Explore every episode of the podcast The Near Memo
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Google’s Review Algorithms Are Tightening — Here’s What the Data Shows
In this episode of The Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal talk with Michel of GMB API about what new data reveals regarding review removals, fraud detection, incentivized reviews, and regional legal differences across Europe and the U.S.
The conversation explores why reviews are increasingly central to AI-driven search experiences, how enforcement tools can unintentionally harm small businesses, and what this all means for trust, visibility, and competition in local search.
In this episode, Jes Scholz joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal for a deep dive into the forces reshaping search: AI agents, the rise of conversational interfaces, the 60/40 brand-activation model, content freshness, multimodal distribution, and why your database — not your website — may determine your competitive future.
Jes explains what marketers must do now: update your content strategy, test your site with agents, fix your UX friction, and prepare your database for natural-language inputs. Essential listening for SEOs, CMOs, and local businesses navigating the next wave of digital change.
In this episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal dig into Google Business Profile suspension increases over time, the broken state of reviews, and insights from Google’s Liz Reid on AI Overviews, AI Mode, and monetization. What do these changes mean for small businesses, SEOs, and consumers? Tune in for an unfiltered take.
Will Google's Reactive Behavior to Search Quality & AI Solve Their Problems?
Google is struggling to adapt to the changing market dynamics, including the rise of AI, TikTok, and criticism of declining search result quality.
Google's efforts to retain younger users by modifying its search results to include more engaging content like social media, short videos, and images.
Google's algorithmic updates are aimed at improving search result relevance and combating the issue of low-quality AI-generated content.
LSA Ad Efficiency and Google's Transition to a UX That is AI Driven:
Local service ads (LSAs) are outperforming traditional search results and organic traffic due to their higher efficiency in attracting clicks.
The success of LSAs is due to their visual & emotional appeal, trust badges, and display of relevant information like star ratings, years in business, and the Google guarantee.
Google is transitioning towards a new approach where search results will be tailored to users' emotional responses, leading to increased click-through rates on ads.
Google’s Incredible Notebook LM IS the Future of AI For the Rest of Us:
Notebook LM is Google's most notable AI development this year, allowing users to create customized datasets and effectively build their own large language models.
The accessibility of Notebook LM, makes this technology suitable even for non-technical users.
Notebook LM has the potential to revolutionize various industries by empowering individuals to develop personalized AI tools and generate high-quality content with ease.
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 138
Google’s current interface and attempts at query refinement are largely broken. Google’s new Gemini upgrade to SGE appears to offer advanced search query refinement capabilities and individualized user interfaces that could resolve both of those issues. The potential or customized and visually diverse search results when integrated into search could provide a much improved user experience.
The Impact of Google’s Rating Bias:
Google's more liberal grading scheme seems to inflate ratings compared to other platforms. This discrepancy leads to user confusion and skepticism about the reliability of these ratings. How do you reconcile these variances, considering how they can mislead consumers and impact decision-making processes. There is a need for more consistent and transparent rating systems across different platforms.
Reviewjacking Reflects Big Problems with Local Service Ads:
Google's due diligence regarding their Local Services Ads (LSA) program is severely lacking. The program, intended to guarantee consumers trustworthy services, has been exploited due to insufficient vetting processes. Some businesses, particularly in the HVAC sector, have manipulated Google's support system to attach unrelated but highly-rated Google Business Profiles (GBPs) to their LSAs, artificially inflating their reviews and misleading consumers. This exploitation points to a significant security flaw within Google's system, highlighting a disregard for safety and consumer trust. This oversight has allowed a few bad actors to significantly impact the market, especially in areas like Texas, where spam listings have become widespread.
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 137
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.
Google’s Newest Search Features: “Whipped cream on S.H. I. .T”.?
While Google's new features aim to enhance user interaction and personalize the search experience, they may not address broader user concerns about search result quality and privacy. And in fact may, as David points out, might just be whipped cream on a not very tasty substrate. The success of these features will depend on their implementation, user acceptance, and compliance with global privacy standards.
Whitespark Research: Exploring the Landscape of Local Business Reviews across 1 Million Listings.
In the world of local businesses, customer reviews play a pivotal role in shaping public perception and influencing consumer decisions. Darren Shaw and Whitespark's comprehensive analysis of a million local businesses offers valuable insights into the distribution of reviews across various categories.
There is a lot of work to be done on the fake review front:
Google’s new review algo didn’t do a very good job spotting the many fake reviews on the physician’s practice recently fined by the NYS AG. The fine, $100,000, was hardly enough to pay for the time they spent analyizing the situation and certainly was not enough to deter someone that is making millions as an orthopedic surgeon. While the FTC and state’s AG are getting more aggressive bringing high profile cases, it is unlikely that is enough to stem the tide of fake reviews.
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 135
Google Maps continues to add new features and functionality and as it has become a primary search engine for Google and its forward facing brand it has included so much functionality that it suffers from extreme bloat. The new immersive directions exemplifies the problem. but Maps is a deep moat and it is very difficult for others to challenge.
Citations and their value to Local Search:
In the past, citations from directories were crucial for local businesses, especially those without a significant inbound link footprint or a website. These third-party profiles often served as the only source of validation for Google to categorize and recognize the existence of these businesses. At that time, Google had fewer signals to rely on for local businesses, such as a less developed native review feature and a smaller corpus of reviews. This context made citations in directories like Yellow Pages, City Search, and Yelp significantly valuable, as they were well-ranked in Google's organic algorithm and helped propel the mentioned businesses in search rankings.
However, the landscape has shifted considerably. Nowadays, most businesses have claimed their Google Business Profiles and provide information directly to Google. A larger percentage of these businesses have their own websites with inbound links. This development diminishes Google's reliance on third-party directories for data validation, which was a significant role these directories played a decade ago. Furthermore, the authority and trust in many of these non-Yelp directories have declined, making citations in them less impactful for local SEO. The current strategy emphasizes identifying and targeting sites that rank for desired keywords, as these are more likely to draw clicks and direct customers. This shift highlights the need for local businesses and agencies to adapt their SEO strategies, focusing more on building a robust online presence and less on broad directory listings.
Google’s New Small Business Attribute: Helpful or Performative ?
This attribute aims to make it easier for consumers to discover small businesses online when shopping for products. Google defines a small business as an entity not part of a franchise, with fewer than $10 million in revenue and less than ten locations. However, there's a debate over this definition, as it excludes franchisees, who constitute a significant portion of small businesses in the U.S. Google plans to infer small business status from various signals and also allows businesses to affirmatively apply for the attribute.
From a marketing perspective, this development is significant yet somewhat limited in its potential impact. The attribute is expected to help small businesses be discovered more easily, serving as a modifier or a long-tail tool in certain search contexts. However, there are concerns about the actual effectiveness of this feature in driving substantial exposure for small businesses. Critics argue that if Google were genuinely committed to enhancing small business discovery, this attribute would be more prominently integrated, such as in Google Shopping or as a filter in search ads. As it stands, the attribute may have a limited impact, appearing sporadically and possibly unnoticed by users. This suggests that, while beneficial, the attribute's impact on small business visibility and marketing might be more symbolic than substantial.
