A new study from Smallbiz Edge points to Google showing less call buttons in Local Packs.
The study looked at 172 keywords across 15 locations (a total of 2,580 searches) and found that call buttons in Local Packs only appeared around 20% of the time.
As Joy Hawkins put it on X, that means “4 out 5 searches in the map pack have no call button.”
Google has been removing the call button from local packs dramatically over the past year. This study of 2,580 search results showed that only 510 had a call button.
— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) March 16, 2026
This means, 4 out of 5 searches in the map pack have no call button 😐
This trend is only really noticeable on… pic.twitter.com/WIRNreDnlJ
Keep in mind that while we are talking about 2,580 search instances, the scope of keywords is limited to 172. That raises the question as to whether the data set would lean towards instances that would not have a call button repeating across multiple days.
Either way, it’s worth taking note of and paying attention to if you are in the local space.
For forum discussion, call collect.
