Analysis Local Search Ranking Factors 2021: What's New? The survey chronicles Google's evolving local ranking algorithm and captures local SEOs' changing tactics over time.
Analysis Apple Maps: The Road to Discovery (Part 2) Apple is just getting started with its push into local business discovery and monetization for Apple Maps. AR is also in its future.
Analysis Apple Maps: The Road to Discovery (Part 1) Apple's many recent updates to Maps to improve business discovery and transactions points to long term trend towards both building out Maps and integrating it in the future world of AR.
Analysis Google’s New Business Profile: When Search Becomes a Political Tool Google, in an effort to regain control of the antitrust narrative, has brazenly and deceptively enlisted small businesses to argue the company's case.
Analysis Same Product, New Name: A History of Google Local Profile Name Changes Introduced as 'Google Local Business Center' in 2005, the local listings management tool has been through five iterations, landing on 'Google Business Profile.'
Analysis FTC to 700+ Brands: Deceptive Endorsements Will Lead to Financial Pain The FTC is trying to lay the groundwork for substantial fines against high-profile violators of its endorsement and review guidelines.
News September Podcasts and Analysis from Near Media We are firmly grounded in fall. At least here, in New York, the leaves are starting to turn. And it appears we are turning the corner on the Delta spike.
Analysis What Reviews Tell Us About How Walmart Is Really Doing Reviews can provide an independent look at management issues and consumer trends at large multi-location chains. This 'proof of concept' approach explores Walmart's inventory woes through the lens of local store reviews.
Analysis Reviews on Apple Maps: A Complete Guide Apple has released the ability to review most businesses in the US. It is fast, easy and hard to spam. Learn the what's, why's and wherefores of this significant new review platform.
Analysis How to Start a Local Restaurant Delivery Service: An Interview with Clay Seaman of Omaha LoCo How the co-op model can help build sustainable restaurant delivery that's better for restaurants and local communities.
Analysis First Party: Four Ways Businesses Should Respond to Apple and Google's Latest Privacy Moves Cookie and ad ID deprecation have created uncertainty but also opportunity, as companies focus more on first party data as a source for personalization.
Analysis Google to Permanently Allow Chains the Ability Create Posts via API Google has decided that chains will be able to create Google Posts via the API on an on-going basis. This feature will not disappear once Covid abates as was previously noted in the GMB API documentation.
Analysis The High Cost of Fake Reviews Whether through incompetence or egregious self-interest, Google has allowed companies like Kelly Forklift to continue to perpetrate customer deception and highlight themselves in search results.
Analysis Change Is Afoot at the Newly Revitalized FTC A newly invigorated FTC is taking a much more activist position on a range of issues, potentially including local.
Analysis Local Listings Domino Theory Four years after Yext went public, market consolidation finally appears to be happening in the local listings management space.
Analysis Google's Online Food Ordering Is Magical, and the Future of Local Search Google's online ordering test offers a highly streamlined process that is so smooth you realize the future is here, and it is now.
Analysis How Local Delivery Stops App Giants From Eating Restaurants’ Lunch Corporate delivery apps are gouging restaurants but emerging local options offer a more sustainable future.
Analysis How Google Supports Pride Despite several missteps along the way, Google has evolved from tentative to very strong support of LGBTQ+ communities.
Conversations Resisting Amazon: An Interview with Author and Bookstore Owner, Danny Caine Local businesses must tell their stories and build community, then explain: "Amazon puts all that at risk."
Analysis Image Packs and the Localization of Google Product Search In the past, image search optimization was complicated and returns were minimal for local businesses. That's all starting to change.
Analysis Confessions of a Google Local Guide Google incentivizes quantity over quality with user-generated content. Local businesses should take control of their profile images or be at the mercy of the UGC hordes.
Analysis What Happened to Yelp: A Hospitality Reviews Case Study Google critics argue the company's search monopoly harmed Yelp. A closer look reveals a more complex story with missed opportunities.
Analysis Mask Mandates Are Going Away, COVID Anxiety Isn't As official mask mandates lift, our survey shows many consumers are still anxious. That puts a challenging burden on local business owners.
Analysis Google Empowers Users, Creates New Headaches for Businesses Google is helping local businesses by encouraging more user-generated content. In theory this is good. But more content does not always mean more high-quality content.
Analysis How Google Came to Dominate Local Reviews Google owns the local review economy. It wasn't always that way. Here's how it happened.
Conversations Near Media April Analysis and Podcasts In addition to our thrice-weekly newsletter we're publishing in-depth analysis and a weekly podcast (the Near Memo). This month we added articles from Adam Dorfman, Chris Silver Smith, Mike Blumenthal
Analysis Amazon's Ruthless Efficiencies In Amazon's efficiencies and ruthlessness we see all of the contradictions of American commerce and culture.
Analysis Reputation Management Industry Revenue to Double By 2029 A new report on the Online Reputation Management industry predicts that growth for North America will more than double between now and 2029.
Analysis Google Expands Restaurant Online Order Integration Google is rapidly building out front and back end capabilities to improve integration with restaurant food ordering and to control many parts of the process, while minimizing costs and extracting some rent.
Analysis FTC to Speed Rulemaking to Fight Digital Deception Rebecca Slaughter, the acting Chair of the FTC, disdains fake reviews and has elevated rulemaking at the FTC to do something about it.
Analysis Google Maps Privacy Nutrition Label Early last week Google finally updated Maps for iOS and its attendant privacy label. As you suspected, Google is collecting a lot of personal data.
Analysis Travel and Eating Out Are What Americans Have Been Missing Most Survey findings tell us consumers are more eager to resume some pre-COVID activities than others.
Analysis Why Businesses Need to Tell Visual Stories with Their Employees In this era of visual storytelling, employee information and images are a way to build trust and humanize your brand.
Analysis Google Announces Curbside Pickup, Indoor Live View for Maps Using its many technical and content assets, Google Maps is positioning itself as the digital UI for the real world and at the center of the online-to-offline economy.
Analysis Why Chat Matters to Google Google’s blueprint for evolving its products for businesses is to read consumer behavior and revise its business tools accordingly. One important example is how Google is evolving its online chat functionality for businesses.
Analysis Data: As States Reopen, Local Businesses Grapple with Mask Dilemma The majority of consumers clearly support strict masking enforcement and prefer businesses that do this. Women and older consumers are most supportive. A meaningful anti-mask minority creates a dilemma for
Analysis Deconstructing Google’s Local Guides and Photo Updates Post Like all Google releases it generated massive press. We cast our penetrating 'Kreminologist’s' eye on its many details.
Analysis Google Surfaces Small Business E-Commerce Sites in Local Results A new "online stores" card started appearing in some mobile search results, offering a mix of SMB e-commerce and national brands that sell locally.
