get wrong: they're conflating the visibility of the three-pack with the relevance of the underlying data. Those are two very different things.
The data inside your Google Business Profile, including your name, address, categories, reviews, photos, hours, and Q&As, is Google's competitive moat. It's the reason Google Gemini is significantly better than ChatGPT at answering local intent queries right now. ChatGPT doesn't have access to that GBP data. Google does.
So even as the traditional three-pack gets replaced in more and more search queries by AI-generated summaries and AI overviews, the businesses showing up in those AI summaries are the ones with the strongest, most accurate, most well-maintained profiles. The UI layer is changing. The importance of the underlying data is only growing.
AI Mode for Law Firms: Why Is AI Mode Making Google Business Profile More Important, Not Less?
When I talk to law firms about AI Mode, I try to reframe it this way: AI isn't making local search easier to game; it's making it harder. And that's actually great news if you've been doing things the right way.
The old way of doing local SEO rewarded keyword stuffing, thin content, and gaming the algorithm. AI is far less tolerant of that. What AI rewards is authentic engagement. Real reviews. Real photos. Accurate and up-to-date information. AI wants genuine activity on your profile.
If your firm has been consistently maintaining a complete, active, well-reviewed Google Business Profile, you're actually in a strong position for the AI era. The firms that built on a solid foundation have a real competitive advantage right now over competitors who cut corners.
For law firms specifically, this matters enormously. Legal searches are deeply local by nature. For example, someone searching for a personal injury attorney or a family law firm is almost certainly looking for one in their city. GBP is still the most important local visibility tool you have, and with AI now surfacing those results in a more prominent, narrative format, the upside of getting it right has never been higher.
Google Business Profile Optimization: What Does Your GBP Actually Need to Rank in 2026?
Based on everything I'm seeing (and everything I've observed in my years building this product at Google), here's what actually moves the needle in 2026:
- Engagement signals matter more than ever. Google uses engagement (clicks, calls, direction requests, and review responses) as a signal that your data is accurate and your business is active. A profile nobody engages with loses trust in Google's eyes, even if the information is technically correct. Keep your profile active. Respond to every review. Post updates regularly. Answer Q&As.
- Photo freshness is a real ranking factor. One strategy I recommend: gather a large batch of photos upfront, ideally 52 or more, so you can drip one into the profile each week. That's a full year of fresh content loaded in a single session. Google rewards freshness, and this is one of the most practical ways to deliver it consistently.
- Review quantity and quality signal authority. A systematic review request process isn't optional anymore; it's table stakes. Whether you're using software or asking personally, it needs to be a consistent, ongoing part of how you operate. And when negative reviews come in, resist the urge to get defensive. Route unhappy reviewers to a direct conversation and genuinely try to make it right. More often than not, that effort is what turns a critic into a loyal advocate.
Heatmap rankings are becoming less meaningful as the three-pack disappears from more search results. I know a lot of agencies and firms have leaned on these reports to demonstrate ROI, but the industry is going to need new reporting frameworks for the AI era. Don't let a declining heatmap metric make you think your GBP work isn't delivering value. Instead, look at the full picture, including profile views, call clicks, and how often you're appearing in AI-driven summaries.
The Future of Google Business Profile: Why Is GBP Still a Competitive Advantage for Law Firms?
Google Business Profile is evolving, and the change is significant. But significant doesn't mean bad. For law firms that have been investing in their digital presence the right way, including with real content, real engagement, and accurate information, this evolution is actually an opportunity to pull ahead of competitors who haven't.
The firms that win in the AI era will be the ones that stay curious, keep experimenting, and treat their GBP as a living, breathing part of their marketing strategy, not a set-it-and-forget-it directory listing.
If you have questions about what this means for your firm specifically, I'm always happy to talk through it. That's what we're here for.
Learn more in my interview with Merchynt.
Brad Wetherall is the Chief Operating Officer at Esquire Digital and the founder of GBP Experts. He spent over a decade at Google overseeing operations for Google Maps and Google Business Profile. He is also the author of AI and the Future of Search: The Law Firm's Guide, available on Amazon.
