Where Alexa, Siri & Google Assistant Get Local Data

When someone asks Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant to find a business "near me," it feels like one big question with one big answer. In reality, each assistant is querying a completely different backend, and none of them talk to each other. Google Assistant reads Google Business Profile. Siri reads Apple Business Connect and Yelp. Alexa reads Bing Places and Yelp. If your business only exists in one of these systems, you're invisible to whichever assistants don't use it. This guide walks through exactly where each assistant gets its answers, so you know precisely what to claim and complete.

There is no single listing that reaches every voice assistant - there are four, and most businesses have only claimed one.

Google Assistant and Google Nest speakers: Google Business Profile

When you ask Google Assistant or a Google Nest/Home speaker for a local business, the answer comes straight from Google Business Profile - the same listing data that powers Google Maps and the local Map Pack in search results.

There's no separate "voice database" here. It's the identical profile: your hours, your reviews, your categories, your photos. If that profile is thin, unclaimed, or poorly optimized, Google's own assistant simply has nothing good to hand back to the person asking.

Siri and Apple Maps: Apple Business Connect plus Yelp

Siri and Apple Maps draw on Apple Business Connect, Apple's free business-listing platform that works much like Google Business Profile but is entirely separate from it. Apple lets business owners claim a listing, set hours, add photos, and post updates directly into the data Siri reads from.

Alongside Apple Business Connect, Apple has licensed Yelp data for years as a supplementary source for reviews and business details. A business with a great Google Business Profile but no Apple Business Connect listing and no Yelp presence is effectively invisible to every iPhone user asking Siri for a recommendation.

Amazon Alexa: Bing Places and Yelp

Amazon doesn't operate its own first-party local business directory at the scale Google or Apple do, so Alexa leans on two outside sources for local answers: Bing Places for Business and Yelp.

Bing Places is Microsoft's direct equivalent of Google Business Profile - a free listing you claim and fill out with the same basics: name, address, hours, categories, photos. If it's missing or incomplete, Alexa has little to work with, regardless of how strong your Google presence is.

Bing, Copilot, ChatGPT and Gemini: search retrieval and general knowledge

Microsoft Copilot and Bing's own local search results are powered by the same Bing Places for Business data that feeds Alexa - one more reason that listing matters more than most businesses assume.

ChatGPT and Google Gemini work differently. When asked something like "what's a good plumber near me," they aren't querying one live local-business directory the way the other assistants are. They're drawing on a mix of training knowledge and, increasingly, live web and answer-engine retrieval - acting more like a well-read local friend than a directory lookup.

That means showing up well in ChatGPT or Gemini answers isn't about claiming one more listing. It comes from being genuinely well-documented across the web: a strong Google Business Profile, a solid Yelp presence, press mentions, and your own site content all feed the same pool these models draw from.

FAQ

Do Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant all use the same business listing data?

No. Each pulls from a different source: Google Assistant uses Google Business Profile, Siri uses Apple Business Connect and Yelp, and Alexa uses Bing Places for Business and Yelp. A listing claimed in one system does not appear in the others.

If I only have a Google Business Profile, which voice assistants can't find me?

A Google Business Profile alone doesn't reach Siri, which relies on Apple Business Connect and Yelp, or Alexa, which relies on Bing Places and Yelp. You'd be covered for Google Assistant and Google Maps, but missing from Apple and Amazon's voice ecosystems entirely.

What listings do I actually need to be found across all major voice assistants?

A sensible baseline is four free listings: a complete Google Business Profile, a claimed and complete Yelp listing, a claimed Apple Business Connect listing, and a claimed Bing Places for Business listing. Together these cover the data sources behind Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, and Bing/Copilot.

How do ChatGPT and Gemini find local businesses if they don't use one directory?

ChatGPT and Gemini combine training knowledge with live web and answer-engine retrieval rather than querying a single local-business API. Visibility there comes from being well-reviewed and well-cited across the web, including your Google Business Profile, Yelp presence, press coverage, and your own site content.

Is Bing Places for Business worth claiming if I don't use Bing search?

Yes, because Bing Places doesn't just feed Bing search. It's also the primary data source Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Copilot draw on for local business answers, so skipping it means missing those two channels entirely.