Research

Measured, dated, published with its limitations

Original measurements of how UK local businesses are found on Google Maps, in search and in AI answers. Small samples are called small. Planned work is listed as planned and carries no figures until it has run.

The standard

A research note here says what was measured, how, when, at what cost, and what it cannot support.

1
note published so far, with its data
2
live Maps scans behind the first note, plus one check on the ground
3
studies planned, listed below without numbers
0
figures on this page that were not measured

Planned

What we intend to measure next

Listed so you can hold us to it. None of these carries a number yet, because none has run.

  1. Do the businesses Google Maps ranks also get recommended by AI?

    The same commercial prompts put to a live assistant and to a Maps geo-grid for a set of UK towns and services, and the overlap measured. Not yet run; no numbers until it has.

  2. The HighRegard UK Local Visibility Index

    Website Score, Maps coverage, review profile and AI mention rate for a fixed panel of local businesses, re-measured on a schedule so the movement is the finding. In design.

  3. UK private clinics: website, Maps, reviews and AI visibility compared

    A sector cut of the index for the businesses this consultancy knows best. Depends on the index panel above.

If your business would like to be part of a panel, or you hold data that would make one of these studies better, get in touch. Panel businesses are never named without written agreement.

How to read our research

Four kinds of claim, always labelled

The application labels every figure as observed, estimated or judgement. The research does the same, and adds the official guidance we are reading against.

  • Google guidance published by Google; read it before believing anyone else, including us
  • Measured observation something we measured, with the method and date stated
  • Professional judgement our reading from doing the work; reasonable people can differ
  • Working hypothesis a plausible mechanism we have not yet measured
  • HighRegard research a HighRegard study or note, with its data published

Prefer HighRegard in Google’s AI answers and Top Stories

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Add HighRegard as a preferred source

See your own street-level Maps visibility

A measured geo-grid for your business is part of the Repair Sprint and both monthly plans. The free snapshot starts with your website.