From the newsletter
Search Notes
What I'm seeing in local search, Google Business Profiles, and AI answers, written for the owners and marketers on my list. Short, opinionated, and usually something you can do this week.
- 19 things we learned about AI visibility in the last 12 monthsLessons from a year of AI visibility audits: crawlers, site speed, content, PR, and why results take months to show.AI visibility · Websites · Local search
- What SEO taught you to stop doingPress, awards and community work stopped feeling worth it for SEO, and they're exactly what AI recommendations draw on.AI visibility · Local search · Reviews
- Your customer's search started before GoogleCustomers now often ask AI first and use Google to verify, so you can rank well on Google and still be invisible to AI.AI visibility · Local search · Reviews
- Google is killing the LSA platformGoogle is folding Local Services Ads into Performance Max, and I explain what changes and why I'm cautious.Ads · Local search
- The Agent Readiness Checklist for Local BusinessesA checklist of what to fix on your website so AI agents can read, book and choose your local business.Websites · AI visibility · Local search
- Zero-click is rising. So are agent visits. Are you ready?AI agents now visit websites to complete tasks like booking. Here's what they need from your site and why local businesses should care.Websites · AI visibility · Local search
- Reddit for Local SEOReddit threads now show up in local search, so here's how to see what's said about your business and what to do about it.Local search · AI visibility
- Your Service Area Is Too BigA huge service area dilutes your relevance. Here's why a tighter one ranks better, and how to pick where to focus.Google Business Profile · Local search
- The Citation MythWhy paying monthly for directory citations rarely helps, and the few cases where citations still matter.Local search · Google Business Profile · Tools
- Ask Google Maps just changed local searchAsk Google Maps makes local search conversational, so Google reasons about your business as an entity instead of matching keywords.Local search · AI visibility · Google Business Profile
- Stop writing blog posts no one readsWhy location pages beat blog posts for local search, and what makes a location page work.Websites · Local search · AI visibility
- Your GBP photos are killing your profileGoogle reads your profile photos to judge what you do and whether you're real. Here's what to upload, and how often.Google Business Profile · Local search
- Why your competitor ranks with fewer reviewsWhy review velocity and recency can beat a bigger review count in the local pack, and how to fix yours.Reviews · Google Business Profile · Local search