KarpOS research and guides
Get found on Google Maps and in AI search.
Plain answers for home-service businesses, built on what we measure in real local markets.
We checked 3,320 Google Maps searches in 21 markets. Here's what the #1 business had.
We recorded the top Google Maps results at 3,320 points in 21 U.S. markets. The #1 business had the most reviews of the top three less than half the time.
Read the research →4 minWhy you rank #1 at your shop and #15 across town
Google Maps ranks you differently on every block. Here is why you look great from your office and invisible a few miles away, and what moves it.
Read the guide →4 minReviewsHow many Google reviews does your business need to make the top 3?
Real numbers by trade from 3,320 Google Maps checks: what the top 3 businesses had for HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping and more.
Read the guide →3 minReviewsCan you get a bad Google review removed? What Google actually allows
Google removes reviews that break its policies, not reviews that are just negative. What qualifies, how to report one, and what works when it doesn't qualify.
Read the guide →3 minReviewsHow to ask for Google reviews without being pushy (or breaking Google's rules)
Word-for-word scripts for asking customers for Google reviews by text, email and in person, plus the rules that can get a business in trouble.
Read the guide →4 minAI searchDoes ChatGPT recommend local contractors? We asked three AI tools 575 times.
We asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Mode who the best contractors were in 180+ towns. They mostly disagreed, and ChatGPT leaned on Angi, BBB and Yelp.
Read the guide →4 minGrowthHow much should a home-service business spend on marketing, and what to buy first
Local businesses spend about 5% of revenue on advertising; HVAC contractors about 6%. Here's the math at three revenue levels and the order to spend it in.
Read the guide →3 minGoogle MapsThe Google Business Profile checklist: 10 settings contractors get wrong
The 10 Google Business Profile settings that matter most for home-service businesses, from your primary category to service areas, photos and reviews.
Read the guide →4 minGoogle MapsService-area business: should you hide your address on Google?
When Google wants a service-area business to hide its address, what hiding it changes and doesn't, and how it affects where you rank on Google Maps.
Read the guide →3 minGrowthDo you need a website if you have a Google Business Profile?
You can rank on Google Maps without a website, but it costs you. What a website adds for Maps rankings, customers and AI assistants, and what it needs.
Read the guide →3 minGrowthWhat happens when a customer's call goes to voicemail
When a homeowner's call goes to voicemail, they usually call the next business on the list. How missed-call text back and fast follow-up keep those jobs.
Read the guide →3 minMarket reportsWho gets the clicks for HVAC in Bismarck, ND (and why roofing looks so different)
We checked Google Maps rankings at 80 points around Bismarck for HVAC and roofing. One HVAC company leads almost everywhere. Roofing is wide open.
Read the guide →4 minSee where you rank across your whole area
The free KarpOS audit maps your Google ranking block by block, names who is ahead of you, and checks whether AI assistants recommend you.