{"id":6953,"date":"2025-04-02T10:36:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/?p=6953"},"modified":"2025-04-02T10:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:36:08","slug":"18-local-search-developments-you-need-to-know-about-from-q1-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/18-local-search-developments-you-need-to-know-about-from-q1-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"18 Local Search Developments You Need to Know About From Q1 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We\u2019re definitely off to the races in local search happenings at the start of the new year! Hard to keep up? Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019ve got you covered and you can read through this round-up to be sure you know of any recent developments that could be impacting your local business or your digital marketing agency\u2019s clients. Ready, set, go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Google Business Profile and Google Maps News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Map pin attack suspensions resolved by Google<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The PIn move attack is resolved. Google Business Profile has internally fixed the ability for map users to cause suspensions via an attack merchants by moving the map pain. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BPq4WPVe2N\">pic.twitter.com\/BPq4WPVe2N<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ben Fisher (@TheSocialDude) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheSocialDude\/status\/1877752492315770881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The quarter started off well with <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheSocialDude\/status\/1877756553542951325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877756553542951325%7Ctwgr%5E20fd3cf2c5b191aab19677894633ed6324ba0b36%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seroundtable.com%2Fgoogle-map-pin-exploit-fixed-38726.html\">Ben Fisher sharing this Google communication<\/a> that they had finally stopped suspending businesses who had been attacked by spammers moving their map pins. I personally first began seeing reports about outrageous Map pin shenanigans nearly a year ago and remember<a href=\"https:\/\/localsearchforum.com\/threads\/insane-new-spamming-tactic-on-google-maps.61263\/\"> this example from Joy Hawkins<\/a> in which the pins of multiple businesses had been moved to a single location:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"697\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1710961938499-1024x697.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1710961938499-1024x697.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1710961938499-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1710961938499-768x523.jpg 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1710961938499-1536x1045.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1710961938499.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I would not want Google\u2019s job of trying to keep up with the ever-evolving antics of spammers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Serious delay in GBP reinstatement support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1006\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.57.28-1006x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.57.28-1006x1024.png 1006w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.57.28-295x300.png 295w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.57.28-768x782.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.57.28.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1006px) 100vw, 1006px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/mblumenthal_there-has-been-a-multi-month-increase-in-activity-7308203745069121536-er2z\/?\">Mike Blumenthal<\/a> has charted a significant increase of GBP suspensions and re-verification requests in Q1, and the bad news here is that support is backed up at Google and your reinstatement may not receive a response for as much as 5 weeks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nearmedia.co\/gbp-suspensions-rise-support-fails-2\/\">Mike\u2019s more detailed account at Near Media<\/a> captures the frustration I\u2019m hearing from multiple Google Business Profile Help Community Product Experts that the company has yet to provide any explanation of the delay or time frame for more efficient support. I can only advise patience, and empathize with how frustrating it is when an unearned suspension is impacting your real-world business, and you\u2019ll have to wait weeks for resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Signage issues the top cause of GBP video verification failure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Claudia Tomina has a great LinkedIn post in which she\u2019s urging Google to become more flexible in their verification requirements.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"722\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.58.37-1024x722.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6957\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.58.37-1024x722.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.58.37-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.58.37-768x542.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-16.58.37.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I highly recommend reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/claudia-tomina-ab78692a_struggling-with-google-business-profile-ugcPost-7285714728620814337-pW8j\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop\">Claudia\u2019s whole post<\/a> so that your business or clients can be better prepared to pass video verification. Too often, we see cases in which Google\u2019s policies simply don\u2019t meet real-world realities, and I second Claudia\u2019s plea for improvements in GBP verification flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">One bit of good news was noticed by Darren Shaw, courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/henryherediaonlinemedia\/\">Henry Heredia<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740154397831-819x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740154397831-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740154397831-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740154397831-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740154397831.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In the past, business owners had little or no idea why their video verification had failed. Now, Google will let you know what you need to include in order to pass verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Cool new GBP menu management features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Also from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/claudia-tomina-ab78692a_googlebusinessprofile-localseo-restaurants-activity-7282803626077519872-z6v3\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop\">Claudia Tomina<\/a>, this quarter, Google has rolled out the ability for restaurants to upload additional PDFs to their menus without overwriting their existing menus. This is good news for hospitality businesses that have multiple menus (e.g. a catering menu, plus a libations menu, plus a lunch menu).