Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Most discussed topics
Brands & references
Est. Listeners
Based on iTunes & Spotify (publisher stats).
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
25,001 - 50,000 - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
25,001 - 75,000 - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
15,001 - 40,000
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
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Total Plays
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Total Reviews
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
From 12 epsHosts
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Google Ask Maps Deep Dive: The Future of Local SEO & AI Search
May 1, 2026
40m 30s
Review Fraud, FTC Fines, and Yelp’s Legal Strike
Apr 23, 2026
33m 47s
Google Reviews Crackdown, Meta vs Google, and the AI Search Shift (What Marketers Are Missing)
Apr 16, 2026
38m 30s
Google Lied About Click Data — Here’s What Actually Drives Rankings in 2026
Apr 8, 2026
28m 32s
AI, Reviews & Intent Pages: What Actually Drives Multi-Location SEO Now (Part 2)
Apr 2, 2026
28m 17s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1/26 | Google Ask Maps Deep Dive: The Future of Local SEO & AI Search✨ | local SEOAI search+3 | Claudia TominaAdam Dorfman+1 | Google | — | local searchAI-powered+3 | — | 40m 30s | |
| 4/23/26 | Review Fraud, FTC Fines, and Yelp’s Legal Strike✨ | local searchreview fraud+4 | — | FTCYelp+1 | — | local searchreview fraud+5 | — | 33m 47s | |
| 4/16/26 | Google Reviews Crackdown, Meta vs Google, and the AI Search Shift (What Marketers Are Missing)✨ | Google reviewsad revenue+3 | — | ChatGPTAsk Maps+2 | — | Google reviewsMeta+5 | — | 38m 30s | |
| 4/8/26 | Google Lied About Click Data — Here’s What Actually Drives Rankings in 2026✨ | Google click dataAI Overviews+4 | Cyrus Shepherd | GoogleAI Overviews | — | click datasearch rankings+4 | — | 28m 32s | |
| 4/2/26 | AI, Reviews & Intent Pages: What Actually Drives Multi-Location SEO Now (Part 2)✨ | multi-location SEOAI in marketing+4 | Steve Wiideman | — | — | multi-location SEOAI tools+4 | — | 28m 17s | |
| 3/26/26 | Multi-Location SEO: What Actually Works (And What Doesn’t) Part 1✨ | multi-location SEOsearch behavior+3 | Steve Wiideman | Near Memo | — | multi-location SEOSEO strategies+3 | — | 25m 59s | |
| 3/18/26 | State of Google Business Profile 2026: Impressions Are Down 54%—But Actions Aren’t✨ | Google Business Profilelocal search+4 | Adam Dorfman | GoogleBirdEye | — | Google Business Profilelocal search+5 | — | 39m 06s | |
| 3/13/26 | From the Archives: Local Search Ranking Factors — Darren Shaw on Reviews, AI Search & What Drives Local Rank✨ | local searchranking factors+3 | Darren Shaw | ChatGPTGemini+1 | — | local search rankingreviews+3 | — | 44m 29s | |
| 3/6/26 | How should agencies build a business around Google Local Service Ads (LSAs)?✨ | Google Local Service Adsagency management+3 | Eric LevineClaudia Tomina+2 | Leadwise HQReputation Arm+3 | — | Local Service AdsLSAs+4 | — | 58m 53s | |
| 2/25/26 | AI, Strong-Arm Tactics & a Shifting Review Landscape Are Reshaping Local Search✨ | AI in local searchGoogle Business Profile+4 | — | GoogleChatGPT+3 | — | local searchAI-generated summaries+5 | — | 36m 48s | |
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| 2/18/26 | AI Visibility vs Google Ranking: Rand Fishkin & the Future of Search, Zero Click & Brand Measurement✨ | AI searchbrand visibility+4 | Rand Fishkin | ChatGPTClaude+1 | — | AI rank trackingzero-click journeys+4 | — | 40m 24s | |
| 2/12/26 |  The Truth About Google Local Service Ads: Rankings, Reviews & Photo Strategy | Send us Fan Mail Google Local Service Ads have become one of the most powerful placements in local search — especially in competitive verticals like personal injury law. But what actually drives ranking and performance? In this episode, we examine the real mechanics behind LSAs: review cadence, responsiveness, bidding structure, and the psychology of visual presentation. We explore how headshots and photo sequencing influence trust, why logos don’t convert, and how review manipulation creates... | 28m 55s | ||||||
| 2/6/26 | Inside Google Local Services Ads: Ranking Signals, Lead Costs, and Why LSAs Beat the Local Pack (w/ Eric Levine) | Send us Fan Mail Local Services Ads have become the “top-of-the-page” battleground for high-value local categories—especially professional services. In this episode, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal talk with former LSA team member Eric Levine about how LSAs evolved, what really influences rank, and how Google’s lead marketplace mechanics shape outcomes. We break down “request multiple options,” lead billing, the big ranking signals (reviews, responsiveness, radius/service... | 29m 40s | ||||||
| 1/30/26 | AI Isn’t Replacing Local Search — But It’s Rewiring How People Choose with Crystal Carter | Send us Fan Mail AI isn’t killing search — it’s reshaping how people discover, evaluate, and choose businesses. In this in terview with Crystal Carter of Wix, we unpack how large language models, AI assistants, and emerging “agent” experiences are changing consumer behavior, local search, and brand visibility. From ChatGPT and Google’s AI-driven results to personalization, intent modeling, and task completion, we explore what actually changes — and what doesn’t. We also dig into: • Why AI a... | 42m 08s | ||||||
| 1/20/26 | Inside Google Local Rankings and the Review Purge | Send us Fan Mail Claudia Tomina joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to unpack what the Google API leak reveals about local rankings, why reviews are being removed at scale, and how AI Overviews, Gemini, and agentic shopping are pushing transactions into Google’s AI interfaces. A must-listen for anyone managing a Google Business Profile in 2026. Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/ | 42m 53s | ||||||
