https://blumenthals.com/blog Developing Knowledge about Local Search Tue, 26 Dec 2023 15:21:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2023/12/21/want-to-read-my-current-work/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2023/12/21/want-to-read-my-current-work/#comments Thu, 21 Dec 2023 15:17:55 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22448 I have moved my efforts to Near Media, where I contribute to our newsletter and share our Local SEO/Google Local research findings, cover local news and provide analysis. While there I would hope that you would sign up for our  newsletter covering the local space. See you there!

The post Want to Read My Current Work? first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2023/12/21/want-to-read-my-current-work/feed/ 2 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/11/mike-b-around-the-universe-which-is-the-webs/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/11/mike-b-around-the-universe-which-is-the-webs/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2021 15:38:28 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22428 Articles: Analysis Image Packs and the Localization of Google Product Search In the past, image search optimization was complicated and returns were minimal for local businesses. That’s all starting to change. Analysis Confessions of a Google Local Guide Google Google incentivizes quantity over quality with user-generated content. Local businesses should take control of their profile ...

The post Mike B Around the Universe (Which is the Webs) first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/11/mike-b-around-the-universe-which-is-the-webs/feed/ 2 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/10/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-just-how-long-can-a-google-my-business-name-be/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/10/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-just-how-long-can-a-google-my-business-name-be/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2021 17:54:42 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22425 TL;DR – Really long I know this is the moment you have all been waiting for. Just how long can a name in Google My Business be? Well Jeffrey Magner of BigHorn Local SEO in Sisters, OR took the challenge to answer that burning question and he used his own listing as the guinea pig. ...

The post Google Local Spam Hall of Fame: Just How Long Can a Google My Business Name Be? first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/10/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-just-how-long-can-a-google-my-business-name-be/feed/ 1 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/10/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-we-have-some-real-winners/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/10/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-we-have-some-real-winners/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2021 13:26:16 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22407 After several days of heated competition, the judges are pleased to announce the winners of the Google Local Hall of Fame Name Abuse competition. As a reminder there were two categories to determine the longest name: Longest Name in the Wild (winner will be announced in a separate post) Google Character Limits on Name Length ...

The post Google Local Spam Hall of Fame: We Have Some (real?) Winners first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/10/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-we-have-some-real-winners/feed/ 1 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/09/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-game-going/ Wed, 09 Jun 2021 18:54:32 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22394 Yesterday I challenged the community to: 1- Find a business with a name (spammy or not) that is longer than 171 characters 2- Determine exactly how long name spam can be The Contestants so Far On Twitter, Brandon Schmidt submitted a solid contender, weighing in at 204 characters. Although as he points out “if they ...

The post Google Local Spam Hall of Fame: Game Going first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/08/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-game-on/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/08/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-game-on/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2021 20:18:09 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22379 Sometimes even I have my breath taken away by the ability of law firms to attempt to manipulate the Google Local algo but this name (spam? hey maybe this is their name, who knows?) raises the bar for everyone. Just how bad is it? Well there are lots of ways to measure but one is ...

The post Google Local Spam Hall of Fame: Game On! first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/06/08/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-game-on/feed/ 1 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/30/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-and-worse-grammar-award/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/30/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-and-worse-grammar-award/#comments Sun, 30 May 2021 16:04:14 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22374 Joe Cecconi’s Chrysler Complex New Car Dealership has just been nominated for the Google Local Spam Hall of Fame and Worse Grammar Award. The judges tell me that they have also won by unanimous vote. Their motto: Most dealers want to make your life simpler. Not us!

The post Google Local Spam Hall of Fame and Worse Grammar Award first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/30/google-local-spam-hall-of-fame-and-worse-grammar-award/feed/ 1 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/23/mike-b-around-the-web-i-look-at-yelp-and-more/ Sun, 23 May 2021 14:07:21 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22369 Every week I look forward to my work at LocalU and Near Media. Be sure to catch the article on Yelp. As a reminder, the FeedBurner email feed of my posts is going away soon. If you want to follow my writing subscribe to the Near Media Newsletter where I am joining David Mihm and ...

The post Mike B: Around the Web, I Look at Yelp and More first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/15/mike-b-out-in-the-wilds-of-the-internet/ https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/15/mike-b-out-in-the-wilds-of-the-internet/#comments Sat, 15 May 2021 14:52:00 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22367 It’s been a busy week with lots of podcasts, an article and a minor disagreement with Rand Fishkin. 🙂 Articles: How Google Came to Dominate Local Reviews – Google owns the local review economy. It wasn’t always that way. I detail how it happened by documenting the review history of a large(wish) fast, casual chain. ...

The post Mike B Out in the Wilds of the Internet first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]> https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/15/mike-b-out-in-the-wilds-of-the-internet/feed/ 1 https://blumenthals.com/blog/2021/05/04/mike-b-around-the-interwebs-7/ Tue, 04 May 2021 19:58:36 +0000 https://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=22348 As a reminder, the FeedBurner email feed of my posts is going away. I would suggest that if you want to follow my writing that you subscribe to the Near Media Newsletter where I am joining David Mihm and Greg Sterling to focus on local search, social and commerce. Some recent writings and podcasts: Articles: ...

The post Mike B Around the InterWebs first appeared on Mike Blumenthal.]]>