About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 285 episodes
- Siri Going Agentic, Apps Face the Agent Dilemma, and Big Tech Falls From Grace · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 32Send us Fan Mail Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal look at Apple's quietly expanding agentic Siri: iOS 27.3 opens Siri AI to every app, Square now syncs merchant data straight…
- Why Google Deletes 2% of Reviews, Siri Search, Google’s New In-Stock Check & Its Ad Revenue Miss · 48 min · Season 4 Episode 31Send us Fan Mail Google deletes just under 2% of new reviews within a week, and a new study of nearly five million reviews shows it's spikes, not content, that set it off. Greg…
- Beyond the Link: How Citation Labs Rebuilt Its Agency for AI Visibility (Part 2) · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 30Send us Fan Mail Garrett French, Valerie Cecil and James Wirth of Citation Labs rejoin Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal for Part 2. After laying out the six layers of AI…
- Track What You Can, Let Go of the Rest: Dana DiTomaso on Attribution After GA4 · 47 min · Season 4 Episode 29Send us Fan Mail Is attribution dead? Not quite, says Dana DiTomaso of Kick Point, but it isn't healthy, and it was always a little fictional. Universal Analytics hid the gaps…
- Correcting the Machine: Citation Labs on the Six Layers of AI Visibility (Part 1) · 56 min · Season 4 Episode 38Send us Fan Mail AI answers get brands wrong all the time: old pricing, expired offers, comparisons nobody updated. Garrett French, James Wirth and Valerie Cecil of Citation Labs…
- Rankings Up, Calls Down: What AI Visibility Is Really Worth to Local Businesses. · 54 min · Season 4 Episode 36Send us Fan Mail Andrew Shotland (Local SEO Guide) and Mark Kabana (Places Scout, now part of Yext) rejoin Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal for Part 2 of our conversation. We…
- Why "Position One" Doesn't Exist in Local Anymore (Brighton SEO Recap) · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 35Send us Fan Mail Andrew Shotland (Local SEO Guide) and Mark Kabana (founder of Places Scout, now VP of Data Innovation at Yext) join Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal fresh off…
- Fragmented Discovery, Google's €460M DMA Fine, and Apple's Distribution Bet · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 34Send us Fan Mail Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal break down four stories shaping local search and AI discovery. First, a preview of new consumer-journey research Near Media ran…
- The Verification Loop: How People *Really* Find Local Businesses Now (SOCi's Damian Rollison) · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 33Send us Fan Mail The path to a local purchase used to be a straight line. It isn't anymore. Damian Rollison, Senior Director of Market Insights at SOCi, joins Greg Sterling and…
- The Path of Enshittification: Apple Ads, Google's Toll Booth, and Meta's $18B Escape Hatch · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 32Send us Fan Mail Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal go guest-free this week to connect three stories that are really one story. Apple has launched ads in Apple Maps — contextual…
- The Hidden Advantage: How Brand Awareness Decides the Click in Legal Search · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 31Send us Fan Mail Greg Sterling walks Mike Blumenthal through original Near Media user research — the "Choosing a Lawyer" study of the Atlanta personal-injury market, first…
- Tactics for Building a Local Brand in the Age of AI Search — An Agency Panel · 55 min · Season 4 Episode 30Send us Fan Mail Four agency operators join Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to close out the Near Memo brand-building series: Paula French (Search Influence), Joy Hawkins…
- AI Overviews, Brand Search & Local SEO: Cyrus Shepard on Earning the Click - from the archives · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 29Send us Fan Mail We're on vacation this week, so we're re-running one of our favorite April conversations. It still speaks to our current series on brand in local, and a live…
- Legal Marketing in the AI Era: LSAs, Reviews, and Manufacturing Brand Demand · 52 min · Season 4 Episode 28Send us Fan Mail Part 3 of the Near Memo brand-building series brings brand down to earth in professional services — specifically legal, where a client hires once in a lifetime…
- Cyrus Shepard Interview: What "Local Brand" Actually Means to Google and AI · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 27Send us Fan Mail Cyrus Shepard, founder of Zyppy, joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal for Part 2 of the Near Memo brand-building series — this time on the technical side: how…
- The 3-Step Trust Equation: How to Build a Local Brand That Customers (& AI) Trust · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 26Send us Fan Mail What separates a commodity local provider from a business that easily commands premium pricing? In this kickoff to our four-part brand series, Greg Sterling and…
