Ep 135: Google’s newest search features, Whitespark: Reviews by category, Fake review enforcement failures

Part 1 starts 00:13 - Google’s Newest Search Features: “Whipped cream on S.H. I. .T”.?

While Google's new features aim to enhance user interaction and personalize the search experience, they may not address broader user concerns about search result quality and privacy. And in fact may, as David points out, might just be whipped cream on a not very tasty substrate. The success of these features will depend on their implementation, user acceptance, and compliance with global privacy standards.

Segment Reference Articles

Personalized Google Rankings

New ways to find just what you need on Search

Part 2 starts 12:38 - Whitespark Research:  Exploring the Landscape of Local Business Reviews across 1 Million Listings

In the world of local businesses, customer reviews play a pivotal role in shaping public perception and influencing consumer decisions. Darren Shaw and Whitespark's comprehensive analysis of a million local businesses offers valuable insights into the distribution of reviews across various categories. 

Segment Reference Articles 

Average number of reviews across 2,671  different primary categories across 1.1 million Google Business Profiles.

Part 3 starts 19:03 - There is a lot of work to be done on the fake review front

Google’s new review algo didn’t do a very good job spotting the many fake reviews on the physician’s practice recently fined by the NYS AG. The fine, $100,000, was hardly enough to pay for the time they spent analyizing the situation and certainly was not enough to deter someone that is making millions as an orthopedic surgeon.  While the FTC and state’s AG are getting more aggressive bringing high profile cases, it is unlikely that is enough to stem the tide of fake reviews. 

Segment Reference Articles

Doctors faking reviews (June 2020)