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# EP 195: Unlocking Google Business Profile Secrets with Brad Wetherall
- URL: https://www.nearmedia.co/ep-195-unlocking-google-business-profile-secrets-with-brad-wetherall/
- Published: 2025-02-20T13:59:37.000Z
- Updated: 2025-02-27T19:29:06.000Z
- Description: We explore GBP issues from nuts to bolts with the ex-Director of GBP support
- Author: Near Media
- Tags: Conversations

### The Podcast Deets

[ 00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=0s&ref=nearmedia.co) Introduction to Brad Wetherall and His Background  
[04:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=244s&ref=nearmedia.co) Google Personnel Policies Leading to a Loss of Google Local Institutional Knowledge  
[17:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=1077s&ref=nearmedia.co) Communication Challenges During Review Issues  
[23:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=1421s&ref=nearmedia.co) Trust Scores and Local Guides' Impact on Reviews  
[28:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=1726s&ref=nearmedia.co) Identifying and Reporting Spam Listings  
[32:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=1978s&ref=nearmedia.co) Engagement and Business Verification Challenges  
[36:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=2204s&ref=nearmedia.co) Improving Video Verification Processes  
[41:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=2477s&ref=nearmedia.co) Handling Duplicate Listings  
[44:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=2647s&ref=nearmedia.co) Managing Business Hours Effectively  
[47:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=2850s&ref=nearmedia.co) Differences in Support Quality between Countries  
[48:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=2939s&ref=nearmedia.co) Exploring Paid GBP Support Options  
[53:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=3207s&ref=nearmedia.co) Understanding Google’s Data Sources  
[56:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=3394s&ref=nearmedia.co) The Impact of AI on Local Listings  
[57:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWvoRqx0EI&t=3439s&ref=nearmedia.co) Trust Score and User Management  
  
  
The Near Media team and Google Product Experts [Claudia Tomina](https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-tomina-ab78692a/?ref=nearmedia.co), [Ehab Aboud](https://www.linkedin.com/?ref=nearmedia.co) and [Vinay Toshniwal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinay-toshniwal-69972919b/?ref=nearmedia.co) interview (grill?) Brad Wetherall on various aspects of Google Business Profiles. Everything from how internal mobility at Google might cause issues with maintaining institutional knowledge, and the complexities of Google review filtering to the recent discrepancies in review counts, the importance of communication from Google, and the impact of trust scores on Local Guides. The discussion covers creative strategies for enhancing review authenticity, the challenges of video verification, and the implications of operating hours on business rankings. 

### Takeaways

- Google encourages internal mobility to retain talent which might cause a loss of Local institutional knowledge.
- Documentation is extensive but not always utilized effectively.
- Algorithm adjustments can lead to review discrepancies.
- Proactive communication from Google is often lacking.
- Trust scores influence the acceptance of edits.
- Creative strategies can enhance review authenticity.
- Multiple signals are considered when identifying spam listings.
- Engagement signals impact visibility in search results.
- Maintaining a corporate email domain is beneficial for trust.
- AI-generated content is monitored and regulated by Google.

[The Near Media podcast is generously supported by The Transparency Company. ](https://askfortransparency.com/?ref=nearmedia.co)