CallRail adds call analytics integration with Google My Business
Call tracking makes more data available to marketers than GMB insights....
Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.
Google buys Pointy to bring SMB store inventory online
The company offers an elegant solution to the challenge of getting local merchant inventory into search results and ads....
Google’s ‘My Business Provider’ program replaces ‘Trusted Verifier’ for GMB outreach
But agencies, SEOs, and resellers are not eligible to become MBPs....
Yelp cracks down on ‘review rings’ as Google continues to see widespread mapspam
Will the problem of fake listings and reviews destroy trust in major platforms?...
The big list of Google My Business changes, upgrades and tests in 2019
The key GMB updates of 2019 with local experts’ perspective on what's most significant....
Nine voice search stats to close out 2019
A look back at some of the year's key voice search and virtual assistant metrics. ...
French regulator fines Google $166 million for ‘brutal’ ad suspensions
Google says it was protecting the French public from deceptive websites....
Google highlights fact-checking while Bing SERP found to be disinformation hotbed
There's still a long way to go to fix the fake-news problem, but even further for Bing according to a new Stanford report....
Don’t know much about SEO: Survey finds business owners lack basic knowledge
A survey of almost 400 businesses uncovered uncertainty and confusion about the importance of SEO....
Google now showing ‘request quotes’ button above local pack on mobile
Large button appears above 3-pack, connected to GMB messaging....
Google brings ‘Interpreter Mode’ language translation to the Assistant on smartphones
The capability was introduced previously on Google Home and smart displays....
Conductor becomes an employee-owned firm after almost two years under WeWork
WeWork bought the SEO firm in 2018 for more than $120 million....
Consumers more invested in reviews, but also more skeptical of authenticity — survey
Users now consult multiple sites and expect reviews to be relatively fresh....
Google adding more news content to ‘top stories’ in search results
Users will now see multiple carousels of news stories....
LocalU acquired by Sterling Sky founder and SEL contributor Joy Hawkins
Hawkins says the Local Search Forum & the LocalU forum will merge....
TripAdvisor buys SinglePlatform to enhance services for restaurants
The acquisition is part of a strategic shift to deepen restaurant relationships and diversify revenues to better compete with Google....
Google co-founders step down, Sundar Pichai to lead both Google and Alphabet
Page and Brin will remain as board members....
Genius sues Google and LyricFind for more than $50 million in damages
The company alleges breach of contract, unfair competition and lost ad revenue....
More EU antitrust heat for Google (and Facebook) over data collection
In a separate matter, 41 shopping comparison sites want the European Commission to further penalize Google in shopping search....
Google Maps the dominant local search tool, followed by Facebook and Yelp
The average user is on a smartphone at home – and is most likely to visit a business the next day after a local search....