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

Study Finds 96% of Business Locations Aren’t ‘Voice Search Ready’ (April 11, 2019)
LSA Insider: “A new study from Uberall analyzed the voice search readiness (VSR) of 73,000 businesses in the Boston Metro area, ranging from SMBs to large enterprises, all of which had a location. The study utilized “a percentage-based grading system that analyzed a business’s optimized online presence” and data.”

How to Execute an SEO Campaign Gut Check (April 11, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Once you’ve been working in the digital marketing industry for any length of time, if your gut is telling you that something just isn’t right, don’t ignore that feeling. You very well may have subconsciously spotted something that hasn’t yet made it to the front of your brain.”

Going head to head with Google Smart Bidding: The good, the bad and the weird (April 11, 2019)
Search Engine Land: “Google Smart Bidding, the search giant’s machine learning bidding strategy, has ruffled more than a few feathers in the industry. And for good reason. It commands thousands of real-time bidding signals at its (virtual) fingertips. It can analyze 70 million signals in 100 milliseconds. For retailers casting longing glances at its results so far, things look tempting.”

Location Intelligence 2019 (April 10, 2019)
eMarketer: “Marketers are using more location data than ever, but consumer privacy concerns and an evolving landscape have raised new challenges. Marketers must be more transparent and thoughtful about collecting and using geolocation.”

Google Introduces Cloud For Retail, Highlights Vision Product Search, Recommendations (April 10, 2019)
MediaPost: “Google on Wednesday announced a cloud offering for retailers about four months after Thomas Kurian stepped into his role as Google Cloud CEO after a 22-year career at  Oracle, known for its focus on retail and enterprise companies.”