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"765\" height=\"790\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1736355691242.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1736355691242.jpeg 765w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1736355691242-291x300.jpeg 291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Additionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/gbp-batch-price-editing-moving-restaurant-menu-items-38814.html\">as reported in full by Barry Schwartz<\/a>, Google has made some nifty changes to menu management, including the ability to do drag-and-drop reordering, engage in batch price editing, and move items between sections. Read Barry\u2019s piece to see all the screenshots of these improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"297\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gbp-bulk-move-items-1737997037.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gbp-bulk-move-items-1737997037.png 682w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gbp-bulk-move-items-1737997037-300x131.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. New GBP special hours management feature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/claudia-tomina-ab78692a_new-time-saving-feature-alert-for-multi-location-activity-7288564066283864066-2cEo?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop\">Claudia Tomina is on an absolute roll this quarter<\/a>, turning up new features, like this one for managing special hours if you\u2019ve got fewer than 100 GBPs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"991\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.30.08-1024x991.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.30.08-1024x991.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.30.08-300x290.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.30.08-768x743.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.30.08.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">As Claudia explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.31.03-1024x604.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.31.03-1024x604.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.31.03-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.31.03-768x453.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.31.03.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This could be a real time-saver for multi-location businesses!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Places people are talking about<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"473\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GgDmYv0bcAAC5tA-473x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GgDmYv0bcAAC5tA-473x1024.jpeg 473w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GgDmYv0bcAAC5tA-138x300.jpeg 138w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GgDmYv0bcAAC5tA-768x1664.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GgDmYv0bcAAC5tA-709x1536.jpeg 709w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GgDmYv0bcAAC5tA.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/b4k_khushal\/status\/1873750760963682326\">Khushal Bherwani<\/a> captured the above test of a carousel pulling social posts from platforms like Instagram and Facebook discussing the virtues of various restaurants. This feature emphasizes the need to be running the kind of business that the public is excited enough about to share on their social profiles. The local-social connection gets stronger every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. New GBP AI photo editing features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">As our own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/darrenshawwhitespark_localseo-seo-activity-7286054007817519104-JTSJ\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop\">Darren Shaw reports<\/a>, you can now use a new AI-based feature in your Google Business Profiles to remove backgrounds from your product images and choose a preferred background setting. Darren mentions that he sees this as good news for anyone who has been worrying that the Products section of GBPs might be sunsetted in favor of Merchant Center. Here\u2019s this new feature in action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bluesky-social wp-block-embed-bluesky-social\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:gn2melahptghmowoxsrizeu2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3lfx6zu4sbs26\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreifaox3n3s6bonpjwqiddfm6ab62l6pkasunachnwklbmzas63wgou\"><p lang=\"en\">Have you seen this new Google Business Profile feature that lets you transform your Product images with AI? \ud83d\udc47It basically removes the background from your images and then lets you choose a new background setting for your product.I like it \u2728#localseo #seo<\/p>&mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:gn2melahptghmowoxsrizeu2?ref_src=embed\">Darren Shaw (@whitespark.ca)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:gn2melahptghmowoxsrizeu2\/post\/3lfx6zu4sbs26?ref_src=embed\">2025-01-17T16:17:19.450Z<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.bsky.app\/static\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. A test of an online operating hours feature?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/vinay-toshniwal-69972919b_googlebusinessprofile-gbpupdate-hybridbusiness-activity-7294691886902980608-baYv?utm_source=social_share_send&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop_web\">Vinay Toshniwal posted this tantalizing screenshot<\/a> of a clinic being given the option to set both store opening hours and online operating hours on their GBP:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"504\" height=\"1006\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1739190073103.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1739190073103.jpeg 504w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1739190073103-150x300.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I\u2019ve been unable to replicate this feature, and do not know how widely it has been rolled out, but it would be a terrific improvement. Many different businesses have different sets of hours for the different services they provide, such as a medical center having walk-in hours and after-hours online support. Let\u2019s hope this feature is soon available everywhere.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. WhatsAPP chat comes to US GBPs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/henryh954\/status\/1881809411645317587\">Henry Heredia<\/a> was the first I saw reporting on the arrival of WhatsAPP as a GBP chat methodology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"815\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.41.14-1024x815.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6965\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.41.14-1024x815.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.41.14-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.41.14-768x611.