Google improved video verification! 🤯

and more local SEO knowledge

May 05, 2025

Hello hello,

Local SEO?

You got it.

1. Google made a helpful update to the video verification process

A couple of weeks ago Lisa Landsman shared on LinkedIn that Google has added a new feature: you can now review your video recording before you submit it.

I really like this change! It lets you watch the video and make sure you followed all of Google’s instructions. Hopefully, this will mean fewer rejected videos and less need to re-do the verification if you accidentally miss something.

The local SEO community had lots of good things to say about this on LinkedIn.

2. The MOST Underrated Local Ranking Factor in 2025

In the 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors, Review Recency ranks as the 20th most valuable local ranking factor.

But I think Google has cranked the dial on this factor, so I’d put it in my top 5 most important ranking factors of 2025.

In this video 3-minute video, I explain why getting new reviews regularly is so important, and I show you proof, thanks to a study by Joy Hawkins 👇️

3. ChatGPT prompt you NEED to know

Here's how to use ChatGPT to find content opportunities for your website 👇

  1. Enable “Deep research” mode (you’ll need a paid plan)

  2. Paste your website link and prompt:

    “Please analyze this entire small business website and suggest some topics that are missing that we could make additional pages for”

  3. Answer the follow-up questions and let it do its thing

I was surprised at how good the content suggestions were! It gave me a solid list of services the business did not have pages for.

Let me know how this works out for you on Facebook!

4. Once upon a time, there was a young Darren…

I’ll leave you with this story about my days as a waiter and the lessons they’ve taught me. Swipe to read 👇️

See this carousel on Instagram.

Follow me on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok so you don’t miss my local SEO posts, memes, and random stories from my youth 😅

Darren