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.
The Near Memo
Unlocking Google Business Profile Secrets with Brad Wetherall - ex Director of GBP Support
The Near Media team + several Google Product Experts and Brad Wetherall discuss various aspects of Google Business Profiles, including internal mobility at Google, the challenges of maintaining institutional knowledge, and the complexities of review management. They delve into the recent discrepancies in review counts, the importance of communication from Google, and the impact of trust scores on local guides. The discussion also covers creative strategies for enhancing review authenticity, the challenges of video verification, and the implications of operating hours on business rankings. Additionally, they explore the quality of support across different regions and the potential for paid support options, as well as the influence of AI on local listings.
00:00 Introduction to Brad Wetherall and His Background
04:04 Google Personnel Policies Leading to a Loss of Google Local Institutional Knowledge
17:57 Communication Challenges During Review Issues
23:41 Trust Scores and Local Guides' Impact on Reviews
28:46 Identifying and Reporting Spam Listings
32:58 Engagement and Business Verification Challenges
36:44 Improving Video Verification Processes
41:17 Handling Duplicate Listings
44:07 Managing Business Hours Effectively
47:30 Differences in Support Quality between Countries
48:59 Exploring Paid GBP Support Options
53:27 Understanding Google’s Data Sources
56:34 The Impact of AI on Local Listings
57:19 Trust Score and User Management
takeaways
- Google encourages internal mobility to retain talent which might cause a loss of Local institutional knowledge.
- Documentation is extensive but not always utilized effectively.
- Algorithm adjustments can lead to review discrepancies.
- Proactive communication from Google is often lacking.
- Trust scores influence the acceptance of edits.
- Creative strategies can enhance review authenticity.
- Multiple signals are considered when identifying spam listings.
- Engagement signals impact visibility in search results.
- Maintaining a corporate email domain is beneficial for trust.
- AI-generated content is monitored and regulated by Google.
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