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Local SEO - The Expert’s Guide: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Sterling Sky Inc.
Local SEO - The Expert’s GuideThe podcast where local SEO meets expert insight! Join host Joy Hawkins, CEO and owner of Sterling Sky, renowned local SEO specialist and a member of the Google Product Experts Program, as she dives deep with guests into the world of local search engine optimization, digital marketing, and SEO.
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- 2 weeks ago57 min
The Scariest SEO Mistakes That Could Destroy Your Business 😱 w/ Greg Gifford
Bad SEO can be terrifying. 👻 https://www.sterlingsky.ca/contact/?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=Sterling+SKy&utm_campaign=26140 Just when you think your rankings are safe… traffic disappears. Your Google Business Profile gets suspended. A website migration goes horribly wrong. Or you discover that an SEO agency has been doing what to your website?! In this Halloween special, Joy Hawkins and Greg Gifford share some of the most shocking, bizarre, and downright scary real-life SEO horror stories they’ve encountered throughout their careers. But this isn’t just about the scares. Each story comes with practical lessons and actionable takeaways to help business owners and marketers avoid making the same costly mistakes. Grab some candy, turn down the lights, and join us for some SEO stories that are scarier than any algorithm update. 👀 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Real-World SEO Horror Stories (Intro) 01:26 – Meet Greg Gifford ( @SearchLab ) 03:17 – The Nightmare: When Hundreds of GBP Listings Were Deleted 06:58 – Best Practices for Google Business Profile Access & Tools 09:38 – The Law Firm Link Exchange That Backfired 15:34 – Why Scaling Risky Links Is a Major Liability 18:31 – Viral Review Disasters & Handling Brand Crises 25:54 – How (and How NOT) to Respond to Negative Reviews 32:20 – The Wrong Phone Number on Yelp (and the 2-Week Lockout) 35:30 – AI-Generated City Pages: When Mass Content Trashes Domain Quality 44:28 – The Ford Department Profiles Suspension Catastrophe 48:49 – PPC Disasters: Wasting $5,000 on "Mario Party" & Broad Match Mistakes 54:04 – Should You Bid on Branded Keywords? 56:25 – Wrap-up: Share Your SEO Horror Stories! 📌 Useful Resources & Links: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/greggifford_auto-dealers-and-automotive-agencies-if-activity-7337109138272940032-HMI5/ Need help navigating Google Business Profile suspensions or auditing your local strategy? Visit Sterling Sky: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ Follow Joy Hawkins on X / Twitter: https://x.com/JoyanneHawkins Follow Greg Gifford on X / Twitter: https://x.com/GregGifford 💬 Join the Discussion: What’s the scariest SEO mistake or traffic drop you’ve ever encountered? Drop your story in the comments below! If you found this breakdown helpful, be sure to give it a Like and Subscribe for more in-depth local search tips, case studies, and industry updates. #SEO #LocalSEO #DigitalMarketing #GoogleBusinessProfile #SterlingSky EP 26140
- 2 weeks ago57 min
SEO Horror Stories: The Mistakes You Never Want to Make 👻
Bad SEO can be terrifying. 👻 https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ Just when you think your rankings are safe… traffic disappears. Your Google Business Profile gets suspended. A website migration goes horribly wrong. Or you discover that an SEO agency has been doing what to your website?! In this Halloween special, Joy Hawkins and Greg Gifford share some of the most shocking, bizarre, and downright scary real-life SEO horror stories they’ve encountered throughout their careers. But this isn’t just about the scares. Each story comes with practical lessons and actionable takeaways to help business owners and marketers avoid making the same costly mistakes. Grab some candy, turn down the lights, and join us for some SEO stories that are scarier than any algorithm update. 