{"id":1004,"date":"2026-01-08T16:52:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T08:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T08:52:25","slug":"no-major-google-updates-but-gemini-3-and-local-ranking-factors-landed-seo-news-november-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=1004","title":{"rendered":"No major Google updates, but Gemini 3 and Local Ranking Factors landed \u2013 SEO News November 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While we were expecting Google to launch a Core Update in November, it communicated on what feels like an unsignificant update to search results and new features in Search Console. Some say that volatility spotted to search results in November could mean that Google did launch a Core Update but kept it secret. Maybe Google was too busy with the release of Gemini 3, a new and significant advancement in AI that is challenging OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT. Gemini 3 launched on November 18th<\/sup> and is already integrated into Google AI Mode and is coming shortly to AI Overviews. Is that good news? Data shows that when AI is used in search results, click through rates drop.<\/p>

In other news this month we look at local search ranking factors and Google\u2019s advice on technical site audits.<\/p>

5th<\/sup> November \u2013 Google \u201cupdate\u201d is just about structured data<\/h2>

On November 5th<\/sup>, John Mueller published an article on Google Search Central entitled \u201cHere\u2019s an update on our efforts to simplify the search results page\u201d. Readers jumped at the \u201cHere\u2019s an update\u201d part, but this is just a minor change to the appearance of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and not an update to ranking. John is very vague about what is new and says that we aren\u2019t likely to notice any difference in search results because features now removed were rarely used. He does however reference an article from June about simplifying the search experience that deals with structured data features in Google Search. This article announced that certain types of structured data would no longer be supported by Google.<\/p>

  • Book Actions<\/li>
  • Course Info<\/li>
  • Claim Review<\/li>
  • Estimated Salary<\/li>
  • Learning Video<\/li>
  • Special Announcement<\/li>
  • Vehicle Listing<\/li> <\/ul>

    Many types listed above were already removed on September 9th<\/sup> so this change can only be related to Book Actions or Claim Review (linked to fact checking) which are still listed in Google\u2019s structured data markup gallery. It seems strange to dedicate a blog post to the subject (especially as news from the Google Search Central blog has been rare recently).<\/p>

    Structured data \u2013 usually written with Schema.org protocol \u2013 is a useful way to help search engines and AI tools understand content. The Schema.org protocol contains over 800 types of data that can be used to describe content like companies, recipes, events, software, articles, FAQ, etc.<\/p>

    Google has developed search features for some structured data, like the Recipe Carousel. Only sites using Schema.org Recipe markup to describe recipes can feature in the carousel. You can use SEOPress to <\/strong>add structured data to WordPress<\/strong> automatically or manually. <\/strong><\/p>

    \"Google’s
    Google\u2019s documentation on Recipe structured data<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    This news item may give the impression that Google now considers structured data as less important. This is unlikely to be the case. To optimize a WordPress site for Google, Yahoo, Bing and AI tools like ChatGPT, it is still strongly recommended that you markup content with structured data.<\/p>

    18th<\/sup> November \u2013 Google launch Gemini 3 in AI Mode<\/h2>

    On November 18th<\/sup>, Google launched Gemini 3 \u2013 a major new version of its AI model. The Gemini model is used in a variety of AI tools provided by Google including the Gemini App (a ChatGPT competitor previously called Bard) and Google Search features AI Mode and AI Overviews. The announcement of the new model by Google CEO Sundar Pinchai contains the interesting figures that the Gemini App has 650 million users but AI Overviews, thanks to its integration in Google search results, has over 2 billion monthly users. We think that this is in reaction to OpenAI\u2019s recent announcement that ChatGPT had surpassed 800 million users.<\/p>

    A follow up article by Vice President Elizabeth Reed, revealed that Gemini 3 is already being used by AI Mode (the first time that a model was made available in search on the day of its launch). It is suspected that Gemini 3 will also roll out to AI Overviews although Google will continue to use quicker, previous models for search results where appropriate.<\/p>

