Filmed On: 15th January 2026Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & Him

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Darren Shaw - Founder of Whitespark, long-time local SEO authority, and creator of the Local Search Ranking Factors study.

Darren breaks down what actually moves the needle in local SEO right now, what most businesses are still getting wrong, and how Google Maps, reviews, AI agents, and social signals are reshaping local visibility heading into 2026.

We dive deep into review recency, business hours, service-area myths, Google Business Profile optimisation, AI-powered local discovery, and why Google is likely to dominate local AI search.

Connect With Darren - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenshaw https://www.whitespark.ca

Topics we cover•

What most people still misunderstand about local SEO

• Review recency vs review volume

• How to actually generate more Google reviews

• Anonymous Google reviews — risk or opportunity?

• Local SEO myths

• Business hours as a hidden ranking factor

• Service-area businesses, hidden addresses & ranking drops• Why Google Posts don’t affect rankings — but do drive conversions

• Social content showing directly inside Google Maps results

• Short-form video as a local SEO advantage

• AI agents coming to Google Business Profiles

• Why Google is better positioned than ChatGPT for local AI search

• Building a personal brand alongside a growing SEO business