Massive is betting that small businesses will pay to be found on Google
For a small restaurant, getting a customer to walk through the door can start with a simple Google search. Someone looking for lunch nearby may never have heard of the restaurant, but a good search result could put it on their list.
Massive
For a small restaurant, getting a customer to walk through the door can start with a simple Google search. Someone looking for lunch nearby may never have heard of the restaurant, but a good search result could put it on their list.
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For a small restaurant, getting a customer to walk through the door can start with a simple Google search. Someone looking for lunch nearby may never have heard of the restaurant, but a good search result could put it on their list. Nigerian startup Massive AI wants to help more small businesses get those opportunities.
Founded by Segun Olaiya in 2026, Massive helps businesses manage their Google listings, improve their visibility on Google Maps and keep up with customer reviews. Its customers include restaurants, clinics, salons and service providers that depend on people finding them locally. The idea came from Olaiya's experience working in search engine optimisation (SEO) in the United States. For four years, he helped large organisations, including AT&T, improve their position in local search results.
He found that much of the technology available was built for companies with multiple branches and larger marketing budgets. Small business owners were often left to manage their Google profiles on their own. Olaiya began helping some of them manually. When business owners started reporting more calls from customers who found them through organic searches, he saw a business opportunity. Rather than continue doing the work one business at a time, he decided to build a platform that could handle much of the process.
"The difficult part may not be building the technology. It may be getting business owners to pay for something they have not traditionally included in their monthly expenses."
The problem with simply having a Google listing
A business can have a Google profile and still be difficult to find. Someone searching for a salon in their neighbourhood might see several options before reaching a particular business. Google considers relevance, distance and prominence when deciding which listings appear in local results. This makes the information on a business profile important. Its description needs to explain what it offers, its contact details must be accurate, and customer reviews can influence how it appears to people searching nearby.
For owners running small businesses, keeping all this information updated is not always a priority. They are usually dealing with customers, staff, stock and payments. The digital gap in Nigeria adds to the problem. A 2024 Research ICT Africa report, based on 718 Nigerian microenterprises, found that only 13% used the internet for business activities. Just 0.3% had their own websites, while 6.7% had a social media presence. The report also found that 37% lacked the digital skills to use the internet productively. Massive is targeting businesses that want to be found online but do not have someone responsible for managing their digital marketing.
What happens after a business signs up?
Business owners can start by requesting a free search visibility scan. They enter their business name and a search phrase customers might use, such as "barber near me". Massive then checks how the business appears on Google Maps from different locations around its premises. The standard scan uses 49 locations, although this can be increased to 81 or 100. The results show that a business may rank well in one part of its neighbourhood but appear much lower in another.
Those who want help improving their results can subscribe and arrange a 30 minute call with an account manager. Massive uses AI to examine the business profile and suggest changes to its description, categories and other information. It also checks whether the details on the Google listing match those on the company's website and social media pages.
Businesses without websites can have one generated using their existing business information. The platform also handles Google reviews. When a customer leaves feedback, the system analyses it and prepares a response that reflects the business's services and communication style. It can publish the response without the owner having to log into Google.
Not everything is left to automation. If a business uploads an image or other material that Google may reject, an account manager contacts the owner and explains the issue. The team also checks rankings every two weeks. Where a business is not improving, it reviews the profile and makes changes.
Who is Massive trying to sell to?
The company is not targeting every business with an internet connection. Its main customers are businesses that depend on people searching for a nearby service. Restaurants, gyms, salons, spas and law firms are among the groups it wants to reach. Electricians and lawn care businesses are also potential customers, even though they do not necessarily operate from a shop. Their customers still need to find someone offering those services in their area. Companies with several branches have another reason to use the platform. They need people searching for their services to find the closest outlet rather than a branch on the other side of town.
Massive is less suited to online-only businesses, software companies and publishers whose customers are not looking for a physical location. Olaiya also sees opportunities in less populated areas, where businesses may face fewer competitors and attract customers from a wider area.
What does it cost?
Massive charges ₦18,000 ($13.37) per month for each business location. An annual subscription costs ₦216,000 ($160.47). The package includes Google Business Profile optimisation, weekly updates, review management, map-ranking reports and a dedicated account manager. Businesses can test the full service for 14 days before committing. Olaiya said the company has more than 20 active customers. Its competitors include Poland based Localo, US-based SOCi and New York-headquartered Yext. Olaiya believes Massive has a pricing advantage, particularly among smaller businesses in African markets. There is also a difference in the service offered. Some competitors provide software that business owners use to manage their own listings. Massive takes on much of that work through its account managers.
Getting small businesses to see the value
The difficult part may not be building the technology. It may be getting business owners to pay for something they have not traditionally included in their monthly expenses. Many small businesses already use Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to advertise their products. Spending money to improve their Google rankings may require a different way of thinking about marketing.
Massive has to show that its service can bring in enquiries that turn into paying customers. The company is currently bootstrapping, which limits its ability to spend on marketing and reach more business owners.
Olaiya wants to have at least 100 businesses that can point to growth linked to using Massive over the next year. He also wants business owners to use the platform's search data when making decisions about their operations. A restaurant, for example, could use information about where it is attracting attention to assess whether opening another outlet in a different area makes sense. That is a bigger ambition than improving a Google ranking. But before Massive gets there, it needs to build a customer base and show small businesses that paying for local search management brings in enough business to justify the monthly cost.
