When most small business owners think about online visibility, their first thought is Google. And rightly so, Google remains the dominant search engine, especially for local intent. But in 2025, relying solely on Google is no longer enough. Consumers are discovering businesses across a wide ecosystem of platforms, and many of those don’t rely on Google data at all.
Apple Maps, Bing Places, Nextdoor, and third-party aggregators like Yelp and Localeze play a much larger role than many businesses realize. If you want to show up wherever your customers are looking — not just on one search engine — you need to expand your local listing strategy.
Let’s take a look at the platforms that matter now, why they’re important, and what you can do to ensure your business is properly represented.
Apple Maps & Apple Business Connect
Apple Maps has quietly become the default navigation app for millions of iPhone users, and Apple Business Connect gives business owners direct control over how they appear. Unlike Google, Apple uses its own ecosystem of data. If your business isn’t claimed and updated in Business Connect, you could be missing out on valuable traffic from iOS users searching via Maps, Siri, Safari, or Spotlight.
Bing Places & Microsoft Copilot
Bing still powers a significant portion of desktop search, and Microsoft’s integration of AI (through Copilot and Windows search) makes it a growing channel for discovery. Bing Places is their version of Google Business Profile, and listings here often surface in AI-powered results, especially for users of Microsoft Edge or Windows devices.
Nextdoor: Local by Design
Nextdoor is uniquely community-focused. It connects neighbors, local events, and trusted service recommendations. For service-area businesses — think plumbers, HVAC, landscapers, handymen — having a presence on Nextdoor helps capture hyper-local attention. Positive recommendations on Nextdoor carry a lot of weight and can lead to word-of-mouth discovery in a way traditional SEO can’t.
Third-Party Data Aggregators
Behind the scenes, platforms like Localeze, Data Axle, and Foursquare distribute business data across hundreds of apps, GPS systems, voice assistants, and directories. Ensuring your data is accurate with these aggregators helps fill in the gaps and reduce inconsistencies that hurt trust. In many cases, these are the sources AI assistants rely on when summarizing business information.
Everyone Else: Smaller Directories Still Worth Listing On
While Google, Apple, Bing, and Nextdoor dominate attention, there are dozens of smaller but still influential directories and apps that can boost your business's visibility, especially for niche searches or industry-specific platforms. Many of these pull data from aggregators, but some allow (or require) you to claim your listing directly. Here are a few worth considering:
- Yelp – Still highly visible in Apple Maps, Siri, and some voice assistants. Particularly important for restaurants, home services, and anything with reviews.
- MapQuest – Still active in GPS and automotive search ecosystems.
- EZlocal – A long-standing online directory that allows businesses to create a free local profile. Being listed ensures your business appears in a trusted, established directory often used by consumers searching for local services.
- ChamberOfCommerce.com – A trusted business directory used for reputation signals.
- Manta – Small business directory with surprisingly good indexing power in Google and Bing.
- MerchantCircle – Popular with blue-collar and local trades, often surfaces for rural and small-town searches.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) – Still carries trust value, especially in service industries and with older demographics.
- Angi (formerly Angie’s List) – Especially relevant for contractors, home services, and professionals seeking more leads.
While none of these will deliver Google-level exposure individually, together they form a broader net that improves trust, coverage, and presence across the search ecosystem. Plus, many feed into newer platforms and AI-driven assistants that rely on verified structured data, not just web crawls.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
As voice assistants, AI-generated answers, and zero-click searches continue to grow, search engines and devices are relying less on traditional organic links and more on structured business data. If your business isn’t listed (or is incorrectly listed) on key platforms, it may never appear in these new discovery methods.
The best strategy is a unified one: claim your profiles on all major platforms, keep your information consistent, and use a service like EZlocal to monitor and distribute your data efficiently.
Google may be king, but it’s no longer the only gatekeeper. In 2025, smart local businesses meet their customers wherever they are searching and that means looking well beyond Google.
