The Best SEO Podcast: Defining the Future of Search with LLM Visibility™

Episode: How Google Ranks Business Profiles: Trust, Reviews & AI with Brad Wetherall

Host: Matt Bertram
Guest: Brad Wetherall (Former Head of Google My Business/Google Business Profile)
Date: September 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Bertram and Brad Wetherall demystify how Google ranks business profiles, emphasizing trust, reviews, AI, and local SEO strategies. Brad shares insider insights from his tenure leading Google’s Business Profile (GBP, formerly GMB) product, covering data accuracy, verification, trust metrics, reviews, directories, categories, and features impacted by AI and evolving search paradigms.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Google Business Profile Naming, History & Branding (00:13–02:47)

• GBP has gone through multiple rebrands (Places → GMB → GBP).
• The rebrand aimed to clarify product intent: "It's your business profile on Google. All right, Google Business Profile. There you go. It's obvious, right?" — Brad Wetherall [01:53]
• Despite the official name, many still refer to it as Google My Business, reflecting legacy habits in the SEO community.

2. Link Building, Citations, and NAP Consistency (04:22–09:34)

• Citations and link building are NOT major direct ranking factors for GBP/local SEO rankings.
  • "It doesn't really influence rank that much. What it does do is it increases data accuracy or at least Google's philosophy of data accuracy." — Brad [04:22]
• Main impact: Streamlining verification, especially for new businesses lacking a digital footprint. More citations and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) help Google validate business existence and affiliation.
• Quality matters more than quantity: "Of those hundred directories, ten of them are probably good and the other ninety are just garbage." — Brad [07:47]
• Action: Ensure directory information is accurate and consistent, and focus only on high-value, relevant directories.
• Ongoing management is critical; inconsistency actively harms trust and verification.

3. Trust, Authority, and Google's Internal Systems (10:33–19:43)

Two Dimensions of Trust

A. Profile Edit Trust (System Trust):

• Every edit to a GBP is scored for risk. Higher-risk edits (name, address, phone, website, category) may trigger re-verification.
• “How much do I trust the person who is making that change? …There is this algorithm behind the scenes that rates your level of trust... All of those activities, assuming they are accepted, will elevate your level of trust in the system.” — Brad [13:21]
• Positive history (accepted edits, reviews, photos) boosts your ability to make changes without heavy verification.

B. E-E-A-T Style Trust (Content/Brand Trust):

• With AI overviews, Google acts less as a directory and more as an answer engine.
• Trust in this sense means: Is the source (website/brand) reputable enough to ground AI-generated answers?
• "It's not good enough to just create content and throw it on your website. You also have to have that represented in other parts of the Internet so that you can increase your authority and trust with Google." — Brad [18:07]
• Building brand authority and mentions across the web are increasingly critical for AI-era visibility.

4. Review System: Architecture, Importance, and Best Practices (19:43–32:46)

• Review ownership resides with the reviewer, not the business. Deleted reviews can sometimes be recovered if you have the text or reviewer info.
• Multi-location reputation management tools can help track and recover missing reviews.

Ranking Factors (For Local Pack):

1. Business name (especially with keyword relevance)
2. Primary category
3. Volume and recency of reviews

• “Frequency is more important than volume… if you have 500 reviews from the last three months, you’re probably number one." — Brad [25:56]
• Third-party reviews (Yelp, industry sites) increasingly factor into authority—especially in Europe.

Keywords in Reviews:

• Consistency and relevance of review content (i.e., mentioning services like “karaoke bar”) can enable businesses to rank for terms not in their profile.

Review Legitimacy:

• “If the review is being left by someone who has created their Google account ten years ago… there’s a high degree of trust.” — Brad [29:24]
• Google's algorithms aggressively filter for fraud; fake, bought, or suspicious review patterns lead to removals and penalties.

5. Fake Reviews & Legal Repercussions (32:46–39:14)

• Google differentiates between review spam and fraudulent/fake business listings.
  • For large-scale fraud, Google has worked with law enforcement (e.g., the FBI on locksmith scams).
  • For fake review manipulation: Profiles may be blocked from receiving new reviews for 90 days, and past fake reviews deleted.
  • “My advice to businesses… the risk is not worth the reward.” — Brad [35:46]
• Google engineers track the “market price” for fake listings as an informal anti-spam metric.

