RevenueJump Local Search Analysis™

Search Result Pages

Local Listings

Local Reviews

Do reviews affect local search rankings?

Welcome to RevenueJump’s new and improved Local Search Analysis™ (check out the previous analysis here). We’ve upped the ante this time by making the following improvements:

  • We bumped up the number of keywords (29 to 41) and cities (107 to 146) we analyzed.
  • Rather than just the top 6 results, we looked at the top 10 to give us a wider source of data.
  • OUR FAVORITE: We not only counted reviews, but we also captured ratings to see how they affect rankings.

Have any questions or suggestions? Please, let us know. In the meantime, enjoy our 2017 Local Search Analysis™!

Our Methodology

We focused our analysis on Google’s local search results because it’s the most-used search engine.

We captured the quantity and rating of reviews for each top-10 listing across 41 unique keywords and 146 U.S. cities.

Our statistical analysis is based on captured data for more than 1.3 million local reviews.

Overall Findings

Quantity + Rating = Ranking

Review quantity AND ratings affect a local listing’s ranking in Google’s local search results.

Isn’t the linear digression of each statistic amazing? With data stretching over 54,376 business listings, this is a strong correlation.

Do reviews help your ranking? Absolutely.

Quantity

Our analysis shows the highest-ranked listings on Google’s local search results have an average of 38 reviews. On the other hand, the lowest ranked listings have an average of only 14.3 reviews.

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Rating

The top-ranked listings on Google’s local search results have an average rating of 3.7-stars, while the tenth-ranked listings have just 3.0-stars.

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2017 Local Search Analysis Infographic

Star Rating Distribution

Shown as percentages

  • 5-Stars
  • 4-Stars
  • 3-Stars
  • 2-Stars
  • 1-Stars
  • No Stars

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Review Quantity

Shown as percentages

  • No Reviews
  • 1-4 Reviews
  • 5 or More Reviews

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Keyword-by-Keyword Findings

In all, our research encompassed over 1.3 million reviews. This analysis included a total of 41 keywords, a dozen more than our last analysis. Here is how that data shakes out on a keyword-by-keyword basis.

Reviews and Ratings per Listing

Here is a table of each keyword from our analysis, including the number of reviews per listing and the average rating for each keyword.

Keyword

Reviews

Rating

Accountant 2.0 1.8☆
Attorney 12.6 3.1☆
Auto Repair 25.5 4.2☆
Bank 3.9 2.9☆
Car Dealer 151.0 3.9☆
Car Wash 21.9 3.4☆
Carpet Cleaner 14.2 3.4☆
Chiropractor 15.3 4.2☆
Day Care 5.2 3.0☆
Day Spa 16.2 3.9☆
Dentist 33.9 4.2☆
Dry Cleaner 5.4 3.0☆
Family Doctor 5.4 2.5☆
Hair Salon 18.5 4.0☆

Keyword

Reviews

Rating

Home Remodeler 4.6 2.5☆
Hotel 115.8 2.7☆
House Cleaning 8.0 2.8☆
HVAC 3.09 3.6☆
Insurance Agent 5.2 2.9☆
Jeweler 13.6 3.7☆
Landscaper 4.0 2.5☆
Lawyer 12.2 3.2☆
Locksmith 21.3 3.7☆
Mortgage Lender 6.8 2.2☆
Moving Company 21.0 3.5☆
Nutrition Store 5.3 3.2☆
Optometrist 12.8 3.6☆
Orthodontist 23.9 4.0☆

Keyword

Reviews

Rating

Pediatric Dentist 21.9 3.8☆
Pest Control 11.0 2.8☆
Photographer 8.0 3.3☆
Physical Therapist 3.4 2.4☆
Plastic Surgeon 10.7 3.2☆
Plumber 32.4 3.5☆
Real Estate Agent 5.1 2.6☆
Restaurant 126.7 4.3☆
Roofer 8.7 3.0☆
RV Dealer 23.0 3.4☆
Sewing Store 11.0 3.5☆
Tattoo Shop 26.2 4.4☆
Veterinarian 27.5 4.2☆

Reviews per Keyword

This pie chart shows the number of reviews for each keyword in our analysis.

Most Reviewed Niches

Reviews per Listing

  • 151.0 – Car Dealers
  • 126.7 – Restaurants
  • 115.8 – Hotels

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Top-Rated Niches

Average rating

  • 4.4☆ – Tattoo Shops
  • 4.3☆ – Restaurants
  • 4.2☆ – Auto Repair, Veterinarians, Dentists, & Chiropractors

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City-by-City Findings

Our 2017 study included a total of 142 cities, 33% more than last time. Here are a few tables that dissect our data on a city-by-city basis.

Ratings by City

Here we show which cities are the most negative or positive for the reviews they have on Google, while comparing the sentiment of smaller versus larger cities.

  • Smaller Cities
  • Larger Cities

Most Negative

Most Positive

1. Scranton, PA: 2.5☆ 1. Austin, TX: 4.1☆
    Smithtown, NY: 2.5☆     Las Vegas, NV: 4.1☆
3. Charleston, WV: 2.6☆ 3. Denver, CO: 4.0☆
    Clovis, CA: 2.6☆     Portland, OR: 4.0☆
    Jackson, MS: 2.6☆     Seattle, WA: 4.0☆
    New Haven, CT: 2.6☆

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Reviews per 1,000 People

This section shows which city residents are more and less prone to giving a local business a Google review.

Smaller Cities 66.0 reviews
Larger Cities 37.5 reviews

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Least Reviews

Most Reviews

1. Los Angeles, CA: 4.5 1. Novi, MI: 180.5
2. Philadelphia, PA: 7.1 2. Orem, UT: 175.4
3. San Jose, CA: 10.0 3. Alpharetta, GA: 163.4
4. San Antonio, TX: 11.3 4. Catalina Foothills, AZ: 156.4
5. El Paso, TX: 13.2 5. Parsippany-TH, NJ: 131.5

Reviews per Business Listing

A different take on review counts by city… Here we show which businesses are more or less prone to receiving reviews on Google.

  • Smaller Cities
  • Larger Cities

Least Reviews

Most Reviews

1. Scranton, PA: 8.8 1. Denver, CO: 74.0
2. Charleston, WV: 8.9 2. Orlando, FL: 66.5
3. Bowling Green, KY: 9.2 3. Tampa, FL: 66.3
    Jackson, MS: 9.2 4. Las Vegas, NV: 64.1
5. Pleasanton, CA: 9.5 5. Austin, TX: 58.7

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WANT MORE 5-STAR GOOGLE REVIEWS?

Give your Google rating and reviews a boost! Either see how RevenueJump can help, or download your copy of the free Google Review Generator today.

Google Review Generator