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The Near Media team + several Google Product Experts and Brad Wetherall discuss various aspects of Google Business Profiles, including internal mobility at Google, the challenges of maintaining institutional knowledge, and the complexities of review management. They delve into the recent discrepancies in review counts, the importance of communication from Google, and the impact of trust scores on local guides. The discussion also covers creative strategies for enhancing review authenticity, the challenges of video verification, and the implications of operating hours on business rankings. Additionally, they explore the quality of support across different regions and the potential for paid support options, as well as the influence of AI on local listings.

00:00 Introduction to Brad Wetherall and His Background

04:04 Google Personnel Policies Leading to a Loss of Google Local Institutional Knowledge

17:57 Communication Challenges During Review Issues

23:41 Trust Scores and Local Guides' Impact on Reviews

28:46 Identifying and Reporting Spam Listings

32:58 Engagement and Business Verification Challenges

36:44 Improving Video Verification Processes

41:17 Handling Duplicate Listings

44:07 Managing Business Hours Effectively

47:30 Differences in Support Quality between Countries

48:59 Exploring Paid GBP Support Options

53:27 Understanding Google’s Data Sources

56:34 The Impact of AI on Local Listings

57:19 Trust Score and User Management

takeaways

• Google encourages internal mobility to retain talent which might cause a loss of Local institutional knowledge.
• Documentation is extensive but not always utilized effectively.
• Algorithm adjustments can lead to review discrepancies.
• Proactive communication from Google is often lacking.
• Trust scores influence the acceptance of edits.
• Creative strategies can enhance review authenticity.
• Multiple signals are considered when identifying spam listings.
• Engagement signals impact visibility in search results.
• Maintaining a corporate email domain is beneficial for trust.
• AI-generated content is monitored and regulated by Google.

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