Most of us try to win a job by explaining it. The owners who win more of them stop explaining and start showing the finished thing. That one switch is this week's lesson, and it is easier than it sounds.

The September spam update is finished. Google said its September 2026 spam update finished rolling out on October 8. It started on September 24 and took about two weeks, much longer than the day or two these usually take.

Why it matters: if your rankings bounced around over the last two weeks, you were most likely watching that update, not a problem you caused. One thing to do: look at your calls and direction requests across the last 30 days before you change anything. If the line is steady, leave your profile alone.

Reported: tighter rules on what goes in listings and posts. This one is reported, not confirmed by Google. The report says the advertising and solicitation part of the Maps and Business Profile content policy was updated, so listings may no longer carry limited-time deals, prices or act-now wording, and posts may no longer carry contact details, social links or outside web addresses unrelated to the business.

Why it matters: names and posts stuffed with offers have always been a risk, and this points the same direction. One thing to do: read your business name, your description and your last three posts out loud. If any of it sounds like an ad instead of a description, take it out.

I picked up an idea this week from a guy who sells AI setups to small businesses. He stopped sending proposals. He builds the thing first, sends a link, and lets the owner click it. His line stuck with me: it is already built, you are just selling it.

Here is the part that is yours. Most people cannot picture a job you describe to them, and they will not spend the energy trying. A described job gets a let me think about it. A finished job they can see gets a price question.

You already have the finished jobs. They are sitting on your phone right now.

This week: pick your last five jobs and put one clear photo of each on your Google profile. Before and after if you have both. No filters, no logos, just the work. Then the next time someone asks what you do, send them your profile instead of a paragraph.

That is the Local Guide Method doing its quiet work. Your customers do your SEO for you, and your finished jobs do your selling.

New today: how to answer customer questions right on your Google profile, including the five you should post yourself. Read it here.

What is the one question you get asked over and over? Hit reply and tell me. I read every one, and the good ones end up in a future issue.

Google Greg
Local Guide Marketing Academy

Idea spark: Chris Koerner on The Koerner Office.