Local business glossary: terms explained simply.

Average rating (Google stars)

The average rating is the mean of the stars (1 to 5) customers leave on a business’s Google profile, shown with one decimal next to the total number of reviews.

Fake review

A fake review is a review that doesn’t reflect a real customer experience: written by the owner or relatives, bought, or posted by a competitor to cause harm. Many countries treat it as an unfair commercial practice.

Google review

A Google review is the rating a customer leaves on a business’s profile: 1 to 5 stars, often a comment and sometimes photos, visible to everyone in Google Search and Google Maps.

Google review link

A Google review link is a web address that opens the “Write a review” form of a business’s profile directly, so customers don’t have to search for the profile themselves.

Review QR code

A review QR code is a printed square code that, scanned with a phone’s camera, opens the form to leave a review on the business’s Google profile directly.

Review response

A review response is the public message a business owner posts under a customer’s review, on their Google profile or another platform, to thank, explain or offer a solution.

Review response rate

The review response rate is the share of customer reviews a business has replied to over a given period: reviews with a reply divided by total reviews received.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is what a business does so that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity describe and cite it correctly when people ask for recommendations.

Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows a business in Google Search and on Google Maps: name, address, opening hours, phone number, photos and reviews.

Google Local Pack

The Local Pack is the block of Google results that shows a map and a few businesses (often three) for a search with a nearby intent, such as “bakery near me”.

Local SEO

Local SEO covers what a business does to show up when people search for its type of business nearby on Google and Google Maps: profile, reviews, website and consistent details.

NAP (name, address, phone)

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) means a business’s name, address and phone number, which should be written the same way on its Google profile, website and directories.

Domain name

A domain name is a website’s address, such as “martinsbakery.co.uk”. It is rented by the year from a registrar and must be renewed to stay yours.

Legal notice (website imprint)

A legal notice (or imprint) is the page of a business website that says who publishes it, how to contact them and their registration details, as required by EU e-commerce rules and national laws.

Structured data (Schema.org)

Structured data is information added to a page’s code, using the Schema.org vocabulary, to tell search engines clearly what the page is about: a business, its address, opening hours, FAQs…

Commission-free booking

Commission-free booking means an online booking system where the business pays a flat subscription (or nothing) instead of handing over a fee for every booking or customer received.

Deposit (arrhes vs acompte)

A booking deposit is money paid in advance to secure a booking. French law distinguishes arrhes (either side can withdraw: the customer forfeits them, the business repays double) and acompte (binding on both).

No-show

A no-show is a customer who booked a table, appointment or room, doesn’t turn up and doesn’t warn you. The slot stays empty when it could have gone to someone else.

Customer loyalty and referral

Customer loyalty covers what a business does so customers come back and recommend it: welcome, follow-up, loyalty card, newsletter and referral (a loyal customer brings a new one).

NPS (Net Promoter Score)

NPS (Net Promoter Score) measures how likely customers are to recommend a business, from one question scored 0 to 10: percentage of promoters minus percentage of detractors.