Send us a text

Darren Shaw of Whitespark returns to the Near Memo to talk with Mike and Greg about what’s actually working—and what’s not—in local SEO as AI begins reshaping consumer behavior. From the rise of first-party reviews to YouTube’s power for B2B lead gen, this episode tackles how agencies can prepare clients for a future beyond Google. They also dig into the limitations of ChatGPT’s local recommendations, where blogs still make sense, and what digital PR might look like for small businesses. Practical, honest, and forward-looking.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

In this episode, Mike and Greg break down three major developments shaping the local search and AI landscape. First, they tackle the growing wave of Google Business Profile suspensions caused by rigid, AI-driven video verification—where even legitimate businesses are getting flagged. They offer practical advice on how to avoid getting suspended and why field-based verification is now essential.

Next, they explore new consumer survey data showing a significant rise in people using AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for local business discovery. But while AI wins early attention, most users still turn to Google Maps or Search to take action—creating a split-funnel dynamic that Google must navigate to protect its ad model.

Finally, they unpack Apple’s WWDC announcements, noting the glaring absence of Siri. Instead of chasing ChatGPT, Apple is doubling down on privacy-first, on-device AI. Meanwhile, Siri continues to underperform as voice UX expectations are being reshaped by tools like ChatGPT Voice.

This episode is for marketers, SEOs, and local business owners trying to stay ahead of fast-moving changes in AI, search, and platform strategy.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

In this episode of The Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal break down some of the biggest tectonic shifts happening at the intersection of AI, search, and antitrust law. The focal point? Google's claim that its Gemini AI now boasts 350 million monthly users. But what exactly counts as a user—and does stuffing Gemini into every app and product really mean it’s being used?

Greg and Mike dig deep into how Google is leveraging its product ecosystem—Chrome, Gmail, Workspace, Maps, Android, and Search—to inflate AI engagement numbers. The two unpack why Gemini still underperforms compared to ChatGPT and Claude, and what that gap reveals about Google’s AI rollout and user trust.

They also dive into the implications of the Department of Justice’s antitrust remedies following the conclusion of the Google search monopoly trial. What could it mean for the web if Google is forced to divest Chrome—or even Maps? The conversation explores Google’s use of default deals, bundling tactics, and how it might use its market power to dominate AI, just as it has search.

Along the way, they highlight YouTube’s overlooked role as a future-first search engine, powered by how-to content, brand channels, and a closed ecosystem that Google fully controls. And they dissect how local guides, AI-driven local search results, and Google's declining web traffic referrals are reshaping digital marketing as we know it.

Whether you're a marketer, SEO professional, journalist, or tech policy nerd—this episode gives you a grounded, provocative look at what’s really going on in the AI arms race.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Google’s Gemini user claim is deeply flawed.
  350 million “monthly users” likely includes passive, backend interactions across the Google ecosystem—not active engagement.
• Gemini underperforms compared to ChatGPT and Claude.
  Independent research and user experience both point to Gemini lagging behind in quality and versatility.
• DOJ is pushing for serious remedies—like divesting Chrome.
  The antitrust trial may force Google to give up core assets or radically change how it bundles and distributes products.
• Google’s biggest moat might be local.
  With 150M local guides powering Maps and local profiles, Google's real strength lies in place-based information no one else has.
• The old web deal is dying.
  Google's former value exchange—“we send you traffic in exchange for your content”—is being replaced with “we scrape your site, and you buy the ads.”
• YouTube may become the dominant search engine.
  For how-to content and product discovery, YouTube beats traditional search—and Google controls every part of it.
• Rand Fishkin’s desktop-only data misses key insights.
  App usage and mobile behavior are reshaping how users interact with AI, but current reporting often overlooks this.
• The SERP is evolving into AI Mode.
  Google’s current hybrid of AI Overviews + Knowledge Graph is transforming how users experience local and informational queries.
• Brands must diversify now.
  With Google traffic likely to decline, businesses need to explore YouTube, TikTok, Perplexity, and other platforms—fast.

