December is more than a wrap-up; it’s the launchpad.
If you’re a business owner, multi-location brand, or agency supporting clients, this is the moment to take what you learned in December and turn it into a stronger January strategy, so you start the year with momentum, not guesswork.
In this recap, we’ll cover:
✅ The four reputation pillars worth reviewing
✅ What’s changing in trust + local visibility for 2026
✅ The January checklist you can complete in under 30 minutes
✅ Product + platform updates that impact your local presence
Why December Matters
Most teams wait until Q1 is in full swing to start optimizing reputation, but the highest-performing brands and agencies treat December as their baseline month:
- Clean up what’s messy
- Standardize what’s working
- Set clear benchmarks
- Enter January with a focused plan
The result? More trust, stronger visibility, and better conversion performance early in the year, when it matters most.
The 4 Reputation Pillars to Review Before You Go All-In on Q1
These four areas are the foundation of local trust and search visibility, and they’re the fastest way to spot where your biggest January wins are hiding.
1) Review Volume & Consistency
Your rating matters, but your consistency matters even more.
Ask yourself:
- Are reviews coming in regularly?
- Are some locations/accounts falling behind?
- Is review generation scalable (or still manual)?
Why it matters: Inconsistent review flow creates gaps in trust and makes it harder to prove growth over time, especially across multiple locations or multiple clients.
January move: Set a realistic review cadence by location/account and automate the ask wherever possible.
2) Response Rate & Time-to-Response
Response behavior is now a trust signal, both to customers and to local platforms.
Ask yourself:
- Are you responding to most reviews?
- Is your response time fast enough to feel intentional?
- Is there a consistent brand voice across locations/accounts?
Why it matters: A strong response strategy doesn’t just protect your reputation; it creates “trust moments” that influence conversions.
January move: Standardize response workflows and templates so responses are consistent and repeatable.
3) Google Business Profile (GBP) Health
Local visibility starts with accurate listings and active profiles, and GBP is still the centerpiece.
Ask yourself:
- Are categories correct across all locations?
- Are hours accurate and updated?
- Are services and photos complete?
- Are you posting updates consistently?
Why it matters: A healthy GBP supports rankings, conversions, and customer confidence — and it’s one of the clearest areas where improvement shows up quickly.
January move: Treat GBP cleanup as a Q1 kickoff task, not a mid-quarter project.
4) Reputation Defense & Trust Signals
Fake reviews and reputation attacks aren’t going away, and 2026 will demand more proactive governance.
Ask yourself:
- Do you know what review anomalies look like across locations/accounts?
- Do you have a system to monitor and respond quickly?
- Can you prove review integrity when it matters?
Why it matters: Trust is fragile, and reputation defense is becoming a major differentiator for brands and agencies alike.
January move: Monitor for anomalies and build a consistent system for review governance and verification.
Your January Checklist
Here’s the simple checklist you can complete quickly to start the year strong:
✅ Pull your total review volume for 2025 (monthly trend)
✅ Identify top-performing and low-performing locations/accounts
✅ Check response rate + response time
✅ Confirm GBP categories, hours, and services are accurate
✅ Ensure listings are consistent before Q1 promotions
✅ Decide your #1 reputation priority for January
If you only do one thing: pick a single priority, assign an owner, and track it weekly.
Learning & Tools to Strengthen Your 2026 Strategy
Emerging Trends Webinar: What’s Changing for 2026
Reputation and local visibility are evolving fast, especially with new trust signals and AI influencing customer behavior.
In this session, we’ll cover:
- Trust signals that influence conversions
- AI’s impact on customer decision-making
- Review integrity + what’s next for fake review defense
- How to connect reputation to measurable ROI
On-Demand: Reputation ROI Report + ROI Calculator
Want a clearer way to connect reputation to business outcomes?
Our Reputation ROI Report + Calculator helps quantify how reviews and customer experience influence:
- revenue
- retention
- growth
December Blog Highlights: Best Reads to Start 2026 Strong
Here are a few key insights worth reviewing before the new year:
- ChatGPT Isn’t Crawling Your Website First. It’s Learning Who You Are.