| 1/14/26 | AI Is Breaking Local Search—But Google Still Decides Who Gets Chosen - Interview with Gyi Tsakalakis Part 2 | Send us Fan Mail AI tools are changing how consumers discover local businesses, but Google remains the system of record for trust, reviews, directions, and contact. This conversation explores how AI reduces cognitive load, concentrates visibility, and amplifies brand demand—forcing local marketers to rethink SEO beyond rankings. Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/ | 29m 18s | ||||||
| 1/8/26 | Why Local SEO Is Breaking for Law Firms (And What Actually Works Now) | Send us Fan Mail Local SEO, reviews, and Google LSAs are no longer working the way law firms expect. In this episode of Near Memo, Gyi Tsakalakis (AttorneySync) joins Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling to explain why rankings and traffic are misleading, how LSAs reshape legal demand, why review cheating is rampant, and how brand trust has become the real competitive moat. If you’re relying on Google visibility alone to grow a law firm, this conversation is a wake-up call. Subscribe to our ne... | 28m 34s | ||||||
| 12/23/25 | Google’s AI Mode Is Rewriting Local Search — What Businesses Must Do for 2026 P#2 | Send us Fan Mail Google’s AI Mode and ChatGPT search are reshaping local discovery. This deep dive interview with Michel van Luijtelaar of GMBapi explains what’s changing, how users behave inside AI results, and what local businesses must do now to stay visible and trusted. Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/ | 33m 50s | ||||||
| 12/19/25 | Google’s Review Algorithms Are Tightening — Here’s What the Data Shows | Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Near Memo, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal talk with Michel of GMB API about what new data reveals regarding review removals, fraud detection, incentivized reviews, and regional legal differences across Europe and the U.S. The conversation explores why reviews are increasingly central to AI-driven search experiences, how enforcement tools can unintentionally harm small businesses, and what this all means for trust, visibility, and competition in local... | 28m 07s | ||||||
| 12/11/25 | AI Agents Are Coming: Jes Scholz Reveals How to Prepare Your Business NOW | Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jes Scholz joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal for a deep dive into the forces reshaping search: AI agents, the rise of conversational interfaces, the 60/40 brand-activation model, content freshness, multimodal distribution, and why your database — not your website — may determine your competitive future. Jes explains what marketers must do now: update your content strategy, test your site with agents, fix your UX friction, and prepare your database for n... | 30m 12s | ||||||
| 12/4/25 | AI Mode, Gemini 3 & the Future of Search: Jes Scholz on What SEOs Must Do Now | Send us Fan Mail In this packed episode, Jes Scholz joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal to explore where AI search is really headed. From conversational interfaces replacing the search box to the competitive implications of Gemini 3, Jes explains why Google’s index is shrinking, why publishers must evolve, and why consensus around brand salience — not keywords — decides visibility. We also cover local search dynamics, review-based consensus modeling, multi-touch attribution myths, and how... | 33m 11s | ||||||
| 11/21/25 | Google Maps Gets AI, Reviews Get Aliases, Ads Invade AI Mode — And Google Uses Its Monopoly to Win the AI War | Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Near Memo, Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling unpack Google’s dramatic shift toward an AI-first search ecosystem — including the rollout of Know Before you Go in Maps, ads in the new AI Mode in Search & Maps, and the introduction oof Gemini 3 what that means for personalization and marketers. We explore: • Google Maps’ new AI-powered interfaces — including Know Before You Go and the prominent “Ask” module that pulls data from reviews, websites, and t... | 37m 36s | ||||||
| 11/12/25 | What #1-Ranking Personal Injury Lawyers Are Doing Right — Greg Gifford’s GBP Local Ranking Study | Send us Fan Mail Greg Gifford joins the Near Memo to break down his large-scale Local SEO study of 3,000 personal injury law firm's Google Business Profiles. He reveals what #1 ranked PI las firms are doing that #10 ranked practioners are not. From review response rates and schema misfires to UTM tracking errors, the trio unpacks what’s real in local SEO and what’s hype. The episode closes with a lively debate about the AI-driven future of the SERP. Subscribe to our newsletters and othe... | 1h 01m 30s | ||||||
| 11/7/25 | AI Search, Reviews, and the Future of Local SEO — Darren Shaw Breaks Down the 2026 Ranking Factors | Send us Fan Mail Local SEO just got a major shake-up. In this episode, Darren Shaw of Whitespark joins Mike Blumenthal, David Mihm, and Greg Sterling to reveal key takeaways from the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors study — including how AI search, behavioral signals, and reviews are changing the local game. Hear what really moves the needle, what’s fading, and where Google, Gemini, and ChatGPT fit into your future strategy. Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearm... | 44m 10s | ||||||
| 10/30/25 | TikTok’s Local Play: How Gen Z Is Rewriting Local Search | Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and Celeste Gonzalez (Rickety Roo) dive into TikTok’s “Local Explorer” — a new review and discovery program inside the app. They explore how Gen Z’s shift toward TikTok and Instagram is reshaping local search, what the Adobe and SOCi studies reveal, and why authenticity may be TikTok’s edge over Google Reviews. You’ll learn: • How TikTok gamifies local reviews • Why 62 % of Gen Z prefer TikTok for finding local businesses • How... | 46m 45s | ||||||
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Chart Positions
4 placements across 4 markets.
Chart Positions
4 placements across 4 markets.