👀 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Real-World SEO Horror Stories (Intro) 01:26 – Meet Greg Gifford (@SearchLab) 03:17 – The Nightmare: When Hundreds of GBP Listings Were Deleted 06:58 – Best Practices for Google Business Profile Access & Tools 09:38 – The Law Firm Link Exchange That Backfired 15:34 – Why Scaling Risky Links Is a Major Liability 18:31 – Viral Review Disasters & Handling Brand Crises 25:54 – How (and How NOT) to Respond to Negative Reviews 32:20 – The Wrong Phone Number on Yelp (and the 2-Week Lockout) 35:30 – AI-Generated City Pages: When Mass Content Trashes Domain Quality 44:28 – The Ford Department Profiles Suspension Catastrophe 48:49 – PPC Disasters: Wasting $5,000 on "Mario Party" & Broad Match Mistakes 54:04 – Should You Bid on Branded Keywords? 56:25 – Wrap-up: Share Your SEO Horror Stories! 📌 Useful Resources & Links: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/greggifford_auto-dealers-and-automotive-agencies-if-activity-7337109138272940032-HMI5/ Need help navigating Google Business Profile suspensions or auditing your local strategy? Visit Sterling Sky: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ Follow Joy Hawkins on X / Twitter: https://x.com/JoyanneHawkins Follow Greg Gifford on X / Twitter: https://x.com/GregGifford 💬 Join the Discussion: What’s the scariest SEO mistake or traffic drop you’ve ever encountered? Drop your story in the comments below! If you found this breakdown helpful, be sure to give it a Like and Subscribe for more in-depth local search tips, case studies, and industry updates. #SEO #LocalSEO #DigitalMarketing #GoogleBusinessProfile #SterlingSky
- Sep 30, 202655 min
What Holly Starks Changed After Leaving Black Hat SEO
Local SEO Audit https://www.sterlingsky.ca/local-seo/ Local SEO is changing fast. As AI reshapes search and Google's algorithms continue to evolve, many of the tactics agencies relied on just a few years ago aren't delivering the same results. The agencies staying ahead are the ones adapting their strategies now. In this webinar, I'm joined by Holly Starks to discuss how her approach has evolved since transitioning from black hat to white hat SEO, what's actually moving the needle in local SEO today, and where she believes agencies should be focusing as we head into 2026. We also dive into the impact of AI on search, the biggest mistakes agencies are still making, which processes are worth automating, and the practical systems Holly uses to do SEO more efficiently. If you own an SEO agency or manage Google Business Profiles for clients, you'll walk away with actionable insights you can start applying immediately. Chapters: 00:00 Local SEO Is Changing: AI, Rankings & What Works Now 03:11 How AI Is Changing Local SEO & Customer Leads 05:50 Cora Optimization, Keywords & Entity SEO 12:57 Content Pruning & On-Page SEO Strategies 17:39 Backlinks, Brand Authority & Link Disavows 24:52 Google Business Profile Audits & SEO Automation 34:01 Link Building, Trust Signals & SEO Risks 39:50 The Future of Google Maps, ChatGPT & AI Search 43:39 Google Business Profile Ranking Factors 46:41 Ranking in AI: Fan-Out Queries & YouTube SEO
- Aug 26, 20261h 25m
SEO’s Biggest Debates Right Now (with David Quaid)
Local SEO Audit https://www.sterlingsky.ca/contact/ Is SEO broken, or just widely misunderstood? In this deep dive, Joy Hawkins is joined by SEO veteran David Quaid to tackle the most heated debates in the industry today. From the reality of "scaled content" penalties to the truth about how Google actually evaluates authority, David shares the forensic approach he’s used to help multiple startups scale past $100 million. What you’ll learn in this video: 🔹 Communicating SEO Value: Why your clients aren't reading your PDF reports and how to tell a better story with data. 🔹 The "Position 17" Rule: David’s specific strategy for identifying new content opportunities without cannibalizing your existing rankings. 🔹 Indexing Deep Dive: The difference between "Discovered – currently not indexed" and "Crawled – currently not indexed," and the specific URL tweaks that can fix them. 🔹 Internal Linking & Authority: Why you should limit your homepage to 10 key links and how to manage the "85% authority tax." 🔹 The Truth About LLMs: How AI search engines like Gemini and Perplexity are changing referral traffic and how to track it using Looker Studio. Chapters 0:00 Is SEO Broken? 1:44 David’s Background: Scaling Startups to $250M 4:07 Why Clients Don’t See SEO Value 7:22 What Will Replace Rankings? 