Google reviews
Google reviews are star ratings and written comments that customers leave directly on a business's Google Business Profile. Their number, the average rating and how recent they are all feed into "prominence", one of the three factors that decide a business's place in the Local Pack.
Two businesses in the same town offering the same service: one has 240 reviews averaging 4.8 stars, the other 12 averaging 4.6. When users click into the Local Pack, Google shows them this figure first, and it influences not only the user's decision but also whether the business appears there at all.
What is actually measured
For a profile's reviews section, Google mainly looks at three figures: the total number of reviews, the average star rating and how regularly new reviews come in. A profile with a steady flow looks more active and trustworthy than one with a burst years ago and silence ever since.
The content of the reviews matters too: if reviews mention the location, the service or technical terms that also appear in the Google Business Profile, this further strengthens topical relevance.
How this connects to the Local Pack
Google names relevance, distance and prominence as the three main factors for the Local Pack. Reviews feed directly into prominence, alongside signals such as mentions across the web and directory listings. A business located very close by with a few old reviews often loses the better spot to one slightly further away with many recent ones.
Collect them legitimately instead of buying them
Reviews that are bought or obtained in exchange for discounts violate Google's policies and can lead to the entire profile being removed. Google's user-generated content policy also prohibits specifically asking for positive reviews or pushing customers to leave a review while still on the premises.
A small but steady flow of new reviews works more reliably for the Local Pack than a one-off burst shortly before an important date. How the request can go out the same way after every job, without filtering by satisfaction, is shown in Request reviews automatically.
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