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 • 229 episodes
The Near Memo
Latest Episodes
Interview with Barry Schwartz: Review Ransom, The State of the Open Web, and the Implications of AI on Search Interfaces
In this episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Barry Schwartz discuss various pressing topics in the digital marketing landscape, including the rise of local review ransom schemes, the ongoing debate about the state of the open web, and t...
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49:32
Google’s Action Links Crackdown, The “Declining” Open Web, and Siri + Gemini
We discuss Google’s new guidelines for Business Profile action links, the company’s conflicting statements about the health of the open web in an antitrust case, and Apple’s rumored partnership with Google’s Gemini to power Siri. Together, thes...
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33:39
AI Overviews in Local: When & Where, DOJ Google Remedies (?), and an SMB GBP Case Study
We dig into when/where Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) appear in local, how people actually split tasks across Google vs. ChatGPT, what the DOJ’s remedies mean for defaults, and a fresh case where a brand-new local biz triggered an AIO—plus practi...
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33:05
AI Overviews & Why consumers like them, Reviews vs. Reality & Why Google Search Volumes Aren’t Falling
Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling discuss three hot-button topics:Consumer vs. industry perspectives on Google’s AI OverviewsHow review expectations differ from actual behavior in the legal verticalWhy Datos data s...
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26:42
Google’s LSA Shake-Up, Google LSA Dark Patterns & BrightLocal SMB Marketing Insights
Google is consolidating Local Services Ads trust signals into a single verification badge — but is it really about trust or revenue? Greg and Mike discuss Google’s evolving ad strategy, the ongoing degradation of organic results, their "dark pa...
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28:26
