Changelog
Follow up on the latest improvements and updates.
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Deliver consistent local SEO value by accessing the newly distributed Citation Builder Monthly SKU, now available as the default option in the Vendasta Marketplace.
Providing a monthly billing option as the primary SKU simplifies the add-on experience for partners and their clients. This change ensures that local SEO services are more accessible and easier to manage, allowing for flexible fulfillment that scales with business needs without the commitment of a yearly cycle.
What’s changing
- Default Marketplace offering:The monthly subscription for Citation Builder is now the default SKU distributed to all partners.
- Product naming: We have simplified our catalog naming convention. The product formerly known as "Citation Builder Monthly" is now simplyCitation Builder. The original yearly version has been renamed toCitation Builder Yearly.
Who this is for
- New and Existing Partners: Any partner not currently selling Citation Builder will now exclusively see the monthly SKU to ensure a streamlined setup.
- Legacy Partners: Partners with 5 or more active yearly subscriptions retain access to the Citation Builder Yearly SKU to ensure there is no disruption to their current sales motions.
How to get started
- Navigate to Partner Center > Marketplace.
- Search for Citation Builder.
- Add the product to your Store to begin offering monthly local SEO fulfillment to your clients.
new
Social Marketing
Vendasta Services
Vendasta Services: Deliver Enhanced Social Content With Updated Social Media Management and Blog Services
We’re excited to share an update to our
Social Media Management (SMM) packages
, designed to help your clients stand out more, engage better, and get stronger long-term results from their social presence.Based directly on partner feedback, we’ve invested in what matters most:
eye-catching on-brand visuals and content built to perform
. These updates elevate the quality of every post and ensure pricing better reflects the value delivered.What’s Changing
On
April 2, 2026
, we’re upgrading our Social Media Management packages to deliver higher-quality creative and stronger long-term results for your clients.These updates include:
- All social posts, in both Standard (12) and Plus (8), will now includefully branded images.
- All blogs, both within Social Media Management and as a standalone service, are now enhanced to deliver stronger SEO performance, long-term traffic and brand authority.
- Blogs in the SMM Plusoffering will move from a monthly cadence toa quarterly cadence.
- Additional Facebook post-boostingwill no longer be included in Plus, but will be offered as an optional add-on, giving you more control over spend and campaign strategy.
- SMM Standard price will increase to $149 USD, reflecting the higher level of creative and content quality.
- SMM Plus upgrade price will decrease to $99 USD, making it easier to upgrade clients looking for additional value.
These improvements ensure your clients receive more impactful, professionally branded social content every month.
Why This Matters
Partners have consistently told us that
branded visuals and performance-driven content
deliver the most value for their clients.With this update:
- Every post includes consistent on-brand images— one of the most requested enhancements we’ve received.
- Our team will dedicate time each month to dive deep into the performanceof the past 60 days' posts. We will identify which content formats, topics, and stylesresonate mostwith the client's audience.
- We will use these data-driven insightsto make the next batch of content smarter and more effective, ensuring we are always dedicated to the client's growth.
- Blogs are now built to support SEO and discoverability, with targeted keywords and FAQs to increase traffic.
- Pricing now better reflects the time, expertise, and creative effortrequired to deliver this elevated experience.
While the
Social Media Management Standard price is increasing
, this change directly reflects the added value of:- Fully branded creative on every post
- Higher-quality, SEO-focused blog writing
- Continued performance analysis and optimization
At the same time, lowering the
Social Media Management Plus upgrade price
reduces friction for partners looking to scale their clients’ social presence.Learn More
To explore the updated Social Media Management and Blog features or discuss which option is best for your clients, reach out to our team at .
We’re excited to bring you these improvements and continue investing in the quality of services you offer your clients.
new
Conversations AI
Vendasta Services
AI
AI Chat Receptionist
Vendasta Services: Trial of AI Chat Receptionist included with all New Websites
Starting February 10, 2026, every new website build or import through Vendasta Services will now include a trial version of our powerful AI Chat Receptionist!
What's Changing
To provide more value to your local business clients, all new Vendasta Services website projects will now come equipped with a limited version of Vendasta’s AI Chat Receptionist. This allows businesses to capture leads 24/7 and experience the powerful benefits of an AI-driven lead capture included in your monthly website support cost.
