Analysis Siri Finally Gets Local Search When ChatGPT is added to Siri as part of iOS 18.2, we're likely to see a significant increase in Siri usage, a good portion of which will be local search.
Analysis Way-Too-Early Thoughts on SearchGPT for Local Search SearchGPT just rolled out to the general public. It's genuinely impressive.
Analysis Healthcare Reserve with Google Mayhem Google has apparently decided to put unauthorized Reserve with Google booking buttons on healthcare Business Profiles.
Analysis Google's AI Organized Restaurant Results Recent tests of Google's AI Organized search results restaurants and bars is striking. The many local carousels create a highly visual search results that dominates the page and reflects an all Google approach to search that leaves little room for anything else.
Analysis Dr. Fraudster Still Deceiving Surgery Patients on Google Convicted Dr. Sajan and his Seattle plastic surgery clinic don't just rank highly in the 3-Pack, they often rank first for money phrases such as "best plastic surgeon." Google has done little to limit their visibility despite their deceptive SEO and illegal review methods living consumers at risk.
Analysis Hawk Tuah Academy Goes Global on Google Maps It's too easy for anyone to change a Google Business Profile listing. We are now seeing it happening to schools around the world as the 'Hawk Tuah' meme takes hold.
Analysis Search Marketing Implications for European Hotel Suppliers In Part II of our analysis of 300 European consumers' hotel search sessions on Google, we take a deeper dive into where and how they engage with search results, surfacing ways in which hotel Suppliers might improve their chances of acquiring a guest in this challenging ecosystem.
Analysis Google and Booking: The Symbiotic Gatekeeper Relationship in European Hotel Search Google is likely averse to making significant user experience changes in the hotel vertical because the status quo is so profitable. Booking.com appears to be the primary driver of this profitability.
Analysis Hacking a Business Phone Number on a Google Listing Is (Still) Easy When confronted by the media about fraud and local listings scams, Google's PR machine trots out a familiar playbook and canned messaging.
Analysis FTC Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews The new rule will make it easer to go after and punish egregious offenders but many players in the "fake review economy" will still fall under the radar.
Analysis Is Google’s engagement-hacking masking stalled growth? Google appears to be propping up its query volumes with some weird UX decisions as it continues its quest for predictable ad revenue growth.
Analysis Google Completes GBP Reviews for LSAs Swap in EU In the UK & EU and perhaps other EMEA countries, Local Services Ad accounts must now be connected to a Google Business Profile and LSA reviews are being replaced by GBP reviews.
Analysis Black Hat Tactic Moving Google Map Pins Still Ongoing It's taking longer for Google to address bugs, often with very real consequences for local businesses.
Analysis The Google Local SERP Today Google local SERPs are becoming a festival of "self-preferencing."
Analysis How Google's (Local) Development –> Deprecation Process Affects Innovation GBP Chat's rise and fall is an example of Google's approach to local product development, which often hurts small developers and innovation more generally.
Analysis Seattle Surgeon Slammed with $5M Consent Decree Google and Yelp allowed fake reviews of unethical plastic surgeon to remain up for 18 months, causing damage to thousands of people.
Analysis Local Search Is Evolving, Here's Why You Need to Pay Attention Twin Pack, 3-Pack, 5-Pack, InfiniPack, Quad Pack; local results are expanding. And it could be more impactful than AI Overviews at driving Zero-click behaviors.
Analysis Hindsight: Self-Preferencing Behind Google Maps' Rise In 2007, Google removed links to Mapquest and Yahoo Maps from the top of search results. That was designed to boost Google Maps. It worked.
Analysis Local Search Implications of the Google API Leak Last week's leak of Google Search API documentation has broad SEO implications relevant to local search, including the importance of SERP clickthrough patterns, site architecture, sitewide signals, page-level
Analysis Crazy Google Local Near-Me Test Everything seems up for grabs these days on Google. Check out this 100% local graph results SERP.
Analysis Google I/O: Gemini Dominates Search, SGE Goes Live The developer conference keynote was all about AI, search not so much.
Analysis Is Google Replacing LSA Reviews with GBP Reviews? A UK notification suggests that LSA reviews are going to be "unified" with Google Business Profile reviews in July.
