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
GBP support using gig workers, SGE while browsing rolls out, AI Generated review summaries roll out
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 Ambassado…
Google VS Chat GPT quality, Google proffers bad advice to CNET, Do consumers actually read reviews?
Google VS Chat GPT Taste Test:
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 …
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 loses product search share, Phone #s hijacked on Google, Yelp scolds business for soliciting
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 mar…
Apple Maps KPIs, SEOs & Google quality guidelines, Google SGE usage decline
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 leas…
GA4 enshittification, Twitter alternatives, New FTC review guidance
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 fo…
TikTok IS about local, Google Perspectives perspective, New GBP "by owner" button
Tiktok IS about Local but not the way you think
While the Wall Street Journal thinksTikTok holds companies hostage and a small business in Philadelphia thinks it is unfair to get so many…
Overture Map Foundation goes open source to solve 3D mapping for the “rest of us”
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,…
Google LSA reviews suck, Localized stories and visualizations, The future of search
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…
When to ask for reviews, Is SGE a headfake? Is Apple Vision the next platform?
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 …
Yelp for sale? Google Merchant Center Next, Does Bard offer an alternative to search?
Segment 1: Activist investor suggests Yelp sale
Eric Semler of TCS Capital Management criticizes Yelp for not delivering enough value to its stockholders. He suggests that Yelp should s…
GBP Image Not Allowed bug, ChatGPT adds plug-ins & web, Yelp integrates with Google Reserve & Toast
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 Goog…
Google I/O from the mundane to the future of the local customer journey
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 foldab…
UnBounce - Using AI to increase conversions - Special Edition
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 …
Google's local Knowledge Panel the-cms you never knew you had - conversations with Claire Carlille
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…
AI reviews on Amazon, Peak GMB listings, Implications of failing news sites
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 ai…
CR Permission Slip eases privacy burden, TA Report Hides Declining Reviews, Google Rushes to AI
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…
Google’s Online Local Ads, Bard & Local SEO, The Impact of Chat on Future of Local Search
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.…
Google merging Bard into Assistant, Wix integrates AI for SMB content, Can GM build a better CarOS?
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 in…
Local Search Ranking Factors Survey with Darren Shaw
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 t…