Join Local U for the latest public episode of Last Week in Local, a weekly conversation about the articles that attracted our attention during the past week ending April 17th, 2017.
This year we will be publishing our Last Week in Local video directly to the Local U blog. It will be published every Monday and will include discussions about the events in the last week — strategic and tactical — that affect Local SEO & marketing.
If you have a special topic you would like us to discuss for our other weekly feature, the Deep Dive in Local, or if you would like to be on one or the other of our segments, reach out and send us the topic and your availability. If you are interested in sponsoring this weekly show also please let us know.
Let us know what you think. Welcome to Last Week in Local!
Our weekly discussions are also now available as a podcast as well.
The most significant trend affecting brick-and-mortar stores is the relentless march of Amazon and other online retail companies.
Increased sales of clothing on line led to anchor stores going out and Malls being abandoned
US has 10x the retail space per capita as Germany
But the recent meltdown for retail brands is equally about the legacy of the Great Recession, which punished logo-driven brands, put a premium on experiences (particularly those that translate into social media moments), and unleashed a surprising golden age for restaurants.
Is American Retail at a Historic Tipping Point?
This transformation is hollowing out suburban shopping malls, bankrupting longtime brands and leading to staggering job losses.
More workers in general merchandise stores have been laid off since October, about 89,000 Americans. That is more than all of the people employed in the United States coal industry, which President Trump championed during the campaign as a prime example of the workers who have been left behind in the economic recovery.
Burger King’s new ad forces Google Home to advertise the Whopper – The Verge
New category of advertising: *AD HACKING*
Why pay for a long ad when a short can trigger Google Home to read the (recently modified) Wikipedia entry?
What Happens When Google Can Manipulate the Very News It Seeks to Protect?
What Happens When Google Can Manipulate the Very News It Seeks to Protect?
Google Accused Of Misleading Public About Cleaning Up Fake Content
Laurie Sullivan does a good job summing up the issues confronting Google’s spam efforts (or lack thereof)
Many Small Businesses Lack SEO Knowledge
At Small Business Trends, Shubhomita Bose gives us a good infographic and talks about why SMBs struggle so much with SEO
How to find the balance between bots and customer service agents
Saleforce’s Meredith Flynn-Ripley – good piece on finding a balance between bots and humans for your customer service. Bots should not be replacing humans, but augmenting them.
BrightLocal is now tracking ads in the 3-pack. This makes me so happy!
Useful tactical information from Bright Local that is not tracking the new 3 pack ads in their ranking reports
Great Discussion at Local Search Forum on what Local SE consultants charge
Sneak Peek – The Expert’s Guide to Local SEO – Local University
How to See ALL the Categories Your Competitors are Using on Google Maps
Video Deep Dive: How Google determines authority of local entities – Local University
Our thinking about the Google algo needs to change. They are not just measuring the stregnth of your website but of any page that they can associate with your business on the internet.
How to Get Found Using Local SEO Tactics with Mike Blumenthal
John Jantsch interviewed Mike about the ever changing Local Algo and how small businesses should think about it.
Top Local Citations by Business Category
Top 50 Local Citation Sites For USA, UK, Canada & Australia
If the new barnacle seo is about getting authority at authoritative local sites, then this is a great place to start.
