Claudia Tomina
Key takeaways
- 9:04Visual content and video storytelling are replacing text-based optimization as the primary local SEO strategy; AI is prioritizing YouTube Shorts and video content in search results.
- 7:08Citation and review management across third-party platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor are becoming critical again, especially for franchise businesses with uncontrolled listings.
- 16:31Businesses need to shift from tracking website clicks to measuring influence metrics: brand followers, influencer mentions, Google Maps features, and review diversity across platforms.
- 10:00Multi-location brands must build dedicated service area pages that explicitly mention the cities and communities they serve, so they appear in AI-powered local search results.
- 14:10Quarterly audits of Google Business Profiles are essential to stay current with new features like text messaging and WhatsApp integration that may appear on mobile and Google Search.
Questions Claudia Tomina answered
Claudia started in local SEO in 2019, partnering to focus on citation management and review generation for multi-location businesses. She joined the Google Product Expert program in 2022 after encountering a client problem with fake reviews and discovering she could help answer forum questions better than most.
Local SEO has shifted from basic keyword and data optimization to visual storytelling. Businesses must now show their story through videos and photos rather than just describing services in text, making visual content a dominant ranking factor.
Ask Maps is evolving but still hallucinates without sufficient data. Google is shifting focus toward reviews as a primary data source, and generating quality reviews with detailed customer feedback is becoming increasingly important for feeding AI systems.
Meta titles and descriptions are becoming important ranking factors for AI. Citations are experiencing a resurgence in importance, and businesses should ensure they are claimed and optimized across Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other platforms, not just Google Maps.
Multi-location brands must build location-specific service area pages explicitly mentioning cities they serve, so AI can match them to relevant local queries. Without dedicated community pages, brands miss out on appearing in AI search results.
In Claudia Tomina's words
“Help me tell your story. What is it that you want your customers to know about you without saying it in words?”
“Make sure your content is really there. I think there's going to be a big focus on organic SEO and a shift away from paid ads because people are going to start to realize that AI is answering these questions and maybe they're not answering it correctly.”
“You got to be careful with AI—it's going to evolve, it's going to change. Make sure you're well optimized, your pages are giving the right content, and we're creating quality, relevant content that's fulfilling the customer journey.”
“Show your story, you're not really telling it anymore. Local visibility is not about the ranking reports and the website clicks anymore—it's about finding your audience and making sure you're having the influence where they're at.”