- Why Reputation Management Is the Highest-ROI Service Digital Agencies Can Offer in 2026
- 10 Major Review Developments You Need To Know About For 2026
Product Spotlight: Easy Wins Before January
Listings Hub: Accuracy & Visibility at Scale
Listings accuracy is foundational, and December is the best time to clean it up before Q1 campaigns begin.
One update syncs across directories, with duplicate suppression included.
How it helps by audience:
✅ Multi-location: keep every location accurate and consistent
✅ SMBs: protect your visibility with fewer manual updates
✅ Agencies: deliver quick wins and measurable improvements
Benchmark Reports: Your Year-End Baseline
Benchmark reports help you compare performance across:
- Review activity
- Star ratings
- Response rates
- Industry averages
Perfect for:
- Multi-location businesses: location-by-location comparison
- SMBs: set realistic growth goals for review volume + rating
- Agencies: show client progress in a clean, repeatable format
Google Q&A Update: What You Need to Know
Google officially deprecated the Google Q&A API on November 25, 2025. This change was made by Google and impacts all platforms in our industry.
What’s Changing
- As a result of this change by Google, you will no longer be able to respond to Google Q&A directly within GatherUp. However GatherUp will still monitor and notify you to all new Google Q&A activity, and you will still be able to respond by clicking “View on Google” in the notifications and application, which will take you directly to the native response page within Google
Our Commitment
We’re ensuring no disruption to your visibility or monitoring and will reintroduce in-app responding if Google provides new supported methods in the future.
If you have questions, our team is here to help: [email protected]
Upcoming Change (Twilio): New Toll-Free SMS registration requirements
Twilio, in response to updated mobile carrier requirements, is introducing new verification rules for Toll-Free SMS messaging. Starting February 10, 2025, anyone requesting a new Toll-Free Number (TFN) will be required to submit additional business information during registration.
The good news: this change only applies to new TFNs and does not impact any existing verified toll-free numbers. As your partner, GatherUp is proactively updating our workflow to support these new Twilio requirements and help ensure your messaging stays compliant.
To request a new TFN through GatherUp, you’ll need to provide the required business details. TFNs must be registered to the business entity sending messages and not a parent agency.
Required information:
- Legal business name
- Business type
- Business registration number (EIN for U.S. businesses)
- Business registration country (if outside the U.S.)
Recommended (optional):
- DBA name (if applicable)
Questions? Reach out anytime at [email protected].
December Release Recap
New: Review Defense multi-location reporting
You can now see the full impact of Review Defense across all locations in one place. Multi-location rollup reporting makes it easy to understand trends, compare performance, and drill into individual location results, all without jumping between dashboards.
Great for agencies and multi-location brands managing Review Defense at scale.
Review Widget update: Horizontal carousel layout
We’ve added a new carousel option to the Horizontal Review Widget layout. Reviews can now automatically rotate, keeping your widget fresh and engaging without manual updates.
Multiple rotation delay options are available so you can control the pace.
Small update: QR codes now downloadable as PNGs
QR codes can now be downloaded in PNG format, making them easier to use in digital assets, presentations, and documents.
Notification improvement for external recipients
We’ve updated notifications sent to non-user recipients (people without platform access) to remove links back to the application, reducing confusion and improving clarity for external stakeholders.
End-of-Year Checklist
Here’s a checklist you can complete in under 30 minutes:
✅ Pull total review volume for 2025 (monthly trend)
✅ Identify top-performing locations/accounts and low performers
✅ Check response rate and response speed
✅ Confirm GBP categories, hours, and services are accurate
✅ Make sure listings are consistent before Q1 promotions
✅ Decide your one reputation priority for January
We’re Here to Help
If you’re planning Q1 campaigns, expanding your service stack, or aligning teams across locations our team is ready to support you.
📅 Schedule a call with our team
Build for Better Reputation
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