The Near Memo

Send us a textHow the Google Guarantee Scam Impacts Honest Businesses?The Google Guarantee Scam is frequently perpetrated by groups of foreign nationals working in relative anonymity and looking for a quick profit. While some blame goes to these actors, the ultimate fault and responsibility lies with Google. Honest businesses have been negatively impacted by the Google Guarantee LSA scam:Loss of business: Some businesses have reported losing up to 70% of their business due to the scam. This is because potential customers are being lured away by fake reviews, fake business listings, and bait-and-switch tactics.Bait and switch scams: Many businesses have reported being victims of bait-and-switch scams. In these scams, customers are lured in by a low price quote and then charged a much higher price when the work is completed. This can damage the reputation of honest businesses and make it difficult for them to attract new customers.Damage to reputation: The scam can also damage the reputation of honest businesses. This is because many customers who have been scammed leave negative reviews online. This can make it difficult for honest businesses to attract new customers.Difficulty tracking down the scammers: Many of the people responsible for the scam are undocumented workers or do not have permanent residency. This makes it difficult for authorities to track them down and prosecute them. Did Google’s Dominance Result in a Shitty Internet?A recent Verge article asserts that Google's dominance in the online information ecosystem has led to a homogenization of the web, with all websites looking and feeling the same and that Google's search engine algorithms reward websites that follow certain formatting and content guidelines, which discourages creativity and originality. The reality is more complex. New mediums of delivery require adopting to user needs and whether that is Google or Tik-Tok. Business content creators should focus on producing content that will perform well with their audience.Generative AI and the Future of Consumer Preferences and its Impact on SearchThe recent emergence of new generative AI devices and interfaces, like the Rabbit virtual assistant and the GPT store raises the question of what AI interface consumers will ultimately prefer and raises the question of AIs impact on Google search. Will they choose software, hardware, app integration or a stand along ChatGPT like interface? With Google search growth stalling even small losses of users to new ways to search might have an outsize impact on Google’s path forward. 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 141Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textJoin us in this eye-opening discussion with Zachary Dotson, an experienced marketer in the home services industry, as he sheds light on a rampant scam in Google Local Service Ads. Learn how fake companies are exploiting the system with stolen licenses and profiles, bait-and-switch pricing tactics, and the impact on legitimate businesses and consumers. Discover the challenges faced in tackling these scams and the response from authorities and Google. This conversation with Mike Blumenthal from Near Media is a must-watch for anyone in the service industry or those who use online ads for home services.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.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text What Should Businesses Do About Google SGE?Google has not yet announced any concrete plans for the future of Search Generative Experience (SGE), and it is unclear how it will evolve in the coming years. SGE is still in its early, very crude stages and it is not yet known how it will impact search traffic. Many SEOS reacted with fear and loathing but in the end the impact of SGE may in fact be minimal. However, businesses can start to experiment with SGE by:Triggering SGE to appear by default.Optimizing the content on their websites to appear in SGE results.Monitoring the rankings of their websites in SGE results to see how they are affected.Businesses should be cautious about heavily investing in or relying on SGE until it's more developed. The uncertainty surrounding its development and Google's missed deadline indicates a need for businesses to stay informed and adaptable.Google Goes All in On Interstitials on the iPhone:  Google, has long penalized interstitials as bad for user experience particularly when used on the mobile web to get people to convert to an app. There is no little irony that Google has now started doing just that on the iPhone when a user has Google search set as the default - nagging the user to switch to the Google App or Chrome for the iPhone. The fact that Google has been reduced to doing what they have long criticized implies that they think they will lose the DOJ Default Search Engine case and are running scared about losing iPhone market share.Where is Bard Going?A Bard product manager asked Reddit users for feature suggestions for Bard, leading to numerous responses. Participants noted that some requested features, such as document upload and image generation, are already available in ChatGPT. They anticipate these features will be added to Bard in 2024.  The types of features requested by users—ranging from specific functionalities like coding assistance to more nuanced content moderation—sheds light on the diverse and evolving needs of users.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 140Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textThe Google Review Fraud Landscape in Maps & LSA and How a Business  Should Respond:  Google Review Fraud Landscape (10:17):Estimates that 18% of reviews across various platforms are fake.Home service industries, such as locksmiths, moving companies, and HVAC, are heavily affected.Legal sector is also impacted, with fake reviews prevalent among personal injury, criminal defense, and DUI lawyers.LSA Review Fraud (21:38):Lead generation scammers are stealing business from ethical businesses using fake LSA reviews.They overcharge consumers and use higher ad revenue to improve their bidding strategy within LSA dashboards.Google's LSA program is designed to give consumers confidence in businesses by elevating them above spam and fraud, but it has not been successful.Practical Advice for Business Owners to Cope With Fake Reviews (41:03):Gather evidence of fraudulent activity, such as fake reviews or stolen business licenses, to build a strong case.Report fake reviews to Google through the proper channels, but be aware that Google's response may be slow or ineffective.Consider legal action against fraudulent businesses, as it may be a violation of racketeering laws in certain jurisdictions.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 139Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textWill 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 138Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text Can Gemini Fix Search?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 137Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textIn this extended episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling , Joy Hawkins, Darren Shaw & Mike Blumenthal explore the role of generative AI and how it has evolved one year after CHat GPT was released.  We cover:Experiences and opinions on the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in SEO and content creation.The effectiveness of AI in different aspects of agency work, including creative tasks and data analysis.The influence of AI on the quality of content and the evolving nature of SEO strategies.Perspectives on the future impact of AI on the SEO industry and the role of agencies.How Local SEO agencies use AI to improve client content:Content Creation Challenges with AI: Contrary to initial expectations, AI has not replaced content writers. While it is used for drafting and repurposing content, AI-generated articles often require extensive human editing, especially for factual accuracy and coherence.Content Refinement and Repurposing: AI excels in transforming existing content into different formats, like converting a list into a blog post or a blog into a script. This minimizes the editing work required.Efficiency in Post Creation: AI has been particularly effective in generating social media or Google posts, reducing the time and mental effort involved in content creation. This includes automating tasks like emoji placement in posts. How Local SEO agencies explain AI to their clients:AI in Client Communication: Both Sterling Sky and Whitesoark  are transparent with clients about their AI usage, addressing concerns about potential negative impacts on SEO performance. AI is presented as a tool for idea generation and preliminary drafting, not as a primary content creator.Client Engagement with AI: Clients are generally receptive and interested in AI's role in content creation. The emphasis is on AI as an assistant that complements human skills, ensuring quality and originality in content.Cost Implications: There have been no significant shifts in pricing structures due to AI efficiencies. The focus is on using AI to maintain or reduce costs rather than altering client fees. Local SEO Agencies & their AI future:AI as a reporting super power: extracting meaningful insights from large data sets for clients.Long-Term Impact on Staffing and Skills: Agencies do not foresee AI replacing human staff. Instead, AI is viewed as a tool that enhances staff capabilities. Concerns about AI causing dependency or de-skilling are noted, but the overall sentiment is optimistic.Future of AI in Local SEO: AI is expected to lead to more efficient workflows and better quality content. Agencies anticipate a growing divide between those heavily reliant on AI and those favoring a balanced, human-centric approach. AI's role in data analysis and automating repetitive tasks is highlighted, enhancing both client service and internal processes.ChatGPT's Review InsightsExperiences 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 oSubscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textGoogle’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 135Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textGoogle Maps from useful to bloat?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 134Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text“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 133Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/