What’s Included
Included with Website Support+, businesses will receive a limited version of the AI Chat Receptionist that includes:
- Lead Capture:Automatically engage visitors and capture lead information around the clock.
- Basic Setup:Our website team will embed the code, scrape your site's information to train the AI, and match the chat widget to your brand colours.
- Messaging Allowance:A limit of 40 messages per month.Note: This limit will not be strictly enforced until AI credits launch in mid-2026.
Why this Matters
We’ve seen that partners who add an AI Chat Receptionist to their clients’ websites experience higher retention rates and growing basket sizes. By including this out-of-the-box, we are making your clients' websites more valuable from day one, while helping them attract and grow their customer base more effectively.
Who this is for
This update applies to all Partners and SMBs purchasing the following services:
- Express Website Build
- Templated Website
- Website Import & Support
- Accelerated Templated Website (Coming at a later date)
Existing websites are not automatically affected unless they are switched over to
Website Support+
.**NOTE: This limited version of Vendasta’s AI Chat Receptionist is separate from Conversations AI. If your clients love the features of AI Chat Receptionist included with Website Support+, we recommend upgrading them to a paid edition of Conversations AI to unlock more features such as more AI messages, SMS and voice capabilities, and more!**
How to Get Started
- Order a website: Purchase any qualifying website build or import service through Vendasta Services.
- Try the AI Chat Receptionist: The AI Chat Receptionist is activated automatically alongside Website Support+ at the time of purchase.
- Get live support: As long as Website Support remains active, the SMB will keep their AI Chat Receptionist access.
FAQs
What happens if a business needs more than 40 messages?
If a business wants unlimited messaging and full functionality, they can easily upgrade to Conversations AI Standard, Pro, or Premium.
What if I want more customization for the AI?
While our team handles the initial setup (colours, scraping, and embedding), further customization can be managed by the Partner or by purchasing the AI Receptionist Setup in the Marketplace.
What happens if Website Support+ is cancelled?
Since the AI functionality is tied to the Website Support+ subscription, cancelling the support service will remove the AI Chat Receptionist from the website.
new
Reputation AI
Conversations AI
SMS
Update: US SMS activation may take longer due to A2P approval delays
We’re currently seeing longer approval times for
US A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS registrations
. These registrations are required to activate SMS messaging for Conversations AI and Broadly 1.0 in the United States
.What this means
- If you’re registering for SMS in the US, approval may take approximately 8 to 9 business days.
- During this time, your registration status may remain Pending, and SMS features will not be available until carrier approval is complete.
What we’re doing
- We’ve updated our submission process to meet stricter carrier requirements and resubmitted affected registrations on January 22, 2026.
- We’re actively monitoring approvals and continuing to improve the registration experience.
What you can do
- To help avoid delays, make sure your business information and messaging use case are accurate and complete, including clear opt-in and opt-out language.
- If you need assistance, contact Support and our team will guide you through the process.
new
Social Marketing
Now Available
Available now: Publish and manage YouTube videos directly in Social Marketing
You can now connect YouTube to Social Marketing, making it easier to publish video content and track basic performance without leaving our platform.
Why this matters
Video plays a growing role in how businesses build awareness and connect with customers. This integration reduces friction by bringing YouTube publishing, scheduling and reporting into the same place you already manage other social channels, helping partners save time and keep content workflows centralized.
What’s new
With the YouTube API integration in Social Marketing, you can now:
- Securely connect a YouTube channel to Vendasta Social Marketing (up to two channels for a single location)
- Draft, schedule and publish videos to YouTube directly from Social Marketing, including titles, descriptions, and other metadata
- Manage YouTube posting from the Post Composer and Campaign workflows
- View basic video performance metrics, including Likes, Comments, Views, and overall Engagement
Where to find YouTube in Social Marketing
YouTube can now be connected from:
Social Marketing → Settings → Connect Accounts
Once connected, YouTube will appear as a destination in:
- Post Composer
- Post Campaign Composer
new
Local SEO & Listings
Snapshot Report
AI
Now Available
New: AI Optimization (AEO) section in Snapshot Report
See how visible a business is in AI-generated search answers with the new AI Optimization (AEO) section in Snapshot Report.
Get Insights on AI Search Performance
Snapshot Report's AI Optimization section helps partners and businesses understand whether they appear in AI-generated answers (Google AI Mode + ChatGPT).