🎧 Tune in for:

• Smart, unscripted analysis
• Honest takes on Google’s AI positioning
• Real-world marketing strategy implications
• Predictions for how the search landscape is evolving

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

In this jam-packed episode of The Near Memo, hosts Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal welcome back Adam Dorfman, VP of Product at BirdEye, for a timely deep dive into the ever-shifting world of local SEO, AI Overviews, and Google’s evolving search ecosystem.

The trio unpacks the seismic shifts happening in local search, AI-generated results, and the new metrics that matter when “clicks” no longer rule. From how Google is leveraging its own ecosystem to dominate AI outputs, to whether schema markup, directories, or social media still matter, this episode serves up unfiltered takes and battle-tested advice for marketers, SEOs, and local business owners alike.

🚨 Top Themes Covered:

• Google’s AI Overviews: Why AI is rewriting the search interface and what it means for local visibility.
• Urban vs. Rural Search Results: Why AI tools like ChatGPT might actually outperform Google Maps in lower-density areas.
• The End of Organic?: Google’s AI results are now 100% GBP (Google Business Profile) driven—with nearly zero room for traditional website links.
• Reviews Are the New Backlinks: How first- and third-party reviews (especially on platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor) are now critical ranking factors in AI models.
• The Fragmented Funnel: TikTok and Instagram are eating the top of the funnel—Google is now the validator, not the discoverer.
• Metrics Reimagined: Why clicks are increasingly meaningless, and what to track instead—from CRM tie-ins to survey data and outcome-based KPIs.
• AI’s Role in Product & Strategy: How BirdEye and other platforms are rethinking their offerings to embed AI into every layer—from insights to actions.
• Old-School SEO vs. AI Optimization: Turns out, best practices haven’t changed much—good local SEO still wins, but it’s more critical than ever to focus on outcomes, not vanity metrics.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Local search isn’t dead—it’s evolving. AI is changing the game, but the fundamentals still matter: strong reviews, simple websites, quality listings, and running a great business.
• Your website still matters, even if it’s not driving direct clicks. It’s a core data source for AI and a validator for customers making high-stakes decisions.
• Directory presence is back in fashion—especially for verticals like travel, dining, and services. Yelp and TripAdvisor are still powerful in AI outputs.
• Forget tips and tricks. Stop obsessing over how to game AI results. Focus on real marketing, customer feedback, and operational excellence.
• AI visibility tracking is a new frontier. Ranking reports may be making a comeback—not for traffic predictions, but for understanding how you show up in AI-generated lists.

📣 Whether you’re an SEO veteran, a SaaS marketer, a multi-location brand, or just trying to figure out where to spend your next marketing dollar, this episode offers tactical wisdom and strategic clarity on where local search is headed—and how to stay ahead.

🎧 Brought to you by GatherUp – our thanks to this episode’s sponsor and a trusted leader in reputation management.

Subscribe to The Near Memo for weekly insights at the intersection of search, social, local, and reputation.

▶️ Follow us on:

• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• LinkedIn

Have questions or feedback? Drop us a note at mblumenthal@nearmemo.co

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

Welcome to Part 2 of our deep dive into the most revealing SEO and UX research of 2025.
In this episode of the Near Memo podcast, Greg Sterling, Kevin Indig, and Eric Van Buskirk break down how users actually interact with AI Overviews on Google—and what that means for your SEO strategy moving forward.

00:55 – “Trust over Traffic: The SEO Paradigm Shift”
02:10 – “SEO as Traffic Cop, Not Traffic Driver”
03:33 – “Reddit, YouTube & Beyond: Tactical SEO Musts”
07:20 – “Google Killed the Small Guys”
09:05 – “Google’s Fear-Driven Strategy”
11:14 – “Redefining SEO Inside the Org”
12:03 – “Click Recession and the Future of Metrics”
13:31 – “Pitching the New SEO to Leadership”
17:17 – “People Don’t Know LSAs Are Ads”
20:22 – “Gen Z, TikTok, and the Platform Migration”
22:23 – “ChatGPT Is the Train—You’re the Station”



▶️ Missed Part 1? Watch it here → https://youtu.be/pjE3MwOLYcg

⸻

🔥 What’s Inside This Episode:

In this second installment, we focus on the tactical and organizational implications of new user behavior patterns revealed through a qualitative usability study. The study recorded and analyzed nearly 30 hours of real-world search behavior, and the findings are reshaping how smart marketers think about organic search, AI, and branding.

