First Place Positioning

09/29/2026

Google Appeals Europe's DMA Mandate To Share Search History Data

Google has officially appealed to the European Union to stop the European Commission's Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandate requiring it to share search history data with competitors. Google said, "We're appealing decisions that will force us to share people's private search history without sufficient anonymization and weaken vital security protections on Android."

Google has officially appealed to the European Union to stop the European Commission's Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandate requiring it to share search history data with competitors. Google said, "We're appealing decisions that will force us to share people's private search history without sufficient....

09/18/2026

Google Search Drops Free Product Listings From European Economic Area

Google Search has dropped the free product listings and carousel formats from the European Economic Area (EEA). This change is part of what the European Commission forced Google to do in these regions under the Digital Markets Act.

Google Search has dropped the free product listings and carousel formats from the European Economic Area (EEA). This change is part of what the European Commission forced Google to do in these regions under the Digital Markets Act.

09/15/2026

Google European Ecosystem Carousel Live For Weather, Translations & More

As you know, Google has new features in many European regions to promote vertical search services (VSS) by way of the Digital Markets Act. Many of those changes have been live for a while, but now the Ecosystem carousel seems to be live.

As you know, Google has new features in many European regions to promote vertical search services (VSS) by way of the Digital Markets Act. Many of those changes have been live for a while, but now the Ecosystem carousel seems to be live.

09/08/2026

Google: EU DMA Changes Resulted In Largest Reduction In Search Quality

Google has rolled out its Digital Markets Act changes in Europe and called it the "largest reduction in quality" in the life of Google Search. "The changes mark the largest reduction in quality of service 'at the world's most popular internet search engine in its 29-year search history," Google official told Reuters.

Google has rolled out its Digital Markets Act changes in Europe and called it the "largest reduction in quality" in the life of Google Search. "The changes mark the largest reduction in quality of service ‌at the world's most popular internet search engine in its 29-year search history," Google of...

07/23/2026

Google Hotel Search Updates In EU Based On DMA

Google may be rolling out updates to its hotel search results based on the European Commission's requirement for Google to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Despite Google not being a fan of the requirement, it seems Google needs to make changes to its search results as a result.

Google may be rolling out updates to its hotel search results based on the European Commission's requirement for Google to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Despite Google not being a fan of the requirement, it seems Google needs to make changes to its search results as a result.

07/23/2026

EU Fines Google $1 Billion Under DMA For Anti-Competitive Search Dominance

The European Union has fined Google ''¬890 million (about $1 billion) for breaches of the Digital Markets Act. Specifically, over anti-competitive behavior with Google Search and Google Play.

The European Union has fined Google €890 million (about $1 billion) for breaches of the Digital Markets Act. Specifically, over anti-competitive behavior with Google Search and Google Play.

05/26/2026

EU May Fine Google Triple Million Euros Over Favoring Itself In Search Results

The European Union may fine Google its largest fine for a breach of the 'new Digital Markets Act (DMA). It would be in the triple millions of Euros and would be done because Google allegedly favors its own services in its own search results.

The European Union may fine Google its largest fine for a breach of the ​new Digital Markets Act (DMA). It would be in the triple millions of Euros and would be done because Google allegedly favors its own services in its own search results.

04/13/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 "𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮 𝗦𝗘𝗢." 🚫

If someone has pitched you a voice search package or a directory blast that promises to get you into Siri and Alexa, you were being sold a scam.

Here is what is actually happening in 2026.

Voice assistants and AI chatbots do not have their own private index. They pull from the same local data most businesses already have sitting there, broken. Wrong hours. Missing categories. Thin service pages. A Google Business Profile nobody has touched in two years. A homepage that tries to say everything and ends up saying nothing.

And the numbers are brutal.

📊 Google local pack shows about 36% of eligible businesses
📊 Gemini recommends around 11%
📊 ChatGPT recommends about 1.2%

AI compresses the whole decision. It picks one answer. Often two. Rarely three. If your data is messy or your reviews are weak, you are not in the conversation.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

✅ Fix Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect first
✅ Add specific service categories with real descriptions
✅ Build separate service pages and city pages instead of one fat homepage
✅ Answer conversational questions directly on the page
✅ Get your ratings to 4.5 or higher with steady review flow
✅ Use LocalBusiness and FAQPage schema correctly

This is the work that gets you recommended when someone asks their phone, "Who is the best 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 near me?"

First Place Positioning has been doing local SEO since 1998. No hype, no buzzwords, no fake packages. Just the work that moves rankings and brings in calls.

Read the full 2026 Authority Report here:
https://firstplacepositioning.com/voice-ai-optimization-local-businesses/

Or call Gregg directly at (610) 768-0357.

Learn what actually helps local businesses get found in Siri, Alexa, Google, and AI answers, and what voice search hype to ignore in 2026.

03/05/2026

✨ The provided text reports on the February 2026 Discover Core Update, a historic milestone as Google’s first major algorithm overhaul designed exclusively for its personalized content feed. This update took three weeks to finalize and signals a strategic shift by separating Discover’s evaluation from traditional web search rankings.

Google’s primary objectives include promoting high-quality local news, rewarding topical expertise, and aggressively penalizing clickbait or sensationalist headlines. The sources emphasize the economic gravity of this change, noting that Discover has recently overtaken traditional search to become the dominant traffic source for global news publishers.

This transition requires a new optimization approach for digital creators, as the platform now dictates the financial viability of many modern media organizations. While currently limited to English-speaking users in the United States, the update serves as a global blueprint for how artificial intelligence and personalized feeds will redefine future online visibility. ✨