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 134
“Running a startup is like being in a knife fight,” BeanBox Co-Founder and CEO Matthew Berk unexpectedly says, as he describes the arduous but rewarding journey from the world of SaaS to making a real-world consumer product.
From Local Search to the Speciality Coffee Business:
Matthew Berk’s personal and professional path took him from a humanities degree to co-found a local-search startup (OpenList) and eventually to a more traditional real-world manufacturing and logistics business (Bean Box), where he’s the CEO today.
OpenList was ahead of its time as a local search engine and some of the things they did experimentally are now being deployed (e.g., generative-AI review summaries). OpenList was acquired by Marchex in 2006, to provide content for the latter’s extensive portfolio of local domains at the time.
Berk also explains why he loves to write code. And he talks about the steep learning curve in getting BeanBox off the ground, the hard lessons learned in the early days and how they’ve stayed true to their customers as the company has scaled.
Search, Social and Ads: BeanBox’s Marketing Surprises:
We discuss the similarities and differences between running a software startup and a more traditional business with a physical product. Berk also explains the challenges and satisfactions of building a consumer brand that touches people’s lives on a daily basis.
Another significant topic explores BeanBox’s marketing strategies and lessons learned. What worked in the past and what’s working today? Berk covers Amazon, affiliates, Google Shopping Ads, SEO, content and social/influencer marketing. He explains why BeanBox focused obsessively on SEO in the early days, but now not so much.
The company has decided to crowdsource its latest funding round. Berk explains the challenges of investing in growth but also building a sustainable business and maintaining product quality
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 133
GBP Call History’s History - What does it say about Google?
Google Business Profile Call History has been problematic from the start because it made the business of calling a business more like roulette. When it disappeared after months of barely functioning every thought it had been nuked. But it's back. Its chaotic development, its checkered history, the lack of communication around it speaks to all of the things that Google does poorly and why any smart business would not put such a critical piece of infrastructure in Google’s hands.
Bright Local Local Business Discovery and Trust Report:
Brightlocal’s second discovery and trust report surveyed 1100 users in the US and looks at everything from the impact of inaccurate listings to which social sites searchers trust. People still trust Google and Google Maps while trust in Facebook, Yelp and the others is much much less.
How will Google’s SGE impact local search and what will it deliver?
Google’s Bard strategy of taking generative AI as a search tool into their productivity and assistant tool makes sense. But what of the Search Generative Experience in search? The test is coming to end in December and we ask exactly what can we expect and what should we think about as it relates to local 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. NearMemo Ep 132
Bulk Dashboard Comeback?, GBP listing cleanup, Alternatives to Google search
Segment 1 Title (100 chars): Will GBP rescue the multi-location Business Profile Manager dashboard from the trash bin?
Google recently added a new functionality to the Business Profile Manager dashboard: they upgraded the bulk Insights download to match the data points available in the API and the Google Maps editing interface. Is this an indication that Google is finally dusting off the dashboard and is going to make it fit for service?
GBP listing cleanup & more rigorous verification → less fraud but more work for honest businesses:
Over the past 15 years Google largely allowed fake businesses and fake reviews to persist in the Google Maps index. Starting 2 years ago Google started, finally, cleaning up listings and reviews. They have subsequently implemented more rigorous verification standards
If Apple builds it (a search engine) will they come (from Google)?
Roughly half of consumers are not satisfied with Google search. Apple, in recent testimony, claims to not be interested in building a search engine because Google is so good. And yet rumors persist that Apple has been doing the do to actually build a search engine. Google meanwhile with Bard and Google Assistant and hardware upgrades is trying to capitalize on the 45% that are Google devotees.
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 131
“Clicks Are Not a ranking signal” except that they are:
If we have learned anything over the years with Google it is that you need to take with a huge grain of salt. While they might not lie, they have such narrow definitions and unstated assumptions that you really don’t know what they mean. Recent evidence in the antitrust case reveals that to be more true than ever.
Google Comments on Review Fraud: “We are the victim here”:
In a shameless example of self interested BS Google suggested that the FTC should focus on the buyers and sellers of fake reviews in their new rule and NOT the platforms that caused the very problem. Given that Google did very little about fake reviews for over a decade and created the very incentives that they now blame merchants for taking advantage of, the FTC should look to both the buyer and sellers of fake reviews AND to the platforms that have caused the problems.
Bard extensions - Google’s local and travel data creates better AI experience:
Google has indicated that there will be a number of extensions from both themselves and 3rd parties to enhance Bard. This past week we saw the introduction of Google’s Maps, airline & hotel information into Bard. It seems that this is both a good way to limit the “hallucinations” of generative AI AND to extend their search prominence directly into their productivity tools.
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 130
Purna Virji and I discuss what motivated her to write the book, how she defines “content” and why she took a very expansive approach to content strategy and marketing. She also discusses the foundation of great content and what digital marketers can learn from traditional marketing.
Creating ‘High Impact’ Content:
What exactly makes a “high impact” content? How do you differentiate your content, especially in a B2B context? Virji explains how to find the overlap between internal company needs and customer needs as the sweet spot and starting point for content marketing. Why you need to start with measurement and why marketers should always choose quality over quantity. Finally, how do you decide which channels and formats to pursue in a world of expanding content demands?
AI and the Future of Content:
AI will have a major impact on content marketing. Will it usher in a golden age or a tsunami of mediocrity? Will organizations downsize content departments but maintain the same output expectations? Can AI-generated content be differentiated? We also discuss SEO and why there’s a gap between “create content for people” rhetoric and the “facts on the ground.” Virji is ultimately upbeat and optimistic about the future and ends with a three-pronged framework for creating better content.
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 129
The big picture of review fraud - who does it and why: We explore the full range of review fraud from fake positive reviews, black hat negative reviews and review extortion with Curtis Boyd of the Transparency Company. How widespread is it, is it growing, which categories are most likely to participate in it and why.
How to deal with fake review attacks and competitors who use fake reviews: If you are an honest business can you compete in a world rife with review fraud. We discuss how to deal with fake review attacks and how to get fake reviews that your competitors have gotten taken down.
The FTC and fake review guidelines and rules: The FTC has been upping their enforcement game with new Guidelines which set a standard and upcoming Rules which will facilitate their ability to impose fines on buyers and sellers of reviews. The major platforms are largely exempt from any enforcement but their is language in the upcoming FTC rules that makes a business fully responsible for compliance.
The Future of Reviews: What will see over the next 24 months in review spam & possible enforcement: New rules from the FTC and better filters from Google might turn the corner on fake reviews but the lack of FTC resources and the lack of Google’s focus may prevent that from happening
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 128
Upcoming Google Anit-trust case unlikely to change much of anything:
Google’s antitrust case is starting next week. Google filed for a summary judgment and some of the issues were decided in their favor. Only two remain; The payment to Apple as the default iPhone search engine and whether Google uses Search Ads 360 to thwart competitors. Even if the case is decided against Google, it is unlikely to change much in the world of search.
