Most owners think customers can find them. A new survey says check again.

1. The gap in the new survey

BrightLocal released its 2026 Small Business Marketing Report on October 22, a survey of more than a thousand US small business owners. Most owners believe customers can find them online. Yet about seven in ten consumers use Google when they look for a local business, while only about one owner in five ranks Google among their top two ways of winning customers.

Owners put word of mouth and social media first. Customers still check Google before they call.

BrightLocal Small Business Marketing Report 2026 (press release)

2. Reviews are where it shows

The survey found almost half of small businesses have fewer than 20 Google reviews, and almost half of consumers say they won’t use a business with that few. Most consumers expect owners to reply to reviews; only about half of owners regularly do.

The owners who ask for reviews tend to have more of them. That sounds obvious, but asking is the step that slips when the week gets busy.

3. Word of mouth still ends on Google

A referral is a name, not a booking. The friend who says “call Lee’s” sends someone to search for Lee’s, and that person looks at your rating, your last few reviews, your hours and whether you answer. The same is true for AI assistants: the survey notes that they lean on websites and directory listings, which only a minority of owners keep active.

• Keep your hours and services current on Google, Apple Maps, Bing and Facebook.
• Keep your website live and specific, with each main service on its own page.
• Ask every customer for a review, the same day, with a direct link.

4. Build a review habit

Tick what is already in place. Your answers stay in this browser.

5. Make asking automatic

The businesses with more reviews aren’t luckier. They ask every time.

In a connected system, finishing a job triggers the review request by text, reminds once if there is no reply and alerts you when a new review comes in, so you can answer it the same day.

Related reads: free ways to get found and showing up in AI search.