Analysis Seattle Surgeon Guilty of Breaking Law with Review Practices A federal judge found Allure Esthetic wrongly prevented patients from posting negative reviews with illegal NDAs.
Analysis Google Attempts to Redefine Its Local Services to Avoid DMA Compliance Consequences Google has positioned entities of all sorts – whether local, hotel, tickets or products – as beyond the regulatory bounds of the DMA.
Analysis Making Sense of Google Updates, Being a Quality Rater & the Future of SEO While the traditional approach to SEO may survive for awhile, marketers need to branch out and create content that can't easily be replicated by AI.
Analysis Google Doubles Down on the Local Pack in EU The appearance of a second Local Pack in the EU seems to fly in the face of the Digital Market Act's anti-self-preferencing rules.
Analysis Google Now Showing Facebook, Other Social Posts on Your GBP Profile Google Posts have declined in visibility. Social posts on your GBP could replace them, extending their reach. But there's a lot we still don't know yet.
Analysis Google Maps Blocked Reviews in Israel & Gaza How long the review ban will last has come up a number of times in the forums, with no official Google confirmation of the ban or when it might end.
Analysis Featured Why Local Searchers Look to the Local Finder On average, 26% of desktop and 36% of mobile users clicked into the Local Finder at least once during their search journeys.
Analysis Is Google's DMA Compliance DOA for Local Searches in Europe? Places Sites may as well not exist. The module drives almost no engagement, even above the fold.
Analysis New elements of Google local search results in Europe: A visual glossary Google has created new search features for the 27-country European Economic Area. Here's what they look like.
Analysis Google Maps AI on iOS: Early Impressions The potential for AI in Google Maps is huge. However, while interesting, the results so far are unimpressive.
Analysis Google LSA Brand Ads = Enshittification It has become increasingly clear to those on the front lines that Google's singular focus is on increasing revenue at all costs.
Analysis Are New Google EU Local Results DMA Compliant? Google has made various changes to local SERPs to comply with the DMA. But most of them don't really benefit publishers or users.
Analysis The Google Guarantee-LSA Scam in Home Services: A Marketer's Insight This eye-opening interview with Zachary Dotson, an experienced HVAC marketer, sheds light on a rampant scam in Google LSAs and its impact on legitimate businesses. He exposes the challenges in tackling these scams and the lack of response from the authorities and Google.
Analysis Google LSAs Supercharge Duct Cleaning Scam Google's brand credibility and its 'Google Guarantee' are enabling LSA scammers. And neither the police nor Google seem to care. Hear a victim’s account.
Analysis LSA Spam Scam - It's Deja Vu All Over Again Google has seen every type of spam and scam in local, yet they've now infiltrated Local Services Ads, which carry a Google "guarantee." This makes Google complicit in deceiving the public.
Analysis AI & Your Local SEO Agency: One Year Later Joy Hawkins of SterlingSky and Darren Shaw of Whitespark, joined Mike and Greg to talk about how AI has impacted local SEO. They discuss specific use cases and the future.
Analysis Local Review Landscape: Insights from Whitespark's GBP Analysis The findings highlight the importance of reviews in a wider range of business categories than we previously suspected and the need for tailored strategies based on category and location.
Analysis Why Citations Ain’t What They Used to Be Citations and NAP consistency have dramatically declined in their ranking influence, since 2014 when they were widely considered to be the number one local ranking factor.
Analysis Google Shifting GBP Support to 'Brand Ambassadors' aka Gig Workers? The seemingly new Google Ambassador program holds out the promise of better support. But that's probably an illusion.
Analysis GBP: New 'Image Not Approved' Appeal Form Google has not been clear about why it rejects GBP images. A new support form offers hope to get them posted.
Analysis Overture Drops Free Global Dataset with 60M Places The Overture Maps Foundation released its first global open map dataset. The data covers nearly 60 million places worldwide. It also includes transportation data, 780 million buildings and administrative boundaries
Analysis When Is the Right Time to Ask for Customer Reviews? The best time to ask for reviews isn't the next day; it may be more than a week after the transaction according to new research.