GBP support finally introduces a form to dedupe listings in Google Maps:
One of the long standing issues in managing large multi-location businesses in Google is the frequent occurrence of duplicate listings and historically, no easy way to get them merged. Now, likely in response to increased European regulations, Google has introduced a simple form to report and hopefully nuke listing duplicates. When combined with a product like Whitespark GPB duplicate notifications there is a real chance that large multi-location businesses, particularly hospitals and clinics, can actually get their duplicates under control.
When searching, consumers consider many results:
It has long been thought that the click through curve on the front page of Google was very, very steep with users primarily clicking the #1 result, fewer clicking on 2 and 3 with virtually none going beyond that. Our behavior research suggests that user behavior is much more complicated than that and that they will often examine 3, 4 or even 10 results if the local decision is important enough.
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 127
Local SEOs wonder whether searchers actually enter the Local Finder from the Pack results. We often think no but our research indicates that not only do searchers enter the Local Finder on a regular basis, they also scroll deep and often pick a business not in the top three.
Local link building is hard but NearMedia research indicates that even in competitive markets in competitive categories it only takes several great local links to compete.
Google has created a world where focusing on search optimizations has rewarded businesses who have invested in SEO. Yet they consistently lecture users about the need for user centric content. The reality is that there is a great deal of hypocrisy on the part of Google in these matters. How should they deal with this reality?
How SMBs buy services: Despite what we may think, neither word of mouth nor social are how small and very small businesses buy payment solutions. Search was where it was at. This survey likely can be extrapolated to any SAAS product or service. While it takes longer and is harder to gain search traffic, search and SEO ultimately pays off if you are trying to reach the SMB audience.
DSA is kicking in and we are seeing its impact globally: DSA and the related P2B regulations become effective at the end of this month. Both sets of regulations require more transparency and accountability for business to business services like GBP. We have seen a number of support form upgrades and processes that enhance the flow of Google support. In Europe businesses are additionally offered the benefit of mediation services. Whether support will actually improve or is this just transparency theater is yet to be determined.
AI generated artwork is NOT covered by copyright: We are at the beginning ogg generative AI for creative uses AND at the beginning of the process of establishing copyright around the creations generated. The Copyright Office first granted a copyright to a comic books whose images were created by Midjourney and then later reversed itself with respect to the images. They said that since these were created by AI, they're not copyrightable and that you cannot copyright something if there isn't sufficient human involvement. Ultimately these questions will be resolved in the Supreme Court.
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 125
Google Ambassadors (ie Gig Workers) now staffing GBP support poorly:
Google Business Profile support has added a new layer of first level support using what they call Google Ambassadors. These are “passionate brand advocates” working as gig workers. While it provides a comforting, warm body to the chat support experience, it is likely to just waste your time. So be prepared to take a winding path to your answer and expect to be passed along without a conclusive solution.
New Google feature: Search Generative Experience while browsing:
This new generative AI search feature, adds automatic article summaries to a web page to quickly find the web page’s key points and jump directly to the relevant section to learn more. It works reasonably well on the desktop but is problematic on mobile devices. Google is attempting to insert themselves into your website and to direct users to other searches.
Are AI Generated review summaries the future of platform reviews?
Newegg, Amazon and others have started to use AI to create summaries of the typical user review. It will expedite purchases because people will get the information they need from the review summary without having to read the underlying reviews. It is an idea that possibly will make shopping more efficient and sets a trend that Google will surely follow.
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 124
In blind testing, users appear to prefer ChatGPT search results over Google by almost 2:1. Those are the findings of the test's creator, ClickPop, which requires some caveats. Nonetheless, the outcome suggests the Google brand and familiar UI may be a bigger factor in Google's dominant search position than search quality
Google Ad Liaison provided bad pruning advice to CNET:
CNET was "busted" by Gizmodo this week for pruning a bunch of old content. The search liaison for Google came out and said: "Hey, you shouldn't do this. You shouldn't prune your content. The notion that Google doesn't like old content is just wrong".
The takeaway from the comment is intended to be "don't prune content", which is a piece of very bad SEO advice. It sounds like CNET is, has a really good SEO team that clearly understands what they are doing. They noted: "Removing content from our site is not a decision we take lightly. Our teams analyze many data points to determine whether there are pages on CNET that are not currently serving a meaningful audience. This is an industry wide best practice for large sites like ours", whatever Google might say.
Consumers indicate that reviews are important but do they read them? Our user research in YMYL local categories continues to show that reviews are incredibly important to reviewers; it is the single most mentioned criteria and probably influences even those searchers that don’t mention it. Yet very few people actually seem to read the reviews and primarily look at the rating stars and secondarily at the quantity. This should be a clarion call for the FTC to ban any review incentives rather than require that they be labeled.
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 123
New Local ad format, Updated GBP Guideline clarifies policies, Google SGE shows reference links: New Local Ad format is a local ad as local ads should be
Google seems to have rolled out a new ad unit that relies on local assets like GBP photos for the the creatives. The ads include a map, review ratings and an image are very eye-catching and appear to be extremely easy to create and use. This is the ad that Google should have made available to local advertisers from day one.
New GBP Guidelines clarify long “secret” policies: Google rolled out a number of new policy statements regarding the rules guiding suspensions and content take downs affecting Google Business Profiles (GBP). These guidelines, long the working rules that affected listings and listing content, now make explicit how a user accounts and abuses affect whether a business continues to have access to any given listing or whether that listing will be removed from Google. While this increased clarity is welcome the devil is in the details.
Google SGE finally includes reference links: Rather than just straight up plagiarism of the recent past, Google’s new AI based search test is now testing three different ways of including links in the “search generative experience (SGE). Some of these link tests make the links more obvious than others. However none of this pertains to local as there Google solely references their Local Knowledge Graph and GBP listings. In most of these cases, to get to the business website requires 2 clicks (go figure). While the SGE experience is improving it still has a ways to go to be better than the current search experience.
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. NearMedia Ep122
Google continues to lose product search market share:
A recent quarterly survey from Jungle Scout indicates that Google and to a lesser extent Amazon are both losing product search market share. Google has lost almost a 7% share on a year over year basis despite massive investments in Product search related tech. Social media, particularly TikTok seems to be the big winner with an almost 6% gain. Does this reflect a growing consumer dissatisfaction with Google (and Amazon) or does it just reflect users default way that they are spending their time?
Scammers hijack Airline phone numbers on Google:
Last week, amidst massive flight delays, scammers hijacked the service phone numbers for a number of airlines listed in the Google search results. The Google friendly press reacted as if this was a one off occurrence and Google provided their standard: “We do not tolerate this misleading activity, and are constantly monitoring and evolving our platforms to combat fraud …
our teams have already begun reverting the inaccuracies, suspending the malicious accounts involved, and applying additional protections to prevent further abuse.”
