Google reviews are the online version of recommendation. I was asked last week by a client “do my Google reviews matter?” According to BrightLocal's latest Local Consumer Review Survey in the USA, almost everyone who lands on your Google Business Profile is reading them: 97% of people read reviews when they're choosing a local business.
If you're a coach, yoga teacher or any business owner serving a local area, a Google Business Profile is a must and reviews too - though it’s not necessarily the volume of reviews but how recently they were left on your profile. Before someone ever reads your website or sends you a message, there's a good chance they've glanced at your Google Business Profile in Google Maps and checked what other people have said about working with you.
Reviews are pulling their weight and doing a job on your behalf
It's easy to think of reviews as a nice bonus, something that happens when a happy client has a spare five minutes. In reality they're working in the background of almost every enquiry you receive.
They reassure people that you're real, reliable and good at what you do. They answer the questions a potential client might feel shy about asking, like whether you're easy to work with or whether you actually turn up when you say you will. And they help Google understand that your business is active and trusted, which supports your visibility in local searches.
Google is still where most of this happens. BrightLocal found that 71% of consumers in the USA use Google reviews, so even though people are checking more places than they used to, your Google Business Profile is still the one to look after first.
How many reviews is enough?
This is one of the questions I get asked most. What the research does show is that there's a point below which people start to hesitate. BrightLocal found that 47% of consumers won't consider a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
That doesn't mean you need hundreds. It means that if you have three reviews from 2021, it's worth making a plan to build on them. Twenty is a very reachable goal for most small businesses, especially if you're working with clients you already have lovely relationships with.
Fresh reviews count for more
It isn't only about how many reviews you have, it's about how recent they are. 74% of consumers say they only pay attention to reviews written in the last three months.
A great review from years ago still means something, but it doesn't tell a new customer what it's like to work with you today. A steady trickle of new reviews is far more helpful than a big burst followed by silence, and it's much easier to keep up. One or two a month is plenty.
The rating bar has gone up
People's expectations have shifted too. The share of consumers who want to see 4.5 stars or higher has risen from 17% to 31% in a year. I don't want you to panic about a single four-star review, because a mix of ratings actually makes your profile feel more believable. But it's a good reminder that the experience you create for clients, and the way you handle anything that goes wrong, shows up in your reviews.
Replying matters just as much as collecting
One of the clearest messages in this year's research is that responding to reviews is almost as important as getting them. Replying doesn't need to be complicated. A warm, personal thank you shows prospective clients that there's a real person behind the business who cares. If someone leaves a less-than-perfect review, a calm and kind reply can build more trust than a spotless profile ever would.
Making it easy to ask
Most people are happy to leave a review if you ask, and a surprising number simply never think of it unless you do. A few things that tend to help:
Ask at the moment someone is feeling delighted and whilst working with you is fresh in your mind
Send a direct link to your Google review page so there's no hunting around.
Keep your message personal and short, in your own voice.
Let them know it really does help a small business like yours.
Placing the review link in the footer of your website with a “recommend us” next to it
Please don't buy reviews or ask friends and family to fill in the gaps. It's against Google's rules, people can usually tell, and it undermines the very thing reviews are there to do, which is to show a true picture of what you're like to work with. You run the risk of having your Google Business Profile suspended, and anyone who has tried to re-instate a suspended GBP will tell you that’s really tricky!
I like to think of reviews as part of the human side of SEO. They're not a trick, and they're not about feeding an algorithm. They're simply the way your happy clients help the next person find you, and that's something I've seen work beautifully,
If you'd like a hand looking at your Google Business Profile, working out how to ask for reviews in a way that feels natural, or building it into a monthly routine, I'd love to help. My GBP audit is woven into the 1-1 SEO audit I offer. You can get in touch through the link below.
