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© 2026 Darren Shaw & Claire Carlile
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The Whitespark Local Update is the go-to podcast for Local SEOs and Marketers who want to stay ahead of the curve in local search and the local visibility space.
Join industry experts Claire Carlile and Darren Shaw for a lively, insightful roundup of their carefully curated selection of top “must-read” and “must-watch” links, including news, trends, and can't-miss resources.
Join industry experts Claire Carlile and Darren Shaw for a lively, insightful roundup of their carefully curated selection of top “must-read” and “must-watch” links, including news, trends, and can't-miss resources.
22 Episodes
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Claire Carlile and Darren Shaw are back again with another episode of the Whitespark Local Update Podcast. This time, they cover:📝 Google’s Minimum Viable Content Refresh (Steve Toth)📝 Google is Nudging Reviewers to Edit Their Past Reviews (Claudia Tomina)📝 Reviews + The Real World: Learnings From Famed Restaurant Reviewer, Marilyn Hagerty (Miriam Ellis)📝 Updated Privacy Guidelines for Suspension & Reinstatement Requests (Vinay Toshniwal)📝 What Extraction Method Is Google Using to Build Grounding Snippets? (Dan Petrovic)📝 Careful With Google Business Profile Verification Flow (Claudia Tomina)📝 Whitespark’s New Google Business Profile Reinstatement Service
The local search world never slows down, and Claire Carlile and Darren Shaw are back to break down the biggest developments from the past week:📝 How To Mine Google Search Console For Conversation Data (Regex Included) (Chris Long)📝 Have AI Get Prices – Google Business Profiles – AI Talking to AI (Ben Fisher)📝 Updated Google Business Profile Policies (Hiroko Imai)📝 How to Create AI Personas: 5 Prompts for Smart Marketing Alignment (Andy Crestodina)📝 Stop Chasing the Local 3-Pack, Start Building an Entity That Ranks Beyond it (Claudia Tomina)📝 Google Business Profile Violations Google ACTUALLY Punishes (SterlingSkyInc)
Claire Carlile and Darren Shaw are back to recap the most important local SEO developments from the past two weeks. In this episode, they cover:📝 Google Reviews Bug on Chrome (Vinay Toshniwal)📝 New “Insights” section in GBP (Dipa Gandhi)📝 AI Isn’t Replacing Local Search (Crystal Carter on the NearMemo podcast)📝 How to improve LSA visibility (Eric Levine on the NearMemo podcast)📝 What if User Satisfaction is the most important factor in SEO? (Marie Haynes)📝 Moving from a Google-shaped Web to an Agent-shaped Web (Mike King)📝 Does Schema Help with AI Visibility? (Mark Williams-Cook)😍 Whitespark Local Ranking Grids
Claire Carlile and Darren Shaw are back with a fresh roundup of the most important local SEO updates from last week. In this episode, they cover:📝 Ranking in Google's AI Results in 2026 with Mike King (SterlingSky)📝 The local SEO gatekeeper: How Google defines your entity (Claudia Tomina)📝 Franchise Website Migration & Improved Local SEO For BTDT (Kick Point)📝 We've Analysed 236 SEO, Content, Social, and Digital PR case studies (Rise at Seven)📝 Whitespark’s Ultimate Guide to Local Business Reputation Management (Miriam Ellis)📝 The Future of Brand Visibility: Optimizing for AI Citations with Dan Petrovic & Jes Scholz (Patrick Hathaway, Sitebulb)📝 How To Contact GBP Support (Stefan Somborac)
It was a busy week in local SEO, so Claire and Darren are breaking down the updates you actually need to know. In this episode, they talk about:📝 Query Fan-Out in Practice: Turning One Search into an Omnimedia Content Plan (Francine Monahan)📝 Tough Reinstatement Season Reminder (Vinay Toshniwal)📝 Common Crawl is Interesting (Cyrus S.)📝 Google’s announcement on the ‘Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)’📝 What UCP Means for Ecommerce SEO: Preparing for Agentic Commerce (Aleyda Solis)📝 Meta Title Tags Length SEO Experiment (Dr James Davidson)📝 How to Clone Yourself (or make an AI advisor for anything) (Orbitmedia)
Your favorite local SEO podcast is finally back after the holidays and packed with local SEO goodness 🔥 In this episode, Claire and Darren discuss:📝 Social profiles showing up in Search Console (Steve Toth)📝 Google is pulling in “Today” justifications into the Local Pack from Instagram posts (Valentina Vasileva)📝 1-Minute-a-Day Strategy for Getting More Yelp Reviews (Phil Rozek)📝 Top digital marketing trends and predictions for 2026 (Phil Wilson)📝 Why many firms should stop competing on reviews (NearMemo, Gyi Tsakalakis)📝 The Google Business Profile 2-Hour Rule is a Myth (SterlingSky)