    If you are tracking citations in AI Overviews and AI Mode, you may want to check data from November 18th<\/sup> onwards to see if there has been any impact to results \u2013 Gemini 3 may change results significantly. Although Google Search Console provides data about impressions and clicks for websites from Google Search results, it does not allow site owners to filter visibility and traffic from AI features specifically. It is not possible to distinguish between clicks from AI Mode, AI Overviews or standard search results in Google Analytics either.<\/p>

    In general, though, independent data is showing that the increasing use of AI Mode and AI Overviews is leading to lower click through rates from Google for both organic and paid search. The latest study released by Seer Interactive in November shows that click through rates drop 61% when AI Overviews are displayed in search results.<\/p>

    There is also potentially a higher click rate for Google Ads and less for organic results since Google changed the layout of sponsored results in October. Cori Shirk from Seer published analysis on LinkedIn that shows that their accounts had seen a rise of Click Thru Rates from 11.41% to 13.07%.<\/p>

    \"Data
    Data from Seer Interactive<\/figcaption><\/figure>
    Ranking in Google\u2019s top 10 results is still an important signal for Google\u2019s AI Mode and other AI search tools. Continue tracking your positions with SEOPress Insights!<\/div>

    Google ranking volatility but no Core Update<\/h2>

    The month of November has passed without any official announcement by Google about ranking updates. The ever attentive Barry Schwartz, however, reported on volatility in Google search results on November 7th<\/sup>, 12th<\/sup>, 20th (possibly linked to Gemini 3) and 26th<\/sup>. Chatter from forums noted in the articles suggest that some people think that a Core Update was released, but it was never confirmed by Google.<\/p>

    An interesting article by the French agency Brioude (in French only) analyzes the previous two Core Updates and speculates on what the next Core Update could focus on. They highlight the importance of User Experience in ranking and stress the importance of passing Google\u2019s Core Web Vitals assessment. This assessment is based on real visits to your website using the Chrome browser. Real page speed times are measured, and the average speeds over the past 28 days are used to calculate results. Not passing Core Web Vitals can cause your site to drop in Google rankings and this signal may be made more important with the next Core Update.<\/p>

    You can see the Core Web Vital reports for your site in Google Search Console or by using the Google Page Speed Insights tool. SEOPress allows you to integrate data from these tools into WordPress making it much easier to track. Obviously, tracking is not enough, you must try and correct problems with page speed when you encounter them. Download our eBook Optimizing WordPress for Speed and read our recent article How to pass the Core Web Vitals (without a WordPress caching plugin) to find ways to improve your page speed and solve Core Web Vitals problems.<\/p>

    \"SEMRush
    SEMRush Sensor showing volatility in November 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    Local Ranking Factors 2026<\/h2>

    If you use WordPress to promote a local business and want to more prominently in Google and AI results then you will be very interested in the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey published on November 6th<\/sup>.<\/p>

    This report has been around since 2008 when David Mihn first sent a survey to Local SEO experts to try and answer the question \u201cWhat influences ranking for local searches in Google\u201d. He thought a consensus of expert opinion would help us understand how local ranking works. Useful particularly because Google gives very few clues about how it ranks businesses and sites in Google Maps and search results.<\/p>

    For the 2026 edition, Darren Shaw of Whitespark (who took over the survey in 2017), added questions about AI search results to the original questions.<\/p>

    Data you provide on your Google Business Profile is still very important for ranking in Google, but having a website that backs up this information is highly recommended. To make sure that your website and Google Business Profile use the same company name, address and phone number, use LocalBusiness structured data. Adding a page per service and publishing user testimonials on your site also appears to have a positive influence on local search results. Reviews are a ranking factor, but not as important as many people think. Having said that, the 2026 report is showing that reviews are considered more important than last year.<\/p>

    Darren is skeptical about the quality of local search results in AI tools like Google\u2019s AI Mode and ChatGPT but imagines that these tools will be the future of local search. To optimize for AI, he suggests searching for curated \u201cbest of\u201d and \u201csimilar\u201d lists on the web and contacting their publishers to try and feature.<\/p>