The Near Memo
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.
Podcasting since 2021 • 247 episodes
The Near Memo
Latest Episodes
Inside Google Local Services Ads: Ranking Signals, Lead Costs, and Why LSAs Beat the Local Pack (w/ Eric Levine)
Local 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 e...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 5
•
29:40
AI Isn’t Replacing Local Search — But It’s Rewiring How People Choose with Crystal Carter
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 language models, AI assistants, and emerging “agent” experiences are changi...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 4
•
42:08
Inside Google Local Rankings and the Review Purge
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, and how AI Overviews, Gemini, and agentic shopping are pushing transactions into Goo...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 3
•
42:53
AI Is Breaking Local Search—But Google Still Decides Who Gets Chosen - Interview with Gyi Tsakalakis Part 2
AI 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 ...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 2
•
29:18
Why Local SEO Is Breaking for Law Firms (And What Actually Works Now)
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 Blumenthal and Greg Sterling to explain why rankings and traffic are misleading, how LSAs...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 1
•
28:34
