Conversations with Brad Wetherall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Wetherall.

Hi Brad, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey has taken me from a small town in Australia to leading operations for some of Google’s most critical products.

Here is a brief overview of my story:

I grew up in a small country town in Victoria Australia, the son of a mechanic and a school teacher. About 25 years ago, I immigrated to the United States on a temporary visa. I started my career as a software engineer, building websites in the early 2000’s. This work eventually led me to JP Morgan Chase, where I spent six years rising to the level of Executive Director.

In 2013, I joined Google. Coming from J.P.Morgan Chase, my tenure began with the Google Wallet product, but my responsibilities quickly expanded into the Google Maps team. There, I took ownership of the Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), which became the core focus of my work for the next decade.

As I grew within the company, eventually becoming the Director of Operations, my scope widened further. Towards the end of my tenure, in addition to leading the global operations for Google Business Profile, I also assumed responsibility for Google Shopping and Google Domains. It was a decade defined by scaling complex systems to support millions of users worldwide.

Where I Am Today
I left Google in 2024, but I haven’t left the world of local search. Today, I am the CEO of The GBP Experts, an agency focused specifically on helping businesses improve their local SEO presence through the Google Business Profile. We help business owners demystify the platform and turn their profiles into growth engines.

In addition to leading The GBP Experts, I am also an industry expert, author and professional speaker, having spoken at many prestigious industry events like BrightonSEO and LocalU.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
During the pandemic, my family faced a difficult reality. My father-in-law was diagnosed with ALS. My wife, Eryka, and I made the decision to leave the Bay Area, and the immediate proximity to Google HQ, to move to Southern California. We needed to be there for him. It was a necessary move for our family, but it uprooted our lives during an already chaotic global time.

I did not realize it at the time, but this change ultimately led to me being laid off from Google, who – at the time – was pushing for everyone to “Return to the office” while also looking to cut costs. So after over a decade of strong performance, and multiple promotions, climbing the ladder and managing massive global teams, leaving Google in 2024 was incredibly difficult for me. Being part of the layoffs was a stark reality check. For ten years, a huge part of my identity was tied to being a Director at Google. Losing that title forced me to reinvent myself professionally and pivot from a corporate executive to an entrepreneur.

Transitioning from a massive organization to running my own agencies (The GBP Experts and Esquire Digital) required a complete shift in mindset. I had to take the high-level operational knowledge I gained at Google and repackage it into actionable services for small business owners and law firms. It was a rebuilding process, moving from managing established systems to building new ones from the ground up.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Here is a breakdown of my work, my focus, and what makes my perspective unique.

I wear a few different hats today, all centered around demystifying Google for business owners and agencies:

1. CEO of The GBP Experts: A specialized agency focused entirely on the Google Business Profile (GBP). We handle everything from basic optimization to complex reinstatement cases for suspended listings.

2. Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Esquire Digital: A full-service digital marketing agency for law firms. Here, I apply high-level operational strategies to help attorneys dominate their local markets.

3. Founder of Bitwize Consulting: My private consulting firm where I advise businesses on navigating the complexities of the Google ecosystem. Under this umbrella, I have worked as an expert witness on a law suit and operated on the Board of Advisors for various companies.

What I Specialize In
My core expertise lies in the Google Business Profile (GBP) and Local SEO. Specifically, I focus on the “plumbing” of local search, the operational side that most people never see.

This includes:

Complex Resolutions: Fixing suspended profiles, navigating verification hurdles, and solving “invisible” issues that tank rankings.

AI & Search Evolution: Helping brands influence Google’s AI Overviews.

Operational Scale: helping agencies and large multi-location brands scale their local presence without triggering Google’s spam filters.

What I Am Known For
I am most widely recognized as the “Man Behind the Curtain.” For over 10 years, I was the Director of Operations for the Google Business Profile. If you ever submitted a support ticket, dealt with a suspension, or verified a business between 2013 and 2024, my team likely built the process you went through.

I am known for taking that internal, “black box” knowledge and translating it into plain English for the public. You will often find me speaking at major industry conferences (like LocalU and BrightonSEO) or appearing on podcasts explaining why Google does what it does, rather than just guessing at what it might do.

