The Bristol map pack, measured — not guessed
Most "local SEO in Bristol" pages tell you the city is competitive and stop there. We measured it: 300 live Google Maps listings across 15 real searches — plumber to conveyancing solicitor — captured from central Bristol twice, 24 hours apart, as part of our UK map-pack study.
Bristol showed a gap worth exploiting. 97.8% of top-3 profiles were claimed — joint-highest in the study — yet only 75.6% linked a website, the lowest attach rate we measured anywhere. Businesses here have claimed their profiles but a quarter of the winners still are not sending searchers to a site.
In short
Bristol has a real, addressable gap: 97.8% of top-3 profiles are claimed (joint-highest we measured) but only 75.6% link a website — the lowest attach rate of any city. Nearly everyone has claimed; far fewer have wired their profile to a site. The map is also very settled — only 1 of 15 packs changed members within a day. Review bars swing hard by search: restaurant packs at 1,132, emergency-plumber packs at 275, but accountant packs at just 3.
Bristol in numbers — our capture
300
live listings measured across 15 Bristol searches
97.8%
of top-3 profiles are claimed — joint-highest we measured
75.6%
of top-3 profiles link a website — the lowest attach rate we measured
54 vs 52
median reviews: top 3 vs ranks 4–20 — barely separated
4.63★
average star rating inside the top 3
1 of 15
packs changed members within 24 hours — a settled map
Live Google Maps captures from central Bristol, 6–7 July 2026, 15 searches × 20 results, two passes 24 hours apart. Listings without a visible review count are counted as zero. Full method in the UK map-pack study.
Where Bristol is brutal — and where it's wide open
The averages hide the real story: the review bar swings by nearly three orders of magnitude depending on the search. This is the median review count of the top-3 listings for each search we captured in Bristol.
| Search family | Median reviews in the pack | Average pack rating |
|---|---|---|
| "restaurant" | 1,132 | 4.73★ |
| "indian restaurant" | 832 | 4.70★ |
| "emergency plumber" | 275 | 4.93★ |
| "plumber" | 275 | 4.93★ |
| "dental implants" | 171 | 4.73★ |
| "hair salon" | 169 | 4.80★ |
| "dentist" | 167 | 4.47★ |
| "mot test" | 111 | 4.37★ |
| "electrician" | 54 | 4.97★ |
| "conveyancing solicitor" | 32 | 4.80★ |
| "solicitor" | 23 | 4.50★ |
| "ev charger installation" | 22 | 3.43★ |
| "locksmith" | 15 | 4.70★ |
| "roofer" | 11 | 4.57★ |
| "accountant" | 3 | 5.00★ |
Median review count and average rating of the top-3 listings per search, central Bristol capture, 6–7 July 2026.
Three honest observations from the Bristol capture
Claimed almost everywhere — but not wired up
97.8% of Bristol's top-3 profiles were claimed, yet only 75.6% linked a website — the lowest website attach rate of any city we measured. That is a gap you can act on: nearly a quarter of the winning profiles here are not even pointing searchers to a site. Claiming is done; the connective tissue — website, and everything that comes with a properly built-out profile — is where Bristol leaves room.
The pack and the field are barely separated
Bristol's top-3 carried a median 54 reviews against 52 for ranks 4–20 — almost no gap. Review depth is not what divides the pack from the chasers here. With the review lever nearly flat, the differences that decide a seat are relevance, categories, proximity and profile completeness — which is exactly where that website gap becomes an opportunity.
A settled map
Only 1 of the 15 Bristol packs changed membership between our two passes — among the most stable in our study. Seats are steady once held, which rewards patient, well-built profiles over quick pushes. We record a day-0 baseline for every keyword and track movement monthly, because in a map this stable a single screenshot tells you almost nothing.
What this means if you trade in Bristol
- ✓Claiming is table stakes at 97.8% — but with only 75.6% of winners linking a website, a fully wired-up profile is a real edge here.
- ✓Review depth barely separates the pack from the field (54 vs 52), so relevance, categories and completeness are Bristol's real levers.
- ✓Check your search family in the table first — a restaurant's fight (1,132 reviews) and an accountant's (3) are different sports here.
- ✓This is a settled map — expect a seat to take patience to win and to hold steadily once earned.
- ✓Judge progress over months against a recorded baseline; in a stable map a one-off screenshot tells you little.
Your trade, in depth
The city sets the arena; your trade sets the rules. Each guide below covers the categories, review strategy and trust signals for that trade across the UK — pair it with the Bristol numbers above.
Local SEO for restaurants
Bristol's heaviest packs — 1,132 median reviews at the top.
Local SEO for plumbers
General and emergency packs both held at 275 median reviews.
Local SEO for dentists
167-review packs; implant searches sat close by at 171.
Local SEO for salons
169-review packs — a solid review base is table stakes.
Local SEO for solicitors
Conveyancing packs at 32; general "solicitor" packs at 23.
Local SEO for accountants
A 3-review median pack — completeness and a website win.
Bristol questions, straight answers
Is local SEO harder in Bristol than elsewhere in the UK? +
It depends on your search family, but Bristol has an unusual profile: 97.8% of top-3 listings are claimed (joint-highest we measured) yet only 75.6% link a website (the lowest). That gap makes a fully built-out profile a genuine edge here. Difficulty by search ranged from a 1,132-review restaurant pack to a 3-review accountant pack.
How many reviews do I need to reach the top 3 in Bristol? +
There is no single number, and in Bristol review depth barely separates the pack from the field (54 vs 52 median). Check the table for your search family: it ranged from 3 (accountant) to 1,132 (restaurant). Because the review lever is nearly flat here, relevance, categories and a complete profile often decide the seat.
I have claimed my Google profile — why am I not ranking in Bristol? +
Claiming is table stakes here — 97.8% of the winners have already done it. The more useful gap is that only 75.6% of them link a website, the lowest we measured. A fully wired-up profile — website, correct categories, complete information — is a real differentiator in Bristol, more so than in cities where everyone has already done it.
Does the Bristol map pack change often? +
Rarely — only 1 of the 15 Bristol packs we tracked changed membership across our two passes, among the most settled in our study. Seats are steady once held, which rewards patient, well-built profiles. We record a day-0 baseline for every keyword and measure monthly against it, because a single screenshot of a stable map tells you almost nothing.
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