6. Features: Q&A Section, Posting, Messaging, and More (39:14–46:21)

Q&A Section (FAQ)

• Built to encourage business-owner engagement; low engagement or misuse (owners seeding questions/answers themselves) may be leading toward sunset.
• “While reviews and Q&A did have ranking benefits, posting does not… Posting was designed more as a conversion factor.” — Brad [42:38]
• “If that behavior is systemic, it’s not being used for the purpose by which it was designed.” — Brad [43:02]
• No sunset date confirmed; if it’s still available, using it can have ranking benefits.

Reviews & Posts

• Consumer engagement features = ranking factors (Reviews, Q&A).
• Conversion features = not direct ranking factors (Posts).

Business Messaging

• Killed for resource allocation, not lack of usage or effectiveness.

7. Categories, Photos, and Multimedia Optimization (46:21–54:35)

Categories:

• After business name, primary category is the most important ranking factor.
• Secondary categories should be closely related; adding unrelated ones can cause suspensions or re-verification.
• Utilize services section under each category and optimize by location (“personal injury attorney in Houston, Texas”).

Photos:

• Ongoing uploads (frequency > bulk uploads) indicate accuracy and activity.

• Proactively upload “evidence” photos helpful for reinstatements (exterior, signage, etc.).

• Enable geolocation on photos for more contextual trust.

• Google reads photo metadata—location, date—and visual content to infer business attributes.

  “If you’re taking photos with your phone, have the geolocation feature turned on—it drops latitude and longitude into the metadata…” — Brad [47:15]

8. Google Website Builder (“Presto”) Sunsetting (54:35–60:04)

• Presto (Google’s internal name): A GBP add-on feature primarily for markets lacking websites.
• No intended SEO/rank benefit for businesses already with a website. Benefit was often misunderstood.
• “The team that built the websites feature in GBP was not the team optimizing search.” — Brad [56:05]
• Feature ended due to redundancy with GBP profile and mobile-first design priorities.
• Key: AI-mode increasingly pulls business info from GBP itself, so keep GBP accurate and up to date.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s not just about the words you use, it’s about the videos and the photos that you’re using as well.” — Brad [47:45]
• “What’s different today… is the importance of brand mentions versus links. …Media mentions are becoming the new backlinks.” — Brad [60:31]
• “If you’re in an industry where 10 [reviews] is the competition, then get 10. But … frequency is more important than volume.” — Brad [25:24]
• “The risk is not worth the reward… Google is cracking down… the trust and safety team take it personally.” — Brad [35:46]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:13 – Introduction, Branding History
• 04:22 – Link Building, Citations, NAP, Verification
• 10:33 – Google’s Concepts of Trust & Authority
• 19:43 – Review System: Ownership, Recovery, Ranking
• 24:00 – Review Architecture & Recovery Tactics
• 25:56 – Frequency vs. Volume in Reviews
• 32:46 – Handling Fake Reviews, Legal Implications
• 39:14 – Sunsetting Q&A and Engagement Features
• 42:38 – Ranking Value of Reviews/Q&A vs. Posts
• 46:21 – Categories, Photos, Multimedia, Best Practices
• 54:35 – Google’s Website Feature (Presto) Story & SEO Relevance
• 60:31 – “Unknown Secret” of Local SEO: Brand Mentions > Links

The #1 "Unknown Secret" of Local SEO Today (60:31)

“The importance of brand mentions versus links… Media mentions are becoming the new backlinks.” — Brad Wetherall

• In the AI and LLM-driven future, Google is less dependent on backlinks and more focused on authoritative brand presence and mentions across reputable sources.

Actionable Takeaways

• Focus on consistent, quality NAP citations to streamline verification—don’t spam low-quality directories.
• Drive frequent, recent, and authentic reviews; encourage multimedia contributions from real customers.
• Maintain active, accurate, and well-optimized GBP profiles—update categories, services, and multimedia.
• Prioritize engagement features that will remain: reviews, services, categories, and especially the narrative your brand builds across the web.
• Don’t risk fake reviews or manipulative practices—the penalties outweigh any temporary gains.
• Use the “services” and “photos” sections strategically for both ranking and trust-building.
• Invest in brand mentions and media presence for future-proof LLM/AI visibility.

Connect with Brad Wetherall

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/BradWetherall
• Company: Chief Operating Officer, Esquire.Digital (Search marketing for law firms)
• Open to Consultations: Especially for complex GBP/local SEO issues and business profile changes

For more insights on evolving search, AI visibility, and high-impact local SEO strategies, follow Matt Bertram and join the EWR Digital mastermind community.