AI
Chrome Lives On, Stoking the AI Browser Wars
Google received some good news in the form of a stay of divestiture for its Chrome browser. Though it still faces punitive and preventative antitrust measures, the biggest bullet has been dodged.
AI
Sendbird Seeks the Sweet Spot for AI Customer Service
Ai-centric enterprise communications company Sendbird this week added to its arsenal with a voice-automation tool. Known as Senbird Voice AI, it’s meant to handle inbound customer service and offload the manual rigor that goes into it. It boasts features like response speed and natural voice interaction.
AI
Google Unlocks AI-Video for SMBs
Google this week added to its rapidly expanding AI arsenal with a set of tools for generating talking-head videos. Use cases include product how-tos, support modules, or spokesperson-based video ads. This update adds avatars and other features to Google’s existing and underexposed Vids tool.
Local Radar
Local Radar: Legal-Tech Edition
In this edition of Localogy’s Local Radar, we focus on AI and SMB-SaaS startups addressing the legal vertical.
Holidays
2025 Holiday Shopping Playbook: A Conversation with Network Solutions
We recently caught up with Network Solutions Director of Online Marketing Alicia Pringle, who’s been developing insights around the new holiday marketing playbook. The short version is that SMBs need to get a jump on holiday promotions now, including a few key SEO action items.
Precisely
Precisely Announces Location Intelligence Double Shot
Location intelligence and data management platform Precisely today announced two products to support location-based marketing. The first is an audience insights tool called Dynamic Neighborhoods. And the second is Signal Engine, a tool to organize and gain insights from brands’ first-party data.
AI
Google AI Mode Goes Global and Local
Google’s AI Mode just took its latest steps forward. And these steps involve both global and local expansion. For the former, it’s available in more countries. And for the latter, its agentic functions are now more capable for typical local search needs, like finding restaurants and booking appointments.
Pro Features
Sendbird Elevates and Amplifies with AWS
Agentic AI platform Sendbird this week announced a collaboration with AWS that should accelerate its exposure and adoption. This happens on a few levels, including helping AWS expand its agentic AI capabilities and positioning as a launch partner for AWS Marketplace’s AI Agents and Tools category.
Augmodo
Augmodo Raises $37.5M to Make Store Aisles Searchable
Seattle-based retail tech provider Augmodo this week announced that it has secured $37.5 million. The round was led by TQ Ventures, with participation from existing investors Lerer Hippeau, NewFare, WIN, and Interlace. New investors in the round include Arena Holdings and Jefferson River Capital.
Local Radar
Local Radar: Ledgers, Law & Food Delivery
In this edition of Localogy’s Local Radar, we examine newly funded companies Rillet, LegalOn & Calo
Pro Features
Yext: Local SEO isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
When it comes to local search, standard best practices will only get you so far. The name of the game is to work with factors that are regional and vertically specific.
AI
AI-Powered SMBs: A Conversation with Vendasta
Vendasta roared out of the gates today with two interlinked announcements. The first is the launch of its AI Customer Acquisition and Engagement Platform for
Microsoft
AI Browser Wars: The Plot Thickens with Microsoft and Perplexity
Most AI engines are launching or have aspirations to launch their own browsers. This gives them a certain degree of control and independence over Google and Apple, while enjoying some vertical integration and positioning. We examine latest developments.
AI
Will Reddit Own its Fate in the AI Era?
Reddit continues to elevate itself as an SEO powerhouse and destination for topical – sometimes esoteric – knowledge, including local fare. As it continues to hit key milestones, we’ve watched closely but arguably haven’t given it the ink it deserves. So let’s dive into Reddit and what’s driving it.
AI
vcita: 5 Tips to Navigate AI’s Zero-Click Effect
One of the AI era’s emerging topics – and source of much handwringing in the media sphere – is the technology’s acceleration of zero-click search. vcita weighs in with tips & tactics.
Instagram
Instagram Shows it’s Serious About Social Mapping
Instagram this week fired the latest shot in the social mapping wars. It announced Instagram Map, a social mapping tool that resembles Snap Map in arraying content and friend updates on a Map UI. This is just the latest in a string of Instagram mapping moves that built up to this point.
brands
Yelp Goes Deeper with National Brands
Yelp made a move this week that deepens its relationships with national brands – an area of development housed in its Yelp for Brands division. Specifically, it launched a toolkit for consumer-facing brands to more effectively market themselves in location-relevant ways, including local flair & flavors.
Pro Features
Tiger Pistol’s Latest Playbook Tackles QSR Marketing
Quick serve restaurants (QSRs) represent a piece of the local media and advertising pie. And like other high-value verticals in that world, it’s subject to a specific set of challenges – both cyclical and secular. Tiger Pistol tackles these challenges in its latest playbook.
AI
Quantifying the AI Revolution
AI continues its rapid takeover of tech, media, and culture. But how much is it actually being used. We examine the latest analytics.
earnings
Thryv’s SaaS Business Grows 48 Percent in Q2
Thryv holdings announced Q2 earnings and the story is similar to Q4: SaaS continues to be the growth engine as it manages planned declines in its legacy print directories business.