We’re wrapping up the year with a special episode of the Whitespark Local Update! Darren is joined by the one and only Mike Blumenthal from Near Media. In this episode, they discuss:📝 Google Removing Q&A Feature In Google Maps For AI-Powered Ask Button (Barry Schwartz)📝 A Guide to Web Guide: Our Hybrid Search Future (Dr. Peter J. Meyers)📝 AI-generated VS Human-written SEO Content (Andrew van Rossenberg)📝 People Prefer AI-written Content (Kevin Indig)📝 The Global Wave of Deleted Google Reviews: What Our Data Reveals About AI, Law, and Trust (Michel van Luijtelaar)📝 Complaints About Review Takedowns Are Rising (Mike Blumenthal)📝 AI Mode and Agentic Local Results (Mike Blumenthal)📝 Future of the SERP Is Dynamic (Near Media)⭐Near Media Podcast
We are back with another episode of the Whitespark Local Update, where our host Claire Carlile and special guest Elizabeth Rule discuss:📝 New weekly and monthly views in Search Console (Google)📝 New AI-powered configuration in Search Console (Google)📝 Google introduces social channels in Search Console 📝 Stop asking ChatGPT how it works (Britney Muller)📝 Google review blocks are on the rise (Claudia Tomina)📝 Google revamped the verification issue options in GBP Support forms (Claudia Tomina)✍️ Sign up for the December Local U webinar: 3 Major Local SEO Threats to Prepare for in 2026
A lot happened in SEO last week, and we’re breaking down the updates you actually need to know. In this episode, we talk about:📝 How geotagging photos affects Google Business Profile rank: Study (Search Engine Land, Jake Hundley)📝 Anonymous Google Reviews Are Here: What Your Business Should Do Now (Whitespark, Allie Margeson)📝 8-Step Business Name Change Checklist (SterlingSky, Elizabeth Rule)📝 Google’s prompting guide 101📝 Actionable AI For Marketers (Britney Muller)📝 Secret AI Community: Orange Labs (Britney Muller)
Another busy week in SEO! Here’s the roundup of the biggest updates, weirdest bugs, and most interesting findings this week:📝 The proximity paradox: Beating local SEO’s distance bias (Miriam Ellis)📝 Ben Franklin Effect applied to asking for reviews (Sam Knight)📝 RIP Service Area Ranking Factor (Claudia Tomina)📝 Google Local Pack Links To Places Tab With Pagination Bug (Barry Schwartz)📝 Google Business Profiles adds scheduling and multi-location publishing to Google Posts (Barry Schwartz)⭐ Download your Google reviews with the Whitespark Local Platform
Your favourite local SEO podcast is back, and we’ve got two weeks’ worth of SEO and marketing goodness to catch up on. In this episode, we discuss:📝 Google Business Profile Support Tips Video (Lisa Landsman)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzpb1ZKwZM📝 Google announces anonymous Google reviews📝 Raise the Bar: Optimizing your Google Business Profile📝 New "Let Google Call" Button (Greg Sterling)📝 SEO Imposter Syndrome In An AI Era: You’re [Not] On Your Own Kid (Elizabeth Linder)📝 Mine your competitor’s reviews with Gemini (Anthony Kettaneh)
This week’s episode is shorter and packed with value. Darren highlights some key insights from Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors report, and Claire tells you about some fantastic SEO and digital marketing content you don’t want to miss. ⭐ Whitespark's Official 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors⭐ Whitespark's Official 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors Video Here are the rest of the sources mentioned in this episode:📝 Agentic capabilities in AI Mode (Rose Yao)📝 The Ultimate Digital Marketing Training for 2026 (Exposure Ninja)📝 Big Update to Google Posts (Claudia Tomina)
In this episode of The Whitespark Local Update, Claire Carlile chats with the brilliant Dana DiTomaso about how AI and LLMs are transforming search and what that means for local businesses. They share practical insights on staying visible, adapting to new platforms, and connecting with today’s consumers.Follow Dana DiTomaso ❤️LinkedIn | YouTubeResources mentioned in this episode:📝 How to Track and Report on Traffic from AI Tools in GA4 (Dana DiTomaso)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlL5ZV8z3H4🔥 Leadferno