However given that this has occurred on an almost annual basis since 2008 and continues to this day, one has to ask if Google really cares or if this is just how they do business; collect data on the cheap and externalize the cost of their ML moderation to consumers and businesses?
Yelp scolds businesses for soliciting reviews:
Recently a do-gooder Twitter user did some armchair activism and encouraged users worldwide to leave a review for her waitress at a local restaurant because the waitress would be “spiffed” $15 for each review. Yelp in typical fashion, slapped an Unusual Activity Warning Alert on the business and proceeded to lecture business owners about the evil of soliciting reviews.
The case is interesting because both reviewers AND Yelp seem to be out of touch with what makes sense in this somewhat nuanced situation.
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 121
Apple Maps & Local Opportunities: Apple Maps is ACTUALLY used for local discovery and it appears to be sending more traffic than either Yelp or Bing. According to Apple insights at least 28% of clicks came from category searches. While Apple Maps generates ~5% of the web visits and perhaps 10% of the phone calls of GBP, that is enough to put Apple Maps in second place as a source of local leads. Interestingly having access to both Apple and Google Maps driving direction clicks we can estimate Apple Maps market share at about 40% of all iPhone users
Learnings from going undercover as a quality rater for Google: Cyrus Shepard signed up to be a Google Quality Rater and doing so allowed him to provide additional insights into what Google thinks is important. The details of content, user intent, and web page quality understanding clearly inform the algo and provide a basis for Google’s results particularly in “your money and your life” categories.
Is Google’s AI based SGE a dead end or the future of search? Initial excitement around Google’s AI response to bing chat raised hopes of a better user experience with search. The product, being slow and often not informative, has not really done that. And, at least according to this limited Twitter poll, users are using it less. Is it all just theater?
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 120
The enshittification of Google Analytics: Google analytics, with their forcing of GA4 on an audience that doesn’t need, understand or want the complexity, has created an opportunity for the market to deliver simple, easy to implement and understandable analytics. Will this fall to a third party or will it surface organically within the CMSs and operational platforms that are currently available?
Twitter, where art thou replacement? The enshittification of Twitter has moved along at a rapid pace and into that void we have seen numerous efforts to provide alternatives. With Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky (and a host of wannabes) vying for their attention it isn’t yet clear where anyone should focus and put their energies.
The FTC releases new review Guidelines & Rules for Reviews: This week the FTC went wild and crazy and published numerous and voluminous treatises providing Guidelines and proposed Rules for endorsements and reviews. Reviews have clearly been elevated in standing and the new guidance focuses on trying to maintain their honesty and integrity. But given that the real problems lie with Google and Amazon, and these effort largely excludes them, it is not clear what the impact will be.
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. NearMemo Ep119
In this episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Barry Schwartz discuss various pressing topics in the digital marketing landscape, including the rise of local review ransom schemes, the ongoing debate about the state of the open web, and the implications of AI on search interfaces. They explore how Google's recent changes and the introduction of AI features are reshaping user experiences and the future of search. The conversation also touches on the challenges businesses face with review moderation and the impact of spam on search quality.
While the Wall Street Journal thinksTikTok holds companies hostage and a small business in Philadelphia thinks it is unfair to get so many fake reviews, there is no denying that Tiktok has scale. While it hasn't really provided any real local discovery options, any given video can get so much traction that it can be felt at the most local of levels.
Google Perspectives: innovation for the SERPs or bandaid to prevent social media flight?
Google has rolled out a new mobile CTA at the top of many serps called Perspectives which provides a dedicated area at the top of the search result for social media related commentary on the topic of your search. Depending on the query intent it might show first in the radio buttons or it might be last but it includes YouTube, Reddit, Quara and Twitter (amongst others) commentary on the topic. Many think that things have become less useful on Google; too many ads, too much spam, et cetera, and Google has to respond to it. The question is whether this is an adequate response.
New Google GBP feature “By Owner” & new Whitespark tool reflect reality that GBP is rented not owned
Google is now highlighting “all” owner controlled GBP content in one tab; By owner in the mobile business profile. It includes the business description and their updates (aka Posts). It is not clear why a user would ever select or be curious about that tab.
Whitespark has released a new dashboard that tracks the changes that users and Google regularly make to all of the other data in the business profile like phone number, address, categories, URLs etc. and reports these annoying changes back to the business owner.
When viewed together, any rational business should be able to understand that they control very, very little of their own profile on Google and what they do control is unlikely to be seen.
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. NearMemo Ep118
Does the world need another mapping project and an open source one at that? Meta, Amazon web Services, Tom Tom & Microsoft think so and teamed up to create the Overture Maps Foundation, with Marc Prioleau at the helm.
The Overture Maps Foundation is a new organization within the open source Linux Foundation. It aims to improve mapping services by focusing on open map data that meets evolving market needs. By collaborating and sharing data, the foundation seeks to avoid duplication of efforts and allow businesses, governments, and organizations to concentrate on developing unique and value-added mapping applications. The foundation acknowledges the importance of proprietary data but emphasizes the benefits of open data for innovation and efficiency. While not currently seen as a major threat, the foundation's position aligns with the idea that proprietary mapping data should be distinct enough to provide value and not easily replaceable by freely available alternatives.
Introduction to Overture Maps Foundation 00:02 The Overture Maps Foundation is a new organization started within the Linux Foundation, aimed at open map data. It focuses on meeting the evolving market needs and improving map data quality. The foundation caters to individuals and organizations building map services, whether they are commercial entities, government entities, or NGOs.
Marc Prioleau's Background in Mapping 00:19 Marc Prioleau, the executive director of the Overture Maps Foundation, has a long history in the mapping world. He has worked in the GPS and mapping space for over 20 years, starting with Trimble Navigation and later working for companies like Telcantar, DeCarta, and Mapbox. His experience lies in developing large volume mapping applications and working with companies to improve their mapping services.
The Need for Overture Maps Foundation 02:41 The need for the Overture Maps Foundation arose due to the increasing demands of map data. As mapping applications have evolved, the requirements for map data, including attributes, refresh rates, and spatial accuracy, have continuously risen. To keep up with these demands, the foundation focuses on providing open map data to enable companies to build richer and more differentiated mapping services.
Changing World and Data 14:08 The world is constantly changing, and data plays a crucial role in keeping up with these changes. Different industries and sectors require specific data to meet their unique needs. Companies, businesses, and governments utilize data to make informed decisions and build upon existing data layers. Collaboration and Open Source 14:32
Collaboration and open-source initiatives have proven to be valuable in enhancing data quality, efficiency, and resource allocation. Open data, when combined with other data sources, becomes even more powerful. Removing barriers and sharing resources can lead to collective improvement and focus on more innovative aspects.
Utilizing Ambient Data for Map Building 23:18 AIS is exploring various sources of ambient data to enhance its map building capabilities. These sources include GPS traces, imagery, computer vision, and other signals. AI technology, such as computer vision, can extract valuable map data from imagery. Additionally, signals like movement data and other unique sources can contribute to accurate and up-to-date maps.
