Short answer: Yes. Google says review count and rating are part of how it judges a local business’s prominence, and reviews heavily influence which contractor a customer chooses. But it is not just quantity. Recent reviews, steady flow, detailed text, and your replies all matter too.
Reviews do two jobs at once. They help you show up, and they help you win the click once you do. A contractor with 80 recent reviews almost always gets the call over one with 6 reviews from 2021.
What Google has said about reviews
Google’s own guidance on local rankings says that review count and review score factor into prominence, one of the three main things it uses to rank local businesses, alongside relevance and distance.
So reviews are not everything, but they are one of the few ranking factors you directly control.
Quantity: how many do you need?
There is no magic number. What matters is how you compare to the businesses around you for the same search. If the top three roofers in your town have 60, 90, and 120 reviews, getting from 15 to 80 is the goal, not reaching some national benchmark.
Recency and steady flow
A profile with reviews every week looks like an active business. A burst of 30 reviews in one month, followed by nothing, looks unusual and does less for customers. Ask after every job, so reviews come in naturally over time.
What the review says matters
A review that mentions the service and town, like “replaced our water heater in Auburn the same day,” gives Google and customers more context than “Great job!” It also supports relevance for those searches.
You cannot script reviews, but you can make it easier to be specific. Our guide on asking for reviews without being pushy shows how.
Your replies count too
Replying to reviews shows customers you care, and Google encourages businesses to respond. Thank people for positive reviews, and respond calmly and professionally to negative ones. A thoughtful reply to a bad review can win more trust than the bad review costs.
Rating vs. count
A perfect 5.0 with a handful of reviews often looks less believable than a 4.8 with a hundred. Customers expect a few imperfect reviews from a real business. Focus on a high volume of honest reviews, not perfection.
Building a review habit that lasts
- Ask in person when the job is done, then follow up with a text that includes your direct review link.
- Add the review link and a QR code to your invoices and business cards.
- Automate a friendly text or email after every completed job.
- Celebrate new reviews with your crew. When they know reviews matter, they help create the moments that earn them.
Contractors who do this consistently usually overtake competitors within a few months, simply because most businesses ask rarely or not at all.
What not to do
- Do not buy reviews or post fake ones. Google removes them and can suspend profiles.
- Do not offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews.
- Do not ask only happy customers. Ask everyone.
Related reading
- How to Get 5-Star Google Reviews for Your Construction Company
- How to Ask Customers to Leave Google Reviews Without Being Pushy
- How to Respond to Negative Reviews on Your Google Business Page
Want reviews to come in without you remembering to ask? We set up automatic, friendly review requests after every job and help you reply, so your review count keeps growing.
Written by
Mardochee Carries
Managing Director | Brandcastl
Mardochee leads Brandcastl, a Worcester, MA marketing agency that helps local businesses get found on Google and turn searches into booked jobs.
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