Review frequency matters far FAR more than sheer volume when it comes to ranking well in Google, especially for "Near me" phrases....  Colan and I break it down for you 👇 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B2oxiJESoY

Do you need a category page on your website for EVERY service you offer?  Probably - but there might be an exception or two - I explain how to decide 👇

Your average Google review rating has a direct correlation to how you perform in local search for "near me" queries. Average rating is a very powerful ranking factor for sure...

You need an address.  Service area businesses just don't perform well, and competitors near you with an address will dominate if you don't have one. Colan and I explain why 👇

What kind of content can be the "hook" that attracts people to your YouTube channel - Jeremy Vest describes how he finds topics and ideas for video content creators to use as they build out their channel...

YouTube can add value to your business acquisition plans... even for a small business. Jeremy Vest shared a few examples of businesses that enhanced their acquisition package with a solid YouTube channel Watch the whole video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXh43m_fNN0

We just finalized the lineup for LocalU Global in January and I am stoked for this linup 🎤 Emcee Darren Shaw 🧠 Dana DiTomaso 🧪 Kyle Roof 💡 Wil Reynolds  📝 Steve Toth ⭐ Colan Nielsen ... and ME! Early Bird Alert! Tickets are only $99 til mid-December - don't wait https://localu.org/virtual-2026

At 10:00am ET be sure to head over to the /r/localsearch subreddit for an AMA with Darren Shaw of Whitespark.  He'll be answering your Local SEO, GBP, Review or Citation questions until 3pm today! https://www.reddit.com/r/localsearch/

What happens when you (or GBP support) merge 2 listings with different addresses?  Nothing good...  Highly advise against this!

Next week Darren Shaw of Whitespark is taking over the /r/localsearch subreddit for an AMA - Join him on November 3rd at 10am ET and bring all of your Local SEO, GBP, Review or Citation questions - he'll be answering until 3pm on Monday. https://www.reddit.com/r/localsearch/

So excited to have Wil Reynolds, Kyle Roof, Dana DiTomaso and Darren Shaw confirmed for LocalU Global in January (so far - more to come!) Pre-agenda tickets are just $99 - so get yours right away... https://localu.org/etn/localu-global-january-28-2026/

What do you do when you receive a negative review - and you're POSITIVE the reviewer wasn't a customer?  Follow our steps to (hopefully) get that review removed!   https://www.sterlingsky.ca/negative-google-review-from-non-customer/

We see it fairly often in the GBP Community - a listing just disappears - and the frantic business owners are left with no phone calls or leads. What can you do if this happens to you?  https://www.sterlingsky.ca/my-google-business-profile-vanished/

Video Verification can be confusing - and it's not uncommon to have to resubmit.  Our workflow for video verification may help! https://www.sterlingsky.ca/google-business-profile-video-verification/

Rebranding your business? Our 8-step checklist can help! https://www.sterlingsky.ca/rebranding-your-business-checklist/

Using virtual office space is going to make suspension and reinstatement of your GBP a nightmare.  Even if you legitimately rent space full time, being associated with a virtual office space can bring your listing under extra scrutiny.

'There's a big difference between being able to pass a [GBP] verification, and being able to get your appeal approved when you're suspended [in GBP].... ~Elizabeth Rule

Did you miss the live suspension webinar I did last week with @ownyourserp? We went through all kinds of suspension cases and what we thought may have triggered them, and how we would fix (or did fix) them! Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUMo6NPd5KE

AI Powered local packs are replacing traditional local packs.... From 1 to... none....

There IS a use case for having an answering service after hours Google is rewarding businesses that are actually open when a query is made with better visibility....

The dreaded popup - yes - stupid annoying Data doesn't care about my opinion Popups CAN work.... Learn more tips to increase conversions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOwBjlcQb8

Stop listening to the 61 characters or less Title Tag recommendations... Colan has opinions.... 😆

Clean up your navigation - not every page needs a spot in your main menu. By focusing the navigation on pages that actually convert - we're increasing traffic and conversions for clients Learn how we did it 👇

Join my colleague GBP Platinum expert Stefan Somborac TOMORROW October 14th for a GBP AMA  Get your Google Business Profile questions answered. Visit https://www.reddit.com/r/localsearch/ on 10/14 at 10AM ET and bring your questions!