Indoor location challenges 28:36 Indoor location, particularly in multi-story buildings like shopping malls and airports has been challenging. It was difficult to determine the floor level and detect when someone entered a business on a different level. The speaker mentions t
Google LSA reviews come, they go but LSA still sucks:
Last week we saw seismic activity in the disappearance of Google Local Service Ads (LSA) reviews and there was hope, however faint, that they were fixing their fake review problem. But like with so much around Google local efforts, that was not the case. Fake reviews in LSA are emblematic of Google’s lost opportunity with these ads. They offered up the promise of Google being able to track the whole consumer journey and being able to verify reviews as authentic.
We discuss the many reasons contributing to why Google’s LSA is has failed to live up to its promise of vetted businesses and verified reviews and to a large extent has just become another spam vector.
Localized stories and visualizations are a path to SEO success for National Local Brands: Buzzsumo did a broad linking study to understand which news sources linked to which and how to best leverage that knowledge to increase the likelihood of content placement to generate backlinks.
What stood out was the fact that localized stories and visualizations are the most likely to be syndicated in top-tier media. And this is a tactic that any national firm with a local presence can leverage to achieve branding, links AND local visibility.
Are AI driven personal assistants the future of search? AI is dramatically changing the nature of search. Will Google’s SGE define that future or will it be something like Mustafa Suleyman’s Inflection? Inflection is Mustafa Suleyman’s new company that he founded with Ried Hoffman after selling Deep Mind to Google and working for Google. He believes that Google’s vision is fundamentally flawed.
What will replace search, if anything and how long will it take?
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 117
When should you ask for reviews? Common wisdom in the world of reputation management is that you ask for reviews immediately following a client transaction. Research from the University of Nevada seems to indicate otherwise. But like many things in marketing, it depends. It depends on your demographic, your product or service and likely on the relationship you have with your customer. Test it, is the best advice.
Is Google SGE a headfake? With the rollout of Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) Google seems to have staunched the flow of the movement to Bing. But the product is flakey, shows sometimes and not others, provides mediocre results and is generally an unsatisfactory experience. Was this just a way to keep users and Wall Street on board until Bard is integrated with apps and they can better deliver on AI in search?
Apple Vision Pro - Truly a vision - With the high price & the size it is easy to be skeptical of Apple’s Vision Pro. Reports from actual users paint a different picture, one of a desktop replacement that seems to provide a metaphor for the next generation of computing.
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 116
Eric Semler of TCS Capital Management criticizes Yelp for not delivering enough value to its stockholders. He suggests that Yelp should sell itself to Angi, citing Yelp's strong services business and potential for synergy in a merger.
While Yelp has found some success in its services business and transitioned to a SaaS model, there are concerns about its long-term viability. Will Yelp survive as a stand alone company?
Segment 2: Google Merchant Center Next - a cool product without market?
Google's Merchant Center can be likened to an e-commerce content management system with a focus on generating AI-driven ads. It allows businesses to create products and easily gather information from their websites.
Clearly Google is investing heavily in SMB local inventory and this contrasts with the disaster that is GBP. But while Google's Merchant Center appears to be a commendable product, the challenge lies in identifying its precise target customer. Without a clearly defined target audience, it becomes difficult to determine the success of the product.
Segment 3: Bard's Journey as an Alternative to Google Search
Bard has been positioning itself as an alternative to Google, offering users an alternative search experience. While it is still a work in progress and may not be at par with Google's capabilities, Bard shows promise for the future. As Bard continues to integrate various components of Google, such as the knowledge graph and maps, it aims to become a robust alternative search engine.
GBP Image Not Approved, a bug or feature & how to tell: Google Business Profile image upload has long exhibited a bug that prevents images from being published. The problem is that Google uses the exact same messaging for many conditions that lead to Google not publishing the image. How does a business know if they have broken often unstated rules or if they are experiencing a bug? We discuss how to tell and what this really says about Google’s Business Profile efforts.
ChatGPT has added plug-ins & the web integration and it sucks: ChatGPT generated excitement and discussions around its impact on search because it was such a great first release. The addition of web access and plug-ins though put a chill over the party as they are slow and cumbersome. This calls into question whether ChatGPT can ever challenge Google? While still useful, this “upgrade” certainly doesn’t threaten Google’s position and seems more hype than improvement.
Yelp integration with Google Reserve reflects their weakened position: Over the past several years, Yelp has sought to diversify revenues away from advertising, including through new merchant fees and SaaS tools. In the latter category, Yelp Guest Manager, its front of the house system for restaurants, is integrating with Toast and Reserve with Google. Yelp, despite their size and public stature, currently only has ~10,000 restaurants using their Guest Manager product and it barely impacted Yelp’s bottom line. The fact that they chose to integrate with Google speaks volumes.
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 114
Google I/O - How to make the interesting seem mundane: We discuss the highlights of Google I/O, focusing on search and local search. While the hardware announcements, such as the foldable phone and affordable Pixel, were interesting, the overall event lacked excitement and vitality. The emphasis on AI felt overplayed, and some announcements seemed more suitable for a Wallstreet audience. Despite this, there were notable features like the integration of the knowledge graph into Google's search tool, Bar. While Google I/O seemed more geared towards impressing the market than delivering groundbreaking innovations it is clear that Google has put a stake in the AI ground and Search with AI and with that their war with Bing, ChatGPT and even Tik-Tok has been declared
Google search and AI = SGE: Google introduced two new features in their search results: an AI snapshot and an expanded version of Bard. The AI snapshot provides a generative AI description of potential models, along with shopping ads and follow-up queries. It aims to enhance the search experience and remember previous information. Bard, on the other hand, integrates different content types, allows third-party extensions, and may become a new SEO target. While these changes may not affect all searches, they could compress the buying journey for users and potentially lead to more transactional interactions. The impact on local search and the prominence of the local pack is still uncertain. Overall, it remains to be seen how users will react to these updates and whether they will result in more zero-click actions. The speed of the generative AI feature and its overall user experience are also points of interest.
The Rise of Bard: Expanding the Boundaries of Search: Bard represents a significant step forward in the realm of generative AI and has the potential to reshape the way we interact with search engines. We explore its capabilities, implications for users, and its integration with Google's existing ecosystem of applications.
Can Bard can serve as a valuable substitute for many search queries?
The Future of Search & Implications for Local: Recognizing the threat posed by Bing, Google has taken steps to match its competitor's features. Amidst these developments, search engine optimization (SEO) professionals and local SEO experts may find themselves uncertain about the future. The knowledge graph, a structured and reliable source of information, becomes even more critical in the age of AI-driven tools. That being said, the integration of plug-ins from 3rd party sites such as Zillow and OpenTable, raise questions about the future of third-party sites. In an era of AI generated content Brands face special challenges. In this environment, brands that prioritize and protect the integrity of their content become essential refuges for users seeking reliable information. Adapting to the changing SEO landscape, and safeguarding brand integrity are essential for businesses to thrive. Embracing AI technologies, prioritizing user experience, and cultivating strong customer relationships will be key strategies to navigate the uncertainties and position businesses for long-term success in this dynamic environment.
