The SEO Juice: A Year of Trends, Trust Signals & Traffic Truths
Local Memo: User Behavior Confirmed as Ranking Signal, Businesses Lag in Local Optimization, Google Core Update Rolling Out
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Patent Confirms User Behavior as Ranking Signal
The News: While Google has denied it for years, a recent patent filing from Google confirms user behavior (i.e., engagement) does play a crucial role in search rankings.
Google’s Trust Ranking Patent reveals a system considering user behavior to identify trustworthy websites and influence search rankings. The core idea: user trust, demonstrated through frequent visits or engagement, can signal overall trustworthiness. Trust levels can fluctuate over time based on ongoing interactions.
The patent mentions a hypothetical “trust button,” but likely represents various user behaviors like site visits, bookmarks, or favorites.
What This Means: Google’s Trust Ranking patent emphasizes trust and user-centricity in rankings. Brands focusing on well-researched content, credible sources, and positive user experiences through clear formatting and visuals will enhance SEO performance and build credibility online.
Most Businesses Not Optimized for “Near Me” Searches
The News: A recent BrightLocal study found 46% of consumers ‘always’ or ‘often’ add “near me” to local searches, though overall “near me” searches have decreased by nearly 20% since 2021—likely because users aren’t explicitly adding it as often.
Unsurprisingly (at least for this SEO professional), most local businesses in the study weren’t optimized for this common local search query:
- 94% of local pack results lacked “near me” optimizations.
- 24% lacked linked landing pages; another 4% had broken/404 pages.
- Only 31% of results indicated clear “near me” optimization.
What This Means: With many businesses missing “near me” optimization, there’s significant opportunity for those investing in local SEO strategies. Recommended best practices: create quality location pages, apply local business schema, and claim prominent directory listings.
Google’s June 2025 Core Update in Progress
The News: On June 30th, Google began rolling out its second core update of 2025. Google states, “This is a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.” The update rollout is expected to take approximately three weeks.
What This Means: Brands adhering to local SEO best practices typically experience little negative impact during core updates. Google notes, “most sites don’t need to worry about core updates and may not even realize one has happened.” However, brands with known SEO gaps should closely monitor keyword rankings for top queries over the next few months to assess any impacts.
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