Most local business owners have no idea how many reviews their competitors have. That's a missed opportunity.

You can't compete against what you don't measure. So here's exactly how to see where you stand.

The 5-Step Process (Takes 10 Minutes)

Step 1: Search Your Main Keyword on Google Maps

Open Google Maps on desktop. Search the keyword your customers use to find you.

So if you're a dentist in Manchester, search "dentist Manchester." If you're a plumber in Bristol, search "plumber Bristol."

This gives you the exact set of businesses Google ranks for your core search.

Step 2: Screenshot the Top 5 Results

Take a screenshot of the top five results. You're going to compare yourself to these businesses, so you want to record exactly what you're seeing.

These five businesses are your benchmark set. If you're not in the top five, they're beating you. If you are, you're looking at who might overtake you next.

Now, open each profile one by one.

Step 3: Note Their Review Metrics

For each competitor, you need three numbers:

Review count — the total number of reviews they have
Average rating — the star rating (out of 5)
Most recent review date — when was their last review posted?

You'll find all three on their Google Business Profile. The review count is at the top. The rating is next to it. Scroll down and you'll see reviews sorted by most recent first.

For what it's worth, the most recent review date matters more than people realise. It tells you how active their review stream is. A business with 150 reviews where the most recent is from three days ago is much more competitive than one with 200 reviews where the most recent is from six months ago.

Step 4: Calculate Their Approximate Velocity

Velocity is reviews per month. This tells you how fast they're growing.

If a competitor has 120 reviews and has been on Google for about three years (36 months), that's roughly 3.3 reviews per month.

You don't need exact numbers. Rough is fine. You're looking for the rhythm — are they getting reviewed consistently, or did they have a spurt two years ago and nothing since?

A business with 40 reviews this year looks more active than one with 100 reviews over five years. Google sees activity.

Step 5: Compare to Yours

Now you've got the benchmark table.

Create a simple comparison:

| Metric | You | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | Competitor 3 | Competitor 4 | Competitor 5 | |--------|-----|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------| | Review Count | X | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | | Average Rating | 4.X | 4.X | 4.X | 4.X | 4.X | 4.X | | Last Review | Date | Date | Date | Date | Date | Date | | Monthly Velocity | X | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |

Put this in a spreadsheet or just write it down. You're looking for patterns.

What the Numbers Tell You

Review count gap: If the top-ranking competitor has 120 reviews and you have 30, that's your gap. It's not an impossible mountain — it's just a clear number.

You're roughly 90 reviews behind. At one review per week (totally doable if you've got a system), that's less than two years away.

Rating: Most businesses cluster between 4.2 and 4.8. If you're below 4.0, you've got a problem. If you're above 4.6, you're in good shape. Small differences here don't matter much. A business at 4.3 isn't significantly disadvantaged versus 4.7.

Recency: This is where you spot weakness in your competitors. If the top-ranked business has 150 reviews but the most recent is from four months ago, and you're getting a review every two weeks, you're the one signalling activity. Google notices.

Velocity: This is the true tell. A business getting five reviews per month is outpacing one getting one review per month, even if the second has more total reviews. Momentum matters.

The Honest Truth About What You're Looking At

Put simply — you're seeing the exact standard you need to beat to rank above these people.

If they've got 100 reviews at 4.7 stars with fresh reviews coming in weekly, and you've got 20 reviews at 4.4 stars with your last review from two months ago, you know what to fix. It's not mysterious.

You need more reviews. Fresher reviews. Higher quality reviews.

Everything else — SEO, keywords, citations — those are secondary. Prominence (which is mostly reviews) is the heavyweight signal.

The reality is that most local businesses see this benchmark and get overwhelmed. "I'm 80 reviews behind, this is impossible."

But it's not. If your competitor got 100 reviews without a system, you can get them faster with one. The gap exists because they did what you haven't done yet — they built a process for generating reviews consistently.

Next Steps

Don't just benchmark and forget about it.

Save your comparison table. Revisit it in three months. You should see:

Your review count increasing (by how much depends on your velocity target)
Your average rating holding steady or improving
Your most recent review getting fresher
Your velocity accelerating if you've implemented a review request system

If nothing's moving in three months, your system isn't working. If you're seeing progress, keep going.

And hey — did you run this benchmark? What gap did you spot? Comment below and tell me where you stand against your top three competitors. I'm curious where most people find they're losing ground.

How Many Reviews Does Your Competitor Have? Here's How to Check