Podcast summary
From the Archives: Local Search Ranking Factors — Darren Shaw on Reviews, AI Search & What Drives Local Rank
AI search shifts local SEO priorities materially
Local experts’ consensus is that AI-driven search interfaces will become the default, and ranking signals differ from traditional local packs—especially in order—so “do the same SEO” misses what LLMs emphasize.
Review recency converts review bursts into rankings
Review volume isn’t just about having many reviews; recency matters more now, so quarterly “bursts” can spike rankings then taper, implying Google treats stagnation as engagement risk.
Links still matter because behavior can’t replace them
Despite experts seeing declining link-signal importance over years, they still expect links to retain meaningful weight—likely because links provide durable authority signals even as Google leans more on engagement-style behavioral proxies.
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