⚡️Links Still Matter / Google Core Update / 1% of Traffic / Google Ads Budgets / 21 Local Search
I'm back with another edition of Local Marketing Minute, where you can explore this week's best handpicked Local SEO, AI, & Ads insights and news.
Tip of the Week👇
🧠 AI Search Is Changing the Game… But Links Still Matter (A Lot)
So… are backlinks dead in the age of AI search?
Not even close. 😅
According to a recent industry survey, 66% of SEOs say links are just as or even more important than they were before Google's AI Overviews showed up.
Surprised?
Don’t be.
Here’s the deal: while AI may be summarizing content faster than your barista makes cold brew, it still relies on credible, authoritative sources to do it.
And you know what signals that credibility?
Yep—quality backlinks.
How to Stay Competitive in the AI-Search Era 🧩
If you want to win in a world where Google is basically summarizing the internet in real-time, you need to check these boxes:
🔗 Double down on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
→ Get featured in news, industry blogs, podcasts, or anywhere that real people trust.
→ Build links naturally by being genuinely helpful, quotable, and visible.
📥 Don’t just chase high-authority sites
→ Even smaller, hyper-relevant niche sites can drive strong link value when they’re topically aligned. Think quality over vanity metrics.
✍️ Create content worth referencing
→ You want to be the answer AI summarizes. Write original insights, data, and POVs that deserve to be cited—by humans and machines.
🔎 Audit your backlink profile regularly
→ Not all links are created equal. Focus on building a clean, trustworthy backlink footprint.
Bottom line? 💡
AI might be rewriting the search experience, but authority still wins visibility.
And backlinks?
They're the currency of authority.
Keep building them—but smarter, not harder.
👉 Book your 15-min discovery call
Here's my weekly handpicked articles for July 3, 2025👇
Google Rolls Out June 2025 Core Update
Google has officially announced that the core update scheduled for June 2025 is now being implemented, with the rollout expected to take as long as three weeks to complete.
AI Search Currently Drives Less Than 1% of Traffic To Most Sites, Google Is Still Dominant, and Watch The Long-term Risk of Ignoring Google Search
The risk of ignoring Google could end up impacting rankings across search features like AIOs, the 10-blue links, featured snippets, image search, video mode, Google News, Discover, and even AI Mode (which is the future of Search according to Google).
Is Google Ads Wasting Your Money? Understanding Average Daily Budgets
What you need to know about Google Ads monthly spending limits, average daily budgets, billed vs. actual cost, and more.
21 Local Search Developments You Need to Know About From Q2 2025
We’ve had a relatively quiet quarter for reviews, a rather loud one for Google Business Profiles, and a stereo blast of AI studies. Today’s roundup will help you feel confident that you’re caught up on the major local search marketing developments of the past quarter, with plenty of actionable takeaways from some of the best minds in our industry.
AND...Whenever you're ready...here's how we can help you land more and better local clients, customers, or patients:
15-Min Discovery Call with Justin: In 15 minutes, you'll get personalized insights, a no-pressure digital assessment of your business, and explore potential strategies to increase qualified leads, phone calls, & appointments. Book your 15-min discovery call now.
Free Local SEO Performance Audit: Get a complete overview of your Local SEO performance in seconds. Get your FREE audit now.
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