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.41.14.png 1184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">If you\u2019re based in North America and aren\u2019t very familiar with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/\">WhatsAPP<\/a>, you\u2019re not alone. It\u2019s a private messaging system that\u2019s huge on the other side of the pond, and which I\u2019m most familiar with from listening to an inordinate amount of Irish radio. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-business-profiles-chat-whatsapp-us-38784.html\">Barry Schwartz has a good write-up for further details<\/a>. I\u2019m curious to hear more about whether companies in the US, Canada, or Mexico are finding this feature useful for talking with customers on this side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Immersive Maps View<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Darren Shaw spotted an eye-catching upgrade on the history 360 View display of local business interiors. It shows up as the first image on a business\u2019 profile, providing a walkthrough of the space:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@darrenshawseo\/video\/7480206677074136375\" data-video-id=\"7480206677074136375\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@darrenshawseo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@darrenshawseo?refer=embed\">@darrenshawseo<\/a> <p>A couple of weeks ago I shared an example of Google\u2019s incredible new Immersive View and I said I\u2019d find out how it works. Here\u2019s what I found \ud83d\udc47 Google uses different AI techniques to combine high-quality 360\u00b0 + still images + a video of your business&#8217;s interior to create detailed, 3D digital models of your business. Not everyone has access to this feature yet, but I spoke with Threshold360, a company that already creates these videos. They produce about 10 Immersive videos per week, and here\u2019s how they do it: \ud83d\udd39 A professional photographer takes high-quality 360\u00b0 photos and videos of the business. \ud83d\udd39 They use special software to combine photos and videos, creating endless views, angles, and fly-throughs for Immersive View videos. Businesses can\u2019t upload Immersive View videos to their Google Business Profiles yet like the example below, but this feature is likely coming soon. You should be able to get these on your profile through a partner like Threshold360 in the coming months, and Google may let business owners connect these to their profiles directly through the StreetView app. But you can and should still produce these videos now and add them to your GBP, website, YouTube channel and other socials as videos &#8211; and then you&#8217;ll be ready to go when they&#8217;re available to add to your GBP. <a title=\"localseo\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/localseo?refer=embed\">#localseo<\/a> <a title=\"seo\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/seo?refer=embed\">#seo<\/a><\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - Darren Shaw - Local SEO - Darren Shaw - Local SEO\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-Darren-Shaw-Local-SEO-7480206681483627319?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; Darren Shaw &#8211; Local SEO &#8211; Darren Shaw &#8211; Local SEO<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This feature appears to be tied to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/maps\/three-maps-updates-io-2022\/\">an announcement Google made back in 2022<\/a> in which they stated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>\u201c&#8230;<\/em><em>thanks to advances in computer vision and AI that allow us to fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of the world \u2014 we\u2019re introducing a whole new way to explore with Maps. With our new immersive view, you\u2019ll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like \u2014 and even feel like you\u2019re right there before you ever set foot inside.\u201c<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. Ask Maps about this place<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"578\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.44.40-578x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6966\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.44.40-578x1024.png 578w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.44.40-169x300.png 169w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.44.40-768x1361.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.44.40-867x1536.png 867w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.44.40.png 992w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 578px) 100vw, 578px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I first saw this test of a major development <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/mblumenthal_first-time-seeing-gemini-answering-business-activity-7279698713785057280-ULzO\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop\">captured by Mike Blumenthal in this LinkedIn video demoing<\/a> the presence of a Gemini-powered question-and-answer feature on one of his client\u2019s listings. Mike\u2019s partner, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nearmedia.co\/ask-maps-nuked-reviews-flogging-gemini-2\/\">Greg Sterling, then went on to write a fuller explanation of the new interactive listing element at NearMedia<\/a>, in which he stated,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>\u201c<\/em><em>It uses Gemini to summarize information about the business drawn from its GBP, reviews, the website and third-party sources, apparently in that order. Mike discovered this at the end of last month. It&#8217;s effectively a much better version of Google Q&amp;A. This mirrors the function of Amazon&#8217;s shopping assistant <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=Tvh55TTsQ5XQSFc7Pr&amp;ref=nearmedia.co\"><em>Rufus<\/em><\/a><em>, with which you can ask questions about the product and reviews content. While &#8220;Ask Maps&#8221; hasn&#8217;t shown up for me I&#8217;ve used Rufus extensively on Amazon and it&#8217;s quite helpful.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Like Greg, I\u2019ve yet to see this test on any of the profiles I\u2019ve looked at, but there\u2019s been some chatter about whether Ask Maps could replace Google Business Profile Q&amp;A, and as we\u2019ll see in the next section of today\u2019s round-up, Google appears to be ramping up questions it\u2019s asking some reviewers, quite possibly to feed Gemini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12. Ask for me<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"546\" height=\"880\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-02-13-at-10.21.40-AM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6967\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-02-13-at-10.21.40-AM.png 546w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-02-13-at-10.21.40-AM-186x300.png 186w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Not to be confused with Ask Maps, the <a href=\"https:\/\/labs.google.com\/search\/experiment\/26\">Ask for me<\/a> feature is one Mike Blumenthal has been testing out in Google Search Lab, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nearmedia.co\/google-ask-for-me-great-tech-smb-burden-2\/?ref=near-media-newsletter\">you can read his complete write-up here<\/a>. Mike used this assistant technology to try to book an oil change and the product called businesses and returned him information