Pro Tip: If you have Spanish speaking clients - some Spanish content on your website can really improve lead generation!  Elizabeth and I talked about this in our live webinar this month! Watch the entire webinar on demand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5476Sd7sLs

New Google Maps spamming tactic coming soon to a profile near you!  Leave a positive review for a business (in this case it was a lawn care business) with a photo promoting something you wanna sell.  🤦‍♀️

If you want to see the best of humanity, just start moderating communities on Reddit. 😐

If you're looking to piss me off 👿: 1. Call me bro 2. Try and sell me fake reviews after blasting my client with fake negative reviews.

Be sure to register for our October webinar - I sit down with Jeremy Vest from Creator Unlock and we talk about how even the smallest local business can find success on YouTube. Join us on October 22nd at 12 Noon ET! Register: https://localu.org/webinar-local-business-rank-google-youtube/

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty stoked about rank trackers not being able to give us garbage data in Search Console as much anymore. I had no doubt that all these impressions were not actual humans searching.

Yelp didn't allow Google to cite them in business knowledge panels. How long do we think it's gonna be before they tell Google not to include them in their AI Overviews?

I think this guy's SEO told him he needed photos with his reviews, but not sure this is what they had in mind 😂

Search results pages on Google showing up in the organic results?  Reported by Barry at SERoundtable.com. What do you think? As intended or a bug?  (also - 👀 "near me" opti ) https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-indexing-ranking-google-maps-39885.html

Join us for the LocalU LIVE webinar today at 1PM as Elizabeth Rule and I share how Local Businesses can turn ChatGPT traffic into leads! Register for a reminder - it's 100% free: https://localu.org/webinar-sept-live-2025/

We're so lucky to have Andy Crestodina here at LocalU Nashville today - but if you want more great content insights from him - his 12th Annual Blogger Survey: "What Content Works in 2025?" was published last week - be sure to check it out! https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/blogging-statistics/

Excited to get started with a full day at LocalU in Nashville!  If you're here, be sure to come say"'HI!" to me! Not here? follow the hashtag #localu on X for all the tweets being shared out!

Another tip from Kyle Roof and I - how to get your business ranking in ChatGPT and other LLMS?  Press Releases... Yup, I'm 100% serious. Also a bonus tip from Kyle - watch below 👇

Our September with Jason Hennessey is going to dive into the conversation we NEED to have about how to gain ROI from SEO 💪 Actionable SEO Strategies 🏆 Success Stories & Proven Methods 🏗️ Scaling Your SEO Efforts Register: https://localu.org/webinar-mastering-seo-roi/

This afternoon at 3pm ET Greg Gifford and Dane Saville are going to be doing free GBP audits - definitely worth a watch:  https://searchlab.wistia.com/live/events/kgm81ibae2

Our friends at Whitespark just launched a podcast - be sure to tune in to the latest news & info from local search with Darren Shaw and Claire Carlile!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_crg-0YCZw

Join us for the LocalU LIVE webinar next week as Elizabeth Rule and I share how Local Businesses can turn ChatGPT traffic into leads! Register for a reminder - it's 100% free: https://localu.org/webinar-sept-live-2025/

Did you know that Reddit and YouTube are two of the most-cited websites in Google's AI Overviews? One of the many reasons why I'm a tad obsessed with them lately.

Yes - you CAN have too many links on your homepage.  Don't dilute it's power by linking to EVERYTHING from the homepage.  A busy homepage can also cause decision paralysis for your potential customers, as well! I explain here 👇

Review volume has become a ranking factor - Elizabeth and I explained what WE are seeing during our LIVE webinar on August 20th. Rewatch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/QJU3-nCUbvQ

Starting in 15 minutes - my interview with Kyle Roof!  Bring all your questions about On-Page SEO and join us:  https://localu.org/webinar-master-on-page-seo/ On demand available - so register and watch when you have time!

What are the guidelines around getting a mention in Wikipedia for Law Firms? Chris Dreyer shares his thoughts on the best scenario to create to get listed in Wikipedia.... Watch the entire webinar on demand 👉 https://localu.org/watch-june-webinar-2025/

How can you tell if your competitors are buying fake reviews?  Chris Dreyer shared some of the things he looks for when trying to spot a bad actor in the review space during our June 2025 webinar Missed the webinar? Watch it here: https://localu.org/watch-june-webinar-2025/

Wow - Microsoft CoPilot referencing GBPs - via Nathan Gotch on X https://x.com/nathangotch/status/1954908546975322267

Top domains referenced in LLM/AIO in June of 2025... Reddit is still top dog here by a wide margin... https://www.statista.com/statistics/1620335/top-web-domains-cited-by-llms/

GPT5 released and the data is already out of date (only runs through Sept 2024).  From Britney Muller on X: https://x.com/BritneyMuller/status/1954873431788515342