The Near Memo – Details, episodes & analysis

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How Individual Hotels Can Win in EU Search: 
Our research on hotel searches in Europe, revealed that Booking.com dominated user clicks, especially through ads, while Google's Hotel Finder and Business Profiles saw significantly fewer interactions. One surprising discovery was the prominent role of ads, with over 50% of mobile clicks going to ads, particularly Booking.com.

We explore how Google’s algorithm and ad strategies favor aggregators like Booking, rather than individual hotel brands, who do however have an ad opportunity with the new(ish) carousel ad and the Google Business Profiles for visibility. While Booking.com often dominates ad spots, the landing pages sometimes confuse users by showing lists of hotels instead of the specific property clicked from within the Google Hotel Finder.

Google Updated Spam Guidelines: Helpful or FUD?

We discuss Google’s recently updated spam guidelines for web search. The new policy defines spam as content designed to deceive users OR manipulate Google’s search systems for higher rankings. While the term “deceive users” is clear, the use of “manipulate,” could be interpreted broadly to include legitimate SEO practices aimed at improving visibility.

How should businesses and agencies react when dealing with Google spam guidance? Google has a history of FUD. Both groups should be aware of the risks of pushing the limits of SEO. If you're focused on providing real value to users, the risk of penalties remains low, but it’s critical to stay aware of evolving rules.

When & What are we likely to see in the Yelp antitrust case against Google? 

The Yelp case accusing Google of unfair business practices, specifically using its dominance in local search to disadvantage competitors like Yelp could provide plenty of insights which may uncover data related to Google’s local search algorithms.

Yelp argues that Google’s local search and local ads operate as separate markets, using a unique algorithm and data set. However, like the Epic Games case against Google, it could take as long as three years for the case to actually go to trial and several more years to explore penalties and file appeals. 

That being this case could impact future legislation, especially in light of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and its approach to regulating tech giants like Google. 

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.
Ep 176

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Google Testing Review Badge of Shame & More  in UK for Review Abuses:

Google has rolled out a new review “badge of shame” and a new help document titled "Business Profile Restrictions for Policy Violations," introducing stricter actions for businesses engaging in deceptive review practices. Currently being tested in the UK, the policy includes a tiered system of penalties, such as preventing new reviews, unpublishing existing ones, and displaying a "badge of shame" for businesses caught with fraudulent reviews. This marks a shift in Google’s approach, as they historically removed fake reviews without directly accusing businesses of wrongdoing. 

The penalties, though designed to improve review integrity, raise concerns about fairness, particularly for businesses that may be falsely flagged. Google has implemented an appeals process, offering business owners a chance to contest these restrictions. However, with previous experiences showing delays in review processes, some wonder how effective the system will be. This effort aligns with broader global regulatory pressures, such as the UK's push against fake reviews and potential influences from European legislation like the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Google’s Antitrust Travails: What’s at Stake in the Latest Legal Battle?

Google is currently facing its second antitrust trial, focusing on its ad-tech dominance. The trial, now in its second week, follows an earlier case where Google was found to be an illegal monopoly in search and text ads. This new case explores the workings of Google's ad exchange and network, with internal documents revealing questionable practices like taking premium cuts from advertisers. Central to the case is how the market is defined—if Google can argue for a broad market with competitors like Amazon and Facebook, it could escape further liability. However, if the market is viewed more narrowly, Google may face more significant consequences, including potential divestitures of its ad business.

Beyond legal outcomes, this case, coupled with Google’s aggressive internal strategies, is tarnishing the company’s public image. Wall Street has already priced in potential legal losses, showing expectations of a major financial impact from a loss. Additionally, these trials may open the door to more lawsuits, including cases like Yelp's, which could bring greater visibility into Google's local search dominance.

Digital Agencies Highlight Disconnect in Local Marketing Priorities:

In a recent survey of nearly 300 digital agencies, a mismatch emerged between the services offered and what agencies perceive as client demand. Agencies commonly offer web design, social media marketing, and SEO, but client demand also includes email marketing and brand marketing—services not prioritized by many agencies. This gap raises questions about how well agencies understand their clients' evolving needs, particularly in small business marketing.

Small businesses also show a surprising lack of attention to crucial tools like Google Business Profiles (GBP) and review management. Despite the importance of local search and reputation management, only a quarter of businesses actively manage their profiles, a disconnect made more mysterious given that business owners frequently use Google for their own research. The data suggests a broader education gap around how these digital tools influence visibility and growth, with many small businesses over-relying on social media while underestimating the value of search and reputation management.

