Mid-August to Mid-September of 2016 will mark the month Google started really taking local search serious. We’ll start with the big picture and drill down.

Google Doubling Down on Local. Now What?

From the guy that laments he’s Google’s institutional memory for Local….

Google Announces Ad in Local Stack

Which leaves only 2 organic positions on the first page of the Local Stack. From 7 to 3 to 2 . . . [JoyAnneHawkins]

Duplicate GMBs

Know what to do in MapMaker according to Joy Hawkins. [JoyAnneHawkins]

More Reviews Added to GMB

Google added up to 3 “Reviews from the Web” to GMB pages from user-generated content that uses review schema mark-up. So far, Yelp and TripAdvisor aren’t showing, though Facebook is. [SearchEngineLand] Yelp is back, notes Blumenthal, tracking a little of it tortured history with Google. [Blumenthals]

GMB Phone Support Ending?

Joy Hawkins notes the number is gone from GMB dashboards and the phone option after wading through troubleshooting might not call back. [SearchEngineRoundtable]

Multiple GMB Owners Now Allowed

Now more one person can have ownership privileges on a GMB page. [SearchEngineJournal]

How Map Zoom Settings Change Local Stack Results

Evidence from NYC that it does, causing some businesses to disappear entirely from the Local Stack [LocalSearchForum]