What I Am Most Proud Of
At Google: I am incredibly proud of the scale we achieved. We managed over 3 million support contacts a year and supported millions of small businesses globally. I also successfully led the massive migration of Google Domains to Squarespace, a complex technical feat that happened seamlessly behind the scenes.

Post-Google: I am proud of the pivot. Leaving a comfortable executive role to start from scratch is daunting. Building The GBP Experts and Esquire Digital into forces that genuinely help the “little guy” compete against giants has been deeply rewarding. Seeing a small family business get reinstated after a wrongful suspension is a different kind of victory, but it feels just as good.

What Sets Me Apart?
The industry is full of brilliant SEOs who have reverse-engineered how Google works through testing and observation. I don’t have to guess; I was there.

What sets me apart is the Operational Perspective. Most experts look at the algorithm (the math). I look at the operation (the policy and the people).

I know how the support agents are trained. I know what triggers the fraud detection bots. I know why a specific document gets rejected. I approach Local SEO not just as a marketing challenge, but as a compliance and trust challenge. My advice is grounded in the reality of how Google’s internal systems actually function.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Having spent over a decade deep in the plumbing of Google, I can tell you that the next 5-10 years will not just be an evolution; they will be a complete redefinition of how business is found online.

As I outline in my book, *The Law Firm’s Guide to AI and the Future of Search*, the shift has already happened. We are moving from a world of “search” to a world of “answers,” and that changes everything about how you need to position your firm.

Here are the major shifts and trends I see defining the next decade:

1. From “Search Engine” to “Answer Engine”

For twenty years, Google’s mission was to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. It acted as a digital librarian, pointing you to a shelf of books (websites) where you could find what you needed.

In the next decade, that librarian is retiring. The new model is an **Answer Engine**. Google is no longer just pointing you to the shelf; it has read every book, synthesized the information, and is giving you the direct answer.

We will see a massive reduction in users clicking through to websites for information. Instead, they will get their “intelligence” directly from the search results page via AI Overviews. Your goal is no longer to get a click; it is to be the *source* of the answer that Google’s AI provides.

2. The Rise of “Zero-Click” Search

This is a trend that scares many marketers, but it is the reality we must face. We are moving toward a **”Zero-Click”** future.

Data shows that approximately 60% of searches now result in *zero clicks* to an external website. The user finds what they need—your phone number, your reviews, your answer to a legal question—right on the results page. My Advice is to stop obsessing over website traffic reports. As I say in the book, “I call it making your phone ring”. You need to measure business outcomes (leads, calls, cases), not vanity metrics like clicks.

3. “Words” Will Replace “Links”

For a long time, the currency of SEO was the backlink. If you had enough links, you ranked. That era is ending.

Google’s AI, built on complex neural networks, doesn’t need a hyperlink to understand that you are an authority. It reads “brand mentions.” It understands *who* you are by what the rest of the internet is saying about you. Your brand’s narrative is the new SEO currency. You need to build **E-E-A-T** (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) by earning mentions in news articles, getting reviewed on third-party sites, and publishing thought leadership.

4. Websites Will Become Data Feeds for AI

Your website isn’t dying, but its role is changing. It is no longer just a digital brochure for humans; it is a **structured data feed for machines**.

AI models (LLMs) need to “read” your site to understand who you are. If your site is just marketing fluff, the AI will ignore it. You will need to build content that specifically answers user questions in a format AI can digest (Q&A formats, clear headings, structured data schemas). You are essentially “training” Google’s AI on why you are the best choice.

5. The “Battlefield” is Google (Specifically the AI Overview)

While there is a lot of noise about ChatGPT, Bing, and other AI tools, Google still holds the dominant market share.

Google has a “moat” that no one else has: the **Google Business Profile (GBP)** data. ChatGPT doesn’t know if a local business is open *right now* or if they truly offer a specific service; Google does. The battle for visibility will be won in the **AI Overview** at the top of the page. Optimizing your GBP and your reviews is the most direct way to influence this.

The companies that win in the next 10 years will be the ones that build a **Real Brand**—one that is trusted, authoritative, and verified in the real world. You can’t trick the AI anymore; you simply have to be the best answer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thegbpexperts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brad.wetherall/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwetherall/
• Twitter: https://x.com/BradWetherall
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BradWetherall
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradwetherall