The Latest Gemini Update is Huge for AI Search (and Google)

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Gemini’s latest update is rolling out globally and is a clear signal of Google’s growing authority in AI Search. Read on, especially if your brand has a local profile listed with Google.

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Connect Your Google Business Profile to Gemini

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Gemini can now help manage your Google Business Profile. Soon you can connect your Business Profile directly to Gemini. You can ask it to help with tasks that normally require logging into the GBP dashboard.

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Once connected, you can just ask Gemini to:

• Draft replies to your latest reviews 
• Update your hours, attributes, and links
• Create and schedule Google Posts
• Analyze your performance metrics
• Find out which keywords customers use to find you

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Google’s Business Notebook

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And there's a new "Business notebook" that proactively flags things like unanswered customer questions or missing holiday hours. Google just rolled out a new Gemini feature for businesses. I think it’s worth paying attention. You can now create a Business Notebook by connecting your Google Business Profile (GBP) to Gemini app.

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Business Notebook is a dedicated workspace that pulls your profile data, reviews, search performance stats, and website into one place. Think NotebookLM, but built for running your business instead of research. 

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On the surface, it looks like a small update, but underneath, this is one of the clearest signals yet of how brands should position themselves for Google AI search. Basically what this means is Google has now confirmed that Business Profile can feed Gemini context. 

Your GBP used to be just a listing and an important ranking factor for local search, and it was not presented as a directly connected context source in the same way as other Google properties.

Now it’s one of the important context sources that Gemini reads from when it answers users' questions, understands your brand better or even makes recommendations. So how you show up on Google AI search will also depend on the data you feed it. 

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Google Doesn't Need the Smartest Model to Lead AI Search

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Every AI lab like OpenAI and Anthropic is racing on benchmarks and chasing for your brand context. I see Google is playing a slightly different game here, especially AI search.

Millions of businesses spent years handing Google their reviews, photos, and customer questions. Imagine how well Gemini already knows your business today (and it compounds.) 

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When you manage your profile through Gemini, Google sees the data like:

• What you ask
• Which suggestions you accept or ignore
• What actually improves engagement afterward

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So Google is building a feedback loop that teaches Gemini. This is what other AI labs can’t compete with. 

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Your Whole Google Footprint Now Feeds Gemini

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GBP is just one of the starting points. Your brand's YouTube channel, Maps presence, brand search performance…they all should feed the same ecosystem behind Gemini and Google AI Mode. Google is even pulling your recent social posts onto your Business Profile now.

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Your reviews are the clearest example. Google AI describes your business using the language your customers use. When someone asks "best video agency near me," Gemini connects you to that query because your reviews say things like "they made great video ads for us." 

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That changes what a "good review" means for AI search. Stars matter when humans read them. But context matters more as this would become what AI can actually use.

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5 Ways Your Brand Can Feed Google

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What should your brand do next? Here are several key actions you can add to your marketing strategy:

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1. Encourage customers to mention your brand specifics

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Instead of "please leave us a review," ask them to mention what product / service they ordered, what problem you solved, who they came with. 

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2. Keep every brand appearance active and consistent

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A thin profile gets you thin and generic AI answers. Are your business descriptions saying the same thing on GBP, your website, and your socials? Fix these gaps first.

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3. Treat unanswered customer questions as visibility gaps

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Don’t treat unanswered questions as just service tasks. They're context holes in how AI reads your business.

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4. Activate your brand presence beyond your website if you haven't yet

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Your YouTube channel (this is no longer optional), Maps presence, social profiles, brand mentions, top publications… They all feed the same ecosystem behind Gemini. 

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5. Close the vocabulary gap

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Customers describe you in problem language, not industry language. Keep your brand positioning language human so AI can match queries to that. 

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So What Can You Actually Do With This Gemini Update? 

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Since data determines your position in Google AI search, the goal is simple: make feeding Google good data easy. And that's where these features fit in. Once you connect your GBP to Gemini (Note for now you need to use a Google account that is associated with your GBP). 

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Analyze your reviews for insights

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Ask what customers keep praising and complaining about, and the exact language they use. This is useful particularly if your business is getting lots of reviews. You can use it for brand positioning research, ad copy inspiration, or product feedback. 

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Ask about your performance

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"How did my business do this month?" gets you impressions, clicks, bookings, plus the actual keywords customers use to find you. The data was always in the dashboard. Making it conversational means you'll actually look and check more easily. 

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Update your profile in seconds

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Change hours, post updates, fill gaps by just asking. Managing GBP used to be a chore particularly if your business involves multiple locations. This helps make the consistency become doable and always keeps an updated business profile. You can even let Gemini draft replies that reference the specific feedback each customer left, in your brand voice, and can create or schedule posts. 

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Final Thoughts 

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AI search runs on trust signals, not tricks. Building that trust starts with paying closer attention to what you’re already putting out into the world. 

Google is the world’s largest search engine with multiple platforms. They are the biggest player to pay attention to. It’s the default operating layer of the Internet. So anything owned by Google, like your Google Business Notebook, is worth taking action on.

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