You're probably obsessed with one number: your review count. But Google cares about five. Here's the full audit—and how to measure yourself right now.

What you'll learn:

The 5 metrics Google actually weighs in local ranking
How to check each metric in less than 10 minutes
Which metric is hurting you most (probably)
Why your competitor ranks higher despite having fewer reviews

Metric 1: Review Velocity (The Rate of New Reviews)

This is the big one. And almost nobody tracks it.

Review velocity isn't about how many reviews you have total. It's about how many you're getting per week, or per month. Google measures this relentlessly.

Here's why it matters: a business with 40 reviews that got them all in 2023 looks dead to Google. A business with 25 reviews that got 5 in the past month looks alive and actively serving customers.

Google's algorithm essentially asks: "Is this business actively getting customers who want to talk about it?"

How to check it: Open Google Business Profile. Look at your reviews section. Scroll to the bottom. Check your reviews from the past 30 days. Count them. That's your monthly velocity.

Now check last month. And the month before.

You're looking for a trend. Are you accelerating? Flat-lining? Going backwards?

For what it's worth, most local businesses should be targeting 3-5 reviews per month minimum. That sounds ambitious until you realize it's one review every 6-10 days.

If you're getting one review per month, your velocity is killing you. Even if you have 50 reviews total.

Metric 2: Average Rating Trend (Not Just Your Current Rating)

This one's subtle. But it matters.

You might check your rating monthly and notice it's 4.7 stars. Fine, right? Except if it was 4.8 last month and 4.9 the month before, you're actually losing social proof.

Google tracks this. The algorithm sees rating trends as a signal of service quality over time. A business that's trending upward (even slightly) looks better than one that's flat or declining.

Conversely, a business that was 4.8 and has dropped to 4.5 is sending a signal: something changed, and not for the better.

How to check it: Every month, write down three numbers: your review count, your average rating, and the date. Do this for three months straight. Then you'll see the trend.

You can also spot-check by looking at your recent reviews. Are the last 10 reviews mostly five-star, or are you getting a mix of 4s and 3s?

If your rating is trending down, it's worth investigating why. Did something change? Are you getting rushed? Did you hire someone new?

The fix isn't always complex. Sometimes it's just accountability.

Metric 3: Review Recency (When Was Your Last Review?)

Google cares deeply about this one too.

A business that got a review yesterday is treated differently than a business whose last review was six months ago. Recency is a signal of active business.

Think about it from Google's perspective: if nobody's reviewed you in half a year, are you still in business? Have you gone downhill? Are you not actively asking for reviews?

All of those are red flags.

How to check it: Open your Google Business Profile. Look at your most recent review. When was it posted?

If it was this week, you're fine. This month, you're doing okay. Last month, you should probably speed things up.

If your last review was three months ago? You've got a problem. Google's algorithm has essentially forgotten about you.

The fix is simple: start asking. Consistently. Today, tomorrow, next week. Not all at once—that looks spammy. But regular, steady requests for reviews.

Metric 4: Review Response Rate (What % Have You Replied To?)

Here's what most businesses don't realise: Google tracks whether you respond to reviews. And it treats non-response as a negative signal.

When you ignore a review—especially a critical one—Google sees that as negligent. When you respond to everything (even bad reviews, gracefully), Google sees you as engaged and professional.

The response rate isn't everything. But it's surprisingly important.

How to check it: Count your total reviews. Now count how many you've replied to. Divide the second by the first.

You should be aiming for 80%+ response rate. Full stop.

If you've only replied to 30 of your 50 reviews, you're broadcasting that you don't care. And Google's algorithm notices.

The fix: block 15 minutes a week to respond to reviews you haven't replied to yet. Then, going forward, respond to every single new one within 48 hours.

This is genuinely easy. And it moves the needle.

Metric 5: Keyword Mentions in Reviews (Natural Language Signals)

This is advanced. But it matters.

When customers leave reviews and naturally mention words relevant to your business—your service type, your location, specific strengths—Google's algorithm picks up on those as ranking signals.

For example: if you're a plumber and five customers mention "emergency plumbing" or "burst pipe" in their reviews, Google starts ranking you better for those exact terms. If nobody mentions anything specific and all your reviews just say "Great service!", Google has less semantic information to work with.

How to check it: Read through your last 20 reviews. Look for patterns. What words do people use to describe you?

Are they specific? ("Fixed my boiler fast, even on a Sunday") Or generic? ("Great service, highly recommend")

If they're mostly generic, you're missing an opportunity. When you ask for a review, you can gently prompt: "Feel free to mention what we helped you with" or "Tell us about the specific problem we solved."

You're not asking them to lie. You're asking them to be specific.

Your Quick Audit: Right Now

Stop reading. Do this.

Write down these five numbers:

Reviews in the last 30 days: ___
Current average rating: ___ (and what was it last month?)
Date of your most recent review: ___
Reviews you've replied to / total reviews: ___ / ___
Percentage of reviews mentioning specific services or problems: ___

Now be honest: which of these five is your weakest metric?

Most businesses find it's velocity or response rate. Some discover their recency is terrible—they're caught in the invisibility crisis. A few realize they haven't replied to anything in months.

That's your starting point.

The One Thing to Do This Week

Pick your weakest metric. That's your focus.

If it's velocity, commit to asking three customers for reviews this week. If it's response rate, block time today to reply to the backlog. If it's recency, make sure you've got at least one review in the last seven days.

You don't fix all five at once. You fix one. Then another. Then another.

And within three months, you'll see your visibility shift. Not because you're suddenly getting 100 reviews. But because you've started measuring what actually matters.

✅

Want a structured way to audit all five metrics, plus a monthly tracking template? Our Local SEO Audit Checklist walks you through this exact process and gives you the framework to measure improvement week by week. Download it free here

What metric are you weakest on? And more importantly—are you actually tracking any of these, or just guessing at your review count? Let me know in the comments. I'd like to hear what you find.

Quick Audit: The 5 Review Metrics Your Business Is Probably Ignoring