For 4 years, Segun Olaiya labored in native search engine optimisation (search engine optimisation) within the United States, serving to giant operations, together with AT&T and businesses in San Diego and Texas, enhance their visibility in on-line searches.
But he noticed that advertising and marketing know-how largely catered to organisations with a number of places, leaving smaller businesses neglected.
“Most of this kind of industry, which is marketing technology, is usually focused around big organisations that have multiple locations across cities and states that want to be as visible as possible. But small businesses are not always really paid attention to,” Olaiya advised TechCabal in an interview.
He started serving to small enterprise homeowners manually optimise their Google Business Profiles. Some reported receiving extra calls from customers who discovered them via natural search somewhat than paid commercials. “They were like, ‘Oh, now I get more calls,’” he recalled.
“Maybe I can actually just make this into a proper thing and then automate it,” Olaiya mentioned.
That concept led to Massive in 2026, an AI-powered native search engine optimisation platform that helps businesses like eating places, clinics, salons and home-service suppliers enhance their visibility on Google. It combines automated optimisation with human account managers who monitor search rankings and overview enterprise profiles.
Why being on Google will not be sufficient
Being listed on Google doesn’t assure a enterprise will seem prominently when potential customers seek for its companies. Google says native search outcomes are primarily primarily based on three elements: relevance, distance, and prominence.
Relevance measures how intently a enterprise profile matches a search; distance considers how far the enterprise is from the individual looking. Prominence displays how well-known it’s on-line, together with via buyer evaluations and hyperlinks from different web sites.
Olaiya says businesses can enhance their visibility by making certain their Google Business Profiles precisely describe their companies, maintaining their enterprise info constant throughout on-line platforms, and inspiring customers to depart evaluations.
For many Nigerian microenterprises, establishing a web-based presence stays a problem. A 2024 Research ICT Africa report, primarily based on a survey of 718 Nigerian microenterprises, found that solely 13% used the web for enterprise actions. Just 0.3% had their very own web sites, whereas 6.7% had a social media presence. The report additionally discovered that 37% lacked the digital abilities to use the web productively for his or her businesses.
Yet on-line search will be an essential supply of customers. A study commissioned by Google and conducted by Public First discovered that, on common, businesses surveyed in Nigeria reported that round 11% to 20% of their new customers discovered them via Google Search. The survey coated 140 enterprise leaders from small, medium, and enormous on-line businesses.
For enterprise homeowners already occupied with working their operations, maintaining their on-line profiles aggressive provides one other duty. Olaiya says Google’s frequent adjustments to its native search priorities make it troublesome for businesses to know what to replace or enhance.
“Typically, the problem is that Google usually changes the rules. More often than not, they usually change what they really care about,” he mentioned.
He mentioned many enterprise homeowners lack the time to sustain with these adjustments and work out how to enhance their visibility, so some outsource the duty to specialists to give attention to working their businesses.
He believes this makes companies like Massive extra interesting to businesses that may somewhat give attention to their each day operations.
How Massive manages native seek for businesses
Massive’s course of begins with a free visibility scan on its web site, AttemptMassive.ai. Business homeowners enter their enterprise identify and a search time period potential customers would possibly use, similar to “barber near me.” The platform then generates a map exhibiting the place the enterprise seems in Google Maps search outcomes throughout the encompassing space.
Olaiya mentioned the scan simulates searches from 49 factors round a enterprise by default, exhibiting how its rating adjustments relying on the place a possible buyer is looking.
He mentioned the system makes use of Google knowledge to estimate what somebody looking from every location would see.
“The Massive system goes and simulates that search across, by default, 49 points in the city,” he mentioned. “We simulate it as if somebody physically went to that physical location and then opened their phones and they search for that keyword.”
Businesses wanting to assess a wider space can improve the variety of factors to 81 or 100. Massive additionally calculates a median rating throughout the places, giving enterprise homeowners an summary of their visibility within the space.
Those who need to enhance their rankings can subscribe to the platform and ebook a 30-minute name with a member of Massive’s group. During the decision, an account supervisor evaluations their current outcomes and enterprise profile, discusses their targets and explains the adjustments Massive recommends. Olaiya describes the association as a “done-for-you experience”, including that “we literally do everything for you”.
The platform makes use of AI to analyse enterprise profiles and determine areas for enchancment. It evaluations a enterprise’s current description and recommends adjustments that might help Google higher perceive its companies and the customers it wants to attain.
“Once a business is imported to Massive, the system itself automatically reviews the existing description and then recommends the proper description,” Olaiya mentioned.
