67% of Consumers Trust ‘Local Businesses’ More than Internet-Only Brands and over 50% of their search are local; Apple Maps makes discovery push and position themselves for AR

Vista deftly rebranded & their success shows strength of SMB market, Can new search engines like You make a go of it in the face of Google? Google has expanded their SMB propaganda campaign into Adwords to gain SMB support against anti-trust regulation

This week we discuss just one topic, the rebranding of the Google My Business tools to the Business Profile. With enhanced in-search and in Maps editing, Google is trying (once

Amazon dips toes in local buy online and pickup in store, The arc of the impact of images in Google Local search, Google Local driving the bulk of leads in most industries

FTC details broad spread mobile ISPs privacy abuse practices amongst major carriers, Snap misses qt. estimates and blames Apple for shortfall, Rand Fishkin asks what if performance ads an analytics scam?

Part 1 Video Starts 0:13 - Squarespace’s “Everything to Sell Anything,” Part 2 Video- Starts 9:58 - Google vs. Lowe Part 3 Video- Starts 16:18 -

FTC lays groundwork for review fines with 700 companies IF they violate rules; Amazon creates a stealth XMAS toy offline catalog that is barely branded; Google Lens surfacing Local Packs with product shots

Google's latest visual search innovation, Yelp's new SaaS app for restaurants, and consumer reaction to Amazon and Facebook's latest devices.

Can new retail formats save department stores? How many real customers does Wix have? Will we see opt-in privacy options and what does it mean for marketers?

Shopify CAC, Marketing Benchmarks for SMBs; Is Your Customer Acquisition Cost Sustainable? Benchmarks for Every Industry; What Reviews Tell Us About How Walmart’s Supply Chain Issues; Twitter’s GMB Profile

B2B sales have changed forever with self-serve playing an ever larger role. Why is leading digital wallet Apple Pay uptake still so low? Will Facebook’s SmartGlasses make it out of the gate?

MailChimp priced at $10b for Intuit proves value of SMB SAAS, 1-800-Contacts sues Warby Parker over trade name use in Adwords, Will Yahoo have a new life after Verizon sale?

FTC says Facebook Resorted to Illegal Buy-or-Bury Scheme to Crush Competition After Failed Attempts to Innovate, Clients tell all: What small businesses need from marketing agencies today, How to Start a Local Restaurant Delivery Service: An Interview with Clay Seaman of Omaha LoCo

The unintended consequences of Google ramping up Local Food ordering; local delivery devastated, a surprising outcome of Covid includes Veterinary burnout and a shortage of animal Vets, In the strange world of review abuse merchants pay (or abuse) for negative review takedowns

Yelp recovers from pandemic lows, SMBs hire key staff later than thought and how to create content when AI writes it all

We discuss the Facebook Metaverse, the non impact of Apple's actions, Apple & Snapchats improved local mapping, and how privacy seems ever further away.

Google makes reviewing easy by adding attributes to restaurant reviews, Fake reviews are costly to SMBS but Google seems incapable of squashing them, Square’s new bank is a threat to traditional SMB banking relationships

Biden Executive order sets stage for Executive branch cooperation to increase competitiveness in US, Does a declining Craiglist create an opening for NextDoor in classifieds? Will facial recognition notices slow down shoppers?

Google Play store antitrust suit futile? Case Study: Good Local content succeeds against Google algo updates! Yext Search Data Hub provides interesting GMB Insights Data across 600,000 listings

Facebook releases Bulletin, a subscription newsletter that integrates FB comments; Is Shopify creating a cross website Ad network to assist their SMB’s ad efforts?; The Supreme Court orders a review of the HiQ-LinkedIn dispute that could endanger scraping & Martech stacks

Google’s delay of FLoC is due to both the confusion in the market & rejection by leading platforms. The successes of DuckDuckGo follows customer demand for privacy How to navigate the new covid reality vis a vis employees without losing customers?

An exciting week in local. We explore the local arc from inventory to ordering to monopoly and consolidation

Apple killed email? Google’s crazy Local business names; In person conferences are wonderful & weird

Is there a solution to fake reviews?; Google’s Grand Vision for search is nothing if not ambitious; How a local bookstore is fighting for his business and his community in his fight against Amazon.

Are Yelp’s problems self-inflicted?; Google I/O: they flex their AI muscles and move further into local products with the Shopping Graph; Google going into Retail, really?

Apple Ad Tracking Opt-in at 4% in US is much lower than anticipated; Shopify focuses on helping SMB be better & retain customer relationships & gain access to better rates and capital; Facebook Neighborhoods, a NextDoor clone, is likely to be worse due to poor moderation

Zagat reviews, but shorter and more visual, rise from the Google ashes; The FTC ability to levy fines as a deterrent is knee capped by SCOTUS; Apple privacy changes AND review capability coming this week.

FB Survey: increased SMB e-commerce & struggles. What will consumers do when the economy opens? SubStack creates program to develop local news.

Website Builder SquareSpace acquires restaurant backend system Tock; Google My Business shoots themselves in the Messaging foot by showing competitors when a consumer attempts to message a specific business; GroundTruth bets on the SMB market with acquisition of Addy.

Episode 8: Google fights with Rand Fishkin over “zero-click” searches. Can a rating only review ever be defamatory? Will Yahoo’s brand rise from the ashes as a Verizon subscription service?

The impact of COVID-19 one year into the pandemic: consumers prefer rigorous mask enforcement by businesses, eCommerce has become table stakes, the trends in advertising and privacy favor the triopoly.

How the advertising duopoly has created alternative income models, Tock and the restaurant friendly delivery model, deconstructing Google’s recent announcements about Local Guides and photo updates in Google Maps.

Google's first privacy stance benefits...Google, Measuring the Public's Trust in Tech, and Volvo's Direct-to-Consumer Model Portends Radical Shifts for Car Dealers.

Facebook Hides Behind SMBs, Hey's New Newsletter Product, and Wal-mart Innovates with Video.

The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local businesses and national brands.

Welcome to the Near Memo. Our conversation about the important developments of the week and beyond.

Mike Blumenthal and David Mihm join Greg Sterling for the first episode of The Near Memo podcast, where they discuss Amazon's recent PR stunt, the recent activity and interest around newsletters, the arrival of Clubhouse, and privacy.