Statistics
Google Reviews Statistics (2026)
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 47% won't use one with fewer than 20, per BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey. Yet in 23 of 32 trades in Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data, the median business has fewer than 20 reviews. Google blocked or removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025.
By the Leadity team Updated 20 October 2026 10 min read 11 sources How we work
On this page
47%
of consumers won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, in BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey of 1,002 US adults
What this means for you: in 23 of 32 trades, the median business has fewer than 20 reviews. 47% of consumers won't use a business with fewer than 20. If you sell SEO or reputation work, the review count opens the pitch.
How many consumers read reviews before choosing a business?
- 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, in BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, a vendor survey. BrightLocal
- 41% of consumers "always" read reviews when browsing for businesses in 2026, up from 29% in 2025, BrightLocal found. BrightLocal
- 85% say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business, and 77% say negative ones make them less likely (BrightLocal, 2026). BrightLocal
- 82% of US adults consult online ratings and reviews when buying something for the first time, in Pew Research Center's 2015 survey of 4,787 adults. Pew
Sources BrightLocal Pew Research Center
How many Google reviews does a business need?
- 47% of consumers won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey of 1,002 US adults found. BrightLocal
- Only 9% of consumers would use a business with five or fewer reviews, in BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey of 1,002 US adults. BrightLocal
- 31% of consumers will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% in 2025, in BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey. BrightLocal
- 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months, and 18% are swayed only by last-week reviews (BrightLocal vendor survey, 2026). BrightLocal
Source BrightLocal
How many Google reviews a typical local business has
- The median Google Maps business holds 5 to 42 reviews, by trade, across 2,241,697 businesses in 32 trades in Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data (1 July to 30 September 2026). Leadity data
- In 23 of the 32 trades in Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data, the median business has fewer than 20 Google reviews. Leadity data
- General contractors have the fewest: a median of 5 reviews across 143,710 Google Maps businesses (Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data). Leadity data
- Garage door suppliers have the highest median, 42 Google reviews, then pest control (40) and junk removal (27), in Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data. Leadity data
- Website designers (median 10 Google reviews) and marketing agencies (9) sit below 20, though they sell visibility (Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data). Leadity data
Sources Leadity BrightLocal
| Item | Value (reviews) |
|---|---|
| Garage door suppliers | 42 reviews |
| Pest control services | 40 reviews |
| Junk removal services | 27 reviews |
| Plumbers | 23 reviews |
| HVAC contractors | 22 reviews |
| House cleaning services | 17 reviews |
| Electricians | 15 reviews |
| Deck builders | 14 reviews |
| Roofing contractors | 14 reviews |
| Bathroom remodelers | 12 reviews |
| Landscapers | 12 reviews |
| Painters | 11 reviews |
| Concrete contractors | 7 reviews |
| General contractors | 5 reviews |
Median Google reviews per business, 14 of the 32 trades in Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data (1 July to 30 September 2026)
Source Leadity
What is the median number of Google reviews by trade?
Median Google reviews per business in 32 trades, with the businesses counted. Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data (1 July to 30 September 2026)
| Trade | Businesses counted | Median Google reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Garage Door Supplier | 7,555 | 42 |
| Pest Control Service | 11,449 | 40 |
| Junk Removal Service | 21,864 | 27 |
| Car Detailing Service | 19,756 | 26 |
| Window Cleaning Service | 5,581 | 25 |
| Plumber | 57,249 | 23 |
| HVAC Contractor | 116,512 | 22 |
| Swimming Pool Contractor | 54,544 | 20 |
| Tree Service | 36,287 | 20 |
| Fence Contractor | 99,301 | 19 |
| Gutter Cleaning Service | 20,151 | 19 |
| Pressure Washing Service | 15,793 | 19 |
| Waterproofing Service | 14,089 | 19 |
| House Cleaning Service | 22,760 | 17 |
| Real Estate Agent | 6,860 | 17 |
| Real Estate Agency | 4,897 | 17 |
| Electrician | 17,565 | 15 |
| Deck Builder | 332,287 | 14 |
| Roofing Contractor | 319,184 | 14 |
| Tile Contractor | 7,314 | 13 |
| Bathroom Remodeler | 425,907 | 12 |
| Kitchen Remodeler | 374,587 | 12 |
| Remodeler | 220,094 | 12 |
| Flooring Contractor | 151,120 | 12 |
| Landscaper | 79,000 | 12 |
| Painter | 76,113 | 11 |
| Website Designer | 6,770 | 10 |
| Custom Home Builder | 37,797 | 9 |
| Marketing Agency | 12,489 | 9 |
| Concrete Contractor | 132,775 | 7 |
| Software Company | 6,900 | 6 |
| General Contractor | 143,710 | 5 |
A median, not a mean: one chain with thousands of reviews would otherwise speak for the whole trade.
Source Leadity
Pull general contractors in Columbus, OH with each listing's rating and review count, then sort for the ones under 20 reviews. Your 300 free credits cover 1,500 business records, or 300 verified mobiles.
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What changed in consumer review habits from 2025 to 2026
BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 2025 and 2026 (vendor survey; 2026 panel of 1,002 US adults)
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Always read reviews when browsing for businesses | 29% | 41% |
| Google's share as a review source | 83% | 71% |
| Only use businesses rated 4.5 stars or more | 17% | 31% |
| Use ChatGPT or other AI tools for local recommendations | 6% | 45% |
| Expect a reply on the same day they post a review | 6% | 19% |
Both years as BrightLocal states them on its own survey page, read 15 October 2026. BrightLocal sells local SEO software, so treat these as a vendor's figures.
