Stay current on the latest Scout updates!  

March 11, 2026

Visibility Actions

The Optimization Score has been replaced with Visibility Actions. The Optimization Score has been replaced with Visibility Actions. Visibility Actions count the specific steps you can take across locations to strengthen the signals behind your Visibility Score, using the same underlying data as the Optimization Score — now organized into clearer, more actionable insights.

• Action count: The Scout Home hero section now displays a total count of open Visibility Actions in place of the Optimization Score.
• Action cards: Each card in the Visibility Actions section represents a group of locations that need the same type of improvement. The number on each card reflects the unique count of locations with that action open.
• What's driving these actions?: Select this on any action card to see the underlying performance indicators behind it — including missing data, competitive benchmarks, and research-backed best practices — and the locations affected.
• Download locations: Select this on any action card to export a list of affected locations, including entity ID, Yext ID, name, and address fields.
• View location details: Select this on any action card under “What’s driving these actions” to review the benchmarks used to evaluate each location and see how each location performs relative to those benchmarks. 
• Action explanation drawer: An explanation of how actions are calculated is available at the top of the Visibility Actions section directly in the platform.
• Optimization Score and domain scores removed: The Optimization Score, Reviews Score, Listings Score, and Social Score have been removed from Scout Home, the Map View, and data tables in the Visibility Report.
• Scoring Summary removed: The Scoring Summary has been removed. Visibility Actions now provide that context directly.

Action required: On March 25, the Optimization Score and domain score metrics will be removed from Report Builder. Update any saved reports that reference these metrics before then.

AI Brand Sentiment Revamp

The AI Brand Sentiment drawer has been updated to surface higher-quality sentiment data and make it easier to understand what's driving your score.

• Cleaner sentiment data: Neutral sentiment has been removed from the primary view to keep focus on the performance indicators most relevant to your brand. Neutral sentiment is still available in exports.
• Improved quote attribution: Every sentiment quote now includes the AI model, question asked, location, and question type, so you can see exactly where each data point is coming from.
• Export: You can now export your full sentiment citation list as a CSV. The export includes business name, question type, question, model, keyword, answer, brand sentiment, and snippet.
• Common Themes removed: The Common Themes chips have been removed. We are working on a more robust themes experience grounded in evidence and tied to recommended actions — more to come.

February 25, 2026

AI Citation Filters & Cleaner Labels

Scans performed on or after February 25, 2026, will reflect simplified classification logic and new filtering options. These changes help you better identify which cited sources you can influence with Yext. Data from scans conducted prior to this date will not be retroactively changed, allowing you to maintain a consistent record of past reporting.

• Simplified Classification Labels: We have updated the naming conventions for better clarity:
  • Your Websites: Formerly "Your Brand Owned Websites."
  • Listings: Formerly "Listings & Pages Powered by Yext."
  • Reviews & Social: Formerly “Reviews & Social Powered by Yext.”
  • News, Forums, and Other: Now includes all “Third Party” sources (including non-Yext Listings, Reviews, and Social) to clearly distinguish third-party data from your controllable Yext footprint.
• Classification Corrections: We’ve updated logic to ensure high-impact domains are categorized correctly. Location.com is now accurately labeled as Listings, and TikTok is labeled as Reviews & Social.
• New Intent Filters: You can now segment citation data by Prompt Type (Branded vs. Unbranded) and Question Type (Objective vs. Subjective) to understand how AI behavior changes based on what the user is asking.
• Contextual Query Examples: The UI now displays real-world example questions that update as you toggle between intent filters, helping you visualize the specific queries driving your citation data.
• Improved Data Integrity: We’ve refined our logic to ensure 100% of displayed sources are actual AI-cited domains, providing a more trustworthy view of the sources used to talk about your brand.

To access this data, navigate to Map View or Visibility Report, find the AI Search Performance tile, and click See Details under AI Citations.

Scout UI Consolidation 

To improve platform performance and reduce data duplication, we have removed the Optimization Score and Recommendations modules from the Visibility Report screen. Find both on the Scout Home.

These changes ensure that each Scout screen serves a specific purpose without the clutter of duplicate metrics: Home for high-level action, Map View for geographic distribution, and Visibility Report for deep-dive ranking trends.

February 11, 2026

Enhanced Keyword Reporting

We have streamlined the Scout interface so that your reporting context is always clear at a glance.