Analysis Missing Google Reviews: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide Google created a new form and process to request reinstatement of missing reviews. It's a step in the right direction but still too complicated for most business owners.
Analysis Apple Vision Pro: Technical Marvel with WTF Pricing Apple unveiled its long-awaited XR headset today. It's technically impressive but faces an uphill climb to mainstream success.
Analysis Google SGE: Meet the New Pack SGE is arguably the single biggest change to the Google SERP in over 20 years. But will it stick?
Analysis Bug or Feature: Google Business Profile 'Image Not Approved' Google's rejection of images is a black box that often can't be penetrated. Zen-like patience is required. Maps can also be a workaround.
Analysis Google's Bipolar Search Vision: Bard vs. SGE Google appears to be hedging with an AI-enhanced Google.com and an upgraded version of Bard simultaneously.
Analysis Local Search Ranking Factors for 2023 Every 12 months the survey offers an invaluable crash course in local SEO best practices.
Analysis Google Business Profile: 'Your Business Is Not Visible To Customers' There are many reasons you might see the "your business is not visible" message. But Google isn't going to tell you why.
Analysis Step-by-Step Guide to Fighting Fake Google Review Attacks Fake review attacks are an ongoing and serious problem. Google makes it difficult to get them removed but with inside knowledge and determination it is possible.
Analysis Robot Revolution & the 'AI Sandwich' I don't believe it's hyperbole to say, "this changes everything."
Analysis Google Business Profile Forum: Support Avoidance Strategy Google's motto appears to be "release buggy products and externalize their costs."
Analysis New Apple Business Connect Features & Implications Join David Mihm, Mike Blumenthal & Greg Sterling as they discuss why the Apple Business Center is significant for SMB and enterprise marketing. Both a video and full, edited transcript are available.
Analysis Should You Invest in Apple Business Connect? Apple Business Connect now offers insights into traffic and conversions. In some categories it will outpace both Facebook and Yelp as a source for conversions & new business.
Analysis Our Chatbot Future Is Here OpenAI's ChatGPT is impressive and has sparked the internet's collective imagination. This is only the beginning.
Analysis Google's New Review Algo: What We Know Removal of reviews is apparently influenced by business category, age of the GBP, review solicitation, review velocity and whether the reviewer actually visited the business.
Analysis A Guide: Why Are My Reviews Missing on Google? With Google's new AI-driven review filter, you're going to lose some reviews. Here's how to navigate the new system without going crazy.
Analysis Google's Suggested GBP Updates Nuke Reviews Make sure you know your GBP CID numbers and have backups of your reviews; you'll need them sooner or later.
Analysis Semantic Photography: Low Hanging Fruit to Increase Google Local Conversions Google is placing increasing emphasis on visual search. This presentation talks about how to scale a photographic effort for multiple locations.
Analysis Recession-Proof Your Brand with Local Marketing A looming recession doesn’t need to be a brand’s’ worst nightmare; local marketing strategies can help them survive.
Analysis Google Cuts Off Reviews for Reproductive Care Clinics Google has shut down new reviews for Planned Parenthood and other reproductive healthcare businesses. The action raises a number of unanswered questions.
Analysis 'White Pages' Websites Losing Search Visibility As privacy concerns have grown, personal data websites, often built on exploitation and deception, have seen their Google rankings fall dramatically.
Analysis Digital Agencies Form Coalition to Support Reproductive Rights Doing the right thing is also good business.
Analysis A Look at Google Local Results without 'Self-Preferencing' What would Google local search results look like if Google couldn't put the Local 3-Pack at the top of search results? A recently discovered test may give us a clue.
Analysis Google on a Review Takedown Tear Legitimate reviews appear to be collateral damage from a stepped up Google effort to address review spam.
Analysis Local Visual Search Center Stage at Google I/O Among a flurry of announcements, Google Maps 'Immersive View,' Multisearch Near Me and Scene Explorer reflect the increasingly visual future of local search.
Analysis Amazon, Just Say No to Earth Day Marketing Every holiday or cultural event now is embraced as a marketing opportunity. But brands risk being seen as inauthentic or hypocritical if all they do is talk and don't walk the walk.
