Google introduces "Collected info" tab in GBPs

Hello hello 👋

Here’s what you might have missed from last week 👇️

1. Stop ignoring your business’s social media, for your leads’ sake

Many small businesses started posting a few years ago, gave up after a couple of months, and have not touched their accounts since.

But social media does more than help you build an audience. It also gives potential customers proof that your business is active, legitimate, and still open.

And with the rise of AI, that proof is becoming even more important.

When AI recommends your business, many people will still search your name on Google before they call, book, or visit.

If they find a Facebook or Instagram account that has not been updated since 2021, that can make your business look inactive or even closed.

Google is also pulling social media updates carousels into Google Business Profiles, which means those posts can now appear directly when people search for your business.

You do not need to post every day, become an influencer, or build a huge following. You just need to post often enough to show both the robots and the real people that your business is active, trustworthy, and ready to serve customers. I suggest weekly.

2. Breaking News: Google just added social media reporting to Google Search Console

You can now see how your Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube content performs in Google Search:

• Which queries are leading people to your social posts

• Which videos and posts are getting impressions on Google

• Which content is driving clicks from Search and Discover

• Your top-performing posts

• Traffic trends over time

Important note: This only shows how your content performs on Google Search. It does not show how people engage with your posts inside Instagram, TikTok, X, or YouTube.

For businesses, creators, and SEOs, this is very useful. 

You’ll be able to see which off-site content is helping you get discovered, which topics Google is associating with your content, and which posts are actually earning visibility beyond the platform they were posted on.

Google says this is rolling out gradually over the next few weeks, so you may not see it in your account just yet.

Save this post with instructions on how to add a platform property in Search Console!

3. Everyone is obsessed with getting recommended by AI, but THIS matters more

A new Yext study found that only 5% of people go directly from an AI recommendation to making a purchase. Everyone else is doing some version of what Yext calls the “verification loop”.

After AI recommends a business, people start checking:

• Google

• The business website

• Reviews

• The sources AI cited

• Social media profiles

That means AI visibility is only the first step.

A customer might discover your business through ChatGPT, Gemini, or another AI tool. But then they search your name, open your Google Business Profile, notice that your reviews are old, land on an outdated website, or find social accounts that look abandoned.

So you need to keep working on your SEO and online presence. If you can’t back up that AI recommendation with trustworthy data about your business, it’s not worth anything.

Read the full study here.

4. Breaking GBP News: Business owners can now review and manage information collected through Google’s automated phone calls

Google may occasionally call your business using an AI assistant to confirm everyday details, such as whether you have customer parking, etc.

A new Collected Info tab is rolling out inside the Google Business Profile dashboard, where business owners can:

• See exactly what Google collected from recent calls

• Review whether the information is accurate

• Delete individual details from Google Search and Maps

Google has been increasingly using AI and automated calls to keep Business Profiles updated.

Now, businesses finally have a clearer way to see what was collected and remove anything that is incorrect.

See what other SEOs have to say about this in the LinkedIn comments.

5. Catch up on the pod

Big Bing News: Bing now lets you know when your content is cited in AI answers, directly inside Bing Webmaster Tools.

The new AI Performance report shows how often your site is used as a source across supported Microsoft AI experiences, including Copilot. You’ll be able to see things like:

• How many AI citations your site received

• Which pages are being cited most often

• The queries that triggered those citations

• How your AI citation visibility changes over time

Instead of traditional SEO metrics like rankings, impressions, and clicks, it focuses on AI citation visibility and whether Bing’s AI is using your content as a source when generating answers.

A citation does not tell you how many people saw your site, visited it, or became a customer, but it is an important first step. As AI Search continues to grow, knowing which pages and topics are being cited will become increasingly valuable.

Claire Carlile had the brilliant Krystal Taing join her on last week’s episode of the Whitespark Local Update.

They discussed this Bing development, plus:

• June 2026 AI Search News (Caroline Green, Carolyn Wilborn)

• New Gemini Features for Small Businesses ( Lisa Landsman)

• AI's brain is getting bloated with AI content (Megan Morrone)

• How to safely implement high-impact technical SEO changes (Dayna Lucio)

• Google AI Overviews Study Finds Lost Clicks Weren’t Lower Quality (Matt G. Southern)

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Darren

P.S. Whitespark can help you ⬇️

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