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Google continues to lose product search market share:  

A recent quarterly survey from Jungle Scout indicates that Google and to a lesser extent Amazon are both losing product search market share. Google has lost almost a 7% share on a year over year basis despite massive investments in Product search related tech. Social media, particularly TikTok seems to be the big winner with an almost 6% gain. Does this reflect a growing consumer dissatisfaction with Google (and Amazon) or does it just reflect users default way that they are spending their time?

Scammers hijack Airline phone numbers on Google:  

Last week, amidst massive flight delays, scammers hijacked the service phone numbers for a number of airlines listed in the Google search results. The Google friendly press reacted as if this was a one off occurrence and Google provided their standard: “We do not tolerate this misleading activity, and are constantly monitoring and evolving our platforms to combat fraud …

our teams have already begun reverting the inaccuracies, suspending the malicious accounts involved, and applying additional protections to prevent further abuse.”

However given that this has occurred on an almost annual basis since 2008 and continues to this day, one has to ask if Google really cares or if this is just how they do business; collect data on the cheap and externalize the cost of their ML moderation to consumers and businesses?

 Yelp scolds businesses for soliciting reviews:  

Recently a do-gooder Twitter user did some armchair activism and encouraged users worldwide to leave a review for her waitress at a local restaurant because the waitress would be “spiffed” $15 for each review.  Yelp in typical fashion, slapped an Unusual Activity Warning Alert on the business and proceeded to lecture business owners about the evil of soliciting reviews. 

The case is interesting because both reviewers AND Yelp seem to be out of touch with what makes sense in this somewhat nuanced situation.

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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Apple Maps & Local Opportunities: 
Apple Maps is ACTUALLY used for local discovery and it appears to be sending more traffic than either Yelp or Bing. According to Apple insights at least 28% of clicks came from category searches. While  Apple Maps generates ~5% of the web visits and perhaps 10% of the phone calls of GBP, that is enough to put Apple Maps in second place as a source of local leads. 
Interestingly having access to both Apple and Google Maps driving direction clicks we can estimate Apple Maps market share at about 40% of all iPhone users 

Learnings from going undercover as a quality rater for Google:
 Cyrus Shepard signed up to be a Google Quality Rater and doing so allowed him to provide additional insights into what Google thinks is important. The details of  content, user intent, and web page quality understanding clearly inform the algo and provide a basis for Google’s results particularly in “your money and your life” categories. 

Is Google’s AI based SGE a dead end or the future of search?
Initial excitement around Google’s AI response to bing chat raised hopes of a better user experience with search. The product, being slow and often not informative, has not really done that. And, at least according to this limited Twitter poll, users are using it less. Is it all just theater?

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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The enshittification of Google Analytics:  
Google analytics, with their forcing of GA4 on an audience that doesn’t need, understand or want the complexity, has created an opportunity for the market to deliver simple, easy to implement and understandable analytics. Will this fall to a third party or will it surface organically within the CMSs and operational platforms that are currently available?

Twitter, where art thou replacement?
The enshittification  of Twitter has moved along at a rapid pace and into that void we have seen numerous efforts to provide alternatives. With Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky (and a host of wannabes) vying for their attention it isn’t yet clear where anyone should focus and put their energies. 

 The FTC releases new review Guidelines & Rules for Reviews:
This week the FTC went wild and crazy and published numerous and voluminous treatises providing Guidelines and proposed Rules for endorsements and reviews. Reviews have clearly been elevated in standing and the new guidance focuses on trying to maintain their honesty and integrity. But given that the real problems lie with Google and Amazon, and these effort largely excludes them, it is not clear what the impact will be. 

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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Tiktok IS about Local but not the way you think

While the Wall Street Journal thinksTikTok holds companies hostage and a small business in Philadelphia thinks it is unfair to get so many fake reviews, there is no denying that Tiktok has scale. While it hasn't really provided any real local discovery options, any given video can get so much traction that it can be felt at the most local of levels. 

Google Perspectives: innovation for the SERPs or bandaid to prevent social media flight?

Google has rolled out a new mobile CTA at the top of many serps called Perspectives which provides a dedicated area at the top of the  search result for social media related commentary on the topic of your search. Depending on the query intent it might show first in the radio buttons or it might be last but it includes YouTube, Reddit, Quara and Twitter (amongst others) commentary on the topic. Many think that things have become less useful on Google; too many ads, too much spam, et cetera, and Google has to respond to it. The question is whether this is an adequate response.

New Google GBP feature “By Owner” & new Whitespark tool reflect reality that GBP is rented not owned

Google is now highlighting “all” owner controlled GBP content in one tab; By owner in the mobile business profile. It includes the business description and their updates (aka Posts). It is not clear why a user would ever select or be curious about that tab. 

