84% of owners think customers can find them online. Only 35% update their Google listing

Bit of a wake-up call from BrightLocal this week — the Brighton lot who spend all day watching how people actually find local businesses.

Their 2026 report (surveyed 1,000+ US owners, but the maths travels) found 84% of owners are confident customers can find them online. Yet only 35% keep their Google Business Profile actively updated, and 21% haven't touched it in three months.

The kicker: 47% of people won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews — and 47% of small businesses have fewer than 20. Both numbers landing on the same 47 is either a coincidence or a very tidy warning.

Then the AI bit. 86% of owners know people ask ChatGPT and Gemini for local recommendations. Those answers don't come from thin air — they read your Google listing, your hours, your photos, your reviews. A stale profile means when someone asks "best plumber near me", you're just not in the answer.

None of this needs new software or a budget. Update your Google Business Profile. Get past 20 reviews. Reply to the ones you've got — most people expect it.

The boring admin is what decides whether the AI points them your way.