You might be a new business owner with a fresh Google Business Profile or the owner of a business that has been receiving Google reviews already.
Either way, how many reviews you need on Google is something worth thinking about.
It’s a good question, but one that can be broken down in different ways.
Businesses these days are constantly looking to get more reviews to increase their chance of success in a competitive online industry.
Customer reviews are here to stay and businesses not only need to adapt, but take advantage of the benefits reviews have to offer.
But how many Google reviews is considered good? How many reviews is enough to engage customers, improve rankings, and increase sales?
The obvious answer is as many as possible.
Still, there are other factors that need considering, such as positive and negative reviews, review legitimacy, review frequency, and star rating.
It might sound like a lot, but this guide will explain everything you need to know - along with the best solution to get more Google reviews.
How Google Reviews Benefit Your Business
Reviews are more than customer feedback. But while feedback is important for obvious reasons, the benefits of customer reviews go far beyond that.
Reviews are real-life testimonials of the quality of your service.
And in today’s world where customer purchase decisions rely on trust and credibility, positive reviews are essential for businesses that want to be successful.
We don’t have to tell you that Google rules the internet; it’s the world’s go-to search engine and, due to that, the number one review platform that businesses need to establish a presence on.
Positive Google reviews from your customers will not only improve your online reputation by backing up what your business says it offers, but improve your business’ search engine rankings (SEO), boosting your visibility and reach.
Positive Google reviews also generate your star rating, typically the first thing a customer sees on Google when making a search.
And if your Business Profile boasts a high star rating, customers are more likely to be drawn to your business.
How Many Google Reviews Is Good?
It shouldn’t have to be said that getting positive reviews from customers is what your business needs to strive for.
And the more positive Google reviews your business has, the better.
For new businesses, a minimum of five reviews that are mostly positive can be enough to help your business engage more customers.
Fewer than five, or no reviews at all, is not going to be as effective - if at all.
Despite that, research tells us that customers will read an average of 10 customer reviews before trusting a business.
With that in mind, it's worth shooting for double figures if you want to establish your business as an authority.
In fact, a study conducted at Northwestern University found that 20 to 50 reviews is a minimum ballpark number that gives customers confidence that a product/service has been tried by enough people.
As a result, customers will consider making a purchase.
So, to provide an answer, your business needs to have at least 20 Google reviews to engage customers and generate trust.
How Many Reviews Do You Need For A Google Star Rating?
Google star ratings are the average review rating a business has received from its reviews.
When posting reviews, customers rate the business from 1 to 5, and this contributes to the business’ overall rating.
Star ratings are just as important as reviews as not only is it a collective rating of your service, but a badge of certification displayed alongside your business on search engine results pages.
As a result, star ratings can determine how attractive and clickable a business is for customers - especially when competing businesses are listed together.
You might be glad to know that gone are the days when Google Business Profiles required a minimum of five reviews to have a star rating.
Google has changed this policy, so now businesses that have as few as one review will have a star rating displayed on their profile.
What Is A Good Star Rating On Google?
So having at least 20 reviews is a good number to engage customers, and the star rating generated from a business’ customer reviews is just as important for boosting general appeal.
The next question that needs to be asked then is what is a good Google star rating?
You might be surprised to find out that it isn’t 5 stars.
Five stars, despite being the highest rating, can come across as too good to be true for browsing customers.
It arouses suspicion, especially since fake reviews and paid reviews are not uncommon.
If you think about it, no well-established business has a perfect 5-star rating - and this is expected.
In fact, studies show that businesses ranking on the first page of local search results have an average rating of 4.4.
As it turns out, this rating is just right. The likelihood of purchase peaks between 4 and 4.7 stars, decreasing as the rating gets closer to 5.
So, for your business, having a perfect 5-star rating isn’t needed, or even beneficial.
Final Word - How To Get More Google Reviews
What’s the final takeaway?
Taking all the above points into consideration, your business needs to strive to get as many Google reviews as possible - reviews that are largely positive, giving your business a collective star rating of at least 4 stars.
This will improve SEO rankings, boost customer trust, and establish your business as an authoritative online presence.
So it’s not just about quantity, but quality.
And where quantity is concerned, what’s equally important is how frequently your business is receiving reviews on a consistent basis.
Needless to say, getting customer reviews, let alone a steady stream of reviews, is not easy.
At minimum, it requires time, effort, and an effective strategy.
But that’s where ReputationStacker can replace any review strategy you have - or even the need for a strategy.
Using powerful automation and an expertly designed customer funnel, ReputationStacker effectively pulls in the reviews for you so you don’t have to do a thing.
That’s all not ReputationStacker will do for your business, however, as it will also reduce the number of negative reviews your business receives.
The bottom line is that worrying about the number of reviews you have, or the quality of your star rating, shouldn’t have to matter - not when you use a tool that will help your business get more Google reviews.