Source BrightLocal
Do replies to Google reviews matter?
- 89% of consumers expect business owners to respond to reviews, BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey found. BrightLocal
- Google says replying to reviews shows customers you value their feedback, and that helpful replies can help a business stand out. Google
- Only a verified business can reply: Google requires verification before an owner responds to a review. Google
Do Google reviews affect local ranking?
- Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking, on its Business Profile Help page. Google
- Prominence, one of Google's three local ranking factors, rests partly on how many reviews a business has, Google states. Google
- There is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google, Google's Business Profile Help states. Google
- 47 experts rank high Google ratings 6th and the number of Google reviews with text 9th among local pack factors (Whitespark, a vendor). Whitespark
- Review recency ranks 11th and a steady flow of reviews 14th in Whitespark's vendor survey of 47 experts, published 6 November 2025. Whitespark
- A business that controls its own reviews can't get star snippets from LocalBusiness markup, says Google Search Central. Google
Sources Google Business Profile Help Whitespark Google Search Central
How many fake Google reviews does Google remove?
- 292 million policy-violating reviews Google blocked or removed in 2025 Google (The Keyword blog)
- 1 billion+ helpful reviews Google published in 2025 Google (The Keyword blog)
- 13 million fake Business Profiles Google removed in 2025 Google (The Keyword blog)
- 782,000+ accounts Google put posting restrictions on in 2025 Google (The Keyword blog)
Google published these totals on 16 April 2026. When spam reviews spike on a profile, Google says it removes them, pauses new reviews and alerts the owner.
97% of consumers think businesses should face punishment for fake reviews, in BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey.
Sources Google (The Keyword blog) BrightLocal
The rules for asking customers for Google reviews
- Google bans review incentives: payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for a review count as fake engagement on Maps. Google
- Google also bans review gating: a merchant may not selectively ask for positive reviews or discourage negative ones. Google
- The FTC's rule on fake reviews took effect on 21 October 2024 and lets courts impose civil penalties for knowing violations. FTC
- The FTC rule has no specific ban on review gating, the FTC says, though the practice could still violate the FTC Act. FTC
Sources Google Maps Help FTC
How we measured Leadity's review figures
What it measures: the median Google review count per trade, among the businesses whose listing shows one, in Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data. The data holds 2,241,697 businesses in 32 trades, found by Leadity customer scrapes of Google Maps from 1 July to 30 September 2026, test accounts excluded. Read 20 October 2026.
Why a median: one chain with thousands of reviews would pull a mean up for a whole trade.
How businesses count: each business counts once per trade, with the review count its listing showed when it was scraped.
Limits: this is a listing statistic, not a census of all businesses. These are the businesses Leadity customers chose to scrape, so trades and places are not a random sample, and businesses with no Google listing are absent. Google says reviews are available only in certain countries and business categories.
The same dataset, with line types and website shares, is on Google Maps business data.
Full method: the size, read date and limits of every Leadity dataset are on how we measure our data.
Sources Leadity Google Business Profile Help
Questions people ask
What percentage of consumers read Google reviews?
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, according to BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, a vendor survey of 1,002 US adults. Google is still the top review site, but its share fell from 83% in 2025 to 71% in 2026. Consumers now use an average of six review sites.
How many Google reviews does a business need?
Google sets no number. Yet 47% of consumers in BrightLocal's 2026 vendor survey won't use a business with under 20 reviews, and only 9% would use one with five or fewer. Recency counts as well: 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months.
What is the average number of Google reviews for a local business?
The average number of Google reviews for a local business depends on the trade, and Leadity reports the median. Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data (1 July to 30 September 2026) holds 2,241,697 businesses in 32 trades. General contractors had a median of 5 reviews and garage door suppliers 42. In 23 of 32 trades it was under 20.
Do Google reviews affect local search ranking?
Yes, according to Google. Its Business Profile Help says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking, and that prominence, one of its three local ranking factors, is based partly on how many reviews a business has. Google also states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
How many fake Google reviews does Google remove each year?
Google does not publish a share of fake reviews, but it reports what it removes. In 2025, its systems and analysts blocked or removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews while publishing more than 1 billion helpful ones. Google also removed over 13 million fake Business Profiles and restricted more than 782,000 accounts.
Can a business offer a discount for a Google review?
Not on Google. Its Maps content policy treats payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for a review as fake engagement. The FTC's rule, in force since 21 October 2024, separately bars incentives tied to a positive or negative review. Ask every customer and offer nothing in return. This is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
Where the figures on this page come from, with the date we read each one.
- Leadity Leadity's Q3 2026 Google Maps data (1 July to 30 September 2026) Read 20 October 2026
- BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (vendor survey, published 11 February 2026) Read 15 October 2026
- Pew Research Center Online Shopping and E-Commerce: Online reviews (19 December 2016) Read 15 October 2026
- Google Business Profile Help Tips to improve your local ranking on Google Read 15 October 2026
- Google Business Profile Help Manage customer reviews Read 15 October 2026
- Google Maps Help Prohibited and restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy) Read 15 October 2026
- Google (The Keyword blog) New ways we're protecting businesses on Maps (16 April 2026; figures for 2025) Read 15 October 2026
- Google Search Central Review snippet (Review, AggregateRating) structured data Read 15 October 2026
- FTC Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials (14 August 2024) Read 15 October 2026
- FTC The Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers (November 2024) Read 15 October 2026
- Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors 2026 (expert survey by a local SEO vendor, published 6 November 2025) Read 15 October 2026
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