Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• Ads in AI mode are getting better placements.
• GBP users misusing Google support.
• Should I worry about AI watermarks?
• How do I protect the keys for my API?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• Google announces release of the September 2026 spam update.
• Google turns local knowledge panel into AI overview.
• Google AI mode tests text link ads.
• Google shows more external links in AI overviews.
• AI overview links to AI Mode.
• Google tests Local Service Ads with larger image and highlight boxes
• Google Merchant Center auto enables native checkout.
• Google gives 4 days to reject a user suggested edit
• Google sends email notifications when detecting a spike in spam reviews on your GBP.
• Does posting on GBP have a positive effect on AI visibility?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• AI overview pushes users into Google AI mode.
• GBP adds photo verification option.
• Google ranking factors survey 2026.
• Google adds character counter for AI overview.
• Phone number in photo scam in Google Maps.
• GBP insight data missing.
• Does the profile strength in GBP impact performance?
• Does using a website builder with AI make it ineligible to be ranked in Google?
• Why does changing the address on an SAB when moving across states sometimes not work?
• What strategies can I use to get into AI search results?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• GBP profiles are not getting reviews back after reinstatement.
• New AI optimization audit tool.
• Studies on how AI works in SEO.
• What should I do if my address is in a small city, but I want to rank in a bigger metro?
• How long does it take to get photos taken down?
• Should I have both an SAB profile and a storefront profile for the same business?
• Is there a way to know if you’ve lost reviews?
• How can I prepare for the GBP and LSA migration if certain information doesn’t match?
• Should I be putting ads in ChatGPT?
• What is the best way to build citations from scratch?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• Google claims reddit is not a preferred source.
• Google cites low quality listicles in AI overview.
• You can now report review responses from owners.
• ChatGPT has made sources less visible.
• Google amends lawsuit against Serapapi.
• What should I do if suggesting an edit to report a violation of guidelines doesn’t work?
• When moving locations for an SAB, should I make a new profile and merge it with the old one, or should I edit the existing address?
• Can I make a GBP listing for water vending machines?
• What are some best practices for UTM tracking?
• Should I aim to rank in the larger metro area rather than focusing on my local city?
• What is the recommended name format in GBP for a real estate agent that currently doesn’t have a DBA?
• How do I access the “book online” button in GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• Interview with Google Product Experts Lisa Landsman and Mike Gnagy.
• Google aims to scale education via GBP optimization playbooks.
• Integrate Gemini with your GBP using Business Notebook.
• LSA migration into GBP is now complete.
• Google suspension flow improvements.
• What should I do if my ownership on a duplicate listing was overwritten by Yext?
• Should I report a business address that is mail only?
• Is it beneficial to create a domain for business reviews to help with ChatGPT output?
• Will ChatGPT ever change where it sources reviews from instead of Yelp?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• Google has made it easier to report businesses for pressuring or incentivizing customer reviews.
• Google clarifies requirements for labeling your GBP as open 24/7 when using AI agents.
• Google rolls out preferred source labels in AI mode.
• Google adds AI performance reports in Search Console.
• GBP now has view counts for photos and videos.
• What should I do if I’ve tried all the steps to move SAB locations on my GBP but it still won’t let me?
• If having two SAB locations close together risks a suspension of my GBP, how far away do they need to be to avoid triggering suspension?
• Should I try to reclaim profiles for a car dealership that were attempted to be deleted but are still showing up in search results?
• Does manipulating urls on Google Maps help with local ranking?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

• Google incorporates “expert answer snippets” into their AI overview.
• Ask.com shuts down.
• Concerns about GBP suspensions from user account restrictions on the rise.
• Data from ChatGPT Ads is now available.
• Why are my GBP posts for weekly events getting rejected by Google?
• What should I do if a customer threatens to leave negative reviews if they can’t get a discount?
• How should I structure UTM tracking in GBP?
• Will adding a UTM to GBP hurt local citation?
• Do the new guidelines on reviews with names mean that negative reviews with staff names are easier to remove?
• If I select “custom display name and picture” to leave a review, does that affect all previous and future reviews?
• If my GBP has been suspended because of an account restriction, is it possible to move forward with the appeal process without removing the account?
• Did GBP Insights get removed, or is it hidden?
• Why am I ranking worse after moving locations?
• What is the going rate for offering SEO services?
• What is the KPI for success in the SEO field?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com