Оur first-ever in-person Local Update, recorded live at BrightonSEO 🎉 We asked four speakers to share one key takeaway from their talks, and here's what happened.Here are the talks our guests shared their takeaways from:🎤 Local SEO in the Age of AI Search: Don’t Get Left Behind (Michel van Luijtelaar)🎤 How to Turn Your Locations' Presence into Performance (Sara Vordermeier)🎤 Mindset for SEO: Future Career Progression (Greg Gifford)🎤 Trust & Traffic: How Community Fuels Organic Growth (Erin Simmons)
Another week, another Local Update. But before we dive into today’s show notes, a quick announcement: next week’s episode will be recorded in person at BrightonSEO!Claire and Darren have a busy few weeks ahead. Here are the upcoming events they’ll be speaking at and answering your local search questions:⭐ Claire CarlileWomen in Tech SEO – All Things Local SEO AMA 📅 October 29th | ⏰ 11 AM EST | 💬 WTS SlackSterling Sky Reddit AMA 🔗 r/localsearch — coming soon!⭐ Darren ShawSterling Sky Reddit AMA 📅 November 3rd | 🔗 r/localsearchEmcee at LocalU Global 2026 🎤 January 28, 2026 | 🌐 All-day virtual event 💸 Tickets only $99 until the agenda drops 🔗 Get tickets here: https://localu.org/virtual-2026Alright, now let’s get into this week’s episode. Here’s what we cover 👇📝 Google Local Results Without Call Button - Web Guide Or Bug? (Search Engine Roundtable)📝 Can Your Business Be on Google? A Guide to GBP Eligibility by Business Type (Miriam Ellis)📝 How To: Build A Content Audit Assistant With ScreamingFrog and AI (Ian Lurie)📝 New: Google Business Profile Report Negative Review Extortion Scams (Search Engine Roundtable)📝 A sudden spike in organic search traffic in GA4, but Search Console shows nothing (Dana DiTomaso)📝 AI Citations, User Locations, & Query Context (Yext)
On this week’s episode of The Whitespark Local Update, Darren and Claire dive into what’s new, what’s weird, and what actually matters in local SEO.Here’s what we cover:📝 Why Local SEO is thriving in the AI-first search era (Rob Tindula on SEL)📝 Ranking in Local SEO: The One Signal Google Trusts Most (Claudia Tomina)📝 Citation consistency for LLMs (Matthew Forzan, and thanks to David Iwanow for the heads up)📝 NEW Bing Places for Business📝What Google’s num=100 Change Means for SEO Data (Noah Learner)📝 Advancing your SEO Strategy for AIOs and the AI-era of search (Seer Interactive)
This week on The Whitespark Local Update, Darren and Claire break down the latest in local search:📝 The Future of AI Search (Britney Muller)📝 Business Loses 800 Reviews for “Asking for Reviews at the Register” (Claudia Tomina)📝 Report Business Conduct Form📝 Places Insights in BigQuery is now Generally Available (Google)📝 Suspensions Are on the Rise (Barry Schwartz)📝 How Hospitality & Travel Brands Can Win in AI-Driven Search (Koozai)📝 Template for Self-Auditing Your AI Local Search Visibility (Phil Rozek)📝 Spin-off Pages: a Bazooka for Your Local SEO (Phil Rozek)
Another week, another local SEO drop from Claire and Darren. This week we’re talking:📝 AI mode and Gemini are being integrated into Chrome (Chris Long)📝 Citation Mining Tool for AI SEO (Dan Petrovic)📝 The Writing is on the Wall for Q&A (Local Search Forum)📝 AI Comes to GBP: 'Ask Maps About This Place' (NearMedia)📝 From SEO to AIO: Why Your Content Needs to Exist in AI Training Data (Stephen Burns)📝 The AI Search Lab Glossary by Wix Studio (Crystal Carter)📝 SearchPulse AI Reports (Reflectdigital)
Claire and Darren bring you a hand-picked wrap-up of the biggest local SEO stories and fresh insights from last week. On this episode, we dig into:📝 Local packs in AI Overviews (Anthony Higman)📝 No more map results in ChatGPT (Matt McGee)📝 9 Google Business Profile Verification Tips That Will Save Your Sanity (Sterling Sky)📝 ChatGPT Doesn't Stand a Chance in Local (Claudia Tomina)📝 Will AI Overviews always be at the top of the SERP? (Tom Capper)📝 Custom GPT can analyze a negative review and tell you which content policy it violates (Steve Toth)📝 The 4 types of AI Marketers - AI Minimalists to AI Builders (Wil Reynolds)
Claire and Darren bring you a hand-picked wrap-up of the biggest local SEO stories and fresh insights from last week. On this episode, we dig into:📝 The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Bing Places Listing (Miriam Ellis)📝 Blasting a business in the Updates from Customers section📝 Businessplaining your Google Business Profile Appeal Documents Won’t Work (Tim Capper)📝 7 Surprising Truths I Learned from Marketing's Sharpest Minds - LocalU Advanced Nashville 2025📝 Will The Anti-Monopoly Ruling Crack Open Google's Data? 📝Aleyda Solís Telling It Like It Is!
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