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26 sourced figures · 6 sources

Google reviews in 2026: key figures for local businesses

How much Google reviews weigh when customers choose a business, the rating and review count they expect, the effect of owner replies, and figures by trade: restaurant, hotel, hair salon, tradesperson. Each figure has its source next to it, and a “At Voxtya” block shows what we observe among our customers.

A reference page, not a tool: figures from published studies on this topic, each with a clickable source, and what they mean for your business. To read, quote and share.

Updated By the Voxtya team Method and sources

Quick answer

In France, 92% of people check reviews before choosing a business (IFOP for Guest Suite, 2023). In the US, 68% will only use a business rated four stars or more and 47% avoid a business with fewer than 20 reviews (BrightLocal 2026). 89% expect the owner to reply, and 81% within a week. Among our customers, the review reply rate went from 39.3% to 58.7% since they started using Voxtya (across 1,477 Google reviews tracked).

Key takeaways

  • Reviews decide: 92% of people in France check them before choosing a business (IFOP 2023).
  • The bar is four stars for 68% of customers, and 47% avoid a business with fewer than 20 reviews (BrightLocal 2026).
  • Recent reviews matter: 74% look at reviews from the last three months.
  • Replying pays: 80% prefer a business that replies to every review, but templated replies put off 50%.

Headline figures

92% of people in France check customer reviews before choosing a business (75% in 2021). IFOP for Guest Suite · 2023 68% will only use a business rated four stars or more (55% in 2025). BrightLocal · 2026 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews; only 9% accept five reviews or fewer. BrightLocal · 2026 74% look at reviews written in the last three months. BrightLocal · 2026

How much do reviews weigh when choosing a business?

Before walking in, most customers read what others have written.

92%

of people in France check customer reviews before choosing a business (75% in 2021).

Source : IFOP for Guest Suite, 2023 (France)

79%

of people in France have changed their mind after reading customer reviews.

Source : IFOP for Guest Suite, 2023 (France)

97%

of consumers read reviews for local businesses.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

85%

are more likely to use a business after reading positive reviews; 77% less likely after negative ones.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

What it means for you

Your Google profile is often the first visit to your business: rating, review count and replies show up before your photos.

What minimum rating do customers accept?

The rating below which customers move on rose in a single year.

68%

will only use a business rated four stars or more (55% in 2025).

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

31%

require 4.5 stars or more (17% in 2025).

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

92%

take star ratings into account when choosing a business.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

What it means for you

Going from 4.2 to 4.5 often takes a few dozen five-star reviews: the free calculator tells you how many. Open the review calculator

How many reviews do you need, and how many do customers read?

A great rating on three reviews reassures little: volume matters too.

47%

will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews; only 9% accept five reviews or fewer.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

6

different review sites are used on average by a customer before choosing.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

82%

of people in France trust a review more when it has a rating and a full comment.

Source : IFOP for Guest Suite, 2023 (France)

What it means for you

Aim for a steady flow of detailed reviews rather than a one-off spike: ask at the right moment, with a direct link.

Do recent reviews count more?

Customers want to know what a visit is like today, not three years ago.

74%

look at reviews written in the last three months.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

32%

look at those from the last two weeks (20% a year earlier).

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

44%

name “posted within the last month” among what makes a review convincing.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

What it means for you

A business with no review for months looks less active, even with a good rating: regularity matters.

Should you reply to reviews, and how fast?

Owner replies are read as much as the reviews, especially under a negative one.

89%

expect the owner to reply to reviews.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

80%

are more likely to use a business that replies to every review; 42% avoid one that never replies.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

50%

are put off by templated or generic replies.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

81%

expect a reply within a week, 32% by the next day and 19% the same day.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

89%

of travellers say a thoughtful reply to a negative review improves their impression of the business.

Source : Tripadvisor / Ipsos MORI, 2019 (12 markets incl. France)

What it means for you

A short, personal reply posted within the week does more than a long one three weeks later. Reply to positive reviews too.

Google, fake reviews and AI: where do things stand?

Google is still the leading review platform, filters fake reviews at scale, and AI tools are starting to summarise what is said there.

71%

of consumers read reviews on Google (83% in 2025); 45% write theirs there.

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

292 million

policy-violating reviews were blocked or removed by Google in 2025, and over 13 million fake profiles taken down.

Source : Google, Google Maps blog (April 2026)

45%

use ChatGPT or another AI tool to find a local business (6% a year earlier).

Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

What it means for you

Never buy reviews: Google detects and removes them. Real, recent, detailed reviews also help when an AI looks for a business to recommend.

Reviews by trade: restaurant, hotel, hair salon, tradesperson

Few published studies break reviews down by trade. Here are the published figures we could verify, with country and year.

