Google's November 2025 Core Update: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Google has officially confirmed the rollout of its November 2025 core update, and early signals suggest meaningful changes for local search results. If you run a small business that depends on organic traffic, here’s what you need to know and how to respond.

What We Know So Far

Google announced the update on November 3, noting it could take up to two weeks to fully roll out. Initial tracking data from major SEO tools shows significant volatility in local pack rankings and map results, particularly for service-based businesses.

Early observations from the SEO community point to a few key themes:

Review quality and recency appear to carry more weight in local pack rankings
Service area pages with thin or duplicated content are seeing drops
Sites with strong topical authority in their niche are being rewarded

If you notice ranking fluctuations over the next two weeks, don't panic. Core updates take time to settle, and premature changes to your site could do more harm than good.

How This Affects Local Businesses

For small businesses competing in local search, the November 2025 core update reinforces trends Google has been pushing all year: authenticity, depth, and user experience.

Google Business Profile activity matters more than ever. Businesses that regularly update their profiles with posts, photos, and responses to reviews are seeing more stability through this update than those with dormant listings.

Content depth is being rewarded. If your service pages are just a headline and a phone number, this update is a wake-up call. Google wants to see genuinely helpful content that answers the questions your potential customers are actually asking.

Site speed and mobile experience continue to be table stakes. Core Web Vitals haven’t changed, but sites that underperform on mobile are seeing compounded losses when paired with thin content.

What You Should Do Right Now

1. Audit your Google Business Profile. Make sure your hours, services, and categories are accurate. Respond to recent reviews. Post an update this week.

2. Review your top landing pages. Use a tool like Semrush to check which pages drive the most organic traffic and ensure they offer substantial, helpful content.

3. Check your review velocity. If you haven’t gotten a new Google review in months, now is the time to reach out to recent customers and ask.

4. Don’t make drastic changes mid-rollout. Wait until the update is fully deployed before overhauling your site. Monitor your traffic and rankings daily, but resist the urge to react to every fluctuation.

The Bigger Picture

This update is consistent with Google’s broader direction: rewarding businesses that genuinely serve their customers online, not just those that check SEO boxes. For small businesses willing to invest in quality content and an active online presence, that’s actually good news.

We’ll continue monitoring the rollout and will update this article as more data becomes available. In the meantime, focus on the fundamentals: great content, a well-maintained Google Business Profile, and a steady stream of authentic customer reviews.