Local Marketing Institute Podcast

Hosted by Local Marketing Institute

Business Marketing Technology

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Episodes

114

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Equip yourself with practical, trustworthy digital marketing tactics for local business. Learn from the best local marketers in the world how to get more customers using Google My Business, Facebook, email marketing, social media, local search, digital advertising and more. Whether you run a small business, nationwide chain / franchise, or are a marketing agency, each episode will help you grow your business. No shiny objects, minutia, or questionable tactics that can damage your business. Just practical, effective, and proven digital marketing strategies that will really move the needle on your business.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 18, 2026Episode 111 hr 1 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session August 14, 2026

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

August 4, 2026Episode 1059 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session July 31, 2026

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

June 9, 2026Episode 91 hr 1 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session June 5, 2026

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

May 12, 2026Episode 859 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session May 8, 2026

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

April 28, 2026Episode 758 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session April 24, 2026

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 photos now sorted by recency. Google introduces “Ask Maps” as a new way to find businesses. Updated information on LSA performance insights. When is it better to wait for Google Support to respond after having trouble with video verification? When traveling to another country, I got significantly less spam calls for my GBP, and when I came back, they resumed - is this a coincidence? What should I do if a former employee has claimed my GBP? What should I do if I can’t contact Google Support when requesting to nest a department listing? What should I keep in mind when doing video verification for an SAB? Did the insights feature on GBP get removed? What should I know about UTM source codes? If you change your language settings in Google Maps, can you suggest-an-edit your business name in as many languages as you want? How do I transfer the primary owner of a GBP? Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

March 31, 2026Episode 642 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session March 27, 2026

March 3, 2026Episode 555 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session February 27, 2026

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 and Local SEO Webinar on March 4. Google Knowledge panel filled with AI driven services/GBPs. How do I reinstate a GBP that was voluntarily disabled by request? Google has stopped showing the opening date for a new business location on the GBP - is this a bug? What are some tips on how to film a video for verification? How should I manage a corporate Facebook account vs. the individual store location pages? What should I do if Google keeps asking for re-verification? Can I use my GBP to advertise for a new business? Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

February 17, 2026Episode 41 hr 1 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session February 13, 2026

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 Local Searches on Google Chrome on mobile are disappearing in the Personal Injury space. Purchases from Etsy can now be made directly from AI Mode. Google deprecates short names for GBP. You can access LocalU Nashville video content by paid subscription. LocalU in Dallas in October 2026. New “Insights” feature in GBP. Google Posts bug now fixed. Can “Popular times” apply to an SAB? Is Bing still worth optimising for? How do I verify my business if my lease doesn’t allow me to put up permanent signage? What is the most I can do to fully optimize my GBP? What would cause a listing to become unverified? Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

February 3, 2026Episode 31 hr 0 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session January 30, 2026

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 AI Overviews follow up questions take you to AI Mode. Google explores ways to opt out of search AI features. New research says AIs are inconsistent when recommending brands. Factors for what makes the Most Relevant GBP reviews. Does Google still send out verification postcards? Are there services that help track visibility in AI mode? Should I merge the listing of a location that’s closing with another listing at a different location to keep the reviews? Is there a platform that’s good for tracking how entities are showing up in AI Tools? What should I use for citations? Should I have a practitioner listing for my GBP if I have regular one with my name in the business name? What are some good tools for analyzing GBPs and websites? Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

January 22, 2026Episode 21 hr 5 min

Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session January 16, 2026

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 speaks on hiring GEO/AEO/SEO and buying AI optimization tools. Google’s Danny Sullivan says not to turn content into bite sized chunks for LLMs. Google announces new branded AI business agents. Google rolls out Personal Intelligence in Gemini. Google confirms Apple Intelligence and Siri will be powered using Gemini. Why does Google keep asking for reverification after changing my business name? When are products for SABs going away? Should I change my SAB to a storefront for more visibility? Do clients ever pay based on success in leads or sales? Are EV charging station listings considered a separate department if they’re located within a business? With the ‘Vehicles for Sale’ feature now deprecated, should I use the products section instead? Are there any tools that can predict Google’s confidence score? How do you answer the phone for LSA to train it not to charge you for bad leads? Should I offer yearly contracts for SEO marketing, or month-to-month? Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com