Send 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 by Steve Wiideman to unpack the operational, strategic, and technical realities of multi-location SEO.

They explore testing frameworks, content strategies, franchise challenges, reviews, imagery, and the evolving nature of search behavior.

If you manage local SEO at scale, this is a must-listen.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send 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 BirdEye’s latest data and explore what’s really changing in local search.

From AI Overviews and LLM-driven discovery to Google’s new Ask Maps interface, they examine how search behavior is shifting—and why Google still controls the final decision point.

They also dig into:

• Category vs brand search behavior
• Industry-level engagement differences
• The evolving role of reviews in AI-driven results
• Apple Maps as a quiet challenger

If you’re trying to understand how AI is reshaping local SEO, this episode connects the dots.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send a text

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 Search Ranking Factors study.

The panel breaks down how the survey works, what has changed in local search, and how the rise of AI interfaces like ChatGPT and Gemini could reshape how businesses are discovered online.

They explore:

• Why review volume and recency drive rankings
• How behavioral signals may outweigh traditional SEO factors
• Whether links are becoming less important
• Why Google’s behavioral data advantage matters
• The role of expert lists and third-party citations in AI search

This episode offers a snapshot of local search at a moment of major transition that still resonates 6 months later.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/