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PODCAST

The Near Memo

Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm

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.

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All Episodes

36:48

AI, Strong-Arm Tactics & a Shifting Review Landscape...

The Near Memo ·

2026/02/25

Send a textGoogle AI & Click Economics Google is replacing structured GBP data with AI-generated summaries, nudging users into AI Mode, and expanding monetization pathways. Aleyda Solis’ study and Near Media research show ads — especially LSAs — are siphoning clicks.Data Moats & Scraping Crackdowns Google restricts scraping, disrupting SerpAPI. The move reinforces Google’s data advantage against ChatGPT and Perplexity while signaling an increasingly closed ecosystem.Reviews, Inflation &

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40:24

AI Visibility vs Google Ranking: Rand Fishkin & the...

The Near Memo ·

2026/02/18

Send a textIn 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 measurement.Is AI rank tracking possible? Are zero-click journeys killing websites? And how should local businesses measure marketing performance in a world where attribution is breaking down?Rand shares new research on AI brand visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI, discusses why performance marketing metrics are

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28:55

The Truth About Google Local Service Ads: Rankings,...

The Near Memo ·

2026/02/12

Send a textGoogle Local Service Ads have become one of the most powerful placements in local search — especially in competitive verticals like personal injury law.But what actually drives ranking and performance?In this episode, we examine the real mechanics behind LSAs: review cadence, responsiveness, bidding structure, and the psychology of visual presentation. We explore how headshots and photo sequencing influence trust, why logos don’t convert, and how review manipulation creates competitive

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29:40

Inside Google Local Services Ads: Ranking Signals,...

The Near Memo ·

2026/02/06

Send us a textLocal Services Ads have become the “top-of-the-page” battleground for high-value local categories—especially professional services. In this episode, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal talk with former LSA team member Eric Levine about how LSAs evolved, what really influences rank, and how Google’s lead marketplace mechanics shape outcomes. We break down “request multiple options,” lead billing, the big ranking signals (reviews, responsiveness, radius/service area), why LSAs often win

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42:08

AI Isn’t Replacing Local Search — But It’s Rewiring...

The Near Memo ·

2026/01/30

Send us a textAI 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 language models, AI assistants, and emerging “agent” experiences are changing consumer behavior, local search, and brand visibility. From ChatGPT and Google’s AI-driven results to personalization, intent modeling, and task completion, we explore what actually changes — and what doesn’t.We also dig into:• Why AI acts more like a

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42:53

Inside Google Local Rankings and the Review Purge

The Near Memo ·

2026/01/20

Send us a textClaudia 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, and how AI Overviews, Gemini, and agentic shopping are pushing transactions into Google’s AI interfaces. A must-listen for anyone managing a Google Business Profile in 2026.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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29:18

AI Is Breaking Local Search—But Google Still Decides...

The Near Memo ·

2026/01/14

Send us a textAI tools are changing how consumers discover local businesses, but Google remains the system of record for trust, reviews, directions, and contact. This conversation explores how AI reduces cognitive load, concentrates visibility, and amplifies brand demand—forcing local marketers to rethink SEO beyond rankings.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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28:34

Why Local SEO Is Breaking for Law Firms (And What...

The Near Memo ·

2026/01/08

Send us a textLocal 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 Blumenthal and Greg Sterling to explain why rankings and traffic are misleading, how LSAs reshape legal demand, why review cheating is rampant, and how brand trust has become the real competitive moat.If you’re relying on Google visibility alone to grow a law firm, this conversation is a wake-up call.Subscribe to our newsletters and

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33:50

Google’s AI Mode Is Rewriting Local Search — What...

The Near Memo ·

2025/12/23

Send us a textGoogle’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 users behave inside AI results, and what local businesses must do now to stay visible and trusted.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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28:07

Google’s Review Algorithms Are Tightening — Here’s...

The Near Memo ·

2025/12/19

Send us a textIn 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 detection, incentivized reviews, and regional legal differences across Europe and the U.S.The conversation explores why reviews are increasingly central to AI-driven search experiences, how enforcement tools can unintentionally harm small businesses, and what this all means for trust, visibility, and competition in local

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30:12

AI Agents Are Coming: Jes Scholz Reveals How to...