- Ep. 264: Web Authenticity & The Agentic Future of the SMB Website with Raj Singh · 41 min · Season 4 Episode 26Send us Fan Mail Are traditional websites dying, or are they just changing shapes? Hosts Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal catch up with serial entrepreneur and Mozilla VP of…
- Beyond the Star Rating: Extracting Strategic Content Insights from Customer Feedback · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 25Send us Fan Mail Local SEO strategy often gets stuck playing a quantitative numbers game with review counts and velocity benchmarks. But what happens when you treat the…
- Ep. 262: Regulating the Digital Wild West: Inside the FTC’s Battle Against Review Fraud and AI Deception with Michael Atleson · 49 min · Season 4 Episode 24Send us Fan Mail What happens when federal regulators take on fake reviews and predatory AI applications? This week on NearMemo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal host Michael…
- Google Maps' AI Shift: Why Brand Building, Reviews & Social Presence Are the New Local SEO · 47 min · Season 4 Episode 23Send us Fan Mail Are your local search frameworks ready for a probabilistic, AI-driven Map interface? This week, Greg, Mike, and local search practitioner Craig Burton map out…
- Goodbye Traffic, Hello Sales: The New Playbook for Local SEO Visibility · 36 min · Season 4 Episode 22Send us Fan Mail How do you build brand permanence in a local market when web attribution metrics are fading? This week, we dive into Part 2 of our post-Google I/O masterclass…
- What Does I/O Mean for Marketers with Cindy Krum, Gregg Gifford & Krystal Tang - Part 1 · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 21Send us Fan Mail The rules of user discovery are undergoing a massive rewrite. This week, the Near Media roundtable features top search minds Cindy Krum, Krystal Taing, and Greg…
- From Keyword Rankings to Brand Reverence: The New Local AI SEO Blueprint · 57 min · Season 4 Episode 20Send us Fan Mail In this Duda webinar, Darren Shaw and Mike Blumenthal explore the paradigm shift occurring in local search as Google increasingly incorporates generative AI into…
- Google Already Knows Everything About You — And Their New AI Features Make It Worse · 35 min · Season 4 Episode 19Send us Fan Mail Google just revealed the future of Search at Google I/O and Google Marketing Live — and it’s far more personal, predictive, and invasive than most people…
- The Death of Keywords: How Google’s Personal Intelligence is defining the future of Local Search · 49 min · Season 4 Episode 18Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of Near Media’s conversation with Garrett Sussman, the discussion shifts from AI personalization theory to the real-world impact on local search, SEO…
- How Google’s Personal Intelligence is Quietly Revolutionizing Your Search Results · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 17Send us Fan Mail Is Google getting too personal? In this episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal are joined by Garrett Sussman (iPullRank) to discuss his…
- Google Ask Maps Deep Dive: The Future of Local SEO & AI Search · 41 min · Season 4 Episode 16Send us Fan Mail Join our celebrity local SEO panel—Claudia Tomina, Adam Dorfman, and Darren "The Canadian" Shaw—as they explore "Ask Maps," Google’s AI-powered conversational…
- Review Fraud, FTC Fines, and Yelp’s Legal Strike · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 15Send us Fan Mail Greg and Mike discuss the shifting landscape of local search. From the FTC’s latest crackdown on incentivized reviews to Yelp’s attempt to fast-forward their…
- Google Reviews Crackdown, Meta vs Google, and the AI Search Shift (What Marketers Are Missing) · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 14Send us Fan Mail Google just changed the rules on reviews—and businesses may already be getting penalized. Meanwhile, Meta is projected to overtake Google in ad revenue, despite…
- Google Lied About Click Data — Here’s What Actually Drives Rankings in 2026 · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 13Send us Fan Mail This episode explores how Google actually uses click data (despite years of denial) and how that reality intersects with the rise of AI Overviews. Cyrus Shepherd…
- AI, Reviews & Intent Pages: What Actually Drives Multi-Location SEO Now (Part 2) · 28 min · Season 4 Episode 12Send us Fan Mail In Part 2, Steve Wiideman joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to cut through the AI hype and explain what’s actually working in multi-location SEO today…
- Multi-Location SEO: What Actually Works (And What Doesn’t) Part 1 · 26 min · Season 4 Episode 11Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to scale SEO across hundreds (or thousands) of locations? In this episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal are joined…
- State of Google Business Profile 2026: Impressions Are Down 54%—But Actions Aren’t · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 10Send us Fan Mail Google Business Profile impressions are dropping fast—but conversions aren’t. In this Near Memo episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Adam Dorfman unpack…