12:17 The Truth About AI Reporting (Search Console vs. Reality) 22:11 The Process for Finding New Content 30:10 When to Start a New Domain (EMDs) 33:41 The Danger of Service Area Pages 45:16 Fix: Discovered vs. Crawled Not Indexed 54:02 Internal Linking & Authority Shaping 57:05 Content Pruning vs. Managing Authority 1:06:45 URL Slugs: Short vs. Long About Sterling Sky Inc: We specialize in helping local businesses grow through data-driven SEO strategies. If you’re seeing traffic drops or need a professional audit of your local search presence, reach out to us at: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ Connect with David Quaid: Follow David on X or LinkedIn for more deep-technical SEO insights. https://x.com/DavidGQuaid https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ #SEO #LocalSEO #GoogleAlgorithm #SearchEngineOptimization #DigitalMarketing EP 26126 READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL? Websites: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ https://localu.org/ https://localsearchforum.com/ Blogs: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/ https://localu.org/blog/
- Jul 22, 20261h 14m
AI Is Killing Content The Only Way to Win (Ross Simmonds)
https://www.sterlingsky.ca/can-reddit-links-impact-google-rankings/ There’s more content than ever… and somehow, less of it actually sticks. AI can pump out posts in seconds. Feeds are crowded. Attention spans are brutal. So the real question is: why should anyone care about what you make? In this conversation, I sat down with Ross Simmonds, founder of Foundation Marketing and one of the sharpest thinkers in content right now, to get into what’s actually working. We talk about: 🔹Why most content gets ignored (even when it’s “good”) 🔹What makes something memorable in a sea of sameness 🔹Why you should bother creating content when AI is stealing it If you’re building a brand, growing an audience, or you feel like your content is disappearing into thin air: This one’s worth your time. Show Links: https://rosssimmonds.com/book/ https://foundationinc.co/podcast/ross-simmonds-show/ https://x.com/cybercpu/status/2046813626175267249 What's the best type of content to get links? https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rosssimmonds_whats-the-best-type-of-content-to-get-links-share-7452739059107688448-6VPc Chapter: 00:00 - Introduction: The State of AI and Content Scraping 01:08 - How Gemini and AI Tools Impact Creator Traffic 02:16 - The Long-Term Shift: Moving Beyond the "10 Blue Links" 05:01 - Three Business Models That Thrive in the AI Era 07:27 - Content Strategy for Lawyers and Home Service Businesses 10:44 - Reddit Marketing: A Real-World Insurance Case Study 14:46 - When and How to Start a Brand Subreddit 17:50 - Managing Negative Reviews and Brand Sentiment on Reddit 25:48 - How to Write Reddit Posts for Engagement (Not Just SEO) 29:04 - The Risks of Buying Reddit Comments and "Spammy" Marketing 33:23 - The Role of an Agency in Managing Reddit Presence 35:22 - Content Formats That Earn the Most Backlinks 40:17 - The Biggest Mistake Brands Make with AI Content 44:49 - Remixed Stories: Repurposing Content for Longevity 46:25 - Create Once, Distribute Forever: Book Insights 47:54 - The Future of AI-Generated Avatars and Brand Trust 51:14 - Attribution and Tracking Success in a Multi-Touch World 53:07 - Social Ad Strategy: TikTok vs. Meta vs. Reddit 55:53 - Using Reddit Ads to Influence Search Results 01:03:08 - Marketing for Emergency Services (Locksmiths, Plumbers) 01:04:21 - The "Four Es" Content Philosophy for Local Businesses 01:06:34 - Rapid Fire Questions: Marketing Trends, Dead Platforms, and Originality 01:13:48 - Outro and Where to Find Ross Simmonds Ep 26119 #localseo #seo #localsearch __________________________________________ READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL? Websites: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ https://localu.org/ https://localsearchforum.com/ Blogs: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/ https://localu.org/blog/
- Jul 10, 202654 min
Why Your Google Reviews Disappear (Ex-Googlers Explain)