about his nearby options over the course of about 17 minutes. He calls the test \u201cquick, easy and impressive technology, but it is not at all clear that it is good for small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Why would this not be great for SMBs? The first thing I thought of when I saw Mike\u2019s test of this new experiment was the 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-assistant-takes-center-stage-at-i-o-search-takes-a-back-seat-297867?ref=nearmedia.co\">&nbsp;Duplex demo at Google I\/O<\/a> that caused a lot of buzz surrounding the use of an AI-driven voice assistant phoning restaurants and booking appointments with them. Stories began emerging of diners arriving at eateries that had no record of their reservations, but one of things that felt \u201coff\u201d to me about Duplex was Google\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nearmedia.co\/review-trust-maps-ai-lists-duplex-2-0-gen-z-store-love-2\/\">forcing restaurateurs to opt-out of something they\u2019d never signed up for<\/a>. That bull-in-a-china-shop path Google has too often taken through the fragile economics of real-world local businesses has always bothered me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">But Mike sagely points out other reasons why the Ask for me feature might not serve the best interests of small business owners, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Burdening them with RFP-style calls that don\u2019t lead to sales<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Depriving them of the opportunity to learn anything about potential customers, because they are having to interact with a robot instead of a person<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Spammers being given the option to exploit this feature to waste the time of their competitors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The further commodification of local services creating a scenario in which merchants might feel pressured to offer low quotes to Google bots in order to be recommended to potential customers, and then possibly engaging in \u201cbait and switch\u201d pricing in person&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This is definitely an experiment to keep your eye on for future developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local business review news<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">13. February was a stormy month for reviews<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In early February, complaints of review loss began sprouting up like mushrooms after a rain all over social platforms and forums. People were reporting losing 30-50 reviews from their GBPs, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-local-reviews-decreasing-38873.html\">Barry Schwartz has a good piece<\/a> tracking the storm as it passed through our local business community. Google acknowledged the issue on February 10th, after which some accounts began seeing some of their reviews return. Did you get all or some of yours back? I hope so!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">14. Seeing Stars?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The ever-gracious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/clairecarlile\/\">Claire Carlile<\/a> kindly lent me this screenshot of the mysterious occurrence of GBP-based review ratings, counts, and stars appearing on random businesses in Google\u2019s organic SERPs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"248\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.52.15-1024x248.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.52.15-1024x248.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.52.15-300x73.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.52.15-768x186.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.52.15-1536x372.png 1536w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.52.15-2048x496.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I have also seen instances in which only the stars were featured, with no review count included, and discussion is ongoing in the local SEO community about whether this is a genuine test, or just a bug. Look your business up to see if you are getting star treatment, but if you are, don\u2019t count too heavily on it sticking around. Google has a long history of treating SERPs to stars and then taking them away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">15. New review\/photo carousels in Google Maps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It\u2019s spring, and our own Darren Shaw is in love\u2026with this new review\/photo carousel layout in G Maps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.56.00-1024x667.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6969\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.56.00-1024x667.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.56.00-300x195.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.56.00-768x500.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-17.56.00.png 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Watch the video in this post to see it action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bluesky-social wp-block-embed-bluesky-social\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:gn2melahptghmowoxsrizeu2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3lfs4prz5zs2j\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreihd2m6q6phio4mebril5ee6oq35lpmwse2bty2qprsfcgvvedewye\"><p lang=\"en\">I \u2764\ufe0f the new Google Maps carousel layout for GBP!Here\u2019s how to optimize for it:\ud83d\udd39  Encourage customers to mention specific products, services, and menu items and add photos, videos, and emojis to their reviews.\ud83d\udd39 For restaurants: Add detailed menu items with prices to your Profile.#localseo<\/p>&mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:gn2melahptghmowoxsrizeu2?ref_src=embed\">Darren Shaw (@whitespark.ca)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:gn2melahptghmowoxsrizeu2\/post\/3lfs4prz5zs2j?ref_src=embed\">2025-01-15T15:52:35.949Z<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.bsky.app\/static\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Darren has some great tips for optimizing for this cool feature, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Asking for detailed reviews; get customers to mention specific products, services, and menu items, and encourage them to add photos, videos and emojis to their reviews.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">If you\u2019re marketing a restaurant, be sure to add detailed menu items with prices to your GBP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">16. Google Maps embedding nearby images and products related to your query<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"644\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.06.55-644x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.06.55-644x1024.png 644w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.06.55-189x300.png 189w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.06.55-768x1222.