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. NearMemo Ep 113
The integration of AI into the SAAS world has unleashed unprecedented innovation and transformation. Darby Sieben discusses how Unbounce started using AI to improve their core products and to build additional products to help businesses achieve higher conversions.
Companies that effectively harness AI capabilities can expect significant drivers of differentiation
Understanding and managing the ever expanding Google Local Knowledge Panel: Google's Knowledge Panel and Business Profile are essential components of a local digital marketing strategy. The Knowledge Panel is a rich search result that appears in response to a user's query and provides relevant information about the queried entity. On the other hand, the Business Profile is a free listing provided by Google for businesses to manage their online presence, which feeds into Google's Knowledge Graph and its understanding of an entity.
The Knowledge Panel draws information from various sources, including Google's Knowledge Graph, Wikipedia, Google Scholar, Google News, and other third-party sites. It is dynamic and ever-changing, with the information displayed depending on the user's location, the entity in question, and the search query. However, businesses have little control over the information displayed on the Knowledge Panel.
Tracking your way to success: Tracking user engagement and conversions is essential to understanding which components of your Google My Business Profile are driving user actions. We discuss some best practices for tracking user engagement and conversions across both Google Insights AND your website. By implementing best practices such as UTM tracking, analyzing user actions, and focusing on the primary website link, businesses can better understand their audience's behavior and make informed decisions.
Beyond Google Local - being ready to live without Google: While Google may dominate the search engine market, it is crucial not to rely solely on Google and to diversify your online presence. By focusing on people, controlling your digital assets, maintaining close customer relationships, and trying different services, you can build resilience and prepare for any changes that may come in the future.
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 112
Will AI totally destroy the review economy? What will replace reviews? The appearance of AI-generated reviews on Amazon has significant implications for the future of reviews and will aid in increasing the scale of an already serious problem. While Google has attempted to combat this somewhat with critic reviews, the decimation of local news will make it challenging to highlight authoritative reviewers for restaurants and other businesses. Reviews will remain relevant for low consideration purchases in categories where they can be trusted but will likely decline in overall importance in the local ecosystem
Does declining Google Business listing totals reflect “peak” GBP? Google's annual economic impact report revealed that the number of businesses with claimed Google Business profiles dropped from 20.2 million in 2021 to 18.7 million in 2022, leading to a few theories including Google having reached “peak” SMB and Google's crackdown on spammy profiles and the erosion of consumer search behavior. However, the U.S Census Bureau reported an increase in new business formations in the same period. The discrepancy in the numbers highlights the difficulty in identifying an addressable market for small businesses.
As social media fueled news sites fail opportunity abounds for sites willing to build own audience: The decline of Facebook's promotion of news and external links has led to the failure of news businesses that relied solely on the social media platform, such as BuzzFeed, Insider, and Vice. This shift in social media highlights the importance of owning one's presence and building a loyal audience through channels such as email newsletters, which offer opportunities for ad revenue and sponsored content. Local news and businesses should embrace this new reality and adapt their efforts accordingly to avoid vulnerability to the changing social media landscape. Local media brands still possess a trust factor that presents certain opportunities to be exploited despite limited resources.
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 111
We discuss Google’s new guidelines for Business Profile action links, the company’s conflicting statements about the health of the open web in an antitrust case, and Apple’s rumored partnership with Google’s Gemini to power Siri. Together, these stories highlight Google’s tightening grip on local businesses, the shifting economics of publishing, and how Apple’s AI ambitions could reshape search traffic and advertising revenue.
Consumer Reports new app, Permission Slip eases privacy requests but is still a baby step: Permission Slip from Consumer Reports simplifies the process of making data deletion or "don't sell my data" requests to third-party websites and retailers. It is an elegant first step solution for individuals to navigate privacy exposures in states with stricter criteria. It centralizes the process and simplifies the burden on the end user. But privacy is still too complicated and put much of the burden on the end user in this case to download an app, and figure out where they need to take action. Consumer Reports, as a respected organization, has not stepped up on the privacy front. There is the need for privacy controls to be simple and global and enforced.
Consumer Reports' app 'Permission Slip' centralizes and simplifies the process of making data deletion or 'do not sell my data' requests. | 00:49 The app seems to be legitimate and points towards something much simpler and easier to use for the consumer. | 01:53 Consumer Reports' new product, which helps consumers delist their personal information from various online sites, is a great concept that resonated well with users. | 03:07 Consumer Reports is well positioned to lead the charge for opt-in privacy and has been remiss in not doing so. | 06:19
TripAdvisor Review Transparency Report highlights 2022 review increases but hides declining reviews: TripAdvisor has released their 2023 Review Transparency Report which revealed that reviews increased by 20% between 2020-2022, with 30.2 million total reviews in 2022. Business owners responded to one-third of the reviews, and there was a 16% increase in the total number of businesses listed.
While the press release took a bubbly positive tone, reviews have decreased by almost 60% since 2018, suggesting that the industry may have reached "Peak reviews."
TripAdvisor received 30.2 million reviews in 2022, which is a 20% increase over 2020. | 00:02 One-third of the total reviews were responded to by business owners, indicating high engagement. | 01:10 Travel industry has been disrupted by Covid and reviews have decreased, though air travel has returned, review rates are still significantly below 2019 levels | 03:28 Reviews may have gone to other platforms like Doordash or OpenTable | 03:53
Google AI PR push masks lapses and fear: Google is responding to the threat from chat GPT and Bing by releasing Bard, an AI language model, and Magi, a project combining traditional search with Bard. The recent PR push from Google seeks to reassure investors that they are still the top dog in search, although they were caught flat-footed by the AI competition.
The emergence of verticalized search engines, combined with the use of AI language models, has lowered the barrier to entry for new search engines, making it unlikely that Google's push will scare away new entrants.
Google's response to threats from chat GPT and Bing has been incredibly clumsy and transparent, as evidenced by the recent wave of PR and their upcoming release of Magi project. | 00:02 Google may be facing potential loss of revenue from competitors rather than cannibalizing their own ads clicks in traditional search, representing a mental shift for the company. | 03:20 Using search engines like Google for general high-level questions and research inquiries, rather than business lookups. | 06:37 If you're a business and you just want somebody to call you, zero clic
Unpacking OLAs: The Pros and Cons of Google's New Ad Type for Local Businesses: OLAs, a new ad type that appear on the business profile for local businesses, have been formally released. These ads are independent of the business and can be placed by allowlisted companies. Google has a whitelist to get into this program, and the ads can be placed by companies such as Groupon, Michelin, or a hair product company. The ad targets specific products, such as hair treatments, tires, or events, and appear on the business profile of local businesses that carry these products.
