The undisputed Queen of Local SEO, Joy Hawkins, joins Navneet Kaushal on The Agency Insider Show to break down what's actually happening in local search in 2026 β and why most agencies aren't ready for it.
Joy is the founder & CEO of Sterling Sky, owner of LocalU, a Google Business Profile Product Expert, and a contributor to Search Engine Land. With 43 employees, zero sales team, and 100% inbound leads, she's built one of the most respected local SEO agencies in North America.
In this episode, Joy doesn't hold back. We get into:
β Why your clients are ranking #1 but their phones have stopped ringing
β How AI Local Packs are killing click-to-call and what to tell clients
β Why rank tracking is going out the window in 2026
β The press release tactic that can hijack an entire AI Overview overnight
β How she runs a 43-person agency with no KPIs, no quotas, and no sales team
β The review extortion scam every agency owner needs to know about
β Why YouTube is the most underrated ranking signal for 2027
β The brutal advice she gives to anyone trying to start an agency today
If you run an SEO agency, manage local clients, or are trying to figure out where local search is heading β this one is essential.
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β± CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold open