Picture this: someone is sitting in a café, picks up their iPhone, and asks Siri “Where can I find a good hairdresser nearby?” — the answer doesn’t come from Google. It comes from Apple Maps.
Another scene: someone opens ChatGPT and types “Recommend a custom kitchen builder in my area.” — again, no Google data involved. ChatGPT searches Bing.
These are two of the largest discovery channels you have today as a local business — and both are completely ignored by the vast majority of small businesses. The effort to get listed on both: roughly 30 minutes, both free. Once set up, the listings remain stable for years and need very little maintenance.
This post is a complete tutorial. If you take 30 minutes and walk through it step by step, you’ll end up with two extra visibility channels your competitors probably haven’t even thought about.
Why this suddenly matters in 2026
Until two years ago, you could defend “Bing and Apple are small, I’ll focus on Google” as a strategy. That logic doesn’t hold up in 2026 — for three reasons:
1. AI assistants use Bing, not Google. ChatGPT Search, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity (in many configurations), DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo all draw on the Bing index when they need fresh web and location data. If your Bing listing doesn’t exist or is out of date, these assistants will give your customers wrong answers — or recommend a competitor.
2. Apple Maps is growing. iPhones have a high market share in many regions, particularly in Europe. Every Apple Maps search, every Spotlight query, every Siri question, and every business linked from an iMessage pulls data from Apple Business. According to Apple’s own numbers, claimed locations get roughly 30% more views than unclaimed ones.
3. The competitive bar is low. That’s exactly what makes this a quick win. Whoever sets up both profiles cleanly today is often virtually unopposed in local AI answers and Apple Maps — not because the profile is so impressive, but because competitors simply aren’t there.
Part 1: Setting up Apple Business (~15 minutes)
Note: In April 2026, Apple merged the previous “Apple Business Connect,” “Apple Business Manager,” and “Apple Business Essentials” into a unified platform now called Apple Business. The URL is business.apple.com. If you find older guides pointing to businessconnect.apple.com — ignore them, you’ll be redirected anyway.
What you need
- An Apple ID. A personal one is enough for local-business purposes — you don’t need a “Managed Apple Account” as long as you’re only managing brand and location info.
- Your business phone within reach. Apple typically calls you directly for verification.
- Business data: exact address, hours, phone number, website URL, a clean logo (min. 1080×1080 px, transparent background), two to five photos of the business.
Step 1 — Sign in to business.apple.com
Go to business.apple.com and click Sign In. Sign in with your Apple ID.
> 📸 Screenshot 1: Apple Business landing page with “Sign In” button.
On first login, Apple will ask whether you want to continue with your personal Apple ID or set up an “Apple Account for Work.” For most local businesses, the answer is: keep using your personal Apple ID.
Step 2 — Add your location
In the dashboard, click Add a Location. Apple first searches whether it already knows your location. Type your business name plus city — e.g. “Salon Müller, Lachen”. If Apple finds your listing, click Claim. If not, you can add the location manually.
> 📸 Screenshot 2: Apple Business Dashboard with “Add a Location” highlighted.
Step 3 — Verification
Apple typically verifies via an automated phone call to your business number. You’ll receive a call with a verification code that you enter into the dashboard.
> 📸 Screenshot 3: Verification dialog with input field for the code received by phone.
Domain verification (TXT record on your website) is also available for larger organizations — for a small business with one location, phone verification is the fastest path.
Step 4 — Fill in the Place Card
This is where the value lives. The “Place Card” is what customers see on their iPhone. Fill in:
- Display Name — your business name, exactly matching your Google Business Profile (NAP consistency).
- Categories — a primary category and 1–2 secondaries.
- Address — exact address, then drag the map pin to the entrance if Apple placed it incorrectly.
- Hours — opening hours, including holiday rules.
- Phone, Email, Website — fully filled in.
- Photos — at minimum your logo plus 2–3 photos (storefront, interior, team or product).
> 📸 Screenshot 4: Place Card editor with fields filled in, preview on the right.
Step 5 — Showcases and Custom Actions
This is where Apple Business pulls ahead of a basic listing. Showcases are small promo tiles on your Place Card (offers, new products, seasonal highlights). Custom Actions are buttons like “Book Appointment,” “Reserve,” “Order” — Apple reports that these action links increase click-through rates by roughly 31%.
