Local search and reviews analysis from Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal.
Local search and reviews analysis from Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal · 12 stories
We connect three stories that are really one story: Apple's launch of ads in Maps, Google's move to charge for more Local Services Ads leads and expand ads across the results page, and Meta's ~$18…
Read on Near Media →We end the brand-building series with Greg walking through our original research: the "Choosing a Lawyer" study of the Atlanta personal lawyer market. Survey data, ad-creative testing, and a…
Read on Near Media →We close the run of solo interviews with a working session on what "brand" means for a local business and which tactics move the needle now that answers are generated, not just ranked. Join Paula…
Read on Near Media →Cyrus Shepard joins us on the Near Memo to connect what the Google antitrust trial and API leak revealed about click data to the questions local operators care about: how Google decides a result was…
Local SEO AI Search & Visibility
Read on Near Media →Local Search Still Starts with GoogleAccording to our research, somewhere between 60% and 70% of AI users have used AI for local search. There are questions about frequency and trust. But regardless…
Read on Near Media →Gyi Tsakalakis, of AttorneySync, joins us for Part 3 of our brand-building series — bringing the brand conversation down to earth in professional services, and specifically in legal, where a client…
Read on Near Media →LSAs Now P-Max PPL Local Services Ads (LSAs) are merging into Google Ads and will run as Performance Max campaigns optimized for pay-per-lead goals. Google says, "This transition allows you to manage…
Read on Near Media →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 Google and AI systems actually model…
Read on Near Media →We explore local branding with John Jantsch, examining how to build trust through offline distinctiveness, mine customer interviews to identify primary differentiators and leverage programmatic…
Read on Near Media →Local Websites in a Sea of SlopPeople increasingly feel that the "open web" is over. The web is now dominated by a small number of powerful "gatekeepers." Beyond this, more paywalls are going up,…
Read on Near Media →Discover why small business websites are shifting from growth engines to "trust artifacts" to battle AI search friction, click fraud, and generative slop.
Read on Near Media →Gemini for GBP Is a Big DealLast month Google announced new Gemini features for small businesses. Rolling out this month (except in Europe), it's a significant development. It's not just another lame…
Read on Near Media →Last refreshed Aug 29, 2026 · 7:40 PM · Subscribe to our combined RSS feed
