Mike Blumenthal

GetFiveStars: Google Write a Review Link Generator – Free Chrome Extension Sometimes big things come in very small packages. Easily being able to generate the Google Write a Review link for service area businesses has not been readily available. This Chrome extension will do that in 0 seconds flat. LocalU Deep Dive: Interview with Cindy Krum – …

There was an interesting article on CBC Canada this past week and it  encapsulates the range of problems that Google has not yet confronted in the review space- including but not limited to buying reviews, negative SEO reviews, review pile ons etc etc etc.: Kensington Market restaurant inundated with hundreds of 5-star reviews accused of buying …

Phillip Barnhart of Nehmedia just noted on Google+ that Google Posts is testing the use of video as a media type within a Post. The Knowledge Panel for  Moments from the Heart Photography Cedar Park Tx shows the video in an actual post. I am a big fan of Google Posts as a tool for the …

Google has broadly pushed the new location dashboard to almost all accounts. And in doing so seems to have finally provided a near real time notification for (the long missing) Questions and Answers. The new location dashboard, using a card approach to highlight important activities and calls to action for a given listing, was first …

In November, Google announced the limited availability of a new “UI for Google My Business to better allow users with multiple listings to view and edit their information“. Google noted the following about the new view: What’s changing User’s will no longer need to switch between card and list view within their dashboard, all users, …

In the conversation on my article about the divorce settlement between G+ and Google Local, Maurice Smit made this comment: People sometimes ask me why Google can’t do certain things. There is a misconception that the people at Google are so savvy that they can do almost anything. As local marketers we know better, don’t …

The estrangement and ugly divorce of Goggle Local from G+ is finally, finally ending with the mop up of the last remaining remnants of the marriage; those many, many G+ Local Pages that got created in the wild passion of their joining. What always seemed like an unnatural union started going south in 2015 or …

LocalU has decided to extend our Early Bird pricing until 3/16. Previously set to expire on 3/8 – the special $699 pricing is available to everyone until 3/16/2018 at midnight.  If you’re bringing a group of 3 or more, you’ll receive an extra $50 off per ticket – lowering the price to just $649 per …

Google, in going way back to the future, appears to be rolling out the ability of a business to enter a business description that appears in their Knowledge Panel. Dave DiGregorio pointed out on Twitter that there are already help files in place.  And he shared the various screens. Anyone else seeing the "From The Business" section …

Reviews, reviews and more reviews. Jason Brown of ReviewFraud participated in an interesting investigative news report on fake reviews. He wrote about it on his blog: Bulletproof Digital busted selling Fake reviews to NBCLA.  Here is NBC Southern California report: Who’s Really Behind Fake Online Reviews? Jason also covered an interesting story in the review space …