AI Recommendation Report · Simply Business · 15 July 2026
AI names Simply Business, but it is not the business AI recommends first.
Executive summary
260 answers · 60 questions
Across the 260 AI recommendations we analysed, your business appeared in 89. Your largest competitor, Hiscox, appeared in 25.
To decide who to recommend, AI read 567 sources. 89 of those citations were Simply Business.
Of the 60 buying questions we put to 5 AI assistants, AI recommends you for 30, names you without recommending you for 11 and hands 16 straight to a competitor. 3 questions are owned by nobody yet — the cheapest ground on the map.
Your AI Trust Score is 54 out of 100. AI is starting to trust you.
The quickest opportunity is “best business insurance for contractors and subcontractors”, where The Hartford currently takes 3 of the 4 answers. A best-for guide is the asset that competes for it.
Complete the first 5 actions and you are working on up to 59 of the 260 AI responses measured in this report.
In 101 of the 190 buying questions where AI chose freely, it never mentioned Simply Business once — and it named Hiscox in 25 of them.
Counted across 260 AI answers to 60 of your buyers’ real questions.
The problem
AI is telling your customers something wrong about Simply Business.
We put 60 of your buyers’ real questions to five AI assistants and read 260 answers. AI named you 89 times. It named you 89 times.
Who AI actually recommends
You are the business AI names most.
Counted across 260 answers to 60 questions your buyers actually ask. Counts, not percentages: a share-of-voice chart would round zero up into something that looks survivable.
Every assistant was asked all 60 questions except Google AI (20), which was asked only your highest-intent buying questions — the ones where a Google AI Overview actually appears. Its answers are counted against what it was asked, never against 60.
The evidence
What the AI engines told your customer.
“Short answer: there isn’t a single “best” for every self‑employed person — the top choice depends on your trade, whether you need professional (E&O) vs general liability, workers’ comp, how quickly you need a certificate of insurance (COI), and your state. As of July 2026, a few consistently top‑recommended carriers for self‑employed / sole proprietors are: - Next Insurance — digital‑first, fast quotes and instant COIs; good for contractors, freelancers, and many solo entrepreneurs who want quick online buying. ([policybenchmark.com](https://www.policybenchmark.com/reviews/next-insurance/?utm”
We asked: “what's the top rated business insurance company for self employed”
“There is no single "best" business insurance provider in the UK Small Business UK , as the ideal choice depends on your industry, business size, and specific coverage needs. However, several top-rated providers stand out for different types of businesses: Best for Small Businesses & Tradesmen: AXA is widely rated as a top choice for public liability and small business needs, offering flexible policies starting around £7 per month. Best for Direct to Consumer & Home-Based: Direct Line for Business is highly regarded for its easy online setup, home-business additions, and dedicated cover for tr”
We asked: “which business insurance provider is best in the UK”
“# Best UK Business Insurance Providers The "best" depends on your needs, but here are the top-rated options: ## General Leaders - **AXA** - Comprehensive coverage, large company with strong reputation - **Allianz** - Competitive rates, good for small to medium businesses - **Hiscox** - Specializes in SMEs, user-friendly online portal - **Zurich** - Excellent for professional indemnity insurance ## By Business Type - **Startups/Small businesses**: Hiscox, Zurich, or Simply Business (online comparison) - **Tradespeople**: AXA, Direct Line for Business - **Tech/Professional services**: Hiscox,”
We asked: “which business insurance provider is best in the UK”
“There is no single "best" insurance company for every self-employed individual, as the right choice depends heavily on your specific industry, the type of work you do, and your budget. However, several companies consistently rank highly for their service, ease of use, and specialized coverage for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners. ### Top-Rated Companies for Self-Employed Individuals The following providers are frequently recommended in 2026 for their specific focus on small businesses and independent professionals: * **Hiscox:** Widely recognized as a top choice for fre”
We asked: “what's the top rated business insurance company for self employed”
“According to 2025 rankings, **AXA** is the best business insurance provider in the UK, with a customer rating of **4.6 out of 5** [1]. When selecting a provider, it is critical to ensure the insurer is **authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)** [2]. FCA regulation guarantees high standards of service and provides access to essential support schemes, including the **Financial Ombudsman Service** and the **Financial Services Compensation Scheme** if issues arise [2]. Beyond the top rating, you should also compare insurers based on their **costs**, **claim processes**, **transparent”
We asked: “which business insurance provider is best in the UK”
What you are still leaving on the table
Estimated revenue going to competitors in the answers you don't win — even though AI names you more than anyone else.
