Here is today’s roundup of news related to local marketing and advertising, local media, technology, local commerce, consumer behavior and more.

Google’s AI-Driven Ad Units Preview the Future of Digital Marketing (February 21, 2018)
LSA Insider: “Yesterday Google introduced “Auto Ads” for publishers. This is an AdSense ad unit — not an ad for automobiles — that is largely automated, hence “auto.””

Study: Mobile Searches for ‘Should I’ & ‘For Me’ Have Grown Considerably (February 21, 2018)
LSA Insider: “According to a recent Think with Google report, over the last two years, mobile searches for “should I” and “for me” have grown 80 and 60 percent respectively.”

Google’s growth in online local reviews continues to dominate, but… (February 21, 2018)
Search Engine Land: “The growing importance of reputation management in business growth needs no introduction.”

What Consumers Want From Brand Content: 4 Insights (February 21, 2018)
Marketing Charts: “Consumers are more cautious in their viewing and sharing of content than they used to be, reveals Adobe in a new report, but its survey results also show that brands can influence sharing and purchase activity with their content efforts.”

Google to Move Many More Sites to Mobile-First Index Very Soon (February 21, 2018)
Search Engine Journal: “Google’s Gary Illyes has confirmed that a significant number of sites will be migrated to the mobile-first index in the next month and a half.”

Is Yelp Local Visits Test a Harbinger of ‘Real World ROI’ for SMBs? (February 20, 2018)
LSA Insider: “Location intelligence companies such as GroundTruth, PlaceIQ, Placed, UberMedia, Foursquare, NinthDecimal, Factual, Verve, Thinknear, Blis, Cuebiq and others have been providing audience targeting and offline attribution to big agencies and brands for several years.”

Digital Tactics To Love (February 20, 2018)
MediaPost: “According to a report by MDG Advertising, committing to specific digital tactics can be difficult for marketers.”