July 2026 Release Notes

Meet the new BrightLocal platform 

The new platform is built on the same data you already trust, with a cleaner, smarter interface that makes your local SEO performance easier to understand. It also brings AI-powered recommendations into the experience, helping you see what matters and take action faster.

The Location Dashboard is your starting point. It is the first of many pages reimagined in the new platform as we rebuild BrightLocal piece by piece throughout the rest of 2026.

For now, you can use the new and legacy platforms side by side with the same login. Things may look and feel a little different as you move between them. That is expected, and it is temporary. By the beginning of 2027, everyone will be fully moved to the new platform.  Read more about the New Platform here. 

Want a closer look? Watch Myles walk you through what is new and what is coming next.
 

Introducing your Location Score: See your local SEO performance at a glance 

We have added Location Score to AI Insights. Location Score gives you one clear measure of how well a location is performing in local search. It also helps you see where to focus next. 

What's new? 

• See your location’s overall score. Generate a new insight to view your Location Score, along with two supporting measures: Foundation Scores show the strength of your local SEO foundations, and Visibility Scores show how well your business is appearing in search.
• View scores from your location summary. Composite scores now appear directly in the location summary on the new platform, so you can check performance without digging through reports.
• Compare locations more easily. Managing multiple locations? Use scores to compare performance and quickly see where your attention will have the biggest impact.

Why it matters: Local SEO performance is not always easy to judge. You might be ranking well despite weak foundations. Or you might be doing the right things without seeing the visibility you expected. Location Score brings these signals together in one clear number. You can see where you stand, understand what is holding you back, and focus on the next best step. 

What's next: We will continue adding more depth to Location Score. Local visibility in AI search is coming soon. 

Local Search Grid: A new experience, competitor insights, and run comparisons 

Local Search Grid (LSG) received its biggest update yet in July. The new platform now includes a redesigned experience, run comparisons, and a full competitor intelligence layer. 

What's new?

• Compare performance across runs. Choose a keyword and two dates to compare your grid performance over time. It is easier to see progress, spot drops, and understand what changed.
• See up to 20 competitors at each grid point. Select any grid point to view a ranked list of up to 20 competitors appearing in that area. You can also see their review counts and open their Google Business Profiles directly.
• Compare competitors side by side. View your grid next to a competitor’s for any keyword and run date. You can compare rankings, review counts, and primary and secondary categories in one place. 

What's next: We are planning to add AI-powered insights to Local Search Grid, helping you identify the next steps that could improve your grid rankings. 

New Aggregators are now available in Location Manager 

We have added Neustar, Yellow Pages and GPS network to Location Manager, following the Data Axle integration launched earlier this year. When a business has an active aggregator connection, updates made in Location Manager will now sync automatically. This includes changes to its address, phone number, opening hours, and other business details. 

What is a citation aggregator?

Citation aggregators, like Neustar, act as trusted distributors for your business information. Add your business details once, and they can be shared across a wide network of directories, maps, voice assistants, AI answer engines, and other local discovery platforms. One accurate submission helps create more consistent, trusted business information across the web. Learn more here.

What's new?

• Automatic submission when you buy. When a Neustar, Yellow Pages, or GPS network campaign goes live in Citation Builder, we automatically submit your location data to Neustar.
• Business information that stays up to date. Change your business details in Location Manager, and we will send the updates to the aggregator. There is no need to submit them again manually.
• Clearer submission tracking. Your aggregator connections and submission status now appear in the Aggregators section of Location Manager, giving you a clear view of where things stand. 

Note: these aggregator submissions are available for US locations only.
 

What's next: Locafy and Foursquare integrations are in the pipeline as we continue to expand the aggregator network. 
 

BUG FIXES

Citation Builder 

Resolved: Address updates could not be completed
Some customers could not finish the address update process in Citation Builder. Selecting continue would reload the page without saving the changes. We have fixed the issue, and address updates now save and progress correctly.

Location Manager

Resolved: Apple Maps listings could not be found or connected
Some customers received a blank error when connecting an Apple Maps listing. In other cases, Location Manager could not find the business even when the correct Apple Maps URL was provided. Apple Maps listings can now be found and connected as expected.

Reputation Manager

Resolved: Google reviews were not updating in some reports

Between early March and early June, some Reputation Manager reports stopped receiving new Google reviews, even though the reports appeared to run successfully. Rate limits from the Google Business Profile API blocked some review requests. Our service incorrectly treated those blocked requests as successful runs with no new reviews. All missing reviews were recovered when the rate limit eased in early June. We have also added monitoring so that a broken review feed is now flagged as a failure instead of appearing to run successfully. We are continuing to improve how we handle Google API rate limits to help prevent the issue from happening again.