The Near Memo ·

2025/12/11

Send us a textIn 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 interfaces, the 60/40 brand-activation model, content freshness, multimodal distribution, and why your database — not your website — may determine your competitive future.Jes explains what marketers must do now: update your content strategy, test your site with agents, fix your UX friction, and prepare your database for

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33:11

AI Mode, Gemini 3 & the Future of Search: Jes Scholz...

The Near Memo ·

2025/12/04

Send us a textIn this packed episode, Jes Scholz joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to explore where AI search is really headed. From conversational interfaces replacing the search box to the competitive implications of Gemini 3, Jes explains why Google’s index is shrinking, why publishers must evolve, and why consensus around brand salience — not keywords — decides visibility.We also cover local search dynamics, review-based consensus modeling, multi-touch attribution myths, and how to create

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37:36

Google Maps Gets AI, Reviews Get Aliases, Ads Invade...

The Near Memo ·

2025/11/21

Send us a textIn 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 Know Before you Go in Maps, ads in the new AI Mode in Search & Maps, and the introduction oof Gemini 3 what that means for personalization and marketers.We explore:• Google Maps’ new AI-powered interfaces — including Know Before You Go and the prominent “Ask” module that pulls data from reviews, websites, and third-party

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61:30

What #1-Ranking Personal Injury Lawyers Are Doing...

The Near Memo ·

2025/11/12

Send us a textGreg 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 ranked PI las firms are doing that #10 ranked practioners are not. From review response rates and schema misfires to UTM tracking errors, the trio unpacks what’s real in local SEO and what’s hype. The episode closes with a lively debate about the AI-driven future of the SERP.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content

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44:10

AI Search, Reviews, and the Future of Local SEO —...

The Near Memo ·

2025/11/07

Send us a textLocal 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 the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors study — including how AI search, behavioral signals, and reviews are changing the local game. Hear what really moves the needle, what’s fading, and where Google, Gemini, and ChatGPT fit into your future strategy.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at

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46:45

TikTok’s Local Play: How Gen Z Is Rewriting Local Search

The Near Memo ·

2025/10/30

Send us a textIn this episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Celeste Gonzalez (Rickety Roo) dive into TikTok’s “Local Explorer” — a new review and discovery program inside the app. They explore how Gen Z’s shift toward TikTok and Instagram is reshaping local search, what the Adobe and SOCi studies reveal, and why authenticity may be TikTok’s edge over Google Reviews.You’ll learn:• How TikTok gamifies local reviews• Why 62 % of Gen Z prefer TikTok for finding local businesses• How to track

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33:29

Google’s Local Antitrust Battle with Yelp, Gemini’s...

The Near Memo ·

2025/10/23

Send us a textIn Episode 229, Mike and Greg unpack Yelp’s revived antitrust lawsuit against Google and what it reveals about search dominance. They dive into Google’s “grounded” Gemini AI—supposedly tied to Maps data—and Mike’s test results showing how unreliable it still is. Finally, they explore ChatGPT’s new local results format, which borrows from Google Maps, and debate whether AI interfaces can ever be trusted to tell the truth.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at

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34:51

AI & Local Business: How AI Is Rewriting Location...

The Near Memo ·

2025/10/16

Send us a textAI is reshaping how businesses manage their locations, from adoption challenges to AI Overviews in Google Search, to the renewed importance of citations and directories. Mike Blumenthal, Greg Sterling, and Ana Martinez from Uberall discuss AI’s role in visibility, customer journeys, and local SEO strategy.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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31:58

Inside Uberall’s Local AI Shift: From Culture Shift...

The Near Memo ·

2025/10/09

Send us a text Uberall’s CTO Ana Martinez joins Greg Sterling & Mike Blumenthal to reveal how the company is going “AI native with their Local Platform location management.” From internal culture shifts to new client-facing tools like UBI and Location Performance Score, learn how AI is reshaping products, teams, and customer expectations. Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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35:53

Google GBP Suspension Increases?, The Future of...

The Near Memo ·

2025/10/01

Send us a textIn this episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal dig into Google Business Profile suspension increases over time, the broken state of reviews, and insights from Google’s Liz Reid on AI Overviews, AI Mode, and monetization. What do these changes mean for small businesses, SEOs, and consumers? Tune in for an unfiltered take.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

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