The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it mat

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In this extended episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling , Joy Hawkins, Darren Shaw & Mike Blumenthal explore the role of generative AI and how it has evolved one year after CHat GPT was released.  We cover:

• Experiences and opinions on the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in SEO and content creation.
• The effectiveness of AI in different aspects of agency work, including creative tasks and data analysis.
• The influence of AI on the quality of content and the evolving nature of SEO strategies.
• Perspectives on the future impact of AI on the SEO industry and the role of agencies.

How Local SEO agencies use AI to improve client content:

• Content Creation Challenges with AI: Contrary to initial expectations, AI has not replaced content writers. While it is used for drafting and repurposing content, AI-generated articles often require extensive human editing, especially for factual accuracy and coherence.
• Content Refinement and Repurposing: AI excels in transforming existing content into different formats, like converting a list into a blog post or a blog into a script. This minimizes the editing work required.
• Efficiency in Post Creation: AI has been particularly effective in generating social media or Google posts, reducing the time and mental effort involved in content creation. This includes automating tasks like emoji placement in posts.

 How Local SEO agencies explain AI to their clients:

• AI in Client Communication: Both Sterling Sky and Whitesoark  are transparent with clients about their AI usage, addressing concerns about potential negative impacts on SEO performance. AI is presented as a tool for idea generation and preliminary drafting, not as a primary content creator.
• Client Engagement with AI: Clients are generally receptive and interested in AI's role in content creation. The emphasis is on AI as an assistant that complements human skills, ensuring quality and originality in content.
• Cost Implications: There have been no significant shifts in pricing structures due to AI efficiencies. The focus is on using AI to maintain or reduce costs rather than altering client fees.

 Local SEO Agencies & their AI future:

• AI as a reporting super power: extracting meaningful insights from large data sets for clients.
• Long-Term Impact on Staffing and Skills: Agencies do not foresee AI replacing human staff. Instead, AI is viewed as a tool that enhances staff capabilities. Concerns about AI causing dependency or de-skilling are noted, but the overall sentiment is optimistic.
• Future of AI in Local SEO: AI is expected to lead to more efficient workflows and better quality content. Agencies anticipate a growing divide between those heavily reliant on AI and those favoring a balanced, human-centric approach. AI's role in data analysis and automating repetitive tasks is highlighted, enhancing both client service and internal processes.

ChatGPT's Review Insights

• Experiences and opinions on the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in SEO and content creation.
• The effectiveness of AI in different aspects of agency work, including creative tasks and data analysis.
• The influence of AI on the quality of content and the evolving nature of SEO strategies.
• Perspectives on the future impact of AI

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 Google is testing a new label associated with content that is quick to read on both mobile and desktop. The label appears with either the text ‘Quick Read’ or ‘< 5 Min Read’, with several different combinations of each. Is this test, so close to the Helpful Content Update, a way to signal busy readers and garner their attention or is it a useful way to segment content so that searchers looking for in depth content can more easily find it?

Why Google Posts are rejected - Another Google AI first fail - Google Business Profiles recently updated Posts guidelines to prohibit poor quality images and re-use of images. Simultaneously there has been a huge increase in the forums of reports of Posts being rejected, no reasons given. Turns out that there are three explanations for the many rejections; there is a new Posts image bug, some images are duplicates AND some images are deemed too “racy” by an AI system that seems more prudish than cautious. However in all of that businesses are left to fend for themselves when their posts are rejected. There is no indication of what caused the rejection and no path given for on. Once again a Google AI first solution seems to be shifting costs downstream and making for unhappy businesses. 

Nearby , Tiktok & Instagram need local seo now - Nearby, TikTok and Instagram have oodles of truly relevant local content and yet none of them has leveraged that valuable content into an SEO strategy that could attract new readers from Google local searches. 

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.
Near Memo Ep 80 v2

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 Shopify Cretes an Influencer Marketplace -  Of all of the networks that have attempted to create a way for businesses to easily connect with influencers to help market their products, Shopify’s newest effort, Collabs, seems like the most logical fit and the easiest to use

Google’s Human Content Update; Why now?  Google’s language in announcing the Human Content Update, that is rolling out this week and next, largely reflected the language that the marketplace has been using to laud Tik-Tok and to criticize Google’s search efforts. We look at a number of questions surrounding this rollout and what it says about Google’s needs and their practices. 

