Blog

Getting found

How UK local businesses get found on Google Maps, Bing, Apple Maps and AI assistants such as ChatGPT, and the part reviews play in each.

A homeowner at a kitchen table typing into an AI chat on a laptop, with a dripping tap in the background.

Getting found

How to get recommended by ChatGPT as a local business

A customer says ChatGPT named a rival. There is no form and no way to buy an answer, but there are things OpenAI has published. The UK version, without the Yelp advice.

11 November 2026 7 min read

A smartphone in a dashboard cradle showing a map with a pin and route, with a lit shop window through the windscreen at dusk.

Getting found

How to get your business on Apple Maps and Siri

Apple Business replaced Business Connect in April 2026, so older guides are out of date. How to claim your place card, and where its ratings come from.

10 November 2026 7 min read

An accountant at a desktop computer in a small high street office, filling in a business listing on a large monitor.

Getting found

Is Bing Places for Business worth it in the UK?

Bing's share of UK desktop search jumped to about a fifth in October 2026, and it has almost none on mobile. What Microsoft actually says about Bing Places and Copilot, and who should bother.

9 November 2026 6 min read

Hands placing coloured pins on a printed map of neighbouring towns, beside a smartphone showing a map.

Getting found

How to rank in surrounding towns on Google Maps

Strong at home, invisible two miles away? Your rank is a map, not a number. A free manual grid, how to read it, and what reaches the next town.

6 November 2026 7 min read

Over the shoulder of a garage owner at a workbench, studying a falling line chart on a tablet, with a car on a lift beyond.

Getting found

Dropped out of the Google map pack? What to check first

In the top three last week, gone today? Confirm the drop is real, then work through edits, hours, rivals, and changes to the results page, in that order.

5 November 2026 6 min read

Getting found

How to choose Google Business Profile categories

Which profile fields affect whether you are found, and which are for customers only? The evidence for categories, services, attributes, hours, and posts.

4 November 2026 7 min read

A shop owner in a doorway on a high street, looking at a rival shop opposite with a list of local results on a smartphone.

Getting found

Why does a competitor with fewer reviews rank higher?

More reviews, lower in the map pack? Proximity, category, the rival's name, opening hours, or recent reviews may explain it. Here is how to tell which.

3 November 2026 6 min read

Over the shoulder of a plumber beside a white van on a residential street, checking a map on a smartphone.

Getting found

Why is my business not showing up on Google Maps?

Missing from Maps, or only invisible for the searches that matter? A diagnostic in the order Google's own help implies, with a check for each fix.

2 November 2026 7 min read

From the blog to your market

See what customers say about your market.

Each Rate My Ratings report reads every public review of every comparable business in one category and one location, and turns them into a five-part document you can act on.

Browse the reports Request a report

What you getOne password-protected web document in five parts: Overview, Experience, Persona, Benchmark, Strategy.
Where the data comes fromPublic reviews on Google Maps, attributed to the business that received them and presented in aggregate.
How it's pricedA one-time purchase per market. No account, no card on file, nothing to cancel.

Getting found

New articles and findings, by email.

See what customers say about your market.