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!

#localseo #localseoexpert #localsearch #localseotips #localmarketing

In this episode of Local Marketing Secrets, Dan Leibrandt interviews Darren Shaw, founder of Whitespark and the current steward of the annual Local Search Ranking Factors Survey. Darren is one of the most respected names in local SEO, with his survey becoming the industry standard for understanding what drives local business rankings.

Dan and Darren break down the brand new 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey released in November, covering major shifts that local businesses and SEOs need to know. They discuss the surprising emergence of business hours as the #5 ranking factor for local pack results, revealing how being open at the time of search directly impacts rankings. Google now prefers ranking businesses that are currently open, with practical strategies including extending hours or implementing 24/7 call answering services for service area businesses.

The conversation explores the resurgence of citations in the AI search era, where mentions across authoritative sites like BBB, Yelp, and industry-specific directories have regained importance for visibility in ChatGPT and Gemini results. Darren explains how review strategy has shifted from a numbers game to a recency and frequency game, with businesses receiving consistent weekly reviews often outranking competitors with thousands of stale reviews.

Dan and Darren cover critical updates around service area businesses and address visibility, plus the newly added AI search ranking factors including content freshness, review diversification, and getting featured on expert-curated "best of" lists. They discuss the massive jump in importance for Google Business Profile services, which went from being considered a "local SEO myth" in 2023 to a confirmed ranking factor in 2026.

The episode emphasizes behavioral signals and user engagement as critical ranking factors, with Google tracking profile dwell time, photo views, video watches, and whether users return to search results. Darren provides forward-looking insights on AI-driven search while reassuring listeners that local search remains more insulated from AI disruption than other SEO verticals, with Google Business Profiles remaining the foundation for local visibility.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

See the full survey: https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors/

Whitespark Local Ranking Grid software: https://whitespark.ca

The Whitespark Local Update Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@WhitesparkCa/podcasts

Darren Shaw, Founder of WhiteSpark:

LinkedIn: Darren Shaw: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenshawwhitespark/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darrenshawseo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenshawseo/

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

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to Local Search Ranking Factors

04:09 Understanding the Local Search Ranking Factors Survey

07:19 The Impact of AI Search on Local SEO

10:15 The Resurgence of Citations in Local SEO

13:16 The Importance of Business Hours for Rankings

16:11 Review Recency and Frequency as Ranking Signals

19:03 Address Visibility for Service Area Businesses

22:03 User Engagement and Behavioral Signals in SEO

27:30 The Power of Reviews and Visual Content

32:26 The Impact of Keywords in Google Business Profile

36:12 Understanding Suspension Factors in Local SEO

40:10 The Future of Local Search and AI Integration

#localseo #localsearch #localseotips #localseoexpert #localmarketing

In this episode of Local Marketing Secrets, Dan Leibrandt interviews Marie Haynes, founder of Marie Haynes Consulting and one of the top names in SEO and AI search. Marie has spent more than a decade studying Google's algorithms, site quality, EEAT, and recovery from major traffic drops.

Dan and Marie explore how AI is reshaping Google and what businesses need to do to win in 2026 and beyond. Marie shares her unique origin story as a veterinarian who became fascinated with Google's ranking systems and eventually became a leading SEO consultant after mastering penalty removal during the 2012 Penguin update.

The conversation reveals how Google began implementing AI in 2017 and has progressively shifted from traditional ranking factors like links toward user engagement signals and behavioral data. Marie explains that Google has been collecting user signal data through NavBoost for over a decade, tracking clicks, dwell time, and user satisfaction to train their AI systems.

Marie breaks down EEAT and clarifies it's not about gaming the system with author bios but building genuine recognition in your industry through original research, community PR, podcasts, and publishing books. She covers Google's Quality Rater Guidelines and how AI now makes most ranking decisions, with quality raters and user signals serving as feedback loops. Marie warns against publishing generic content and emphasizes user engagement metrics over traditional keyword rankings.

The discussion shifts to AI agents and their coming dominance in search and business operations. Marie describes building complex agent workflows using tools like Google's Anti Gravity and predicts that within a year or two, AI agents will become the primary way businesses operate. She provides a glimpse into the future with AI glasses, brain computer interfaces, and agent driven commerce where users may never visit actual websites, encouraging everyone to start learning AI tools now and find joy in the technological transformation.

Marie Haynes, Founder of Marie Haynes Consulting:

Twitter: https://x.com/Marie_Haynes

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-haynes

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

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 Marie Haynes

04:16 The Evolution of SEO and AI

07:01 Understanding Google's Algorithm Updates

10:17 The Importance of User Signals in SEO

13:03 Navigating the Quality Rater Guidelines

16:09 Exploring EEAT and Its Significance

19:06 Building Authority and Trustworthiness

21:55 Local Business Strategies for EEAT

24:57 The Future of SEO in an AI-Driven World

42:13 Creating Unique Content for SEO Success

46:14 The Impact of AI on SEO and User Intent

53:54 The Future of AI Agents in Business

01:01:45 Navigating the Evolution of Search Engines

01:16:05 Embracing Change and Finding Joy in Technology

01:19:42 Like and Subscribe!

#SEO #AISearch #GoogleSearch #EEAT #AIAgents