Bing and Reddit: the two places most contractors forget

A contractor asked us a question we hear more and more. His marketing is focused on Google and Local Services Ads. But he'd read that ChatGPT runs on Bing. Should some of his marketing shift there?

Our founder AK's answer was quick: "that's Bing and Reddit." Then he made the bigger point. Don't focus on marketing for its own sake. Focus on where your customers are searching.

Why Bing matters again

For years, most home service owners ignored Bing. Google had the searches, so Google got the attention.

AI changed that. When ChatGPT searches the web, Bing is part of how it finds things. An OpenAI engineering leader said it directly in 2024: "we use a set of services and Bing is an important one."

So if your business information on Bing is missing, wrong or out of date, you're giving one of the biggest AI assistants less to work with.

The easy win: claim your Bing Places listing

Bing Places for Business is free. It controls how your business shows up in Bing search results and Bing Maps. And Microsoft says it has made major improvements to how business owners import their listings from Google, so if your Google profile is in good shape, you're most of the way there.

When you set it up:

• Use the exact same name, address and phone as your Google profile. Same spelling, same format.
• Pick the right categories for what you actually do.
• Add real photos, your hours and your website.
• Save the login somewhere safe, in your business's name.

Do the same for Apple Business Connect while you're at it. It's another place your business shows up that most competitors never touch.

Why Reddit matters

Reddit is where people ask each other for honest recommendations. "Who do you trust for a crawl space in our area?" "Has anyone used this roofer?" Real people, real answers.

AI assistants pay attention to that. In 2024, OpenAI announced a partnership with Reddit, saying it "will bring enhanced Reddit content to ChatGPT."

That means what people say about you on Reddit, or don't say, can shape what an AI tells a homeowner.

How to show up on Reddit the right way

This is where you have to be careful. Reddit users can spot a sales pitch from a mile away, and they don't forgive it.

• Never post fake reviews or pretend to be a customer. It's dishonest, it breaks the rules and it will backfire.
• Join your local community and answer homeowners' questions honestly, even when the answer is "you don't need us for that."
• Be a real person. Say who you are and what you do. Helpful beats promotional every time.
• Earn the mentions. The best Reddit presence comes from customers who loved your work and say so on their own.

Should money move to Bing ads?

Maybe someday. But start with the free listing. Ads only make sense once your phone is answered every time and your tracking is set up, so you can see the cost per booked job. Then you can test a small budget and let the numbers decide.

The bigger lesson

Homeowners keep changing where they look. Yellow Pages, then Google, then Facebook, now AI assistants. Each change feels exhausting.

But the fix is usually the same. Be accurate, be consistent and be real everywhere people look. The businesses that do that quietly end up as the names the machines repeat.

Want to see where your business shows up today? Our free Growth Ladder assessment takes about four minutes.

Written by AKFounder of Momentum. Former Executive Sales Coach Lead at Google.