The Near Memo

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/

Send us a textGBP 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 132Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textBulk Dashboard Comeback?, GBP listing cleanup, Alternatives to Google searchSegment 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 131Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text “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 130Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text What Is Content?:  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 129Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textThe 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 happeningThe 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 128Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a textUpcoming 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 127Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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