Yelp is expanding its push beyond marketing and deeper into SMB operations with the acquisition of AI-powered lead management platform Hatch. The $300 million deal strengthens Yelp’s ability to help local service businesses convert leads, automate customer communications, and reclaim time through AI-driven workflows—signaling a continued shift toward operational SaaS for SMBs
As AI spending and hype accelerate, Thryv is taking a more disciplined path – a path that’s less about transformation for its own sake and
About a week after ChatGPT announced that it will spin out a healthcare version of ChatGPT, we’ve seen some backlash and ripple effects throughout the healthcare and digital media landscape.
OpenAI has announced what everyone knew was coming at some point: ads in ChatGPT. The company will begin testing ads in the U.S. in its free tier and $8 per month “Go” tier.
Scorpion this week strengthened its marketing muscle. The SMB-focused digital marketing powerhouse has officially joined TikTok’s Marketing Partner Program as a badged Marketing Technology Partner. This will broaden and embolden Scoripion’s already-robust capabilities in SMB marketing.
Google and Apple have announced that Gemini will be the brains behind Apple’s long-awaited and AI-upgraded Siri. It will power Apple’s flagship personal assistant and elevate it to the standards of the AI age.
In November, Vendasta was named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ by Watersone Human Capital. What best practices and lessons led to this accolade. We talked to Vendasta VP of People Operations Jean Parchewsky to find out.
Entitled Slices of Influence: The Pizza Franchise Marketing Playbook, Tiger Pistol’s latest playbook zeroes in on national multi-location pizza brands and how they can excel in AI SEO.
Amidst OpenAI’s master plan to take over the universe, today’s prize goes to whoever had healthcare on their bingo card. OpenAI announced that it will create a forked ChatGPT environment that’s purpose-built for healthcare queries and chatbot-centric conversations. This is the beginning of something bigger.
Expanding from the AI receptionist that it launched back in August, and the marketing agent it rolled out just a few weeks ago, Vendasta is out with its latest AI employee: a reputation management specialist.
Amazon recently showed its hand with respect to local commerce. It will launch apps within Alexa+ for local commerce staples, such as Angi, Square, Yelp, OpenTable, and Thumbtack.
Tiger Pistol is out this week with the latest addition to its arsenal, a product that it’s calling the Creative Automation Studio for Marketing Resellers. Abbreviated as CA-Studio, it’s an AI-fueled environment for local marketing agencies and resellers to create campaigns with speed and ease.
In this edition of Localogy’s Local Radar, we examine newly funded companies LaceAI, Faireez & Finom
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.
Entitled The 2026 Growth Guide for Marketing Resellers, Tiger Pistol’s latest report dives into the local marketing tips and tactics that are specific to this high-value segment of the local economy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