• "All Primary Keywords" Default: The Scout home screen now explicitly labels its default state as All Primary Keywords, clarifying that your scores are an aggregate of every primary category associated with your locations.
• Persistent Filter Labels: When you select a specific category filter, the name now remains visible on the collapsed dropdown menu, allowing you to confirm your reporting context immediately. This filter remains active as you navigate between different Scout screens.
• (Paid Only) Keyword Performance Breakdown: On the “All Primary Keywords” view, Paid Scout users can now compare granular metrics for each keyword, while aggregate scores remain visible. The breakdown view shows key metrics (Visibility Score, Google Rank, AI Rank) and Top Competitors per keyword.

Top Competitors (Paid Only)

We have introduced a new Top Competitors module to help you monitor and analyze your competitive landscape. This feature allows you to see exactly which rivals are winning the most ground across all your tracked terms. This feature is available exclusively for paid Scout accounts.

• Keyword-Specific Leaderboards: Every tracked keyword, whether you have one or multiple, now features a dedicated Top Competitors box on the Home screen. This ensures you see the most relevant rivals for each specific segment of your business.
• Performance Detail Drawer: Click Details on any Top Competitors box to open a slide-out drawer featuring a full competitive table. This view provides a side-by-side comparison of every competitor’s Appearance Rate and your specific Win Rate against them.
• Head-to-Head Competitor Summaries: Click on any specific competitor for a deep-dive summary. This view includes a Performance Summary and granular metrics, including total search volume, appearances, and average rank of your brand versus the competitor.

Q&A Snippets (Paid Only)

We’ve introduced a new "Questions and Answers in Queries" section to the Scout UI, providing a transparent look at the data powering your AI visibility reports. In the Visibility Report > AI Search Performance tile, click AI Search Methodology to see how different AI models—including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude—answer local customer questions near your locations. This feature is available exclusively for paid Scout accounts.

• Upgraded Model Intelligence: We have upgraded our integration from Gemini 2.0 to Gemini 2.5, resulting in higher-quality answers and a significant reduction in failed queries.
• Contextual Filtering & Exports: The Q&A drawer automatically respects any Category or Location Entity filters you have set in the platform. You can also export these filtered results to an Excel (.xlsx) report for deeper analysis.
• Query Type Transparency: See exactly how Scout simulates different user intents using four key question combinations:

AI Citation Data Top 100

The in-platform AI Citations list is now focused on the top 100 domains. This reduces noise by highlighting the most significant sources referencing your brand in AI search. 

To access this data, navigate to Visibility Report > AI Search Performance tile and click See Details under AI Citations.

When downloading citation data, you can choose between a focused "Top 100 Domains" summary for quick reporting or the "Full Source List" for a comprehensive audit of all detected domains.

January 28, 2026

AI Scanning Strategy Update

We are releasing a fix to our AI scanning logic to resolve reporting bias and improve data integrity. This update only affects new scans performed from January 28, 2026, onward. Data from scans conducted prior to this date will not be retroactively changed, allowing you to maintain a consistent record of past reporting.

• Removal of Pro-Location Bias: Previously, AI scans used the location's specific business address for all queries, including unbranded/objective questions (e.g., "Find coffee near me"). This often resulted in an inflated number of #1 rankings because the AI model prioritized the exact address provided.
• Localized Scanning Logic: AI scans will now use an address near the location. This ensures that the AI model views the location from a broader geographic starting point, mimicking how a real user would search in that area.
• Expectation for Score Changes: Because this update removes artificial ranking inflation, most customers will see a decrease in their AI Rank values. This is a corrected baseline that more accurately reflects how your brand appears to consumers in the wild.
• Improved Data Trust: To ensure Scout data provides a dependable basis for your marketing strategy, this update resolves concerns about rankings that appeared "too good to be true."

Improved Home Screen Density

We’ve optimized the layout of Scout Home by removing scroll bars from the Visibility and Optimization score modules, ensuring your key KPIs are visible at a glance.

January 7, 2026

Scout Recommendations Improvements

Scout Recommendations have been updated to help you improve your search visibility with clearer, more actionable insights. This update includes:

• Scoring Summary: This new section summarizes your Visibility and Optimization scores, providing more context on how to interpret your scores.
• Expanded Recommendations Library: We’ve added 11 new recommendation types (now 27 total) to provide deeper coverage of your digital footprint.
• Streamlined UX & Layout: Each recommendation now features simplified explanations of why it was triggered and why the suggested action matters.
• Direct Actions: New prominent CTAs allow you to resolve issues instantly via agentic actions or deep links to the relevant section of the platform. If neither is available, the CTA will provide a path to learn more.
• Optimization Score Integration: Recommendations are now tagged by domain (e.g., Reviews) and filtered within Optimization Score detail panels, making it easier to see exactly which actions are related to which domain area, and which could directly impact your domain score.
• Dynamic Ranking: Our ranking logic now incorporates all 11 new recommendations, continuing to prioritize insights based on their potential impact on your Google search rank and the number of locations affected.

