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GBP Image Not Approved, a bug or feature & how to tell: 
Google Business Profile image upload has long exhibited a bug that prevents images from being published. The problem is that Google uses the exact same messaging for many conditions that lead to Google not publishing the image. How does a business know if they have broken often unstated rules or if they are experiencing a bug?
We discuss how to tell and what this really says about Google’s Business Profile efforts.

 ChatGPT has added plug-ins & the web integration and it sucks: 
ChatGPT generated excitement and discussions around its impact on search because it was such a great first release. The addition of web access and plug-ins though put a chill over the party as they are slow and cumbersome. 
This calls into question whether ChatGPT can ever challenge Google? While still useful, this “upgrade” certainly doesn’t threaten Google’s position and seems more hype than improvement. 

Yelp integration with Google Reserve reflects their weakened position: 
Over the past several years, Yelp has sought to diversify revenues away from advertising, including through new merchant fees and SaaS tools. In the latter category, Yelp Guest Manager, its front of the house system for restaurants, is integrating with Toast and Reserve with Google. 
Yelp, despite their size and public stature, currently only has ~10,000 restaurants using their Guest Manager product and it barely impacted Yelp’s bottom line. The fact that they chose to integrate with Google speaks volumes. 

The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local businesses and national brands.
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