Is Google Playing the Long Game with SMB Websites?
“When you look at this Website growth + the Local Knowledge Panel with Posts + AMP + Progressive Web Apps, we are starting to see the outlines of an “open web” that Google totally controls. Or at least they control the profitable parts,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm in their latest biweekly column.
Data is Technology’s Currency: Increase Its Value by Maintaining Accuracy
By defining their organizations’ definition of “accuracy,” allocating marketing resources to external solution providers that can provide unique data sets pulled from mobile phones, and ensuring all data is as up to date as possible via location-based approaches, marketers will begin to see an improvement in the quality and transparency of the data they purchase.
How Giant GateHouse Media Performed in Harsh Duke Study of Local News Sites
I went to Bill Church, senior vice president of news at GateHouse Media—the biggest publisher of newspapers in the U.S.—with questions about the quality of GateHouse sites that were put under the microscope in a 100-community study from Duke University that painted a critical picture of news deserts across the country.
How Brands Can Create Personalized Experiences for Each Local Market
Digital properties must not only gather information about people but also use it to help consumers meet their goals in a contextual and timely manner. With changes such as the GDPR going into effect, the onus is on brands to deliver a connected experience that will leave customers feeling as though brands’ use of their data is justified.
The Quantitative Evidence That Reputation Management Works
At times, the research findings published in our industry seem a little suspect. But in one vertical in particular, there’s a body of academic research that speaks to exactly the kinds of questions we want answered about reputation management—namely, does online review monitoring and response really make a difference to a business’s bottom line?
Yelp, Google Reviews, and Antitrust
Forcing Google to split Maps-related business into a standalone “geo” unit would foster a more diverse technology ecosystem. But as far as Google’s review practices are concerned, regulators should not be convinced by an irrational argument that indexation of Google reviews has any bearing on the harm created for, or benefit gained by, consumers.
How Reddit and Local Media Consortium Upvoted Each Other and Became Partners
But Reddit and the LMC each has something that the other wants. Reddit would like to tap into the LMC’s huge pool of 470 million unique visitors and turn many of them into subscribers. LMC publishers wants to learn from Reddit how to make their readers more engaged. Now, old media and new media are teaming up.
3 Tips for Managing Local Services Ads
Google expanded Local Services ads to the San Diego area in November 2016 and has been rapidly expanding this platform across different verticals and markets in the USA over the last two years. If you’re considering running Local Services ads, here are three things to know before getting started.
How to Build a Quality SMS Subscriber List, Bridging the Gap Between Text and CRM
Imagine a marketing tool that is available to you that nine out of 10 targeted people will read within three seconds. For retailers and marketers to take full advantage of SMS marketing, plans must start with building quality contacts. This is the starting point to build an effective bridge between text and CRM.
Marketers Need to Know the Truth About GPS
The imperfections of location-tracking tech do not mean that all location data derived from GPS satellites is inaccurate or useless as a marketing tool. It just means that marketers need to better set their expectations, know the data they are buying, and factor the limitations into their partnership agreements and marketing plans.
Who Will Own Your Augmented Reality?
Questions about AR ownership will be particularly contentious wherever money is changing hands, such as in AR advertising. Courts will face questions such as ownership of digital ad inventory when there are AR overlays on private property (or on other ads). There could be similar gray area in retail & commerce.

















Three Takeaways From DMEXCO 2018: Top Concerns in Digital Marketing
From brands to vendors to publishers, DMEXCO is a good bellwether to consider when trying to understand where things are headed. Brands taking control, data quality, and publishers getting smarter about data are key topics I kept hearing about—and for good reason.