~100 buyers a month ask AI in your category · 37% of answers name a competitor · 20% convert · £500 average customer value.
Revenue Opportunity Map
Every buying question. And who AI hands it to.
AI recommends you
Named, not recommended
AI recommends a competitor
Nobody owns this yet
AI recommends a competitor · 16
Your AI Action Plan
What to change, in the order that changes the most.
1 / 11 unlocked
How this is ordered: by how many of your losing answers each action touches, weighted against the work it takes. The action that changes the most answers for the least effort is first. Difficulty and effort are our estimates, not measurements — everything else on this page was counted.
Fix the phone number on your website and verify all contact information
AI verifies contact information before recommending a business. A non-working phone number signals your site is outdated or unreliable, so AI reads Reddit and competitor sites instead. This single fix removes a trust signal that's actively pushing AI towards Hiscox and other competitors.
Targets all 95 answers where a competitor was recommended instead of Simply Business. A working phone number is a hygiene factor that AI checks before deciding if your site is current enough to trust.
- 01Audit every page where a phone number appears (homepage, contact page, footer, quote request form). List each number and the page it's on.
- 02Call each number yourself from a mobile phone. If it doesn't ring or goes to the wrong department, it's broken.
- 03Update all instances to the correct number in your CMS. Use the same format across all pages (e.g., always +44 20 XXXX XXXX or 020 XXXX XXXX, not mixed).
- 04Add schema markup to your contact information so AI can parse it reliably. Use JSON-LD format with 'telephone' field on your homepage and contact page.
- 05Test that Google Business Profile, your website footer, and your quote form all show the same number.
- 06Monitor for 2 weeks: have a team member call weekly to confirm it still works.
The page to publish
Verify and fix all contact details across the website
n/a
Developer
Low(est.)
About 1 hour(est.)
Complete the first 5 actions and you are working on up to 59 of the 260 AI responses measured in this report.
Those 59 are the answers where AI named a competitor and never named you. That count is measured, not modelled. We cannot promise an assistant will change its answer — we can tell you exactly which answers are in play.
The number you move
Your AI Trust Score.
AI Trust Score
AI is starting to trust you
How much evidence an AI has to confidently recommend you. Four components, each counted from the answers in this report — and each one you can move.
Does AI know who you are, and is what it knows correct?
Named in 45 of 45 answers to questions that ask about you directly. 4 of 400 things AI said about you look wrong. 1 of 4 assistants said they have never heard of you.
How to move it
Publish one page that states plainly who you are, what you sell and who you serve — in the words your buyers actually use. AI cannot repeat what you have never said.
Do the sources AI actually reads mention you?
Your site was cited 89 times across 199 searched answers. Sources naming Hiscox were cited 953 times.
How to move it
Get named on the sources AI actually reads. They are listed, in order, in the Citation Gap section of this report. Being in them is the whole game.
When AI names you, does it have anything concrete to say?
AI named you in 146 answers, endorsed you in 77, and said something specific about you in 146.
How to move it
Give AI something concrete and correct to repeat: outcomes, numbers, credentials, guarantees. A brand with nothing specific to say gets listed, not recommended.
Across the questions your buyers ask, how many does AI know you for?
AI named you in 146 of 260 answers, across 41 of the 60 buyer questions we asked.
How to move it
Answer the buying questions AI is currently handing to a rival. They are ranked by what they are costing you in the Revenue Opportunity Map.
Become the business AI recommends.
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