Providing early visibility in AI-driven search experiences, this section offers a lightweight, diagnostic view into whether a business:
- Can be accessed by AI systems
- Is being mentioned in AI-generated answers from tools like Google AI Mode and ChatGPT
What's Included
Snaphot Report's AI Optimization section includes:
- Website audit: Checks basic AI & crawler access signals on the website (robots.txt, llm.txt where available).
- Visibility audit: Tests real AI-style discovery across personas, prompts, and engines, including competitor comparisons, using natural-language questions generated from real keyword data. Supports translated prompts for non-English regions, and hows competitor visibility when applicable
Results provide a standardized approximation of AI visibility, recognizing that AI answers can vary over time and by context.
Why it matters
This gives agencies a concrete way to show SMBs whether they appear in AI-generated answers today, compare them to competitors, and explain the risk of being invisible as discovery shifts to AI. That visibility gap becomes a clear, credible entry point to sell SEO and AI Optimization services.
Discovery is shifting from traditional search results to AI-generated answers. Even businesses with strong SEO may lose awareness if they aren’t referenced by AI systems.
The AI Optimization section helps partners:
- Explain why a business may not appear in AI answers today
- Identify early AI visibility gaps using a repeatable, realistic audit
- Create urgency and credibility in sales and prospecting conversations
- Bridge AI visibility insights directly to proven SEO services
This section is intentionally diagnostic. It informs conversations and opportunity discovery—it does not replace full AI Optimization analysis or recommendations.
Who it’s for
This new section of the Snapshot Report will quickly become an essential tool for
- Sales teams qualifying prospects and demonstrating competitive gaps
- Businesses learning how AI engines surface brands
- Partners positioning SEO and AI Optimization services
How to get started
The new section is available for any Snapshot Reports created after January 21, 2026.
If you use the default Snapshot Report template, the section is enabled automatically.
- Go to Partner Center
- Open a Snapshot Report created after the release date (January 21, 2026)
- Navigate to the AI Optimization section
If your Snapshot Report is customized:
- Go to Partner Center > Administration > Customize > Sales > Edit Default Snapshot Template.
- Enable the AI Optimization section
- Save
Note: If you use Markets, the AI Optimization section must be enabled at the market level where applicable.
FAQs
What is the AI Optimization section?
The AI Optimization section is a Snapshot Report feature that audits basic AI readiness and tests whether a business appears in AI-generated answers.
Does this support languages other than English?
Yes. Prompts and keywords are translated and asked in the target language to reflect real user search behavior.
Does this include recommendations or fixes?
No. The AI Optimization section focuses on diagnosis only. Optimization and recommendations are delivered through SEO and AI Optimization services.
Are results guaranteed to match what every user sees?
No. AI answers can vary due to personalization, model updates, and context. The audit provides a standardized and repeatable approximation.
new
Social Marketing
Multi-location
AI
Now Available
Tailor Multi-location Social Content to each Location Automatically with AI
Localize multi-location social posts at scale to deliver location-specific relevance in Multi-Location Social Marketing.
Locally relevant content, managed centrally
The latest update to Social Marketing empowers brands and franchises to automatically localize multi-location social posts using AI. Create one post and enable AI to personalize the content for each individual location based on AI Knowledge and instructions.
Instead of publishing identical content everywhere, each location receives its own tailored version, all without creating separate posts.
Why it matters
Managing social content across multiple locations often forces teams to choose between efficiency and location-based relevance. Previously, all selected locations received the same post, limiting local impact.
With AI-powered localization, you can:
- Deliver location-specific messaging at scale
- Keep brand voice and structure consistent
- Save time by avoiding manual edits for each location
- Increase engagement with content that feels local and relevant
Who it’s for
- Brands and franchises managing multiple locations
- Partners publishing social content at scale
- Teams looking to balance brand consistency with local relevance
How to get started
AI-powered localization is available to all users of Social Marketing Pro.
Multi-location post workflow
- Go to Business App > Social > Create > Post
- In the Multi-Location Composer, select the locations where the post should be created.
- Choose the social networks
- Add your base post content
- Turn on Let AI personalize content by location
- Attach or generate media
- Save or schedule the post
Note: While AI is processing, the post will display a grey tag “Personalization in progress.” Once complete, it updates to a blue tag “Personalized for location.” Open any single-location post to view its localized content.
Multi-location CSV import workflow
- Go to Business App > Social > Create > Import CSV
- Upload your completed CSV file
- Turn on Let AI personalize content by location
- Review the previews, and edit if desired.
