Do these

5 key tasks for local SEO

October 26, 2026

Hey,

How’s the switch from Daylight Savings going? I personally wouldn’t know because from now on, Alberta will be sticking to Daylight Saving Time year-round 🙌

Anyway, here are some local SEO tips for ya 👇️

1. Google Posts might be our company's #1 social channel

I recently looked at the views Whitespark’s Google Posts are getting, and I was pretty surprised:

Some of them are getting more views than my personal social media posts, and I have a pretty engaged audience.

They're also absolutely crushing the views we get on Whitespark's Instagram and LinkedIn posts.

People who see your Google Posts are already looking at your business on Google, and they're often actively looking for a product or service you provide. That makes them much more likely to be interested in your offers, promotions, and updates.

Try publishing those same salesy posts on Instagram or LinkedIn, and they probably won't perform nearly as well.

Plus, while social media posts often lose visibility after a day or two, Google Posts can continue getting impressions for months.

So if you've been ignoring Google Posts because you assumed nobody was seeing them, it might be time to rethink that.

How are your Google Posts views looking? Let me know on LinkedIn!

2. If I only had a few hours a week to work on my SEO…

These are the 5 things I'd focus on to rank better in Google and AI search 👇️

@darrenshawseo

Rank Higher With Just a Few Hours of SEO a Week... If I only had a few hours a week to work on my SEO, these are the 5 things I'd focus on... See more

No TikTok? Watch on Instagram.

3. Can you change the order of photos on your GBP?

I asked 172 people to click on a photo of a restaurant with goats on its roof (for local SEO research).

I wanted to test the theory that you can manipulate the order of photos on your Google Business Profile by getting people to engage with them.

Here’s how the experiment went:

  • We picked two small restaurants

  • For the first one, we made everyone click a specific photo, zoom in, and stay on it.

  • For the other, everyone had to click “share” on a specific photo.

  • Then we tracked both photos several times a day over the course of one week.

Before the test, the first photo sat at position 10 and the other at 15. And after 172 clicks and shares…

*drumroll please*

Nothing moved. Not one spot.

So, it doesn’t look like you can change the order of photos just by getting people to engage with them. Buuuut Miriam Ellis just published a full study that covers what actually works, like:

  • The type of photo that keeps your reviews pinned at the top longer

  • Why Google’s AI Mode won’t show your Business Profile photos at all, and what to do about it

  • And a ton of other photo-related tips

Read the study here.

4. Catch up on the pod

Google recently introduced a cool new way to find local businesses: You can now open Gemini, select an area on Google Maps, and ask it to recommend businesses within that area.

Gemini will pull in information from Google Maps, including ratings, reviews, and business details. You can even ask follow-up questions to narrow down your options.

Big shoutout to Andy Simpson for bringing this to my attention and sharing it with Claire, too.

The feature is rolling out on the Gemini mobile app, so you might not have access to it just yet.

The brilliant Claire Carlile and Elizabeth Linder discussed this in detail on last week’s Whitespark Local Update episode, plus:

  • How to Coordinate AI Search Optimization Across Marketing Teams (Aleyda Solís)

  • New GBP Expanded Dietary Attributes (Lisa Landsman)

  • How to Segment SEO Data for Multi-location Brands (Dayna Lucio)

  • SparkToro’s Audience Tool (Rand Fishkin)

  • Re-imagining AI Visibility KPIs in a Query Fan Out world (Wil Reynolds)

  • Track What You Can, Let Go of the Rest: Attribution After GA4 (Dana DiTomaso)

Find the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Darren

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