👉 https://www.sterlingsky.ca/local-seo/ Fake reviews that won’t get removed. Listings suspended without warning. No clear answers from Google. In Part 2 of this exclusive episode, ex-Googlers explain what actually triggers suspensions, what qualifies a review for removal, and how to recover your profile fast. If your business depends on Google visibility, this is the side of the system you can’t afford to ignore. Links: https://www.thegbpexperts.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwetherall/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelheadley/ Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Understanding Google Business Profile issues 01:03 - The truth about flagging negative reviews for removal 04:01 - Brute forcing support vs. algorithmic approaches 05:22 - 3-step process for dealing with negative reviews 06:33 - The "Trust Score" concept for users and businesses 08:31 - Why authority matters when flagging content 11:41 - Can factually correct edits hurt your trust score? 12:42 - Local Guide levels: What it takes to get edits processed 14:11 - Is the Google Product Expert forum still effective? 16:14 - Google's shift toward cost-consciousness and data purging 18:51 - Gmail vs. Corporate domains: Which does Google trust more? 22:06 - Security tips: Managing primary ownership and managers 23:16 - How to avoid business profile suspensions 25:54 - Dealing with suspension backlogs and support queues 27:19 - Pro tip: Contacting support in different languages 30:12 - "Duress Verticals": Why some industries are scrutinized more 33:54 - Proactive steps to prevent suspension (Photos & Activity) 36:00 - Business vs. User-generated photos: Which is better? 39:58 - Why owner replies are engagement signals, not ranking factors 42:37 - Future Outlook: AI local packs and the evolving role of GBP 43:30 - What to prioritize in the next year (Citations & Third-party sites) 46:59 - Final thoughts and where to find the experts To add these to your video, simply copy and paste the timestamps and titles into the video description in YouTube Studio\! EP 26102 part 2 #localseo #digitalmarketing #localsearch __________________________________________ READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL? Websites: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ https://localu.org/ https://localsearchforum.com/ Blogs: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/ https://localu.org/blog/
- Jun 24, 20261h 0m
Ex-Googlers Reveal 3 Google Business Profile Secrets | Brad Wetherall & Joel Headley
https://www.sterlingsky.ca/local-seo/ In Part 1 of this exclusive Episode, I sit down with former Google employees Joel Headley and Brad Wetherall to uncover what really happens behind the scenes of Google Business Profiles, and what business owners often get completely wrong. Why reviews disappear, why edits don’t stick, and why support often feels like a dead end. We break down how Google actually evaluates trust, filters reviews, and decides what gets published or ignored. If you rely on Google Maps to drive calls, leads, or foot traffic, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. Links: https://www.thegbpexperts.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwetherall/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelheadley/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction : Why your Google reviews disappear and profiles get suspended 00:47 Meet the Former Googlers : Intro of Brad Weatherall and Joel Headley 01:41 The Mystery of Missing Reviews : Understanding the cyclical nature of review removals 03:46 The Balancing Act : How Google experiments with algorithms and causes collateral damage 05:51 Why Seasonality Matters : Why Google avoids major algorithm tweaks in Q4 07:22 Behind the Scenes : How Google targets spam and uses automated scripts 12:18 Review Parties and Proximity Signals : The risks of getting too many reviews at one location 15:34 Tactics for Getting Filtered Reviews to Stick : Discussion on editing reviews and profile links 17:48 The "Recaptcha" Logic in Reviews : How mouse movement impacts Google's trust 21:44 New Google Guidelines : Speculation on why Google discourages mentioning employee names 27:10 Do Reviews Ever Truly Get Deleted? : Understanding the hidden database where content is stored 31:04 One Google, Many Teams : Why advice contradicts enforcement across Policy, Product, and Support 33:36 Is Reaching Out to Support Worth It? : The reality of modern automated machine decision-making 39:13 Pro-Tips for Navigating Support Levels : Understanding Levels 1, 2, and 3 and the language trick 53:48 The "Escape Hatch" : How to trigger the manual verification process 59:49 Coming Up on Part 2 : Teaser for the next episode on negative reviews and suspensions Ep 26102 pt1 #localseo #seo #localsearch __________________________________________ Grow Your Business With Local SEO At Sterling Sky, we're passionate about helping businesses like yours achieve their local SEO goals. We know that the digital landscape can be confusing and ever-changing, so we've made it our mission to provide you with the expert guidance and support your need to succeed. We've helped countless businesses achieve their local SEO goals, and we're confident that we can help you do the same. READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL? Websites: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ https://localu.org/ https://localsearchforum.com/ Blogs: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/ https://localu.org/blog/