From a business point of view, Olas can be problematic since businesses have virtually no control over them. There is no easy way to opt-out of the program, and businesses have to go back to the original vendor running the ad to get taken off the ad.
Bard's Local SEO: Implications for businesses: David recently conducted an experiment with Bard's local search capabilities. He searched for specific categories of businesses like lawyers, golf courses, and breweries and he found that Bard's results were close to what you would see on Google's local pack and organic search results. However, the results were not exactly the same. Upon further investigation, Bard relied on leading directories like Yelp, Avo, TripAdvisor, and vertical directories to gather its data.
What are the implications for Local SEO and what do you have to do now to be ready for AI driven local search on Google?
The Impact of Chat Engines and Virtual Assistants on the Future of Local Search: Challenges, Promises, and Possibilities: The future of search is uncertain, but it is clear that search engines will continue to evolve to provide users with the most accurate and relevant results. The integration of chat engines, local search, AI, and virtual assistants may play a significant role in shaping the future of search. The adoption and success of chat engines and virtual assistants will depend on their integration with traditional search engines and the level of trust users have in their results.
How does E-EAT impact AI results? How will Google surface Bard in the context of search? Is the quality ready? Is the layout easy enough to succeed in local?
Disclosure: Note that while the summaries and titles may have (actually were) created by AI the videos are the real deal
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 109
Will Google merging Bard into Assistant resurrect assistants from the ashes? Google Assistant, offered up by Google as the future of search, has never fulfilled its promise. Will the integration of AI finally free these assistants from their constraints? And will this integration of AI & Assistant with search help or hurt Google as the dominant search engine.
Wix integrates AI for SMB content in a way that will helps the SMB: Wix is one of the first web platforms that has integrated ChatGPT as a content creation tool for SMBS. The speed of getting to market is impressive and way that they integrated with prompts makes it much easier for the very small business owner to create content.
Can GM build a better CarOS & throw CarPlay away? Starting in 2024 GM is integrating their own car os into their EV platforms. Is GM solving a consumer problem or a problem that GM has? Can GM succeed with subscriptions, ads and a new OS that excludes iPhones?
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 108
Local Search Ranking Factors - Big Takeaways and big changes from previous years:
In this segment we take a bird’s eye view of the survey, how it was crafted, its history and the big takeaways. What has changed the most? What is new? What are the LSA ranking factors? What are the basic must do activities to get started in the ranking arena.
Local Search Ranking Factors - Difference makers & lesser known tactics:
The factors we explored in segment 1 are essentially table stakes. If you really want to compete in local search rankings it is important to implement the difference makers. These efforts are reflected in survey answers 11- 30. This applies to both the local pack and the organic results. Beyond the difference makers in local search activity, we explore some of the dark horse tactics. These are factors that are buried and may only work in certain markets, verticals or a particular situation. But when they do work, they work very well.
Local Search Ranking Factors - Conversion factors and myths:
Not every activity will lead to increased ranking but could very well lead to increased conversions. It doesn’t matter if you are ranked #1 if the supporting information doesn’t reinforce your position, the searcher will just scroll past you and land on someone else's listing. The days of searchers blindly picking the first result are long gone, so we explore those attributes that make your GBP listing THE most appealing. And don’t forget the myths. Like an imperfect process, many techniques lead nowhere but sound good. The problem is they waste your time. Learn which are tactics are really just not effective despite what some say
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 107
FTC proposes new rules to rein in subscription abuses: The FTC has been on a roll fighting the many “dark patterns” of the internet. Last week they added a $245m fine for Fortnite to pay for consumer restitution of inappropriate charges incurred after a single misleading click. This week they proposed a rule to eliminate abuses of the “Negative Option rule” which requires consumers to proactively seek out and navigate complicated scenarios to cancel subscriptions. The rule when approved will give the FTC to impose requirements across a large number of industries that will hopefully rein in subscription abuses.
The Bard goes local, sort of: Bard, despite hallucinations, was competent at making local recommendations and that use case could be expanded. Is a chat interface the best way to surface local data or is Maps really the best search metaphor?
The Bard use case is more generative and less searchy: Google is positioning Bard for more creative uses and unlike Bing is NOT integrating it into search in any meaningful way. This may be because it behooves them financially to not do so. Regardless, Bard is capable of some things that Bing just can’t do. While Bing is controlling the conversation about AI and search, Google seems to be heading in a different direction, one that leverages AI as a content creation tool.
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 106
New Google GPB Bug: Your Business is not visible to customers: There is a new bug where thousands of business profiles are being told by Google that “Your Business is not visible to customers”. This message has meant many things: you have a new listing and we will show it when we trust it, your listing has recently been reinstated, your listing is suspended and now somewhat randomly, just because.
This bug reflects Google’s willingness to test new product features on real world businesses despite the pain it may inflict AND puts spotlight on their terrible support.
TikTok rolling out search ads, will they come to local?: Greg has become addicted to TikTok just in time for the US to ban it. Now they have started to roll out search ads. Given that it is not what users or businesses expect, it will take a great deal of outreach for TikTok to succeed as a search engine.
TikTok is a great discovery capability that they have not leveraged. Even if they succeed as a search engine they are still leaving the local opportunities on the table. What would it take for them to leverage this potential? This is a market opportunity that no one seems to be exploring.
Social mapping tool Gowalla returns to the scene & might just succeed: Bought and shut down by Facebook in 2012. It has been relaunched as a similar looking product that might just succeed in a new era of smartphone users that are willing to share their location with their friends and family.
GoWalla was always a very personal tool and the relaunch reinforces this vibe with an approach that combines curated businesses and your friends.
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. NearMemo Ep105
Google LSA expands to new categories & faces spam: Google has added new, high value categories to their Local SErvice Ads program. They continue to target ever more service type businesses. While the pricing for this simpler product has gone up due to the added auction capabilities, in many markets it is still a good value. It is also important for service type businesses to watch for first mover opportunities in their local markets. With this link: Local Service Finder - Pro List businesses can assess which categories in which geographies have more opportunities.
However in some urban, highly competitive markets like personal injury law & locksmiths, not only has pricing gone crazy, spam has as well. Google has added a new LSA spam review reporting form to cope with some of the fake review issues.
ChatGPT making rapid and differentiating inroads into SAAS tools for Local: The players in the local space have all become pretty similar to each other offering listings, review management, Google Posts with little to distinguish them. But with the advent of large language models in general and ChatGPT specifically, many have begun to offer unique tools on top of their core products that leverage the generative AI capabilities.
The value of generative AI will first be realized in the SAAS world where the benefits can be easily added to existing products to increase business productivity. Hubspot’s ChatUX shows how this can be integrated into a CMS and Uberall shows how it can improve access to a company’s granular data like inventory.
Why every company needs a “how we use AI” FAQ: Wired recently published an article on how they will use generative AI tools vis a vis their written and visual content. They detail whether they will use AI to write or edit articles (they won’t), whether they will use it to generate ideas and headlines (they might) and whether they will use it to create story graphics (they won’t due to artists not receiving royalties).