Massive additionally checks for inconsistencies in a enterprise’s on-line info, similar to variations between the descriptions on its web site and social media pages. For businesses with out web sites, Olaiya mentioned the platform can mechanically generate one utilizing their enterprise info and replace it as adjustments are made. It additionally recommends adjustments to be sure that the enterprise presents constant info throughout its on-line platforms.
Some duties run mechanically with out requiring the enterprise proprietor or an account supervisor to intervene. When a buyer leaves a Google overview, Massive analyses it, considers the enterprise’s companies and communication type, and drafts a response. Olaiya mentioned the system can then publish the response straight on Google with out the enterprise proprietor having to log in and reply.
However, account managers stay concerned in reviewing suggestions and dealing with points that require human judgement. Olaiya mentioned some businesses add photographs or different content material that Google could not settle for. When the system flags such materials, an account supervisor can contact the enterprise proprietor, clarify the issue, and advise them on what to change.
“We believe that a person should talk to another person instead of us just running a system that AI is talking to the person,” he mentioned.
Massive runs visibility scans each two weeks to monitor adjustments in a enterprise’s rankings. If rankings don’t enhance after two weeks, Olaiya mentioned the group adjustments its technique. Subsequent scans may reveal declines, permitting the group to determine adjustments which will have affected a enterprise’s place and reverse them the place vital.
Olaiya mentioned that after three to 4 months of optimisation, as soon as a enterprise’s profile is secure, the system turns into largely autonomous and continues monitoring its visibility with much less direct intervention from the group.
Who Massive is constructing for
Massive targets businesses whose customers want to discover them in a selected location. Olaiya recognized 4 major classes.
The first is businesses with bodily retailers, together with eating places, gyms, salons, spas, and legislation corporations. The second is service-area businesses, similar to electricians and lawn-care corporations, which journey to customers somewhat than function from a hard and fast location. The third is multi-location businesses that need customers looking for their companies to discover the outlet closest to them. The fourth is new businesses coming into a longtime market and attempting to appeal to native customers alongside current opponents.
Olaiya mentioned businesses in much less populated areas might have a bonus as a result of they face fewer opponents and may serve a wider space.
“For places that are not very dense, the businesses there who happen to find Massive, for example, are at a good advantage because they have fewer competitors and they can cover even a bigger area,” he mentioned.
However, not each enterprise wants native search engine optimisation. Olaiya mentioned Massive will not be designed for online-only businesses, software program corporations, newsrooms or blogs whose customers don’t want to discover a bodily location or service supplier close by.
Massive earns income via month-to-month and annual subscriptions. Its web site lists the service at ₦18,000 ($13.37) a month per enterprise location, or ₦216,000 ($160.47) for a 12 months. The subscription consists of profile optimisation, weekly Google Business Profile updates, overview administration, map-rank monitoring and a devoted account supervisor. Businesses may strive the complete service free for 14 days earlier than subscribing. Olaiya mentioned the corporate has greater than 20 energetic customers.
Olaiya mentioned many small businesses depend on social media to attain customers with out absolutely exploring how Google Search can help them appeal to new ones. He
sees educating enterprise homeowners about native search engine optimisation as an essential a part of rising Massive’s buyer base.
“One of the things that can drive the product is to educate business owners to say, ‘ You need this,” he mentioned. “We are currently bootstrapping, and it is quite limiting how far we can go in terms of reaching out to the business owners. But we are on it.”
Building Massive’s subsequent section
Massive is coming into a market with established worldwide platforms providing related native search engine optimisation and location-marketing companies. Olaiya recognized Polish platform Localo, San Diego-based SOCi, a]nd New York-headquartered Yext as opponents.
He mentioned Massive is cheaper than opponents exterior Africa, which he believes permits it to serve African businesses and small businesses in different markets. Massive’s printed month-to-month worth is decrease than Localo’s $49 Single Business plan, which falls to $39 monthly with annual billing.
However, the 2 platforms supply totally different service fashions. Localo offers software program instruments for businesses to handle their very own Google Business Profiles. Massive affords a done-for-you service with an account supervisor. SOCi and Yext don’t show comparable costs on their enterprise pricing pages, as an alternative directing potential customers to request customised info or a demo.
However, the corporate nonetheless has to persuade enterprise homeowners that native search visibility is price paying for and develop its attain past its present buyer base. Olaiya mentioned he wants Massive to reveal its worth via the enterprise choices customers make after enhancing their visibility.
“Over the next year, I need to have at least 100 businesses who can attest to the fact that Massive has helped them expand their businesses,” he mentioned.
For him, that may imply greater than businesses showing greater in Google Maps outcomes. He wants customers to use the visibility insights to make choices similar to opening one other outlet or shifting into a brand new space. He mentioned such enlargement would present that Massive had made a major influence on their businesses.
