Do you have to pay to be listed for voice search, and are those offers real?
No. Several of the listings assistants such as Gemini, Siri and Alexa draw on can be claimed free. Google says a Business Profile is free and that Gemini uses public information from Google Maps to find places. Apple calls Apple Business a free service and says place cards appear in Siri. Amazon announced that Alexa+ would search partners such as Yelp and Angi for local home services, and Yelp says it is free to be on Yelp. A paid voice search registration usually sells what an owner can do free.
Where assistants get business details
Each maker describes its own source. The details below come from Google's, Apple's, Amazon's and Yelp's own pages; the related answer on whether Siri and Alexa recommend local businesses covers what those two assistants can actually do.
| What its maker says | Cost to be listed | |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini (Google) | Public information from Google Maps, such as addresses, websites, ratings and opening hours | Google says creating a Business Profile is free |
| Siri (Apple) | Apple Business place cards, which Apple says appear in Maps, Siri, Spotlight and other Apple apps | Apple calls Apple Business a free service |
| Alexa+ (Amazon) | Yelp and Angi, among the partners Amazon announced in December 2025 for 2026, for local home services | Yelp says it is free to be on Yelp |
What a paid voice registration sells
As general advice, an offer to register a business for voice search is usually one of two things: someone claiming these free listings on your behalf, which an owner can do directly, or a promise of placement that no outside company can keep. No one can promise that any assistant will name a particular business.
The platforms do sell advertising. Apple says ads on Apple Maps are available in the United States and Canada, and Yelp offers paid upgrades alongside its free page. Buying an ad from a platform is a separate decision from being listed, and it does not make an outside seller's registration necessary.
How to check an offer
The FTC's guide for small businesses warns that scammers try to fool businesses into paying for nonexistent advertising or phony directory listings; the related answers on how to spot spam and scam inquiries, on how to spot an SEO scam and on paid directory listings cover its checks, including searching a company's name and bills for listings no one ordered.
As general advice, the quickest check is the platform's own page: if Google, Apple or Yelp says the listing is free, an outside fee usually buys convenience at most.
What is worth doing instead
Claim the free listings your customers actually use, keep hours and contact details current, and ask every customer for an honest review, without offering anything in return. The related answer on getting your business on Apple Maps covers Apple's side, and the related answer on what a Google Business Profile is covers Google's.
Sources
- Gemini Apps Help, "Find places & get directions in Gemini Apps"
- Google Business Profile, "Get Listed on Google"
- Apple Support, "Intro to Apple Business"
- Apple Newsroom, "Introducing Apple Business — a new all-in-one platform for businesses of all sizes" (March 24, 2026)
- Apple Business, "Grow your business"
- Amazon, "Expedia, Yelp, Angi, and Square to build new agentic experiences for Alexa+" (December 23, 2025)
- Yelp, "Yelp for Business: Free and paid advertising solutions"
- Federal Trade Commission, "Scams and Your Small Business: A Guide for Business" (July 2023)
Related answers
- Do Siri and Alexa recommend local businesses?
- How do you get your business on Apple Maps, and is it worth it?
- How do you spot an SEO scam?
- Are paid directory listings worth it for a small business?
- What is a Google Business Profile, and does a service business need one?
- How do you spot spam and scam inquiries from your website?
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