TradeFigureSource
Restaurant, hotel77% of Tripadvisor users surveyed say they are more likely to book when the owner replies to reviews; 63% if the owner replies to most of them. Tripadvisor / Ipsos MORI, 2019 (12 markets incl. France)
Hair salon, beauty78% of salon and spa customers check reviews before booking; nearly 1 in 2 only consider places rated 4.5 stars or more. Zenoti, 2024 Salon and Spa Consumer Survey (US)
Tradesperson (heating, cooling)91% of homeowners say reviews matter when choosing a contractor; 56% would read them on Google. ACHR News / Clear Seas Research, 2024 (US)
Tradesperson (heating, cooling)43% of contractors surveyed do not respond to reviews at all. ACHR News / Clear Seas Research, 2024 (US)
All local businesses68% will only use a business rated four stars or more. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US)

What it means for you

Whatever the trade, the logic is the same: enough reviews, recent ones, and a reply to each. Tradespeople who reply stand out quickly, since many do not.

At Voxtya: what we observe in our customers’ reviews

These figures come from the Google reviews of businesses using Voxtya (demo and test accounts excluded). They describe our customers, not all businesses: this is not a representative sample. No business is named.

+19.4 points

in review reply rate since our customers started using Voxtya: 58.7% of new reviews get a reply, against 39.3% before.

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 1,431 reviews before joining Voxtya, 46 since

39.9%

of the Google reviews we track received an owner reply (589 of 1,477).

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 1,477 Google reviews from our customers, reviews posted 2012-11-28 to 2026-11-03

68.5%

of reviews from the last 12 months received a reply: businesses reply far more once they track their reviews.

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 346 reviews posted in the 12 months before 2026-11-04, our customers

9.4 days

median delay between the review and the owner reply; 45.5% of replies come within 7 days.

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 589 dated replies, our customers

74.6%

of reviews are five stars; 7.4% are one or two stars (average rating 4.5/5).

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 1,477 Google reviews from our customers, reviews posted 2012-11-28 to 2026-11-03

33%

of one- or two-star reviews have a reply, against 41.6% of four- or five-star reviews.

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 1,477 Google reviews from our customers, reviews posted 2012-11-28 to 2026-11-03

69.9%

of reviews include a written comment; the others only have a star rating.

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 1,477 Google reviews from our customers, reviews posted 2012-11-28 to 2026-11-03

3 of 8

businesses tested were named at least once by an AI asked for a recommendation; named in 20% of the questions asked.

Observed among businesses using Voxtya · n = 30 questions, 8 businesses, 2026-10-18 to 2026-11-03

The Voxtya service

Act on these figures with Voxtya

Customers read reviews, check how recent they are and expect a reply. Two Voxtya services answer those expectations directly:

  • Review collection: a QR code at the counter or on the table, email campaigns after the visit and, if you wish, a prize wheel offered after the review. Happy customers no longer have to search for your listing.
  • Review replies: for each new review, AI drafts a reply in your tone; you check it, edit it if needed and post it. You keep to the one-week delay most customers expect.

Both together cost €49 a month (Collection + Replies), with a 30-day free trial.

Try free for 30 days See services and pricing

Method and sources

Figures read on 3 November 2026 on each source page, without rounding. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey covers 1,002 US adults; IFOP for Guest Suite 1,002 people aged 18+ in France (2023); Tripadvisor / Ipsos MORI 23,292 users in 12 markets including France (2019); Zenoti over 1,400 US salon customers (2024); ACHR News 400 US homeowners (2024). Foreign figures show trends, not French measurements. The “At Voxtya” block is computed by a script from our database (read-only, demo and test accounts excluded, no business named) and refreshed with each new version of the page.

Go further

How many people read reviews before choosing a business?
According to IFOP for Guest Suite (2023), 92% of people in France check customer reviews before choosing a business, up from 75% in 2021. In the US, BrightLocal 2026 puts the figure at 97%.
What Google rating do you need to attract customers?
In BrightLocal’s 2026 US survey, 68% of consumers will only use a business rated four stars or more and 31% require 4.5 stars.
How many Google reviews do you need?
There is no magic number, but 47% of consumers in BrightLocal’s 2026 survey will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
How fast should you reply to a Google review?
81% of consumers expect a reply within a week and 19% the same day (BrightLocal 2026). Among our customers, the observed median delay is about a week.
Should you reply to negative reviews?
Yes: 89% of travellers surveyed by Tripadvisor in 2019 say a thoughtful reply to a negative review improves their impression of the business.
Are the “At Voxtya” figures representative?
No. They describe our customers’ Google reviews (n and period stated under each figure), demo and test accounts excluded. They show what we observe, not a national average.
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