Question

How do reviews affect local SEO?

Short answer 33 words

Google lists review count and rating as part of prominence, and recent reviews with replies support both ranking and click-through. Engines and customers also read them for what a business is known for.

The fuller answer

Recency and relevance matter, not just the total.

Ask real customers, reply to every review and never buy reviews. For the playbook, read how to get more Google reviews.

What matters in reviews

Count

More real reviews build prominence.

Rating

A fair average beats a perfect one.

Recency

Fresh reviews show you are active.

Replies

Show how you treat people.

Your next steps

Today

  1. Count unanswered reviews.

This week

  1. Reply to all of them.

This month

  1. Start a weekly review request habit.
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