The Near Memo
The Near Memo
Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm
Google Maps' AI Shift: Why Brand Building, Reviews & Social Presence Are the New Local SEO
46 minutes Posted Jun 18, 2026 at 7:00 pm.
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Send us Fan Mail Are your local search frameworks ready for a probabilistic, AI-driven Map interface? This week, Greg, Mike, and local search practitioner Craig Burton map out the massive influx of automated algorithmic categorization structures rolling across Google Maps globally. From "Trending This Week" hooks to deep "Curated with Gemini" vertical subcategories, Google is testing dynamic, phone-facing carousels that ignore standard business profile naming and keyword densities. The team d...