For a list of supported recommendations in Scout, see the Supported Recommendations help article.

Updated Recommendations section of the Scout Home Page

Recommended Actions added to domain scores (e.g., Listings) under Optimization Score Details

Week of December 15

Fill in missing Scout data with the Knowledge Graph Agent

The Knowledge Graph Agent is a new Yext feature that finds and fills in missing data for entities. In Scout, you can now use the KG Agent to find and generate suggested content for missing Social Media URLs and Business Descriptions. For more information, see the Knowledge Graph Agent for Scout documentation.

Week of December 8

Listings Score

Your Listings Score is a weighted metric that calculates your performance across key Listings factors, such as profile completeness, average total attributes, average coverage percentage, and NAP accuracy percentage. The score is calculated relative to your competitors to give you an accurate measure of how you are performing in the market. The Listings Score is available on the Scout Home Screen and the Visibility Report.

The Listings Score calculation has been applied retroactively to your data, which will improve the accuracy of your Optimization Score.

Week of November 17

Enhanced Map Zoom

We have adjusted the zoom functionality on the Map View so that the minimum hexagon size and resolution more closely match scan data. This change is cosmetic only and does not affect your data.

Week of November 3

Scout Home page

Scout Home is a new, centralized homepage designed to help you quickly see performance trends and get timely feedback about your brand’s search visibility. When you first log in, Scout Home shows key performance indicators from your Visibility Report such as your Optimization Score, Visibility Score, and Recommendations. 

Scout Home defaults to show data for all your locations combined, but you can use the Location Selector to narrow down results to only one location. If you want more specific data by region, you can still access the Map View in the sidebar to move around and see performance results for different clusters of locations. The Visibility Report View is also now in the sidebar, making it easier for you to navigate to different pages within Scout. 

Scout Home page

Sidebar navigation

Scout scan email and notifications

To keep you more informed about your brand performance data, Scout can now send you an email and in-app notification after every scan. The email highlights your Visibility and Optimization Score and both notification methods include a link to the new Scout Home page so you can view detailed information about your data. 

Scout automatically sends these notifications to users with the View Scout permissions at the account level. 

Sample email 

Sample in-app notification

Week of October 13

Enhanced Scout Recommendations 

Scout Recommendations have been updated with the following enhancements:

• A more robust interface 
• A better, more dynamic ranking of recommendations based on impact
• Clearer descriptions and explanations of data
• An improved export output that lists only locations and metrics that are relevant to the recommendations

The new Recommendations section is located on the Visibility Report, in the Report view. 

Some Scout website metrics have been deprecated 

The following Scout website metrics have been removed from the platform due to redundancies with other metrics or lack of actionable insights:

• Business Website Has Location Page Structure
• Business Website All Schema Types
• Business Website Total Images on Page
• Business Website Total Words on Page
• Business Website Total Non Stop Words on Page
• Business Website Has Keyword In Title
• Business Website Has Keyword In Domain
• Business Website Has Keyword In Meta Description
• Business Website Has Keyword In Meta Keywords
• Business Website Has Keyword In Header Tags
• Business Website Has Keyword In Alt Tags
• Business Website Has Primary GBP Category In Title
• Business Website Competitor Technologies

Grok replaced with Claude for AI scans

Beginning with your next scan, Anthropic Claude has been added as an AI scan source, replacing Grok. Claude is an increasingly popular LLM that brings enhanced reliability to your Scout data.

Week of September 29

Reviews Score Metric Details

You can now see more details about your Reviews score, including trends over time, best and worst performing locations, and score factors. To see the information, click See Details on the Review Score tile in either the map or report view. 

Week of September 15, 2025

Scout Features in the Yext Mobile App (beta)

The new Yext Mobile App Beta includes Scout features like key metrics, insights, and recommendations. To request access to the beta, see a demo, and learn more about all features of the app, please contact your account team.

View metrics over time

You can now see how the average for some metrics have changed over time for every scan since Scout was implemented for your business. The line represents the average metric value for the selected location(s), while the shaded area represents the range from lowest to highest metric values. You can hover over the line to see more specific details about the metric during that scan period. The chart is located on the Metric Details page for most metrics.

Week of September 8, 2025

AI Citations

You can now see a dedicated AI Citations tile on your Visibility Report. AI Citation data shows what sources Al models use most and least frequently to answer unbranded user queries related to your brand. This data can provide insight into where you might need more or better information related to your brand. You can access the tile under AI Search Performance in both theMap and Report view.  Click Metric Details to get more information about how citation data is gathered. 