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.06.55-965x1536.png 965w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.06.55.png 988w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 644px) 100vw, 644px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mikeblumenthal.bsky.social\/post\/3lfsehexzbc22\">Mike Blumenthal was kind enough to walk me through<\/a> how this new feature works. Here are the steps he provided:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>\u201cDo a product type query in GMaps: \u201cEngagement rings Williamsville\u201d. In addition to listings, Google is now showing a Merchant Center carousel feed of products that match the query and are near the query centroid. You can view these on a map by clicking the link below.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">You\u2019ll see a display like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1018\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.07.45-1018x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.07.45-1018x1024.png 1018w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.07.45-298x300.png 298w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.07.45-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.07.45-768x773.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.07.45.png 1286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Always be on the lookout for that green \u201cNew\u201d button in Maps-based results. This particular feature emphasizes the need to be photographing all your products and adding them to Google&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/business.google.com\/us\/merchant-center\/\"> Merchant Center<\/a>. The productization of Google local continues apace!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">17. New restaurant review attributes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.09.07-822x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.09.07-822x1024.png 822w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.09.07-241x300.png 241w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.09.07-768x957.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-18.09.07.png 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Claudia Tomina spotted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/claudia-tomina-ab78692a_googlebusinessprofile-localseo-customerreviews-activity-7299125930516463616-yDkd?\">an expanded set of questions Google is asking reviewers<\/a> to answer when evaluating restaurants. This full data set now includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Wait times<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Noise level<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Group size suitability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Seating options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Claudia speculates that this expanded set of questions could be used to feed the Gemini-based Ask Maps feature mentioned above. Keep those reviews coming in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local SEOs need-to-know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">18. The Diversity Update<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740063989049-1-1024x235.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6974\" srcset=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740063989049-1-1024x235.png 1024w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740063989049-1-300x69.png 300w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740063989049-1-768x176.png 768w, https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1740063989049-1.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I believe I\u2019ve saved the most interesting news of the quarter for last. The above screenshot is courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/googles-new-diversity-update-how-fix-your-ruined-rankings-joy-hawkins-1lucc\/\">Joy Hawkins\u2019 Linkedin tutoria<\/a>l on helping a client recover from what she has termed \u201cthe Diversity Update\u201d. In February, the team at Sterling Sky revealed that they had been tracking a significant Google local algorithm change over the course of three months. The findings of their research were so noteworthy that Joy says it will change how she advises clients to set up their GBPs going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In a nutshell, Sterling Sky\u2019s research indicates that if you have dominant local pack rankings, Google will demote your organic rankings because they don\u2019t want to show duplicate businesses across the two displays. The fix proposed by Joy\u2019s team is to no longer link from the URL field of your GBP to the strongest page on your website, and you should read her full study to see how changing the chosen landing page resulted in ranking recovery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This news item particularly interested me because I have always been a bit of a nay-sayer when it came to the popular best practice advice of SEOs telling multi-location businesses to link all their GBPs to their homepages for a possible local pack ranking boost. I never liked this advice because<strong> I am always looking for the way to provide the most frictionless user experience possible for the customer<\/strong>. It is not good UX for a customer clicking on the website link of your pie shop in Piedmont to be taken to the corporate homepage of your franchise and obliged to fiddle with menus and store locators to relocate the landing page for the Piedmont storefront.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Despite any ranking boost this path might have offered in the past, it wasn\u2019t advice I was eager to give, and perhaps the Diversity Update will remove any temptation for agencies to recommend the tactic to their clients going forward. I highly advise staying tuned to this story, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/darrenshawwhitespark_seo-localseo-activity-7299868146293760000-v4Y6\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAD_L9jwBFh-r-XxbFShUFmsvhU7fYa5wM1E\">Darren Shaw has some interesting commentary I recommend reading.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Keep studying your SERPs in Q2, and thank you to everyone who shares their findings so that we can all keep learning local search together!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re definitely off to the races in local search happenings at the start of the new year! Hard to keep up? Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019ve got you covered and you can read through this round-up to be sure you know of any recent developments that could be impacting your local business or your digital marketing agency\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"18 Local Search Developments You Need to Know About From Q1 2025","_seopress_titles_desc":"Read through this quarterly round-up to stay updated on any recent developments that could impact your local business or your clients!","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"classification":[],"class_list":["post-6953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6953"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7039,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6953\/revisions\/7039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6953"},{"taxonomy":"classification","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/classification?post=6953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}