Google’s AI First Approach is wrong - The recent case highlighted by the NY Times of a parent who sent photos of his child to their nurse being investigated by police AND having their lifelong Google accounts canceled point out the many problems of an AI first approach to societal issues. We see similar issues happening every day in the GBP forums around images, reviews and suspensions. We discuss ways that Google might be able to achieve scaled moderation AND live up to their obligations to society. 

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.
Near Memo Ep 80

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Yelp has recently publicized their newest revenue stream; selling merchant data to marketers. It seems sleazy and is likely just a money grab by Yelp

Day in and day out, small businesses are flocking into the Google Business Profile forum to complain about their legit reviews being nuked by Google’s effort to limit review spam. 

Tik-Tok is still not being heavily used by brands. Brands can create their own content or team up with Tik-tok creators, for which Tik-tok has created a marketplace. In travel, restaurants and beauty site visitors are using Tik-Tok for discovery. Many small businesses have done well there but brands have an opportunity to leverage this audience which is shunning search. 

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.
Near Memo Ep 78

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After dozens of failed messaging starts, Google has been on a campaign to get Apple to integrate with their telco favored RCS messaging service. It's not clear why Apple would want to do that and the campaign by Google is almost laughable.

Local growth highlighted in Axiosacquisition by Cox for $585 million. 

With the ascendance of Google and Facebook advertising, local newspapers have been on the ropes. Cox, originally a newspaper company, exited that world for digital properties and broadband services. It appears that they are making a jump back in with the Axios acquisition. Axios Local, highlighted in the press release for the acquisition, currently operates in 24 cities and plans to expand its coverage to 30 U.S. cities by the end of 2022. Eventually, it hopes to be in hundreds of cities. It will be interesting to watch if a nationally run local news organization can find a successful monetization strategy. 

B2B targeting has always been complicated and expensive or both. Facebook's newly updated offering seems to resolve both of these issues. Their focused entrance into the space could provide some price competition for LinkedIn and put pressure on other players in the market

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.
Near Memo Ep 77

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Segment 1: Shopify’s investment in Klaviyo improves Shopify’s enterprise cred & may signal acquisition

In a move to protect and enhance their core product with enterprise, Shopify’s strategic investment in Klaviyo indicates a 

Segment 2: The golden era of hyper detailed location data intelligence is coming to an end

The marketplace for highly granular location data, fed by smartphones, cars and cell companies, is coming under scrutiny by both Congress and regulators. Despite the value to society that this data might have, its abuse and invasive practices seems to have finally led to some constraints and oversight. If we are lucky, we may be given the ability to opt into surveillance instead of just having to accept it. 

Segment 3: At Covid start  E-commerce was eating retail, turns out it is retail

In early Covid, pundits talk up the idea that e-commerce had leaped 5 years ahead in its “battle” with retail only to talk up the idea that in store shopping has returned and the e-commerce lost all that it gained. But a closer examination of the data shows that e-commerce did make and sustains real growth but that retail has returned stronger as well. The problem seems to be with comparison between the two. In the end, e-commerce is not really a separate segment from retail but one in the same. 

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 Instagram evolves (?) to target Gen Z but leaves others behind

 Instagram and Facebook are attempting to cater to the consumption patterns of Gen Z but in doing so are alienating their traditional users. Might these apps be better served by bifurcating their products and developing more focused apps. 

Google prevents reviews on listings that offer reproductive services

Google has stopped allowing reviews on Planned Parenthood as well as a limited number of businesses offering abortion & reproductive services. While the Planned Parenthood stoppage was probably a manual action, shutting of every business in the categories noted appears to be algorithmically implemented. Why? 

Google Commerce SERP Trends

Four major trends in commerce serps on the desktop: increasingly  visual, there are a greater variety of serp features to cope with ambiguity, there an increasing number of Local Packs and Ads dominate the space. Local Packs show for 77% of Google commerce query SERP results.

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.
Near Memo Ep 75

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Amazon AND Google both try to demonstrate their anti fake review bonafides. Both fail to do their job and offer little in the way of substantive reform to prevent review abuses. 

The American Data Privacy and Protection Act (.pdf) looks like it will make it out of committee, a watershed moment and a step toward a floor vote. This moment is a byproduct of significant compromises and amendments. 

Instagram has introduced an upgraded, interactive and searchable map experience. Users can now search, browse and drag maps to find things nearby. Results can also be filtered by categories such as restaurants, hotels, cafes, sights.

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.
Near Memo Ep 74

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