- From the Archives: Local Search Ranking Factors — Darren Shaw on Reviews, AI Search & What Drives Local Rank · 44 min · Season 4 Episode 10Send us Fan Mail In this archive episode of the Near Memo podcast, Darren Shaw of Whitespark joins Mike Blumenthal, Greg Sterling, and David Mihm to discuss the influential Local…
- How should agencies build a business around Google Local Service Ads (LSAs)? · 59 min · Season 4 Episode 9Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Near Memo podcast, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal host a panel discussion with Eric Levine (Leadwise HQ, former Google LSA team)…
- AI, Strong-Arm Tactics & a Shifting Review Landscape Are Reshaping Local Search · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 8Send us Fan Mail Google AI & Click Economics Google is replacing structured GBP data with AI-generated summaries, nudging users into AI Mode, and expanding monetization pathways…
- AI Visibility vs Google Ranking: Rand Fishkin & the Future of Search, Zero Click & Brand Measurement · 40 min · Season 4 Episode 7Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Near Memo, Rand Fishkin joins Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and David Mihm to unpack the future of AI search, brand visibility, and digital…
- The Truth About Google Local Service Ads: Rankings, Reviews & Photo Strategy · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 6Send us Fan Mail Google Local Service Ads have become one of the most powerful placements in local search — especially in competitive verticals like personal injury law. But what…
- Inside Google Local Services Ads: Ranking Signals, Lead Costs, and Why LSAs Beat the Local Pack (w/ Eric Levine) · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 5Send us Fan Mail Local Services Ads have become the “top-of-the-page” battleground for high-value local categories—especially professional services. In this episode, Greg…
- AI Isn’t Replacing Local Search — But It’s Rewiring How People Choose with Crystal Carter · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 4Send us Fan Mail AI isn’t killing search — it’s reshaping how people discover, evaluate, and choose businesses. In this in terview with Crystal Carter of Wix, we unpack how large…
- Inside Google Local Rankings and the Review Purge · 43 min · Season 4 Episode 3Send us Fan Mail Claudia Tomina joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to unpack what the Google API leak reveals about local rankings, why reviews are being removed at scale…
- AI Is Breaking Local Search—But Google Still Decides Who Gets Chosen - Interview with Gyi Tsakalakis Part 2 · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 2Send us Fan Mail AI tools are changing how consumers discover local businesses, but Google remains the system of record for trust, reviews, directions, and contact. This…
- Why Local SEO Is Breaking for Law Firms (And What Actually Works Now) · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 1Send us Fan Mail Local SEO, reviews, and Google LSAs are no longer working the way law firms expect. In this episode of Near Memo, Gyi Tsakalakis (AttorneySync) joins Mike…
- Google’s AI Mode Is Rewriting Local Search — What Businesses Must Do for 2026 P#2 · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 55Send us Fan Mail Google’s AI Mode and ChatGPT search are reshaping local discovery. This deep dive interview with Michel van Luijtelaar of GMBapi explains what’s changing, how…
- Google’s Review Algorithms Are Tightening — Here’s What the Data Shows · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 54Send us Fan Mail 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…
- AI Agents Are Coming: Jes Scholz Reveals How to Prepare Your Business NOW · 30 min · Season 3 Episode 53Send us Fan Mail 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…
- AI Mode, Gemini 3 & the Future of Search: Jes Scholz on What SEOs Must Do Now · 33 min · Season 3 Episode 53Send us Fan Mail In this packed episode, Jes Scholz joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to explore where AI search is really headed. From conversational interfaces replacing…
- Google Maps Gets AI, Reviews Get Aliases, Ads Invade AI Mode — And Google Uses Its Monopoly to Win the AI War · 38 min · Season 3 Episode 52Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Near Memo, Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling unpack Google’s dramatic shift toward an AI-first search ecosystem — including the rollout of…
- What #1-Ranking Personal Injury Lawyers Are Doing Right — Greg Gifford’s GBP Local Ranking Study · 1 h 1 min · Season 3 Episode 52Send us Fan Mail Greg Gifford joins the Near Memo to break down his large-scale Local SEO study of 3,000 personal injury law firm's Google Business Profiles. He reveals what #1…
- AI Search, Reviews, and the Future of Local SEO — Darren Shaw Breaks Down the 2026 Ranking Factors · 44 min · Season 3 Episode 51Send us Fan Mail Local SEO just got a major shake-up. In this episode, Darren Shaw of Whitespark joins Mike Blumenthal, David Mihm, and Greg Sterling to reveal key takeaways from…
