Google Business Profile
The free business listing that powers a company's presence in Google Maps, the local pack and business panels, renamed from Google My…
LocalReview velocityGoogle reviews
Reviews and review velocity
Customer ratings and written reviews on a business profile, along with the rate at which new ones arrive, contributing to local prominence and conversion.
In full
Google's local guidance names review count and score among prominence signals, and steady ongoing acquisition looks more credible than a burst followed by silence. Review gating — soliciting only from customers likely to be positive — violates Google's policies, as does incentivising or buying reviews. Responding to reviews is encouraged and is visible to prospective customers as evidence of an operating business.
Example
A restaurant adds a QR code on receipts and moves from two reviews a month to fifteen, sustained over a year.
Related terms
Local pack
A map with typically three local business listings shown for queries with local intent, drawn from Google Business Profile data rather…
Review and rating markup
Structured data describing individual reviews and aggregate ratings for a product or service, enabling star ratings in eligible results.
Local SEO
Optimising a business's visibility for geographically constrained searches, across both the map pack and localised organic results.
Conversion rate
The proportion of sessions or users that complete a defined goal, such as a purchase, lead form submission or sign-up.