This article belongs to the guide How to get more Google reviews: the complete guide for local businesses.
Is there a magic number of reviews?
No. Google compares you with other businesses in the same radius and the same category, so the number that counts is relative. A hundred reviews make you untouchable in a village and invisible in a city centre.
What does hold everywhere: the gap between zero and fifteen reviews matters more than the gap between one hundred and one hundred and fifty. The first ten give the reader something to lean on, the next ninety confirm what they already thought.
Below roughly five reviews your average barely registers with a visitor, because one delighted or one angry customer sets the whole picture.
How do you work out your own threshold?
Search your service plus your town in Google Maps, note the rating and review count of the first five results, and take the third one as your target. That business is realistically catchable, while the leader often has years of head start.
- 1Open Google Maps in a private window, so your own history does not colour the result.
- 2Search your core service plus your town, for example hairdresser Boom or plumber Puurs.
- 3Note name, rating and review count for the first five.
- 4Take the count of the third business as your target for this year.
How many customers do you have to ask?
Expect roughly a third of your requests to turn into reviews when you ask over WhatsApp or SMS within 24 hours. For ten reviews a month that means around thirty targeted requests, and therefore thirty customers with a number on file.
| Requests per week | Reviews per month | Reviews per year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | about 7 | about 85 |
| 10 | about 13 | about 160 |
| 20 | about 27 | about 320 |
| 40 | about 53 | about 640 |
This table assumes a one-third response. Email runs lower, and a QR code at the counter depends on footfall. Measure your own ratio after two weeks and rebuild the table with your figure.
What rating do you need?
Aim for an average between 4.5 and 4.9. Below 4.0 visitors visibly drop off, and a perfect 5.0 alongside many reviews raises suspicion. A handful of four- and three-star reviews with a proper reply makes the whole profile more believable.
Recovering a low rating is slow with few reviews and fast with many. At twenty reviews, one one-star review pulls your average down by roughly 0.2; at two hundred, by 0.02.
Volume is therefore also insurance. The more honest reviews you hold, the less one bad day costs you.
What if you are starting from zero?
Start with your existing customers from the past six months and spread the requests across two weeks. Fifteen reviews in two weeks is achievable for most businesses, and that is exactly the point where your profile becomes credible to a visitor.
- 1List customers from the past six months who have a mobile number on file.
- 2Send the first ten requests on a Tuesday or Wednesday, early evening.
- 3Wait two days, send one reminder, then start the next ten.
- 4Then set your routine: every new customer gets asked within 24 hours.
Never send everything on one day. Fifty reviews inside 24 hours on a profile that had none looks unnatural to Google and to the reader alike.
How do you track your growth?
Write down three numbers once a month: your review count, your average and your position for your main search. Three numbers are enough to see whether you are moving, and measuring more usually leads to acting less.
Put those three numbers in the same note with the date in front. After six months you can see at a glance whether your routine is running or has quietly stopped.
ReviewsPro shows your count and your rating in the app, plus your position against the businesses in your area.
Frequently asked questions
- How many Google reviews does a small business need?
- In most Flemish municipalities thirty to a hundred reviews are enough to compete in the Maps top three. Set your own threshold by taking the count of the third business in your local search result.
- Is a 4.7 rating better than a 5.0?
- In practice yes, once you pass twenty reviews. A perfect score alongside many reviews raises suspicion, while a rating around 4.7 with a few lower scores reads as honest.
- How many reviews per month is realistic?
- Expect around a third of your requests over WhatsApp or SMS. Ten requests a week therefore produce roughly thirteen reviews a month, which stays manageable for most businesses.
- Do old reviews still count?
- They still count in your average and your total, but they weigh less with visitors. A profile whose latest review is two years old looks inactive, even with a high average.
- How many reviews do I need to overtake the leader?
- Reviews alone will not get you past them, because distance and relevance count too. Aim for the third-place count first, and work on your category, your photos and your opening hours alongside it.