The Local Memo

In this week’s update, learn about the rollout of the Google My Business name change; how Google will measure local search performance moving forward; the de-emphasis of voice search; Yelp’s photo-centric home feed; Google’s top 100 products for the holidays; and Facebook’s plans to remove thousands of ad targeting options.

In this week’s update, learn about the name changes of Google My Business and Facebook for Business; the desktop version of the Page Experience update; a download milestone for Google Maps; and the pandemic impact on review sites.

In this week’s update, learn about Facebook’s new name; GMB as a source of local leads; the new Deals feed in Google Shopping; AMP’s uncertain future; the mixed impact of Core Web Vitals; and Instagram’s new tools for creators.

In this week’s update, learn about Yelp’s report on post-pandemic recovery; Google’s review carousels for service businesses; Facebook’s new communication tools; how ratings and reviews impact local rankings; Amazon’s version of BOPIS; and a broader rollout of LGTBQ+ and transgender attributes.

In this week’s update, learn about Google’s new continuous scrolling on mobile; modified GMB identity attributes; message response times in the GMB app; Facebook’s virtual presentations for Advertising Week; Nextdoor’s latest consumer report; and Yelp’s updated features for service professionals.

In this week’s update, learn about the causes and impacts of the Facebook outage; quotes via email with GMB; a 5-pack experiment from Google; Google’s new eco-friendly features; Facebook’s report on diversity in advertising; and consumer preferences for digitized local shopping.

In this week’s update, learn about offer post justifications in local results; eco-certified badges for hotels; Yelp’s new Guest Manager tool and virtual restaurant attribute; a blueprint for local landing pages; the expansion of Google Lens and a new “in stock” filter for retail; and a new autocomplete feature in the Foursquare API.

In this week’s update, learn about the trust consumers place in recommendations from peers; removing fake or malicious Yelp reviews; what you can and can’t edit in Google hotel profiles; new booking links and expanded info for travelers; buying gas with Google Assistant; and visual search with Snapchat’s Scan tool.

In this week’s update, learn about Google’s new “Latino-owned” attribute; key takeaways from LocalU Advanced; the fundamentals of E-A-T; expanded business profiles on Twitter and WhatsApp; image carousels in Google Maps; and the temporary disappearance of hotel website links.

In this week’s update, learn about a new report on consumer usage of business listings; the demise of GMB site managers; Facebook’s new verification guidelines; how to win the “page speed race”; debunking the geotagged images myth; and the rise of commerce on TikTok.