There is no magic number. You need to be in the same range as the two or three companies already in the map pack for your trade and town, and your newest review should be from this month, not 2022. Google says review count and score factor into "prominence", one of its three local ranking factors,1 and the homeowner comparing three profiles reads the newest ones first.
Two real reviews a week, with a reply to each, beats any count.
Find your range
Search your main service plus your town on a phone, logged out. The three profiles in the map pack are your range. If they have 80, 120 and 210 and you have 14, the count is a real gap. If they have 40, 55 and 60 and you have 30 with recent dates and replies, the count is not your problem; the profile guide covers what is.
How to get there steadily
- Same day, by text, with the direct link. The crew lead sends it from the driveway; the office follows up once a few days later. Response rates fall by the day.
- Make it one tap. The direct review link from your profile (the one that opens the review box) and nothing else. No "search for us on Google".
- Ask everyone, not the ones you think were happiest. A profile with only five-star reviews from the same month looks bought.
- Reply to every one by name, with the job and the town. The reply is a second piece of content on the profile and it is what the next homeowner reads.
What not to do
Do not buy, trade, or gate reviews (asking only the happy customers after a survey). Google removes suspicious batches, sometimes with real ones, and since 2024 the FTC's rule on fake reviews carries civil penalties.2 Do not offer a discount for a review; that is "incentivized" and against the guidelines. Do not have the office write them from customers' phones.
Do reviews on the website help?
On the site they help the homeowner, not the map ranking. Pull your Google reviews onto the service pages next to the relevant job, with the reviewer's first name and town. The first phone screen guide shows where the proof line goes.
How do I handle a one-star review that is not even about us?
Reply calmly that you have no record of the job and invite them to call, then flag it to Google as not about your business. It is removed more often than people expect; arguing in the reply never helps.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: How to improve your local ranking on Google.
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission, August 2024: Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials.
- Google: Prohibited and restricted content for reviews, including incentivized reviews.
See this on your own site.
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