> 📸 Screenshot 5: Showcase editor with sample entry.
If you have a booking system (Calendly, Acuity, Salonized), link it here. If not, a Custom Action “Call” with your phone number is always a safe default.
Step 6 — Submit
Click Submit for Review. Apple reviews entries manually — usually within 24–72 hours, sometimes faster. Once approved, your Place Card is live across Apple Maps, Siri, Spotlight, and Wallet.
Part 2: Setting up Bing Places (~10 minutes)
Note: Microsoft rebuilt Bing Places in October 2025. The old URL bingplaces.com redirects to bing.com/forbusiness. Existing listings have been migrated automatically.
The big advantage with Bing: if you have a verified Google Business Profile, the setup really only takes a few minutes — Bing can import your data from Google and, in many cases, verify instantly.
Step 1 — Microsoft account
You need a Microsoft account. If you have Outlook, Hotmail, or a Microsoft 365 work account, you can use that. Otherwise, create one for free at account.microsoft.com.
Step 2 — Open Bing Places
Go to bing.com/forbusiness and click Get Started. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
> 📸 Screenshot 6: bing.com/forbusiness landing page with “Get Started” button.
Step 3 — Google import (the key tip)
In the new Bing setup flow, your first choice is Import from Google or Add manually. Choose “Import from Google.”
> 📸 Screenshot 7: Selection screen with “Import from Google” and “Add manually.”
You’ll be redirected to Google, you authorize Bing once, and Bing pulls all core data over automatically: name, address, hours, phone, website, categories, photos. In most cases, Bing verifies the listing automatically as part of the import — no postcard, no phone call, no waiting.
Important: If your Google Business Profile isn’t clean (wrong phone number, old address), don’t import the mess. Clean Google first, then import to Bing.
Step 4 — Review the data
After import, Bing shows you a summary of the imported fields. Walk through them once:
- Is the exact address correct?
- Is the map pin in the right place?
- Are all opening hours correct?
- Is the right primary category selected?
> 📸 Screenshot 8: Bing dashboard with imported data and edit options.
Step 5 — Work through the recommendations
The new Bing Places includes a Recommendation Tool that surfaces concrete suggestions to strengthen your listing:
- Missing fields (e.g. social media links).
- Industry-specific suggestions (e.g. “Add a menu link” for restaurants).
- Upload more photos if fewer than three are present.
> 📸 Screenshot 9: Recommendations panel with concrete improvement suggestions.
Click through them one by one. This is the only place where you’ll want to invest another 5–10 minutes.
Step 6 — Publish
Click Publish. Unlike Apple, Bing has no manual review wait time after publish — your data typically appears in Bing search results, Bing Maps, and in the AI tools that use Bing as a data source within hours, at most two days.
What you’ve achieved in 30 minutes — and what you haven’t
What’s done:
- Your business shows up in Apple Maps and Siri responses.
- Your business shows up in Bing Maps, Bing search, and the AI answers from ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and DuckDuckGo.
- You’ve established data consistency (NAP — Name, Address, Phone) across Google, Apple, and Bing. That’s the most important trust signal in local SEO.
What’s not done:
- Unlike Google, neither platform collects its own ranking-relevant reviews. Your review focus stays on Google.
- You’ll need to maintain hours and address whenever something changes. That’s three-place work: Google, Apple, Bing — best done in the same half-hour.
What can pay off next:
Both Apple Business and Bing Places have simple Insights dashboards (views, taps on phone/website, directions requests). Check them once a quarter. You’ll be surprised how many contacts come through these channels once the profiles are set up.
More AI-search-specific optimization is coming over the next few months. The foundation, however, is always the same: a clean, complete, consistent profile across all three major platforms.
Coming as a video tutorial
I plan to record both setups as a step-by-step video — a profile that I create live, with all the clicks and confirmation emails along the way. The written post here gives you the overview; the video will show the moments where you actually pause briefly. Once it’s online, I’ll link it from the top of this article.
Want to be more visible locally but unsure where the biggest lever is? I offer a free 30-minute introductory call. We’ll look at your visibility across Google, Apple, and Bing together — you walk out with three concrete next steps.
Ready to talk?
30 minutes, no pitch — just clarity on your next marketing move.