Jennifer Slegg on Twitter, using a creative Google search, demonstrated just how many businesses are currently using generative AI and blindly copying and pasting it onto their websites.
This raises the question of whether not just Wired but everyone that creates content - writers, SEO firms, SEMs and more - should consider both an internal code of ethics and a forward facing statement of those values.
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 104
Bing isn’t a Google killer but it is important for a number of other reasons: Bing’s inclusion of ChatGPT has positioned Microsoft to take over the search conversation even if it doesn’t unseat Google. Bing has done a thoughtful job of integrating chat into search but it remains awkwards and still lacks significant value to the search experience. This is particularly true with local searches.
Yelps’ remote work report likely indicates declining Yelp market share: Yelp used the relative increase of rural searches to indicate that users had moved to rural areas. These low volume searches showing an increase is better explained by Yelp’s declining market share in the urban centers.
How to deal with fake review attacks at Google: Google recently announced that they would filter fewer Local guide reviews. This appears to have led to an increase in fake review attacks. We detail the many arcane steps to increase the likelihood of fake review attacks being taken down.
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 103
Google Business Profile services positively impact rank: In a recent test by Joy Hawkins at Sterlingsky demonstrated that having services identified for your profile influences rank. How does Google generate these categories? How does this fit into the long term trend of Google adding ever more granular detail for businesses? Will custom services have an equal effect? Will this appear world wide? Businesses need to make sure that Google has applied the correct categories.
Which geo title tags have the most impact on local search rank? A title tag needs to be as long as it needs to be but longer title tags don’t perform as well. Which location terms should you use? Near me in a title tag only drives a small increase in rankings. The biggest driver (2.5x improvement) is the use of the city name in the title name.
Impact of Google easing review filter to placate Local Guides: Earlier this month, Google noted that there had been a lot of Local Guide complaints about review filtering, that Google had been removing too many Local Guide reviews and they were going to update the filter to let more reviews show and go back and release any that they erroneously filtered.
Hypothetically doing this would decrease complaints in the GBP forums about missing reviews AND increase complaints about fake review attacks. Our research confirms that is the case
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 102
Microsoft’s transformation of Bing with AI & some smart moves: There are now millions of people on the BingChat waitlist. And many have noted a positive reaction to the bot. But the compressed hype cycle around the release of ChatGPT and BingChat, a series of stories bemoaning the “nature” of the chatbot.
Will users start shifting their searches to Bing? Has Microsoft pulled off the search coup of the decade?
Walmart overcomes stigma of evil & appeals to upscale shoppers: Walmart, under the direction of CEO Doug McMillon, has overcome a terrible reputation and built out effective online-offline commerce capabilities. Using groceries as their ‘hook” they are attracting more upscale customers with easy online ordering and curbside pickup. To further engage this long elusive audience, Walmart is not building out stores with a more Target (or as my sister say Targeé) like feel.
100 Ecommerce execs are investing more in SEO & PPC: With fear of recession, paid search increased 12% while influencer marketing and paid social were both down. SEO and PPC high ROI investments and demonstrate the importance of search when you need to acquire new customers and increase sales.
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 101
We dig into when/where Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) appear in local, how people actually split tasks across Google vs. ChatGPT, what the DOJ’s remedies mean for defaults, and a fresh case where a brand-new local biz triggered an AIO—plus practical takeaways.
In this extended episode we explore the role AI in general and ChatGPT is having on the work within digital agencies. What are the opportunities and challenges that agencies face when using it?
Are either of you currently using ChatGPT or AI tools in your daily work? If so, what and for what purposes?
How have ChatGPT and related tools changed your work?
What is the biggest opportunity you see with tools like ChatGPT and the many others that are quickly emerging? Name some concrete use cases. Anything you’ve seen that’s really impressive/effective?
What about general SEO and local SEO use cases? (if we haven’t gotten into that yet.) What are the most immediate applications?
Slightly farther out, how do you think people will be using these tools? What “manual” or tedious tasks will AI replace? Other use cases?
Do you think AI tools make smaller agencies more competitive with larger ones? How do you think AI changes the economics of SEO?
How might clients (large and SMB) themselves use AI tools/content? Will AI tools make clients less reliant on agencies; will it lead to more in-housing?
How should you talk to clients about AI/ChatGPT tools and their future role in marketing, content creation, etc.?
What concerns, if any, do you have about ChatGPT and related tools? Dependence on these tools? Quality? Factual errors or bias?
We’re now seeing screenshots of Bing’s new AI-search integration, and this week Google will preview its own search-AI mashup (speculating). While we don’t know exactly how this will play out, how might a radically different search interface impact the future of SEO?
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 100
ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools can write very credible reviews, very quickly and easily. The number of fake reviews could possibly explode in numbers.
While multi-location businesses care about reviews they don’t really put any energy into them. Is Google equally unconcerned about reviews?
How will this impact the review ecosystem and how will Google respond?
It can seem like Google controls the fate of small businesses with zero click search, erratic review policies and control of your business profile. Miriam Ellis points out at Moz that while Google’s behaviors create stress in the end almost all searchers in the local ecosystem end up on your turf. Whether that is a call, coming to your location or on your website the business controls the interaction. Google customer experience doesn’t require a latte with every haircut but it does require that your systems for client communications work and work reliably.
AI and Automation is now officially a thing in SEO, and not just for writing:
The amount of data SEO tools provide is overload and forces users to create custom workflows to make sense of it. Agencies and in-housers can gain a competitive advantage by building their own automation systems to ingest SEO data (rankings, GSC, etc.), analyze it at scale and turn it into actionable insights.
The SEO of 2023 will arm themselves with these tools and systems to create better outcomes for themselves and their stakeholders.
If you are going to crank out a lot of content via AI, the key is how you train the model, how you mix in data from other sources, how you edit it, plus how you structure it to make it seem like it's not written by AI. Hint, write for a 6th grade level.
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 99
Mailchimp launched Campaign Manager, a way for marketers to plan, execute, and track their marketing campaigns across multiple channels—like email, text messaging, social media ads, and direct mail—and view how their campaign is performing in one calendar view.
But Intuit’s ads are positioning this tool for the smaller business with one or two employees but in reality is for more sophisticated businesses with dedicated marketing staff.
Growing visibility of copyright implications of generative AI precedes solutions: Generative AI is trained using other’s creations. This often leads to plagiarism and excessive image re-use. Current copyright law is not up to the snuff in terms of defining when this is fair use and when it is copyright violation. The suits have started and it remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will punt on this or create clarity.
Google’s GBP forums provide insights into bugs, practices and policy: The Google Business Profile forum is where folks end up that Google has decided are too expensive to provide support to. Analyzing this data provides insights into bugs, Google’s AI false positives and problems caused by Google’s actions. It is also clear in this data that Google has managed to externalize costs of their “release early” philosophy on the small businesses they claim to serve.
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 98