Feb 6

For years, small businesses were drowned out by massive websites with huge SEO budgets. This update levels the playing field.

The "Home Field" Advantage: Google is now actively filtering for geography. If a local lawyer writes a detailed post about a specific courthouse in their city, Google Discover is more likely to show that to local residents than a generic article from a national site like HuffPost or Forbes.
Authority Over Budget: You don’t need a million-dollar ad spend to win. If you demonstrate "deep knowledge" in your specific niche (like the gardening example Google gave), the AI identifies you as the Subject Matter Expert.
Protection from Clickbait: Small businesses usually can't compete with the "outrage machine" of big media. Since Google is now penalizing sensationalism, the authentic, helpful content you create for your clients finally has the "room to breathe" and be seen.
Predictable Reach: Because Discover is proactive (it "pushes" content to users), a local business can stay "top of mind" with their neighbors without the user even having to search for them.

The consumer experience has been cluttered with "SEO garbage" for a decade. This update fixes the signal-to-noise ratio.

Relevance That Actually Matters: Instead of seeing a "Top 10 Lawyers" list written by a freelancer in another country, the consumer sees content from a professional down the street who actually knows the local laws and community.
Trustworthy Information: By reducing clickbait and sensationalism, the consumer gets facts over fluff. They are less likely to be "tricked" by a headline and more likely to find the actual help they need.
The "Local Discovery" Experience: Consumers get a "personalized newspaper" in their Discover feed that highlights what’s happening in their city, from gardening tips for their specific climate to legal updates for their specific state.
Better AI Recommendations: Since Discover and Search-AI share the same "brain," the consumer gets better recommendations from their AI assistants because the AI is now trained to prioritize verified local entities over generic global ones.

kirby blandino

The Local Aim