Contact Us
Contact Us

Author Archive

Picture of Mike Boland

Mike Boland

Mike Boland, senior analyst with Localogy, was one of Silicon Valley’s first tech reporters of the internet age as a staff reporter for Forbes magazine starting in 2000. His comments have appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Amazon Expands Same-Day Delivery of Groceries to 2,300 U.S. Cities

Amazon Raises the Stakes for Same-Day Delivery

Following yesterday’s coverage of OpenAI’s move into local grocery delivery, a different player is making high-stakes moves in the category. Amazon has announced that its Same-Day Delivery services will add fresh groceries in 2,300 cities and towns throughout the U.S., and more to come in 2026.

Mike Boland December 30, 2025
Quantifying AI's Zero-Click Search Effect

Quantifying AI’s Zero-Click Search Effect

A new data dump from Digiday has begun to quantify AI’s zero-click effect. The short version is that there’s good news and bad news. The net result is likely negative for anyone relying on referral traffic… but it’s also an opportunity for AI SEO early movers. 

Mike Boland December 23, 2025
ChatGPT Brings the AI Shopping Wars to Grocery Delivery

ChatGPT Brings the AI Shopping Wars to Grocery Delivery

OpenAI’s latest partner is Instacart, which brings a new category to ChatGPT for the first time. Users can now launch a grocery-shopping workflow right within ChatGPT, which could stimulate a new use case for the expansive AI engine. 

Mike Boland December 22, 2025
AI Search Shifts the Local SEO Playbook for SMBs a Yext Story

What’s the State of Local Search in the AI Era?

Yext this week hosted a who’s who of search experts, including Local SEO Guide’s Andrew Shotland, Sterling Sky’s Joy Hawkins, and Search Lab’s Greg Gifford. These are some of the biggest hitters in local SEO and we have the summarized takeaways.

Mike Boland December 19, 2025
How AI Will Shape SMB SaaS in 2026: A Conversation with Thryv

How AI Will Shape SMB SaaS in 2026? Insights from Thryv

Thryv’s exec team is in a unique position in terms of perspective on the workings of the SMB SaaS world – including its ongoing convergence with AI. With that in mind, we had the chance to interact with Thryv recently to gather the perspective of its top execs, most notably CEO Joe Walsh. 

Mike Boland December 18, 2025
Vendasta Pioneers the Automate It-For-Me Approach to SMB SaaS Custom AI

Vendasta Pioneers the Automate It-For-Me Approach to SMB SaaS

Expanding from the AI receptionist Vendasta launched back in August, Custom AI Employees now join its arsenal. These functions are housed in Vendasta’s AI Customer Acquisition and Engagement Platform, automating various aspects of SMB operations. 

Mike Boland December 17, 2025
Will Omnicom / IPG Accelerate Big-Agency Declines?

Will Omnicom/IPG Accelerate Big-Agency Declines?

Consolidation continues to rock big ad agencies and holding companies. The latest mega-merger, as you’ve likely heard, is Ominicom Group’s $13 billion+ acquisition of rival Interpublic Group (IPG). The deal forms the world’s largest ad-holding group, including brands like FCB, Mediabrands, Acxiom, and BBDO.

Mike Boland December 16, 2025
Clearlake and Siris Double Down On Newfold Digital web hosting and SMB digital services

Clearlake and Siris Double Down On Newfold

Web hosting, services, and commerce powerhouse Newfold Digital announced this week that it has received $100 million in financing. The Newfold Digital investment notably comes

Mike Boland December 12, 2025
Is Sinclair Angling to Acquire Scripps? And Will it Work?

Is Sinclair Angling to Acquire Scripps? And Will it Work?

Sinclair shook up the media and broadcasting worlds this week by taking an 8.2 percent equity stake in E.W. Scripps. The $15.6 million in Scripps’ Class A common stock isn’t enough to raise eyebrows, except for the fact that it signals a clear intent to acquire the broadcaster, possibly in hostile style.

Mike Boland December 11, 2025
Yelp’s Top Brands List Reveals What Drives Local Success

Yelp’s Top Brands List Reveals Local Success Factors

Yelp today launched its latest list of top U.S. businesses. Following similar efforts to rank the top SMBs, today’s report ranks national brands. These are businesses with physical locations in local markets, but those that have a broader footprint, otherwise known as multi-location (MULO) brands. 

Mike Boland December 9, 2025
TikTok Takes a Step Closer to Local Discovery Engine

TikTok Takes a Step Closer to Local Discovery Engine

TikTok this week took the latest in a series of ongoing steps towards becoming a local discovery engine. Its new nearby feed filters videos and topics, based on what’s happening near a given user.

Mike Boland December 5, 2025

Can Amazon Deliver Diapers in <30 Minutes?

Amazon’s new delivery promise is 30-minute-or-less program for certain items and locales. This is just the latest in a long line of attempts to shave seconds off the clock in local deliveries.

Mike Boland December 4, 2025
Google Raises the Stakes in the AI Mapping Wars

Google Raises the Stakes in the AI Mapping Wars

Just a few weeks after the latest batch of Gemini-centric updates in Google Maps, it’s out with a new set of features. True to the mapping wars, these are meant to gain an edge on Apple Maps, and the other challengers.

Mike Boland December 3, 2025

Automating the Future of Work: A Conversation with Vendasta, Part 2

To break down Vendasta’s moves and motivations, we recently had the chance to catch up with founder & CEO Brendan King. After Part I of the interview, we continue the action here with Part II, where King goes deeper into what’s next for Vendasta. 

Mike Boland December 1, 2025

Can ChatGPT Handle Your Holiday Shopping List?

In the whole “AI is eating the world” progression, the latest thing to be swallowed is shopping. The thought is that you can do all your shopping end-to-end within your AI engine of choice – from research to price comparisons to transactions. We round up the latest market moves.

Mike Boland November 26, 2025