- May 27, 20261h 29m
2026 SEO Secrets That Ranked 1,000+ Sites (James Dooley)
In this episode, we sit down with SEO legend James Dooley, who has built and ranked over 1,000 domains and generated more than 2 million enquiries online. If you’re wondering how to rank a website on Google in 2026, this is the conversation you need to hear. We break down: 🔹The exact SEO strategies working right now 🔹When duplicate content becomes a real problem 🔹Whether brand matters more than backlinks 🔹Plus: how AI traffic compares to Google traffic today. If you’re a business owner, agency, or SEO trying to stay ahead of Google’s algorithm, this episode will give you clarity. James Dooley started his career in digital marketing in 2009, when he built his first website. James Dooley quickly became fascinated by SEO and began to learn everything he could about the subject. In the years since, James Dooley has built and ranked over 1,000 domains online as a UK-based Digital Landlord, generating over 2 million enquiries. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction: James Dooley's SEO Journey 01:36 - The Key to Winning in 2026: Holistic Marketing 02:07 - Finding Profit in Narrow Niches 04:11 - Social Media for Local Businesses: Ranking Your Posts 06:22 - Optimizing Facebook Posts for Search 08:27 - Explaining Semantic Triples 09:44 - Strategies for Forcing Google to Index Content 12:28 - Leveraging Facebook Groups for Visibility 16:21 - The Power of Self-Promoting Listicles 19:14 - Facebook Pages vs. Profiles for SEO 21:11 - LinkedIn vs. Other Platforms: Hashtags and Links 22:42 - Cracking the Code on Reddit Ranking 26:22 - AI Overviews: Impact on Lead Volume and Quality 30:52 - The Future of LLMs: ChatGPT vs. Claude and Gemini 36:06 - Crafting the Perfect URL Structure 39:05 - When to Create Specific Service Area Pages 41:46 - Essential Elements of a Service Area Page 45:54 - The Truth About Duplicate Content on Local Sites 52:24 - Algorithm Update Trends: Brand and Social Signals 55:36 - Why Traditional Link Building is Diminishing 58:56 - Avoiding Toxic Links and PBN Scams 1:02:44 - Proactive Reputation Management 1:04:50 - James's Recommendations for Learning SEO 1:06:22 - How Long Does It Take to Rank a New Site? 1:12:18 - How Paid Traffic Indirectly Boosts Organic Rankings 1:15:06 - The Mistake of Using Separate Domains for PPC 1:19:37 - Social Media Ad Strategies for Lead Generation 1:23:13 - Local Pack vs. Organic Leads: Quality Comparisons 1:25:01 - Speed to Lead: The Importance of Rapid Response 1:27:28 - Utilizing WhatsApp and SMS for Lead Nurturing #localseo #seo #localsearch EP 26088 __________________________________________ Grow Your Business With Local SEO At Sterling Sky, we're passionate about helping businesses like yours achieve their local SEO goals. We know that the digital landscape can be confusing and ever-changing, so we've made it our mission to provide you with the expert guidance and support your need to succeed. We've helped countless businesses achieve their local SEO goals, and we're confident that we can help you do the same. READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL? Websites: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ https://localu.org/ https://localsearchforum.com/ Blogs: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/ https://localu.org/blog/
About Local SEO - The Expert’s Guide
Local SEO - The Expert’s GuideThe podcast where local SEO meets expert insight! Join host Joy Hawkins, CEO and owner of Sterling Sky, renowned local SEO specialist and a member of the Google Product Experts Program, as she dives deep with guests into the world of local search engine optimization, digital marketing, and SEO.
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