From “click stagflation” to platform diversification, this episode delivers hard truths and actionable insights.

🧠 Top Insights You’ll Take Away:
• SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolved. Traditional traffic metrics are no longer reliable indicators of success.
• Trust is now the first filter. Users skim, scroll, and click based on what (and who) they recognize and believe in.
• Clicks ≠ Conversions. Welcome to the era of “click stagflation”—less traffic, but stable (or growing) business results.
• Google is reacting, not leading. The rise of Reddit, YouTube, and AI Overviews is a defensive move to hold onto users.
• Local trust signals matter more than ever. LSAs win clicks because users don’t realize they’re ads—they just trust the stars.
• Brand awareness is the new SEO moat. If users don’t know or trust you before they search, you likely won’t earn their click.
• SEO must align with social, content, and UX. It’s time for cross-functional “growth teams” that reflect real user journeys.

⸻

🔗 Links & Resources:

📄 Full transcript of Part 2 →
📄 Part 1: Study methodology + foundational insights → https://youtu.be/pjE3MwOLYcg
🧪 Read the study by Kevin Indig and Eric Van Buskirk → https://www.growth-memo.com/p/the-first-ever-ux-study-of-googles?ref=nearmedia.co
🎙️ More from Near Memo →https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmqwyOgNILWrALQo5FVdB6zlaEJiVyKS_

⸻

💬 What do YOU think?
Are you still measuring SEO success with clicks? Have you updated your strategy for AI Overviews and multi-platform journeys? Drop your thoughts or questions below—let’s talk.

⸻

👍 Like, 💬 Comment, and 🔔 Subscribe to get more straight talk on search, SEO, and local marketing every week.

#SEO #AIOverviews #DigitalMarketing #SearchTrends #ContentStrategy #GoogleSearch #UserExperience #NearMemo #KevinIndig #EricVanBuskirk #GregSterling #UXResearch #ChatGPT #TikTokSearch #TrustEconomy

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

🎙️ Trust Before Clicks: What Real Users Do With Google’s AI Overviews

We’ve all seen the headlines: Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) are changing search forever. But how do real people actually use them?

In this episode of The Near Memo, we dive into the first behavioral UX study of Google’s AIOs, conducted by Kevin Indig and Eric Van Buskirk. The results? Totally eye-opening—and a little humbling for SEOs.

This wasn’t another clickstream analysis. This was watching users scroll, click (or not), skim, and decide across 8 real-world search tasks. Think local searches, health queries, shopping comparisons—all captured through screen recordings, scroll logs, and detailed annotations.

📊 Here’s What They Found:

1. Clicks Are Not Conversions
Only about 1 in 5 “final answers” came from AIOs. Most users finished their journey with traditional organic results, Reddit, YouTube, or maps. Clicking doesn’t always mean trusting—or converting.

2. Trust Comes Before Relevance
Users no longer scan the SERP for “the best answer.” They scan for brands they recognize and sources they trust. If they don’t know you, they scroll right past—even if you’re ranked #1.

3. Reviews Are the Ultimate Shortcut
In both local and shopping searches, people hunted for review stars. They scrolled back and forth just to find them. The takeaway? Reviews aren’t just helpful—they’re directional beacons in search.

4. Most People Skim AIOs
A whopping 86% of users skimmed AIOs. Unless the query was high-risk (think: health or finance), they treated the AI summary like a TL;DR intro and kept scrolling.

5. Risk = Depth
The more serious the query, the deeper the engagement. People spent more time reading, clicked more links to fact-check, and acted with more skepticism.

6. AIO Links Are Largely Ignored
Those little citation icons in AIOs? Most users didn’t touch them. Even large panels full of links got barely any engagement. Why? Because people didn’t perceive them as useful or actionable.

