Local Memo: TikTok Petitioning Supreme Court to Block Ban
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In this week’s update, TikTok takes its fight directly to the Supreme Court; we learn what sources support ChatGPT in the local search landscape; a recent Google exploit helps us understand how and why Google ranks content; and more visibility for AI influenced content in local business listings.
TikTok Petitioning Supreme Court to Block Ban
The News
TikTok has taken its fight to the Supreme Court after the US government passed a bill requiring the sale of the social media platform from its parent company ByteDance. They have until January 19th to sell the platform to adhere to the new requirements prohibiting software tied to a US adversary to be distributed in the United States.
TikTok has filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing the action would infringe upon the right to free speech. In the appeal, TikTok explains:
“The Act will shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration…. This, in turn, will silence the speech of applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern.”
It’s worth noting that even just one month of a ban on TikTok would cost the company over $1 billion in revenue, and cost creators approximately $300 million in earnings. Many content creators have created entire careers on the platform after its quick rise in popularity back in 2020.
Update: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on TikTok’s appeal on January 10.
What It Means
A ban on TikTok would significantly impact the marketing strategies of many companies, not to mention disrupt the lives of frequent users and content creators. This is an app that has quickly risen in popularity and adoption, especially with young audiences, so an end to its availability in the United States would drastically shake up the social media landscape.
Uncovering ChatGPT’s Search Sources
The News
Thanks to a recent study by BrightLocal, we have a glimpse into sources for ChatGPT’s local search results. The study focused on 800 local business searches, covering 20 business types and 20 U.S. cities, to provide a comprehensive view of ChatGPT’s local search sources and their composition.
The results revealed that business websites dominate ChatGPT’s local search results, accounting for 58% of the sources. This means that businesses with well-optimized and content-rich websites are most likely to appear in ChatGPT’s results. Websites often serve as authoritative sources for business information like contact details, operating hours, and services offered, giving them a natural edge in ChatGPT’s AI-generated responses.
The second-largest group of sources came from business mentions, which made up 27% of results. Mentions include references to businesses on websites like Wikipedia, news outlets, and niche publications. Among these, Wikipedia emerged as the most prominent source, contributing to 39% of all mentions. Its structured, reliable, and widely accessible content likely makes it an ideal reference for ChatGPT when verifying business information. Local media outlets and specialized publications also contributed to mentions but in smaller proportions.
The third category of sources included directories, which accounted for 15% of ChatGPT’s local search results. Interestingly, Three Best Rated was the most commonly cited directory, representing 24% of directory mentions. Other well-known directories like Yelp, Facebook, and Google Maps, which are mainstays in traditional search engines like Google, were notably absent. This suggests that ChatGPT’s reliance on directories is limited and focuses more on niche or less commercial platforms.
What It Means
The study demonstrates how ChatGPT’s search behavior is evolving and diverging from traditional search engines. Businesses that adapt to this shift—by prioritizing website optimization and authoritative mentions—will be better positioned to appear in AI-driven search results. As AI continues to grow as a search tool, understanding these nuances will be essential for businesses to stay competitive in the evolving digital landscape.
A Recent Exploit Helps Us Understand How and Why Google Ranks Content
The News
An exploit discovered by Mark Wiliams-Cook has revealed properties that Google utilizes to analyze content for ranking purposes. These findings include topics such as consensus scoring, query classifications, site quality scores, and click probabilities.
Consensus Scoring: According to the findings, Google is evaluating the number of passages in content that agree with, contradict, or remain neutral to the general consensus. The score that is generated will likely determine whether or not your content can rank for certain queries.
Query Classifications: Google classifies queries into 8 different categories:
- Short fact
- Bool (short for Boolean – yes/no questions)
- Other
- Instruction
- Definition
- Reason
- Comparison
- Consequence (Your Money Your Life, or YMYL)
Site Quality Score: Google also calculates a site quality score at the subdomain level, based on brand visibility, user interactions, and anchor text found across the web. Sites that do not reach a determined threshold will be ineligible for certain search features like “People Also Ask” or “Featured Snippets.”
Click Probability: Not quite the same as click through rate, Click Probability is Google’s evaluation on the likelihood of your link receiving a click in search results. This changes as your title tag optimizations change.
What It Means
After 2024’s Google API leak, the industry has learned a great deal about what considerations Google makes when prioritizing content across the web. This exploit allows us to dig a bit deeper into the concepts that influence your appearance in search results. These findings can help aid SEOs in areas of optimization for their website strategies.
AI Powered Business Descriptions Appearing in Search Results
The News
It’s been reported for a while now that AI descriptions in Google Business Profile are appearing in business listings. The formerly Google-written short descriptions were powered by their internal teams but recently adjusted to be AI generated.
Recently, the local SEO community began noticing the AI descriptions were appearing within map packs in traditional search results (screenshot from Joy Hawkins below). Google frequently experiments with their local experience in search results, often displaying (or not displaying) elements like photos and action links, so these updates are nothing too new to the community, but worthy of note.
Courtesy Joy Hawkins
It’s important to remember that businesses cannot change these descriptions, which in the past was a common complaint from business owners.
What It Means
Anytime Google changes experiences in the map pack, performance metrics are impacted. This change should be no different. These swaps often impact website clicks, direction requests, or clicks to call. The addition of an AI powered description, which by its nature is highly customized and unique to the business, should help drive better click-through rates to listings.