Analysis The Hidden Side of CX: Mining Unstructured Data Unstructured data from customers gives businesses a unique opportunity to inform strategy and customer experiences.
Analysis The Visual Future of Local Search - Part 3 The specific steps should you be taking now, using high-quality images to improve conversions and how to future-proof your location(s) for Visual Search.
Analysis The Visual Future of Local Search - Part 2 With advanced image recognition provided by their Cloud Vision AI, Google has made images more relevant to search intent.
Analysis The Visual Future of Local Search - Part 1 One of the trends in Local has been Google's increasing use of images in search results. Google has expanded the space devoted to images, increased the number of images and enlarged their size. In Part 2 & 3 we will look at its impact on SEO.
Analysis Google Local Finder Becomes a Product Finder Google is putting increasing emphasis on local product inventory search as it tries to better compete with Amazon.
Analysis Google: Adding In-store Products Can Improve Local Rankings Google now explicitly states that in-store product availability is a local ranking factor in its own Google Business Profile documentation.
Analysis Consumer Review Trust Down but Usage Up Trust in reviews has been declining since 2017, but consumers still rely on them to make decisions. Businesses must adapt review strategies and embrace the negative review.
Analysis Google Review Growth in Decline Google was gaining reviews until 2017. Then everything slowed way down.
Analysis Details from the FTC's 'HomeAdvisor Cheated SMBs' Complaint We got a copy of the heavily redacted complaint, which contains numerous claims of misrepresentations to SMBs.
Analysis Google Increasingly Showing Product Images in Local Packs Google has been working steadily for at least a decade toward real-time product inventory in local search results.
Analysis HomeAdvisor Cheated SMBs for Years – FTC The FTC filed a complaint against HomeAdvisor, saying the company overcharged SMBs and misrepresented leads, and the "likelihood they would result in actual jobs," since 2014.
Analysis Yelp's Hidden Headwinds: Declining User Traffic and Aging Reviews Yelp made structural changes during COVID that improved performance, but there are major obstacles to growth going forward.
Analysis How Might TikTok Embrace Location-Based Marketing? TikTok offers a multiple opportunities for local marketers of all sizes, provided you do your homework.
Analysis Google Automates SMB Emails to Congress to Plead Antitrust Case Feeling nervous, Google is intensifying its anti-antitrust campaign, lobbying SMBs to "take action" and automating their emails.
Analysis The 10 Review Platforms Who Got FTC Warning Letters Ten review management platforms were put on notice by the FTC. Here they are and what got them into trouble.
Analysis FTC's Review Guidelines Part 2: Platforms The FTC's guidance for review platforms is sweeping. But enforcement will be selective and "closed platforms" are the most likely targets.
Analysis FTC's Review Guidelines Part I: Business Marketers The FTC's new guidelines simplify many things about review solicitation and moderation, but other areas are now murkier.
Analysis Google GMB's Old Facebook Page Pwnd by Fake Reviews Vendor Google allowed a fake reviews company to snatch its old Facebook URL.
Analysis With $4.2M Fine, FTC Kills 'Review Gating' The agency signaled it's going to get tough on brands and platforms that engage in review manipulation.
Analysis Vendasta Buys MatchCraft to Accelerate Ad Offering The deal accelerates and rounds out Vendasta's "end-to-end" platform for its local channel partners.
Analysis Fake Reviews and Brand Pimping: Who Wins and Who Loses Some consumer review sites are happy to turn a (partially) blind eye to fake reviews, because they're driving revenue.
Analysis Google Plays Catch-up to Amazon in Product Search Google is the underdog in product search. The company is aggressively trying to close the gap.
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 Featured 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 Featured Local Listings Domino Theory Four years after Yext went public, market consolidation finally appears to be happening in the local listings management space.
Analysis Featured 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 Featured 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 Featured How Google Supports Pride Despite several missteps along the way, Google has evolved from tentative to very strong support of LGBTQ+ communities.
Conversations Featured 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 Featured 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 [https://www.nearmedia.co/tag/analysis/#subscribe] we're publishing in-depth analysis and a weekly podcast (the Near Memo [https://nearmedia.co/memo]
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.