In this episode of Local Marketing Secrets, Dan Leibrandt interviews Chris Palmer, one of the most hands-on SEO practitioners in the industry who runs a top YouTube channel on local SEO with over 40,000 subscribers and manages 200+ client accounts. Chris has been in the trenches of local search for over 15 years, specializing in Google Business Profile optimization, technical SEO, and real-world testing to discover what actually moves the needle for local businesses.

Chris breaks down his complete local marketing strategy, revealing why ads should come before SEO, how to dominate Google Maps with strategic location placement, and the exact link-building approach that works in 2026. He shares controversial tactics like ranking pages with all zeros to prove SEO is just math, explains why category-specific backlinks matter more than domain authority, and demonstrates how to reverse-engineer competitor rankings using tools like Cora and SEMrush. Chris also discusses the truth about AI overviews, why chat GPT won't replace Google for local search, and how to build true authority through multi-vector optimization across text, video, audio, and social platforms.

The conversation covers everything from Google Business Profile strategies and service area business tactics to the future of local search and why consistency beats chasing shiny objects. Chris shares actionable insights on citation building, press releases, open redirect links, text fragments, and how to show up in AI overviews. Whether you're a local business owner, pest control company, home service provider, or digital marketing agency, this episode delivers the real-world local SEO tactics and strategies you need to generate more leads and dominate your local market in 2026.

Chris Palmer, Founder of chrispalmer.org:

Website: https://chrispalmerseo.org

YouTube: @chrispalmerseo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispalmermarketing/

Dan Leibrandt, Host of Local Marketing Secrets:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt

Website: https://danleibrandt.com

Local Marketing Secrets Platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LocalMarketingSecrets

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TCL0LhZbsJS6mzanqnnT1?si=224075c9fbda42f5

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/local-marketing-secrets/id1741176782

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0bb5254-5d6c-4940-8211-085157cc1239/local-marketing-secrets

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Chris Palmer

03:08 Current Trends in Local SEO

08:08 Investing in SEO: When and How

09:09 The Importance of Google Business Profile

10:21 Website Strategies for Local Lead Generation

16:23 Testing and Experimentation in SEO

18:51 The Evolving Role of Links in SEO

20:25 The Impact of Social Media on SEO

26:31 AI and Its Relation to SEO

28:41 The Evolution of SEO Strategies

30:50 Local SEO: The Importance of Data

31:54 Link Acquisition Tactics for Local Businesses

37:19 Leveraging Google Business Profiles

44:09 The Future of Search: Trends and Predictions

49:04 Consistency is Key: Building Authority Over Time

53:50 Like and Subscribe!

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