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In this episode of the Near Memo, Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling unpack Google’s dramatic shift toward an AI-first search ecosystem — including the rollout of Know Before you Go in Maps, ads in the new AI Mode in Search & Maps, and the introduction oof Gemini 3 what that means for personalization and marketers.

We explore:

• Google Maps’ new AI-powered interfaces — including Know Before You Go and the prominent “Ask” module that pulls data from reviews, websites, and third-party sources. We discuss how Google is reshaping the local experience by elevating AI-generated insights above traditional organic content.

• Google’s new reviewer aliases and their implications — from anonymity and fraud concerns to how aliases complicate trust, moderation, business intelligence, and the already-confusing review ecosystem.

• Ads quietly invading AI Mode — what early experiments show about ad placement, user behavior, declining click-through rates, and Google’s likely future ad units as the AI interface becomes the top of the SERP.

• Google’s monopoly strategy in the AI race — including how Google is leveraging its scale, distribution, defaults, and product integrations to push Gemini over ChatGPT, claw back market share, and extend its dominance into AI search experiences despite weak antitrust remedies.

Plus: The Near Media newsletter is going free.

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Greg Gifford joins the Near Memo to break down his large-scale Local SEO study of 3,000 personal injury law firm's Google Business Profiles. He reveals what #1 ranked PI las firms are doing that #10 ranked practioners are not.  From review response rates and schema misfires to UTM tracking errors, the trio unpacks what’s real in local SEO and what’s hype. The episode closes with a lively debate about the AI-driven future of the SERP.

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Local SEO just got a major shake-up. In this episode, Darren Shaw of Whitespark joins Mike Blumenthal, David Mihm, and Greg Sterling to reveal key takeaways from the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors study — including how AI search, behavioral signals, and reviews are changing the local game. Hear what really moves the needle, what’s fading, and where Google, Gemini, and ChatGPT fit into your future strategy.

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In this episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Celeste Gonzalez (Rickety Roo) dive into TikTok’s “Local Explorer” — a new review and discovery program inside the app. They explore how Gen Z’s shift toward TikTok and Instagram is reshaping local search, what the Adobe and SOCi studies reveal, and why authenticity may be TikTok’s edge over Google Reviews.

You’ll learn:

• How TikTok gamifies local reviews

• Why 62 % of Gen Z prefer TikTok for finding local businesses

• How to track TikTok referrals in GA4 & GSC

• Why review authenticity and AI are changing SEO’s future

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In Episode 229, Mike and Greg unpack Yelp’s revived antitrust lawsuit against Google and what it reveals about search dominance. They dive into Google’s “grounded” Gemini AI—supposedly tied to Maps data—and Mike’s test results showing how unreliable it still is. Finally, they explore ChatGPT’s new local results format, which borrows from Google Maps, and debate whether AI interfaces can ever be trusted to tell the truth.

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AI is reshaping how businesses manage their locations, from adoption challenges to AI Overviews in Google Search, to the renewed importance of citations and directories. Mike Blumenthal, Greg Sterling, and Ana Martinez from Uberall discuss AI’s role in visibility, customer journeys, and local SEO strategy.

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Uberall’s CTO Ana Martinez joins Greg Sterling & Mike Blumenthal to reveal how the company is going “AI native with their Local Platform location management.” From internal culture shifts to new client-facing tools like UBI and Location Performance Score, learn how AI is reshaping products, teams, and customer expectations.

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In this episode of the Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal dig into Google Business Profile suspension increases over time, the broken state of reviews, and insights from Google’s Liz Reid on AI Overviews, AI Mode, and monetization. What do these changes mean for small businesses, SEOs, and consumers? Tune in for an unfiltered take.

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In this episode of the Near Memo, Mike and Greg break down:

• The rise of Google Business Profile review extortion scams 📉
• Google Maps’ new AR feature: See it. Snap it. Ask it. 🗺️
• Why ChatGPT still falls short for local search vs Google 🔎
• YouTube’s strategic role in Google’s AI & local marketing future ▶️

👉 Subscribe for more insights on Google, AI, and local marketing.

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In this episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Barry Schwartz discuss various pressing topics in the digital marketing landscape, including the rise of local review ransom schemes, the ongoing debate about the state of the open web, and the implications of AI on search interfaces. They explore how Google's recent changes and the introduction of AI features are reshaping user experiences and the future of search. The conversation also touches on the challenges businesses face with review moderation and the impact of spam on search quality.

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