The Near Memo
Exploring the big stories for the week at the intersection of local business & marketing across the spectrum of search, social and commerce. With Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 227
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
From Stars to Skepticism: How Reviews Evolved & Why Trust Is Declining - Sammy Paget Interview Part1
01:59 Evolution of Consumer Review Behavior
05:03 Trust in Reviews: A Declining Trend
08:14 The Impact of Fake Reviews and AI
14:18 Alternative Review Platforms and Their Trustworthiness
19…
Google’s Euro DMA Headaches, GBP Local Chaos AND Uncharacteristic Google Comms & AI Search Futures
In this milestone 200th episode, the NearMemo crew unpacks Google’s mounting regulatory woes in Europe, including fresh scrutiny under the Digital Markets Act. Mike breaks down a storm …
Surviving the New Google: Suspensions & Appeal Delays, AI Overviews, & the Future of Local Marketing
Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal discuss the current state of Google suspensions, the impact of AI overviews on local search traffic, and the evolving landscape of digital marketing st…
EU Targets Google, Listings Get Suspended, and AI Heats Up: Search is Changing Fast
In this episode, Greg and Mike discuss the recent EU findings regarding Google's non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the implications of algorithm changes leading to incr…
Google GBP Suspensions Update, AI in Local Search, Google Selling Chrome? & Tesla’s Brand Freefall
Buckle up for another Near Memo packed with search drama, AI experiments, and a high-speed Tesla takedown. Mike and Greg dive into Google’s ongoing Business Profile suspensions, unpack …
The Rise of GBP Suspensions, Is Google's 5 trillion search number real? New AI Mode IS the Future
00:00 Overview of Topics
01:07 Increase in Business Suspensions - Resinstatements very slow
06:27 Google's Search Query Insights - Is Google Cooking the Books?
21:03 Google's AI Mode as th…
The Evolution of Local Inventory Solutions with Michael Carini, Last Mile Retail
00:00 Introduction to Last Mile Retail
06:04 Evolution of the Business Model
11:35 Market Changes and Competition
17:03 Understanding Good Local SEO
23:03 Microsite Strategy and Implementat…
Unlocking Google Business Profile Secrets with Brad Wetherall - ex Director of GBP Support
The Near Media team + several Google Product Experts and Brad Wetherall discuss various aspects of Google Business Profiles, including internal mobility at Google, the challenges of mai…
Missing Google Reviews, Ask for me - SMB Timesuck, Gemini Reasoning Model is Future of Local Search
Greg and Mike discuss various topics related to Google's recent changes and features, including issues with review counts on Google Business Profiles, the introduction of the Ask for Me…
Google Maps: New Features, The Importance of Brand and Declining Review Trust
In this episode, Greg and Mike discuss the 20th anniversary of Google Maps, highlighting its evolution and new features. They delve into the newest Map Top Lists feature, the implicatio…
Google Review Fraud, FTC & Business concerns: Interview with Curtis Boyd, Transparency Company, P#2
In this episode, Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling continue their discussion with Curtis Boyd, CEO of the Transparency Company, focusing on the pervasive issue of review fraud. They exp…
Google Review Fraud & Its Economic Impact: Interview with Curtis Boyd, Transparency Company, P#1
In this episode, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal discuss the state of review fraud with Curtis Boyd, CEO of the Transparency Company. They explore the complexities of fake reviews, in…
Navigating Google Reviews - Part 2 of Brad Wetherall, ex-Director of Operations GBP support, Interview
In this episode, Greg and Mike welcome Brad Wetherall, former Director of Operations for Google Business Profile and now CEO of Bitwise Consulting. They discuss the challenges of fake r…
How Does Google GBP Support Really Work? Brad Wetherall, ex-Director- Support Operations, Interview
Ever wonder how GBP twists the dial to approve an edit? Why they use video verification and what a trust score is? In Part 1 of this interview we learn the answers to those many questio…
2024 Local SEO Highlights: Brand Power & Local; AI's Search Shake-Up; DMA reshaping Search
Google Leaks & NavBoost: How Engagement & Brands Shape Local SEO Rankings in 2024:
Mike unpacked revelations from Google's algorithm leaks and their likely importance for Local SEO. We…
Exploring Google’s DMA Compliance & User Search Behavior with Siinda’s Stephanie Verilhac
Stephanie Verilhac of Siinda discusses the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) and its impact on search behavior. Siinda's research with Near Media showed Google's dominance persists despite…
The Limits and Future of AI Impact on Maps; Search vs AI: Challenges, Trends, and Consumer Insights
AI and Maps: Current Limitations (many) and Future Prospects (good):
We explore a recent piece by cartographer Kames Killick on how AI will be shaping the geospatial landscape & mapping…
GBP’s Naming Shift, Fishkin’s Search Query Insights, & AI's Growing Role in Challenging Google
Extended GBP Business Names - Spam or Legitimate Descriptors?
We explore Google's growing tolerance for extended taglines & descriptors in business names via the Google Business Center a…
GBP Suspension Woes & Support #fails, Siri Sherlocking Search, the Fragmentation of Search
Google Business Profile Suspension Woes (01:32–11:03)
The discussion highlights rising frustrations with Google Business Profiles, focusing on increasing suspension rates and difficult r…
Exploring AI Overviews, SearchGPT & Google’s Evolution: Mark Traphagen on AIO Impact & Future of SEO
AI Overview and Google Search Trends:
In a discussion on AI search trends, Mark Traphagen from SEO Clarity shared insights on Google’s search generative experience (SGE) and its limite…