7. Users Are Skeptical—But Still Satisfied
Despite checking citations and bouncing around the page, users still reported high satisfaction with AIOs. Trust is sticky. If something “feels” complete, users stop looking—even if it’s flawed.

8. Google Benefits from the Illusion
Kevin and Eric argue that Google has long benefited from the mistaken belief that it’s the whole journey. In reality, search behavior is multi-touch, cross-platform, and often ends somewhere else entirely.

🎯 Final Thought: Trust Is the New CTR

If your brand isn’t already in the user’s mind, your perfect answer won’t matter.
Clicks are a vanity metric. Final answers are what really count.

To win now, SEOs must:

• Build brand trust before the search starts
• Be visible across platforms (Reddit, YouTube, forums)
• Focus on reviews and SERP presence
• Understand how different search intents drive behavior

This is Part One of a two-part conversation. In Part Two, we unpack the strategic takeaways and what marketers should do next.

Because in the era of AI Overviews, it’s not about ranking first—it’s about being the last place users need to go.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

In this thought-provoking episode of the Near Memo podcast, SEO veteran Cindy Krum joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to unpack how Google's evolving use of AI, including MUM (Multitask Unified Model), is reshaping the search landscape. Krum explains how Google is moving from keyword- and entity-based indexing to modeling “journeys” that reflect a user’s intent — aligning with Google's long-abandoned concept of “micro-moments” like “I want to know,” “I want to go,” “I want to do,” and “I want to buy.” These journeys are increasingly being monetized across different verticals such as YouTube, Merchant Center, and local results, as Google balances expensive AI integration with ad revenue optimization.

The trio also explores the convergence of Google Discover, AI Overviews, and personalized browsing experiences — warning that this personalization could result in unprecedented data tracking and loss of consumer privacy. Krum emphasizes that marketers and SEOs must adapt quickly: diversify traffic sources, optimize across social and non-Google platforms, and consider how Google's motivations (data consolidation and monetization) are shaping an experience that prioritizes corporate interests over user needs. The message is clear — traditional SEO tactics won’t survive the AI-driven tide unless they evolve dramatically.

Takeaways
Cindy Krum discusses the MUM model and its impact on SEO.
Google's monetization strategies are evolving with AI integration.
Personalization in search is becoming increasingly important.
Marketers need to optimize for user intent and MUM journeys.
Informational queries represent a significant portion of search traffic.
Diversifying traffic sources is crucial for digital marketers.
Branding and social media presence are essential for visibility.
The search landscape is changing rapidly due to AI advancements.
Marketers should be proactive in adapting to these changes.
Understanding user journeys will be key to future SEO strategies.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Send us a text

00:00 GatherUp's AmpUp Webinar Overview
05:56 Yelp Antitrust Case Insights
13:32 Google Local Review's AI Overviews and Their Impact
26:45 ChatGPT's Shopping Capabilities and Future Directions

In this episode, Greg and Mike discuss the upcoming AmpUp 2025 virtual conference with Mel Atia of GatherUp, focusing on local SEO, reputation management, and the impact of AI on digital strategies. They delve into Yelp's antitrust case against Google, exploring the implications for local search and advertising. The conversation also highlights Google's new local AI feature, local brand summaries as well as changing consumer behaviors and the implications of ChatGPT getting into product search.

Takeaways

• AmpUp 2025 is a free virtual conference focused on local SEO and reputation management.
• The event will feature sessions on AI's impact on digital agencies and local search strategies.
• Yelp's antitrust case against Google could reshape the local search landscape.
• Google's dominance in local search raises questions about competition and consumer choice.
• AI overviews may simplify search but could misalign with user intent.
• Younger consumers are diversifying their search habits beyond Google.
• Businesses must manage their online reputation across multiple platforms.
• Engagement data is crucial for understanding consumer behavior in search.
• The future of search may involve more personalized and AI-driven experiences.
• Understanding audience behavior is essential for effective digital marketing.

Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/