Ranjit Shah
Founder, Flexi Local
Ranjit Shah is the founder of Flexi Local and of Start & Grow, the digital marketing and software company behind it. Start & Grow builds websites, runs local SEO and ads, and makes review and lead software for local and small businesses.
He is also the founder of FlexiDecision and Flexi Subscription.
He writes and reviews Flexi Local's guides and articles, checking every outside claim against its source.
Written by Ranjit Shah
Local SEO statistics for 2026: how customers find and choose local businesses
How people search, how fast they decide, what Google rewards and how AI assistants are changing local search, with every figure sourced.
Learn more about Local SEO statistics for 2026: how customers find and choose local businessesOnline review statistics for 2026: what customers expect from local businesses
How customers read reviews, the ratings and review counts they expect, what they want from replies, and the law on fake reviews.
Learn more about Online review statistics for 2026: what customers expect from local businessesHow many Google reviews do you need? A simple way to work out your number
There's no magic number, but there is a method: benchmark the businesses customers compare you with, then keep reviews coming every month.
Learn more about How many Google reviews do you need? A simple way to work out your numberWhy did my Google Maps ranking drop? How to find the cause and fix it
Check it's a real drop, then work through the nine most common causes in order, from suspensions and edits to reviews drying up.
Learn more about Why did my Google Maps ranking drop? How to find the cause and fix itHow to get your local business recommended by ChatGPT and AI search
What's actually known about how ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers pick local businesses, and eight steps that help.
Learn more about How to get your local business recommended by ChatGPT and AI searchGoogle Business Profile news, October 2026: what changed and what to do
Four days to reject edits, stricter rules for posts, spam-review pauses, a new support policy, slower review appeals and more, with what each means for you.
Learn more about Google Business Profile news, October 2026: what changed and what to doHow to rank higher on Google Maps
What actually moves your position in the map, what doesn't, and how to measure it.
Learn more about How to rank higher on Google MapsGoogle Business Profile checklist: 15 steps
Set up and maintain your Google profile properly, step by step.
Learn more about Google Business Profile checklist: 15 stepsHow to get more Google reviews: scripts that work
Text, email and in-person scripts, the right timing, and the mistakes that cost reviews.
Learn more about How to get more Google reviews: scripts that workHow to respond to Google reviews: templates for every situation
Replies for positive, mixed, negative, wrong-business and suspicious reviews, plus timing.
Learn more about How to respond to Google reviews: templates for every situationGoogle review QR codes: where to put them and how to make them work
How to make a review QR code, where it gets scanned, the right size and how to track it.
Learn more about Google review QR codes: where to put them and how to make them workGoogle Maps rank maps explained
What a rank grid shows, how to read the colours, and how to use it without fooling yourself.
Learn more about Google Maps rank maps explainedHow to ask past customers for reviews
A simple, rule-friendly way to get your first wave of reviews from people you've already served.
Learn more about How to ask past customers for reviews
See where you rank before you spend another dollar on marketing.
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