- Save or schedule the posts
Note: While AI is processing, the post will display a grey tag “Personalization in progress.” Once complete, it updates to a blue tag “Personalized for location.” Open any single-location post to view its localized content.
Helpful Tips
Editing a localized post at the single-location level will disconnect it from the original multi-location post.
If a location doesn’t have AI Knowledge or Social Post Instructions configured, the original content is used.
new
Social Marketing
Multi-location
AI
Now Available
Post Stories and Reels to Facebook from Social Marketing
Publish Facebook posts, stories, and reels directly from Social Marketing. Draft, schedule, preview, and publish each format from a single workflow, with no extra tools required.
All Facebook Formats, Published from One Place
Social Marketing now supports three Facebook publish types in one place. When creating content, you can:
- Choose how your content is published (Post, Story, or Reel)
- Preview each format in real time before publishing
- Manage everything from one unified workflow
Why this Matters
Previously, Social Marketing only supported Facebook Posts. If you wanted to publish Stories or Reels, you had to use separate tools or workflows, slowing you down and fragmenting your content strategy.
With this update, you can:
- Reach a wider audience by using high-engagement formats like Stories and Reels
- Save time by managing all Facebook formats in one workflow
- Maintain consistency across locations, brands, and franchises without switching tools
How to Get Started
This update is available in Social Marketing for single and multi-location businesses.
Single Location
- Go to Social Marketing > Create
- Start a Post, Story, or Short Video workflow
- Select Facebook as the network
- Open Advanced Options and choose your publish type
- Preview and publish as usual
Multi-location
- Go to Social Marketing > Create > Post
- Select the locations you want to publish to
- Choose Facebook as the network
- Add your caption and upload media
- Open Advanced Options and select the Publish Type (Post or Story)
- Preview the content for each format
- Click Publish or Schedule
Multi-location via CSV import
- Go to Social Marketing > Create > Import CSV Workflow
- Download the new CSV template*
- Fill CSV file with post content and media details
- Upload the completed CSV
- Select your locations and Facebook as the network
- Review the preview (Story will be auto-selected if enabled in the CSV)
- Save and schedule
*
The previous CSV template is no longer supported. You must use the updated template to publish Facebook Stories via CSV.
Helpful Tips
If Post is selected and a video is uploaded, the content will automatically be published as a Facebook Reel, similar to Instagram’s behavior.
Multi-location users importing via CSV must use the new CSV template, as the previous version is no longer supported.
We’ve extended the unlimited calling bonus included with Conversations AI Premium to better align with current planning.
What’s changed
- The unlimited calling bonus for Conversations AI Premiumhas been extended and is now available throughmid 2026.
- Previously, this bonus was communicated as ending in January 2026.
- We will provide advance notice before any overage billing applies.
Why it matters
This extension gives partners and their clients more time to use AI voice receptionist capabilities at scale without worrying about unexpected call limits or charges. Clear advance notice ahead of overage billing helps partners plan, price, and position Conversations AI Premium with confidence.
There is
no change to current functionality or pricing
. Conversations AI Premium continues to include up to 300 minutes per month of AI voice receptionist calls, with each call supporting up to 10 minutes, and unlimited calling available as a bonus during this period.new
AI
Coming Soon
AI Chat Receptionist
AI Voice Receptionist
Vendasta Services: An Important Update to AI Receptionist Setup
AI Receptionist Setup lets busy agencies skip the setup work and get their clients' AI Receptionists performing and delivering results quickly.
What's Changing
On March 10, 2026
, we will be adding monthly support ($49/month USD) to all new AI Receptionist Setup activations. Support will be mandatory for the first three months, and will renew month to month afterwards. With this addition, the name will also be updated to AI Receptionist Setup and Support
.Why this Matters
Partners have been expressing the need for support beyond the initial setup. While the initial implementation gets the service live, ongoing support in the first few months is critical for:
- Ensuring correct configuration and routing
- Refining workflows based on real-world usage
- Minimizing early-stage friction
This change creates consistency and ensures peace of mind with every new activation.
How to Add Support to an existing AI Receptionist
If you purchased AI Receptionist Setup between July 16, 2025, and March 10, 2026, and you’d like to add monthly support to an account, please reach out to our team at marketingservices@yourdigitalagents.com.
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