Whitespark has released a new dashboard that tracks the changes that users and Google regularly make to all of the other data in the business profile like phone number, address, categories, URLs etc. and reports these annoying changes back to the business owner. 

When viewed together, any rational business should be able to understand that they control very, very little of their own profile on Google and what they do control is unlikely to be seen. 

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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Does the world need another mapping project and an open source one at that? Meta, Amazon web Services, Tom Tom & Microsoft think so and teamed up to create the Overture Maps Foundation, with Marc Prioleau at the helm.

The Overture Maps Foundation is a new organization within the open source Linux Foundation. It aims to improve mapping services by focusing on open map data that meets evolving market needs. By collaborating and sharing data, the foundation seeks to avoid duplication of efforts and allow businesses, governments, and organizations to concentrate on developing unique and value-added mapping applications. The foundation acknowledges the importance of proprietary data but emphasizes the benefits of open data for innovation and efficiency. While not currently seen as a major threat, the foundation's position aligns with the idea that proprietary mapping data should be distinct enough to provide value and not easily replaceable by freely available alternatives.

Introduction to Overture Maps Foundation 00:02
The Overture Maps Foundation is a new organization started within the Linux Foundation, aimed at open map data. It focuses on meeting the evolving market needs and improving map data quality. The foundation caters to individuals and organizations building map services, whether they are commercial entities, government entities, or NGOs. 

Marc Prioleau's Background in Mapping 00:19
Marc Prioleau, the executive director of the Overture Maps Foundation, has a long history in the mapping world. He has worked in the GPS and mapping space for over 20 years, starting with Trimble Navigation and later working for companies like Telcantar, DeCarta, and Mapbox. His experience lies in developing large volume mapping applications and working with companies to improve their mapping services. 

The Need for Overture Maps Foundation 02:41
The need for the Overture Maps Foundation arose due to the increasing demands of map data. As mapping applications have evolved, the requirements for map data, including attributes, refresh rates, and spatial accuracy, have continuously risen. To keep up with these demands, the foundation focuses on providing open map data to enable companies to build richer and more differentiated mapping services. 

Changing World and Data 14:08
The world is constantly changing, and data plays a crucial role in keeping up with these changes. Different industries and sectors require specific data to meet their unique needs. Companies, businesses, and governments utilize data to make informed decisions and build upon existing data layers. 
Collaboration and Open Source 14:32

Collaboration and open-source initiatives have proven to be valuable in enhancing data quality, efficiency, and resource allocation. Open data, when combined with other data sources, becomes even more powerful. Removing barriers and sharing resources can lead to collective improvement and focus on more innovative aspects. 

Utilizing Ambient Data for Map Building 23:18
AIS is exploring various sources of ambient data to enhance its map building capabilities. These sources include GPS traces, imagery, computer vision, and other signals. AI technology, such as computer vision, can extract valuable map data from imagery. Additionally, signals like movement data and other unique sources can contribute to accurate and up-to-date maps. 

Indoor location challenges 28:36
Indoor location, particularly in multi-story buildings like shopping malls and airports has been challenging. It was difficult to determine the floor level and detect when someone entered a business on a different level. The spe

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Google LSA reviews come, they go but LSA still sucks:  

Last week we saw seismic activity in the disappearance of Google Local Service Ads (LSA) reviews and there was hope, however faint, that they were fixing their fake review problem. But like with so much around Google local efforts, that was not the case. Fake reviews in LSA are emblematic of Google’s lost opportunity with these ads. They offered up the promise of Google being able to track the whole consumer journey and being able to verify reviews as authentic. 

We discuss the many reasons contributing to why Google’s LSA is has failed to live up to its promise of vetted businesses and verified reviews and to a large extent has just become another spam vector. 

Localized stories and visualizations are a path to SEO success for National Local Brands:  
Buzzsumo did a broad linking study to understand which news sources linked to which and how to best leverage that knowledge to increase the likelihood of content placement to generate backlinks. 

What stood out was the fact that localized stories and visualizations are the most likely to be syndicated in top-tier media. And this is a tactic that any national firm with a local presence can leverage to achieve branding, links AND local visibility.

Are AI driven personal assistants the future of search?
AI is dramatically changing the nature of search. Will Google’s SGE define that future or will it be something like Mustafa Suleyman’s Inflection?  Inflection is Mustafa Suleyman’s new company that he founded with Ried Hoffman after selling Deep Mind to Google and working for Google. He believes that Google’s vision is fundamentally flawed.