Citation information is grouped into the following types of sources:

1st Party - Your own website 

Listings - Your Listings publishers (Google Maps, Mapquest, etc)

Reputation - Review websites (TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, etc)

Social - Social media sites (YouTube, Facebook, etc)

3rd Party - Non-Yext publishers or any other source (news site, blog, etc) 

Week of September 1, 2025

Social Score

The new Social Score tile calculates the performance of Google Local posts compared to competitors based on post recency and consistency. The score is under Optimization on both the Map and Report views of the Visibility Report. 

Week of August 25, 2025

Review Score

You can now see your Review Score on a dedicated tile on the Visibility Report in both the Map and Report views, making it easier for you to quickly see how your reviews are performing. The Review Score is calculated based on review volume, recency, response rate, and average rating.

Week of August 18, 2025

Include competitor data in exports

You can now include competitor data in files you export from Scout. To export data that includes competitor information, click Export on the Visibility Report, select Include Competitors, then click Generate Download.

Enhanced Location Performance table

The Performance Location table has been enhanced with switchable location and metric overviews and new table functionalities.

Location overview 

When viewing multiple Scout locations in the map, you can now see individual metrics for each location in the Performance Location table by default (Location overview toggle). Previously, the score for each metric was an average for all locations. 

Location overview (default)

To view all metrics for a single location, click the location name in the left column. This only shows metrics for the selected location against local competitors. 

Single location view for all metrics against competitors  

To drill down into a single metric for all locations, click the metric name at the top of the table row to view the Metric Details page.

Single metric view for all locations

Metric overview

Toggle to Metric overview to see all selected metrics with averages among your locations, and compare how many locations are above versus below benchmark for each metric. This view offers a more simplified, high-level version of the data. Click the metric name in the left column to view the Metric Details page. 

Metric overview

New table functionalities

The Location Performance table also has more sorting and filtering capabilities. 

You can sort metric values in ascending or descending order by clicking the arrow next to the value in the metric column.

You can also filter the table by metric, allowing you to only view the metrics that are most applicable to you. Previously, the table showed all metrics, which made it very large and more difficult to read. To filter by metric, click the View drop down above the table and select or deselect metrics as desired. Then, click Apply. 

In addition to metrics filtering, you can choose to view metrics as numeric values or as percentages. Numeric values show how many of a certain metric are above or below the benchmark. For example, if the benchmark for Google photos is 100 photos and your location has 110 photos, it is above benchmark by +10 (numeric), or 110% (percentage). To change the value type, select either Percentage or Numeric using the toggle above the table. This toggle is also available on the Metric Details page. 

Week of July 21, 2025

New Detail Metrics page

A new Metric Details page provides more comprehensive metrics data and visualization, insights and recommendations, and a breakdown of metric data by location. You can access metric details by clicking on a metric name in the Location Performance table. 

Because the new Metric Details page will now house insights information, the dedicated Insights and Recommendations page has been deprecated. Existing insights-related links now open the Metric Details page.

Click a metric to see the new page

Example Metric Details page

Week of June 30th, 2025

View historical scans 

After your July monthly scan, you will be able to view previous scans in Scout, allowing you to compare your performance over time. To view a previous scan, on the Visibility Report, click the Data for drop down and select a scan. In the Map View, it is location at the bottom of the Visibility Report sidebar. In the Report View, it is located at the top right of the report.

Map View

Report View

Note: The first time you use this feature, you will be able to compare the zip code scan to the new lat/lon scanning method between your first and second scans. Because of the different scanning methods, the data might look very different between the two.

New scanning method 

After your July monthly scan, zip code scanning will be replaced with the new latitude/longitude scanning method. Latitude/longitude scanning, or lat/lon, allows you to compare your location against nearby competitors as if you are at the location. Previously, Scout scanned competitors from the middle of the location's zip code, which didn't always show competitors within the closest proximity to your location. For example, if your location is on the edge of your zip code boundary, closer competitors with a different zip code might not have been included in your scan. With lat/lon scanning, you can get a better comparison of your closest competitors in any direction, regardless of zip code. 

To accomodate the changes, the zip code and location-based scan options have been removed from the Map Controls modal. 

Week of June 2nd, 2025

Best Score 

This new Map Control option shows only the best score within each hexagon instead of the default average score across all selected locations.

Keyword % Search Details Drawer 

The keyword drawer shows which keywords and questions we’re asking AI. To view it, click keywords in the top left of the Visibility Report.