The Latest News From Melon Local
Stay in the know with the latest news in digital marketing, best practices and updates from Melon Local.
4 Questions to Ask Before Granting GBP Access
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most valuable digital assets your business owns. It’s often the first thing potential customers see when they search for your business, making it a key driver of organic calls, website visits and foot traffic. In fact, a fully optimized GBP gets
Melon Spotlight: Alberto Renteria
Although Alberto first joined the Melon Patch as a Paid Search Assistant, it didn’t take long for his sharp attention to detail and behind-the-scenes hustle to stand out. Now a key part of the team as a Paid Search Manager, he continues to help optimize client accounts that deliver real results. We caught up with Alberto to learn more about his journey with Melon Local — and what keeps him
Is Your SEO Hot Enough to Rank This Summer?
Summer’s heating up, and so is the competition! Whether you’re running a local mom-and-pop coffee shop or a multi-location insurance agency, keeping up with the latest trends in SEO is essential to long-term growth and success. And now with the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) search and Instagram’s integration in search engine result pages (SERPs), it’s more important than ever to apply the latest SEO best practices to your
Interview with an Agent: Peyton Pettus
A lot has changed with insurance marketing since Georgia-based agent Peyton Pettus entered the agency world 30 years ago — but one thing has stayed consistent: the need to adapt. Peyton has seen it all, from the days of cold calls and direct mail to today’s competitive digital landscape. Now, he’s one of the nation’s Top-10 agents and leveraging tools like Melon Max live transfer calls and prioritizing smart hiring
Meet Melon Local’s Social Media Team
At Melon Local, we believe that every client has a unique story to tell on social media, whether through lifestyle snapshots, educational posts or simple day-in-the-life moments. Of course, none of this happens by accident. It takes a village — or rather, a team — and at the center of that village is someone making sure every piece of content reflects purpose and personality. Now’s your chance to meet the
Melon Spotlight: Cassidy Fehr
From rolling out the green carpet as a CSM to now building stronger connections behind the scenes in her hybrid role as an Administrative Operations Specialist, Cass has built a reputation for “ex-seeding” expectations. She brings structure, organization, positivity and heart to everything she does, from coordinating smooth systems to adding a thoughtful touch to team events and client gifts. Cass tackles every task with calm confidence and a commitment
How to Prepare Your Business for Instagram’s SEO Update
As of July 10, Instagram is now allowing search engines like Google and Bing to index public content from professional accounts. Essentially, this means the content you share — whether it’s photos, carousels or Reels — from eligible accounts can now appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) — even for users who aren’t logged into Instagram. Not only is this a major shift for a social platform that’s traditionally
How Google’s AI Overviews Are Affecting SEO
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just changing how businesses create content — it’s changing how their customers find them. Depending on the search, Google may now present an AI Overview at the top of your organic results — and sometimes above or below paid ads. This new feature provides AI-generated summaries based on your search results. Here’s what your business should know about Google’s ongoing AI rollout and how to set
Melon Spotlight: Matt McCracken
This time, we’re flipping the script. Meet Matt McCracken — Melon Local’s Director of Marketing and the usual mastermind behind the spotlight videos. Matt began his journey at Melon as a Client Success Manager, where he quickly developed a passion for solving client pain points. With a background in photography and videography, he soon stepped behind the lens to craft engaging content that hit home with our audience. Since joining
Understanding How Google Local Service Ads Work
Chances are, you’ve probably noticed these at the top of your search results — those clean, professional-looking boxes showing nearby service providers with a shiny green Google Guaranteed checkmark. Let’s talk about Google Local Service Ads (LSAs), which are a type of paid ad designed to help local service providers connect with customers in their area. Unlike your traditional Google Ads, which charge per click, LSAs operate instead on a
Latest Blog Posts
Melon Spotlight: Liz Anguiano
Since joining our team as a Social Media Content Creator, Liz has brought fresh ideas, creativity and a true team spirit to everything she does. Her passion for crafting scroll-stopping content, hopping on calls to ensure our clients’ social presence is always on point and helping agents shine online as local legends made her an essential part of the Melon Patch. We caught up with Liz to talk about her
Soaring Eagle Agent Study Group Coming Back Stronger in 2026
The Soaring Eagle agent study group isn’t just back for 2026 — it’s bigger than ever. More than 400 agents and team members from across the U.S. are already set to attend from January 28–30 at the Soaring Eagle Resort & Casino in Mt. Pleasant, MI, making this the largest gathering the study group has hosted yet. Founder and insurance agent David Arce says even as the room expands, Soaring
Melon Local Wins Best Service Award at BizX North America 2025
At this year’s BizX North America conference sponsored by ActionCOACH, more than 400 entrepreneurs and business coaches gathered from Oct. 26–28 in Houston, TX to talk about leadership and what it really means to grow. And in the middle of it all, Melon Local proved once again that it’s possible to build a digital marketing agency around quality hospitality over hype. In a full-circle moment, we’re proud to announce that
Melon Spotlight: Ernie Ron
From guiding clients as a CSM to now leading a full team as Director of Client Success, Ernie’s journey at Melon has been inspiring, to say the least. Over the past four years, he’s helped shape how we connect with clients, drive leads and deliver results that truly matter.Whether he’s coaching his team, educating our clients on Melon Max or stepping into the spotlight during live demo videos, it’s safe to
What Our Team Loves About Melon Local: 5 Perspectives
At Melon Local, we believe our greatest strengths come from our people and the forward-thinking strategies we develop together because that’s what keeps our clients ahead of the game. Every relationship is an opportunity to embrace fresh ideas, adopt new technologies and build momentum in a digital space that’s constantly evolving. But beyond the tools, it’s the community that we’ve built — the support, collaboration and encouragement — that makes
Black Hat SEO Tricks That Can Come Back to Haunt You
Black hat SEO might look like a treat at first — a quick fix promising fast rankings, sudden traffic boosts and easy wins. But just like a haunted house, those misleading shortcuts are filled with hidden traps that can spook your business for years to come. At Melon Local, we’ve seen firsthand how these rule-breaking tactics may give businesses a temporary boost but almost always ends in penalties, lost visibility
Meet Melon Local’s Marketing Team
At Melon Local, our marketing team’s first priority is telling Melon’s story — making sure our brand, content, and resources stay fresh, consistent, and impactful. Every ad we create, every Melon University webinar we host, every blog we write and every piece of branded content we design has a purpose: to showcase what makes us different and to keep clients connected with the latest best practices in digital marketing. While
How to Connect with Gen Z Social Media Users
Gen Z — generally defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 — is the first generation to grow up entirely online with social media at their fingertips. From catchy TikTok dances to viral memes, this is how they connect. They value authenticity, speed and connection — they’ll “highkey” scroll past content that doesn’t resonate. And if your content doesn’t pass the “vibe check” in the first few seconds, it’s
Beyond Keywords: How ChatGPT-5 Redefines Search
OpenAI’s recent launch of ChatGPT-5 marks a significant shift in online search behavior. Even this blog’s feature image was created using ChatGPT-5 — a fitting example of how AI is no longer just a tool we talk about, but one we actively use to create and communicate. Originally kicking off the AI revolution with its previous large language model (LLM) ChatGPT-4 in 2023, OpenAI will likely continue to shape how