Siri, Alexa or Google Recommends My Competitor Instead of Me
Voice Assistants & Listings
You ask for the best roofer nearby. The assistant names the other guy.
You ask Siri, Google or Alexa for your kind of business near you, the way a customer would, and the assistant names a competitor, sometimes one that is farther away, smaller or newer. When you ask for yourself by name it finds you, which proves you exist and makes the first answer harder to swallow.
What it actually means
A voice answer is a shortlist of one. The assistant weighs how relevant each business is to the words spoken, how close it is to the person asking, and how prominent it appears (ratings, reviews, how complete and consistent its listings are), then reads out its top choice. On a screen you might have been second. Out loud, second is silence.
None of the three companies publishes exactly how it picks. Google describes relevance, distance and prominence for its local results, and the assistants behave as if similar factors apply. Apple and Amazon say less. What their behavior makes clear is that they read listing data first, and that a cleaner, fuller record tends to win when other things are close.
Some of it you can't change. If the competitor is two miles from the person asking and you are nine, distance may settle it. The rest, which is usually most of it, you can.
What usually causes it
Most likely first.
- 1
Your category is too broad, or wrong
You're listed as a general contractor; they're listed as a roofing contractor. The request was for a roofer, and the assistant matched the specific category.
- 2
Your hours mark you closed
Many requests carry an unspoken "open now." If your hours are missing or wrong on the platform that assistant reads, you are skipped without comment.
- 3
They're stronger on the source that assistant reads
Siri and Alexa have leaned on Yelp ratings, Google on Google reviews. A competitor with more and better reviews on the source in play gets the nod, even if you lead somewhere else.
- 4
Your listings disagree with each other
Different hours, names or phone numbers across Google, Apple, Bing and Yelp make your record look less certain than theirs.
- 5
They're closer to where the question was asked
Distance from the person asking is a real factor. You can't move, but you can make sure your service area and your pages cover the neighborhoods you work in.
- 6
Your listing on that platform is unclaimed or thin
No photos, no services, no description, no attributes. Next to a complete competitor, there is less for the assistant to match.
How to fix it
Work through these in order. Take a backup before you change anything.
Step 1 — Test the way customers ask
From a phone near your customers, not your office, ask each assistant the same three to five questions. Note who is named and what the assistant says about them: rating, distance, open or closed.
Step 2 — Open the competitor's listing on that platform
Compare category, hours, reviews, photos, services and description with yours on the same platform. The gap is usually plain once the two are side by side.
Step 3 — Fix category and services first
Choose the most specific primary category that fits, add the services customers ask for by name, and match the category across Google, Apple, Bing and Yelp.
Step 4 — Make hours and contact details identical
One schedule, one phone number and one spelling of the name, on every platform and on your website.
Step 5 — Work on reviews where they count
Ask recent customers for Google reviews. Claim Yelp and reply to what is there, but don't solicit Yelp reviews, which Yelp asks businesses not to do. Reply with plain mentions of the job and the area.
Step 6 — Strengthen the website for the towns you want
A page for each main area and service, with the questions customers ask answered in a sentence or two. Assistants check the web to confirm what the listings claim.
Step 7 — Retest monthly and keep a log
Same questions, same locations, every month. Changes take weeks to show, and the log tells you whether the work is moving the answer.
When to stop and call someone
Call someone if you've cleaned up all four platforms and still lose to the same competitor for a few months, if you suspect their listing breaks the rules (fake reviews, a keyword-stuffed name, a fake address), or if you serve many towns and need the work done for each. Reporting a rule-breaking competitor is allowed, but it works best with clear evidence and a good deal of patience.
Who is the assistant picking instead of you?
Pick the closest match and we'll put your listings next to the competitor's on the platform that's choosing them. Free, and you keep the comparison.
Which of these sounds like you? (pick any)
Frequently asked
Siri reads Apple Maps and the review data Apple uses, not Google. If your Apple listing is unclaimed, has the wrong category or hours, or your ratings on the sources Apple shows trail the competitor's, Siri will pick them. Claim Apple Business Connect and match it to Google. The Siri guide has the details.
Not for most answers. Google's Local Services Ads have appeared in some Assistant answers for certain trades, but ordinary voice answers come from listing data, reviews and distance. Money spent fixing those helps on every assistant, while an ad helps only on the platform that sold it. The near-me guide explains the ranking side.
Yes. Distance from the person asking is one of the biggest factors, so testing from your own office flatters you. Ask from neighborhoods where your customers live, or from a phone located there, and compare those answers with what you heard at the office.
Yes. Google, Apple and Yelp all have ways to report listings and reviews that break their rules, such as fake locations, keyword-stuffed names or paid reviews. Report with specifics and screenshots. It can take time, and it works best alongside fixing your own record, not instead of it.
There is no fixed timeline. Listing edits can appear within days, but a change in which business an assistant picks usually takes weeks and depends on reviews and the competition. Run the free Voice Search Visibility Check to see where you stand, then retest monthly.
If you’d rather not
We do this work every week. These are the services that cover it.
- Voice & Ambient Assistant OptimizationAsk a device out loud who to call and it names one business. We tune the listings, speakable answers, and actions that make the spoken pick yours.
- Local MarketingWin more of the searches near you. We improve profiles, maps visibility, local pages, reviews, tracking, and calls to action so nearby buyers can find and choose your business faster.
- Competitor AnalysisYou can't out-market a competitor you haven't studied. We break down what your competition does online and hand you the plan to beat them.
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