What will replace search, if anything and how long will it take?

 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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When should you ask for reviews?
Common wisdom in the world of reputation management is that you ask for reviews immediately following a client transaction. Research from the University of Nevada seems to indicate otherwise. But like many things in marketing, it depends. It depends on your demographic, your product or service and likely on the relationship you have with your customer. Test it, is the best advice. 

Is Google SGE a headfake?
 With the rollout of Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) Google seems to have staunched the flow of the movement to Bing. But the product is flakey, shows sometimes and not others, provides mediocre results and is generally an unsatisfactory experience. Was this just a way to keep users and Wall Street on board until Bard is integrated with apps and they can better deliver on AI in search?

 
Apple Vision Pro - Truly a vision - With the high price & the size it is easy to be skeptical of Apple’s Vision Pro. Reports from actual users paint a different picture, one of a desktop replacement that seems to provide a metaphor for the next generation of computing. 

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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Segment 1: Activist investor suggests Yelp sale

Eric Semler of TCS Capital Management  criticizes Yelp for not delivering enough value to its stockholders. He suggests that Yelp should sell itself to Angi, citing Yelp's strong services business and potential for synergy in a merger. 

While Yelp has found some success in its services business and transitioned to a SaaS model, there are concerns about its long-term viability. Will Yelp survive as a stand alone company?

Segment 2: Google Merchant Center Next - a cool product without  market?

Google's Merchant Center can be likened to an e-commerce content management system with a focus on generating AI-driven ads. It allows businesses to create products and easily gather information from their websites.

Clearly Google is investing heavily in SMB local inventory and this contrasts with the disaster that is GBP.  But while Google's Merchant Center appears to be a commendable product, the challenge lies in identifying its precise target customer. Without a clearly defined target audience, it becomes difficult to determine the success of the product.

Segment 3: Bard's Journey as an Alternative to Google Search

Bard has been positioning itself as an alternative to Google, offering users an alternative search experience. While it is still a work in progress and may not be at par with Google's capabilities, Bard shows promise for the future. As Bard continues to integrate various components of Google, such as the knowledge graph and maps, it aims to become a robust alternative search engine.

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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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Google I/O - How to make the interesting seem mundane: 
We discuss the highlights of Google I/O, focusing on search and local search. While the hardware announcements, such as the foldable phone and affordable Pixel, were interesting, the overall event lacked excitement and vitality. The emphasis on AI felt overplayed, and some announcements seemed more suitable for a Wallstreet audience. Despite this, there were notable features like the integration of the knowledge graph into Google's search tool, Bar. 
While Google I/O seemed more geared towards impressing the market than delivering groundbreaking innovations it is clear that Google has put a stake in the AI ground and Search with AI and with that their war with Bing, ChatGPT and even Tik-Tok has been declared

Google search and AI = SGE: 
 Google introduced two new features in their search results: an AI snapshot and an expanded version of Bard. The AI snapshot provides a generative AI description of potential models, along with shopping ads and follow-up queries. It aims to enhance the search experience and remember previous information. Bard, on the other hand, integrates different content types, allows third-party extensions, and may become a new SEO target. While these changes may not affect all searches, they could compress the buying journey for users and potentially lead to more transactional interactions. The impact on local search and the prominence of the local pack is still uncertain. Overall, it remains to be seen how users will react to these updates and whether they will result in more zero-click actions. The speed of the generative AI feature and its overall user experience are also points of interest.

The Rise of Bard: Expanding the Boundaries of Search: 
Bard represents a significant step forward in the realm of generative AI and has the potential to reshape the way we interact with search engines. We explore its capabilities, implications for users, and its integration with Google's existing ecosystem of applications. 

Can Bard can serve as a valuable substitute for many search queries? 

The Future of Search & Implications for Local: 
Recognizing the threat posed by Bing, Google has taken steps to match its competitor's features. Amidst these developments, search engine optimization (SEO) professionals and local SEO experts may find themselves uncertain about the future. The knowledge graph, a structured and reliable source of information, becomes even more critical in the age of AI-driven tools. 
That being said, the integration of plug-ins from 3rd party sites such as Zillow and OpenTable, raise questions about the future of third-party sites.
In an era of AI generated content Brands face special challenges. In this environment, brands that prioritize and protect the integrity of their content become essential refuges for users seeking reliable information.
Adapting to the changing SEO landscape, and safeguarding brand integrity are essential for businesses to thrive. Embracing AI technologies, prioritizing user experience, and cultivating strong customer relationships will be key strategies to navigate the uncertainties and position businesses for long-term success in this dynamic environment. 

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.
NearMemo Ep 113

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