Cracking “Near Me”: How to Win With Google Business Profiles (w/ Craig Darling)
In this episode of What Keeps You Awake.TV, host David Hooser sits down with Craig Darling, founder of Darling Local, to unpack what really drives results in local search—visibility over vanity. From early internet wins in auto sales to today’s AI-driven “near me” landscape, Craig shares practical steps any SMB can use to get discovered and convert.
🔥 Inside This Episode:
The one thing that keeps a local SEO pro up at night: Google’s silent changes
Why visibility beats “marketing”: make your Google Business Profile your first-page anchor
AI era realities: optimize for voice (Siri/Alexa/Google), Apple Maps, Bing, and AI overviews
Fast wins most SMBs miss: product listings (1,500 chars), service definitions (300 chars each), and linking social so posts are searchable
PPC vs. Profile: when to pause low-ROI ads and fully optimize GBP first
Real-world proof: first-page dominance, click-to-call spikes, and what “100% conversion” actually means
📌 Key Takeaway
If you’re not on the first page, you’re invisible. A fully optimized Google Business Profile is the fastest, most cost-effective path to “near me” discovery.
🔔 Subscribe to What Keeps You Awake.TV for more conversations that turn complex growth tactics into simple playbooks.
📣 Question for You
What’s the one local search action you’ve been putting off (products, services, photos, reviews)—and what’s stopping you?
🔑 Hashtags:
#CraigDarling #DarlingLocal #WhatKeepsYouAwakeTV #LocalSEO #GoogleBusinessProfile #GoogleMyBusiness #NearMe #SmallBusiness #AI #VoiceSearch #AppleMaps #Bing #DigitalMarketing #SMBMarketing #SearchVisibility
