https://www.sterlingsky.ca/local-seo/ In Part 1 of this exclusive Episode, I sit down with former Google employees Joel Headley and Brad Wetherall to uncover what really happens behind the scenes of Google Business Profiles, and what business owners often get completely wrong.

Why reviews disappear, why edits don’t stick, and why support often feels like a dead end.

We break down how Google actually evaluates trust, filters reviews, and decides what gets published or ignored.

If you rely on Google Maps to drive calls, leads, or foot traffic, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Links:

https://www.thegbpexperts.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwetherall/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelheadley/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction : Why your Google reviews disappear and profiles get suspended

00:47 Meet the Former Googlers : Intro of Brad Weatherall and Joel Headley

01:41 The Mystery of Missing Reviews : Understanding the cyclical nature of review removals

03:46 The Balancing Act : How Google experiments with algorithms and causes collateral damage

05:51 Why Seasonality Matters : Why Google avoids major algorithm tweaks in Q4

07:22 Behind the Scenes : How Google targets spam and uses automated scripts

12:18 Review Parties and Proximity Signals : The risks of getting too many reviews at one location

15:34 Tactics for Getting Filtered Reviews to Stick : Discussion on editing reviews and profile links

17:48 The "Recaptcha" Logic in Reviews : How mouse movement impacts Google's trust

21:44 New Google Guidelines : Speculation on why Google discourages mentioning employee names

27:10 Do Reviews Ever Truly Get Deleted? : Understanding the hidden database where content is stored

31:04 One Google, Many Teams : Why advice contradicts enforcement across Policy, Product, and Support

33:36 Is Reaching Out to Support Worth It? : The reality of modern automated machine decision-making

39:13 Pro-Tips for Navigating Support Levels : Understanding Levels 1, 2, and 3 and the language trick

53:48 The "Escape Hatch" : How to trigger the manual verification process

59:49 Coming Up on Part 2 : Teaser for the next episode on negative reviews and suspensions

Ep 26102 pt1

#localseo #seo #localsearch

__________________________________________

Grow Your Business With Local SEO

At Sterling Sky, we're passionate about helping businesses like yours achieve their local SEO goals. We know that the digital landscape can be confusing and ever-changing, so we've made it our mission to provide you with the expert guidance and support your need to succeed.

We've helped countless businesses achieve their local SEO goals, and we're confident that we can help you do the same.

READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Websites:

https://www.sterlingsky.ca/

https://localu.org/

https://localsearchforum.com/

Blogs:

https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/

https://localu.org/blog/

In this episode, we sit down with SEO legend James Dooley, who has built and ranked over 1,000 domains and generated more than 2 million enquiries online. If you’re wondering how to rank a website on Google in 2026, this is the conversation you need to hear. We break down: 🔹The exact SEO strategies working right now 🔹When duplicate content becomes a real problem 🔹Whether brand matters more than backlinks 🔹Plus: how AI traffic compares to Google traffic today. If you’re a business owner, agency, or SEO trying to stay ahead of Google’s algorithm, this episode will give you clarity. James Dooley started his career in digital marketing in 2009, when he built his first website. James Dooley quickly became fascinated by SEO and began to learn everything he could about the subject. In the years since, James Dooley has built and ranked over 1,000 domains online as a UK-based Digital Landlord, generating over 2 million enquiries. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction: James Dooley's SEO Journey

01:36 - The Key to Winning in 2026: Holistic Marketing

02:07 - Finding Profit in Narrow Niches

04:11 - Social Media for Local Businesses: Ranking Your Posts

06:22 - Optimizing Facebook Posts for Search

08:27 - Explaining Semantic Triples

09:44 - Strategies for Forcing Google to Index Content

12:28 - Leveraging Facebook Groups for Visibility

16:21 - The Power of Self-Promoting Listicles

19:14 - Facebook Pages vs. Profiles for SEO

21:11 - LinkedIn vs. Other Platforms: Hashtags and Links

22:42 - Cracking the Code on Reddit Ranking

26:22 - AI Overviews: Impact on Lead Volume and Quality

30:52 - The Future of LLMs: ChatGPT vs. Claude and Gemini

36:06 - Crafting the Perfect URL Structure

39:05 - When to Create Specific Service Area Pages

41:46 - Essential Elements of a Service Area Page

45:54 - The Truth About Duplicate Content on Local Sites

52:24 - Algorithm Update Trends: Brand and Social Signals

55:36 - Why Traditional Link Building is Diminishing

58:56 - Avoiding Toxic Links and PBN Scams

1:02:44 - Proactive Reputation Management

1:04:50 - James's Recommendations for Learning SEO

1:06:22 - How Long Does It Take to Rank a New Site?

1:12:18 - How Paid Traffic Indirectly Boosts Organic Rankings

1:15:06 - The Mistake of Using Separate Domains for PPC

1:19:37 - Social Media Ad Strategies for Lead Generation

1:23:13 - Local Pack vs. Organic Leads: Quality Comparisons

1:25:01 - Speed to Lead: The Importance of Rapid Response

1:27:28 - Utilizing WhatsApp and SMS for Lead Nurturing #localseo #seo #localsearch EP 26088

__________________________________________

Grow Your Business With Local SEO

At Sterling Sky, we're passionate about helping businesses like yours achieve their local SEO goals. We know that the digital landscape can be confusing and ever-changing, so we've made it our mission to provide you with the expert guidance and support your need to succeed.

We've helped countless businesses achieve their local SEO goals, and we're confident that we can help you do the same.

READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Websites:

https://www.sterlingsky.ca/

https://localu.org/

https://localsearchforum.com/

Blogs:

https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/

https://localu.org/blog/