If you’re a business owner in Wichita, you know that your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first point of contact for a potential customer. It’s no secret that Google has been integrating AI-driven answers into its search results, but what that means for local business owners is a bit more muddy. As a local Wichita marketing agency, we’re seeing these changes firsthand. Here is a breakdown of what’s happening as we go into 2026 and changes your business should implement to stay ahead of the curve.
1. Google Deprecates Q&As and Introduces AI-Powered “Ask Maps”
For years, the “Questions & Answers” section of a Google Business Profile was a staple of local SEO. Businesses used this section to answer common questions that were posed by customers, as well as respond to true customer inquiries. As of 2025, Google has deprecated the traditional Q&A feature.
Google is now using the Gemini AI model to power a new “Ask Maps” feature. This removes the ability to control messaging for businesses but also ensures that users are receiving more recent information based on user interactions. Instead of customers scrolling through old questions, they can simply ask a question like, “Does this place have outdoor seating?” or inquire “Give me a list of places open today serving Brunch” and Gemini will comb several data sources to answer:
- Your Reviews: It scans for keywords for trends your customer service, quality, and specific products or services offered. Service and Quality are particularly important in “best ____” searches.
- Your Website: It pulls data from your FAQs and service pages. A solid content strategy that is written in AI-friendly terms, in addition to schema markup on your site, is going to be paramount to ranking factors as Google integrates more AI into search results.
- Your Google Business Profile: In addition to your categories and services, Gemini will comb menus, descriptions, photos and hours.
It’s worth noting, this feature has not been rolled out on all Google searches, and not all Q&As have been fully deprecated, but the change will roll out across all industries in the coming months. Businesses should ensure that they have an FAQ strategy implemented on their websites. Pro Tip: Since AI is now “reading” your reviews to answer questions, ask your best customers to be specific. Instead of just “Great service!”, encourage them to mention the specific service (e.g., “The team did a great job with my AC repair in Wichita“) and be sure you do the same when responding to those reviews.
2. Google Is Fighting Fake Reviews with Machine Learning
For years Google has worked to combat fake reviews, but it has most recently been getting aggressive with its machine learning to detect review abuse. This includes both “review bombing” (mass negative reviews) and purchased 5-star reviews. What this means for business owners is that although the Terms of Service haven’t changed (you still can’t incentivize positive reviews!), Google’s ability to crack down on them has. We’ve also had local clients experience more – and quicker – success in having false negative batched reviews removed by using Google’s reporting tools.
- Google Can Use AI to Look Back at Previous Review Abuse. Machine learning makes it easier for them to detect patterns of fake reviews that have been purchased or influenced in bulk, even months later. Be careful about incentivizing positive reviews with in-store offers or rewards — machine learning makes it more likely than ever that you ‘ll be caught, even if it was successful for you in the past. It’s not worth having your entire profile suspended!
- Dispute True Spam Reviews Quickly. You should be monitoring your reviews. While the occasional negative review may happen, if you receive a legitimate “spam” review, fight the urge to reply and engage. There are multiple categories to dispute the review with. Determine the best-fitting category for the dispute to help the AI understand why it violates policy. This is particularly successful with large batches of fake reviews that occur in quick succession.
- New Tools Against Review Extortion. One of the newest updates of 2025 is the dedicated Merchant Extortion Report Form. A common scam local businesses owners are seeing is receiving multiple negative reviews, followed by messages and calls saying that a competitor paid them to leave negative reviews but if they receive payment from you, they’ll remove the negative reviews (and sometimes they’ll even offer to leave positive reviews as well). If a scammer contacts you demanding money or favors to remove a negative review, do not engage and do not pay them. Gather your evidence (screenshots of the demand, the reviewer’s name, etc.) and use the official reporting tool in the GBP Help Center linked above.
The best review strategies we see for local businesses include providing quality service, requesting reviews from satisfied customers, and responding professionally to ALL reviews, both positive and negative. If you have questions about your review strategy, keep in mind BCC offers Reputation Management for local businesses.
3. Google Now Allows You To Post Reviews Using a Nickname
Google Maps now allows users to leave reviews under a custom nickname and using a custom photo for posting in Maps/Reviews, rather than showing their real name. This is likely to be a game-changer for sensitive industries like legal, medical, or financial services in Wichita. Clients who were previously hesitant to leave a review for privacy reasons can now share their experiences anonymously. While Google still knows who the person is, they no longer have to use their real name. However, for those users who did not leave negative reviews because they were concerned about it being tied to their full name publicly, they may now be more inclined to share negative feedback.
- The Impact: Expect to see an increase in review volume.
- The Takeaways: Monitor your reviews closely and be prepared to respond to negative customer experiences in a curious and professional manner. Use true negative feedback as a training opportunity and area to improve, and offer in your reply a direct line of communication from management. Continue to mark dishonest reviews that do not reflect true experiences as spam with the applicable filter. Update your team to mention this privacy feature when asking for reviews in sensitive industries — it might be the nudge a hesitant client needs.
4. Engagement is a New Ranking Factor
We’ve long preached keeping your website and social media profiles up to date, but often Google Business Profiles are neglected in the process. In the AI era, a “set it and forget it” profile is a dying profile. To stay relevant in Wichita’s local search results, your business should show active engagement. Consistently updating and optimizing your profile may take some time, but you should implement a strategy to ensure that it’s at least a monthly task you tackle. This includes the following:
- NAP Consistency: Because Gemini will use your NAP info (name, address, phone) frequently, you need to ensure that it is identical across major listings such as Bing, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Apple Maps and your website. Any discrepancy acts as a broken signal to Google’s AI and signals distrust in the data. Not sure if your NAP data is consistent now? Try our Free Local SEO Audit tool to see exactly where you stand.
- Update Hours & Seasonality: Keep your hours updated consistently for holiday closures, training days, or seasonal changes. Gemini will prioritize competitors if they’ve updated information and you haven’t, and searches for “Open Now” will prioritize those whose hours are accurate.
- Post Your Sales & Offers: Google offers a way to post offers, updates and events from the business. Take advantage of this for local SEO. A good rule of thumb? If you’re posting a sale or an event on Facebook or Instagram, post it on your Google Business Profile too. You’re even able to post videos, photos and coupon codes.
- Use the Updates Section: Use the Updates section (previously called Google Posts) to help AI learn more about your business! Is a road closure going to affect the route to your business for customers? Will you have extended hours due to Riverfest? Are you offering new products or services? This is a great use of the Updates area on your Google Business Profile.
Don’t Let Google’s Changes Slow Your Business Down
We know that navigating these constant updates can feel like a full-time job on top of actually running your business. The transition from a simple business listing to an AI-integrated profile is confusing, but you don’t have to figure it out alone.
At Big Corner Creative, we have proven experience helping Wichita business owners turn these technical shifts into a competitive advantage. Whether it’s improving your local search rankings, crafting optimized website content, or managing your online reputation, we handle the digital heavy lifting. We live and work right here in the ICT, and we’re dedicated to ensuring our local partners stay visible, trusted, and ahead of the curve.
Join us for a free, no-pressure consultation. We’ll discuss your specific goals, troubleshoot any search ranking issues you’re facing, and show you how we help local businesses like yours win in the age of Gemini.