Top Local Search Marketing publishes news and analysis for local business owners about changes at Google Search, Google Maps, Google Business Profile, Google Ads and AI search tools. This page explains how we report, how we separate our opinions from the facts, how we fix mistakes, and where our own business interests sit.
About our news coverage
Our News section covers platform changes, policy updates, new features and industry data that affect how local businesses get found and get calls. Every story is written for owners, not marketers: what changed, what we know for sure, and what it means for a local business.
News articles are researched, written and edited by the Top Local Search Marketing Editorial Team. Our coverage is free to read. We do not run paid placements in our news coverage, and we do not accept payment in exchange for coverage.
How we source stories
- Primary sources first. We start with the original source: official company announcements and blogs, help center and policy pages, product release notes, documentation, public statements and published data.
- We credit other reporting. When another publication or researcher found something first, we name them and link to their work.
- We link to what we cite. Sources are linked in the article so readers can check them.
- We say what is not confirmed. If a claim rests on a single source, an early test or a report we could not verify, the article says so. We do not present rumors as fact.
- Our own observations are labeled. When we describe what we saw in a live product or in our own testing, we say that is where it came from.
Reporting vs. analysis
We keep facts and opinions apart so readers always know which one they are reading.
- Reporting is what happened and who said it, with sources.
- Analysis is our view: what we expect to happen next, what we think it means, and what we would do about it. Analysis sections are labeled, for example with headings such as “Our analysis,” “Our view” or “What we expect,” or with clear phrases like “in our view.”
- Advice sections, such as checklists for business owners, are labeled as recommendations, not news.
- Promotional sections, such as an invitation to request a Free Market Report or call us, are visually separate from the article and are never presented as reporting.
Corrections policy
When we get something wrong, we fix it and we say so.
- Factual errors are corrected as soon as we confirm them. A substantive correction gets a note in the article that says what was wrong, what is right now, and the date of the correction.
- Developing stories may get updates as new information comes out. Those are marked as updates, and the article’s “Updated” date changes.
- Minor fixes, such as typos, grammar or broken links that do not change the meaning, may be made without a note.
- We do not quietly delete mistakes, and we never change an article’s original published date.
How to request a correction
If you think something we published is wrong, please tell us. Send us the article link, the statement you believe is wrong, and a source if you have one.
- Use our contact page and mention “Correction request.”
- Email Info@TopLocalSearchMarketing.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.
- Call (512) 991-3840.
A member of the editorial team reviews every request. If we confirm an error, we correct it under the policy above.
Conflicts of interest
We are a marketing agency, and we want that to be clear. Top Local Search Marketing is a privately owned company based in Lakeway, Texas. We earn our money by selling marketing services to local businesses, including local SEO, Google Business Profile work, Google Ads management, websites and AI search optimization. We are not funded by advertising on this site.
That means we have a business interest in the topics we cover. Here is how we handle it:
- We report platform changes accurately whether or not they are good news for agencies like ours.
- We do not accept payment, gifts or favors in exchange for coverage, and we do not publish sponsored content as news.
- If an article covers a company we have a business relationship with, such as a client, vendor or partner, we disclose that relationship in the article.
- Calls to action for our own services are kept separate from the reporting, as described above.
Use of AI tools
We use AI tools to help with research, summarizing source material and drafting. A person on our editorial team reviews every article before it is published, checks facts, numbers and quotes against the original sources, and is responsible for what we publish. We do not use AI to invent quotes, sources or data. Images on news articles are illustrations (licensed stock photos or created graphics) unless a caption says otherwise; they are not news photos of the events described.
Bylines and dates
News articles carry an organizational byline, “Top Local Search Marketing Editorial Team,” which links to our Editorial Team page. Each article shows the date and time it was first published, and an “Updated” date and time when it has been changed since.
Contact the editorial team
Questions about our coverage or these standards? Reach us through our contact page, at Info@TopLocalSearchMarketing.com, or at (512) 991-3840.