16 online review statistics for local businesses (2026)
Nearly everyone checks reviews before choosing a local business: 97% of consumers read them in BrightLocal's 2026 survey, and 31% will only use a business with 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% a year earlier. Recency counts too, and 74% only care about reviews from the last three months.
Key takeaways
- Reading reviews is close to universal, and more people now read them every time they look for a business.
- Fewer than 20 reviews, or nothing written in the last three months, puts many customers off.
- Most people expect the owner to answer a review within a week, and a copy-and-paste reply puts half of them off.
- AI tools have become a common place to ask for a local recommendation, and most people now read AI summaries of reviews.
- Fake reviews are illegal in the US, and Google removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025, so buying them is a bad bet.
How do people use reviews to pick a business?
1. 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses
BrightLocal asked 1,002 US adults in its 2026 survey. A café or tour without reviews gets skipped by almost everyone who looks it up.1
2. 41% always read reviews when looking for a business, up from 29% in 2025
The share who check reviews every single time jumped in a year. A guest choosing between two bars tonight is likely reading the reviews of both first.1
3. 45% use ChatGPT or other AI tools for local recommendations, up from 6%
AI tools became the third most used source of local recommendations in BrightLocal's survey, behind Google and Facebook. Those tools summarise what reviews and listings say about you, so the reviews still do the work. More in our AI search statistics.1
4. 82% read AI-generated review summaries, and 23% would decide on the summary alone
Google and other platforms now write a short summary above a business's reviews. If the same complaint keeps coming up, it is likely to end up in that summary.1
How many reviews, how recent, how many stars?
5. 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews
Only 9% would use one with five or fewer. A new restaurant or a tour company in its first season can treat its first 20 reviews as a goal, and the free Google review link generator makes asking quicker.1
6. 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months
18% only look at the last week. A rental with a long list of reviews and nothing new since spring looks closed, so steady reviews beat a big total.1
7. 31% will only use a business with 4.5 stars or more, up from 17% in 2025
The bar nearly doubled in a year. Only 10% insist on a perfect five stars, so a few honest four-star reviews are not a problem.1
8. 68% will only use a business with four stars or more, up from 55% in 2025
Below four stars, most people in BrightLocal's survey will not consider you at all. Fixing the cause of bad reviews matters more than any reply.1
Do owner replies change anything?
9. 89% expect business owners to respond to reviews
Most guests now see a reply as part of customer service. Our guide to responding to Google reviews has wording for good and bad ones.1
10. 19% expect a reply on the same day they post, up from 6% in 2025
81% expect to hear back within a week. A tour operator out on the water all day can still answer each evening.1
11. Generic or templated replies make 50% of consumers unlikely to choose a business
"Thanks for your feedback!" under every review reads as nobody listening. Mention what the guest wrote about, whether the dish, the guide or the room, and let the review reply generator draft a first version.1
12. 80% are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews
42% are unlikely to use a business that never replies. Answering only the bad reviews, or only the good ones, wins over far fewer people.1
Do reviews bring customers in?
13. 85% are more likely to use a business after reading positive reviews; negative reviews put off 77%
Reviews push both ways with almost the same force. One unanswered complaint near the top of your page costs more than it seems.1
14. 28% will always write a review when a business asks, up from 16% in 2025
Asking works better than it used to. A card with the bill or a message after the tour gives happy customers the nudge most of them need.1
How big is the fake review problem?
15. Google blocked or removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews on Maps in 2025
In the same year, by Google's own count, it published more than 1 billion reviews. Bought or fake reviews are likely to be caught and removed.2
16. A knowing breach of the US fake review rule can cost up to $53,088 per violation
The FTC's rule bans businesses from writing, buying or selling reviews by people who don't exist or never used the business, and from paying for reviews that must be positive or negative. The maximum fine for each violation is set in the FTC's penalty table.4
How was this list made?
We list only figures from a named publisher whose survey, report or rule we read on its own page on 5 November 2026. BrightLocal surveyed 1,002 US adults through SurveyMonkey for its 2026 survey, so those figures describe US consumers; where it compares with 2025 we give both years. The fake review rule and its penalty are quoted from their current text in the eCFR. Our own figures are counts from Google Maps listings, not a survey. Nothing here is estimated. For what to do about these numbers, see how to get more Google reviews.
Questions
What percentage of consumers read online reviews?
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, according to BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, and 41% read them every time they look for a business.
How many reviews does a business need?
At least 20 for many people: 47% of consumers in BrightLocal's 2026 survey won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and only 9% would use one with five or fewer.
What star rating do customers expect?
Four stars is the floor for most people. 68% will only use a business with four stars or more, and 31% want 4.5 stars or higher.
How old can reviews be before customers ignore them?
About three months. 74% of consumers only care about reviews written in the last three months, and 18% only look at the last week.
Do businesses need to reply to reviews?
Yes. 89% of consumers expect owners to respond, 81% expect a reply within a week, and templated replies put off half of them.
Are fake reviews illegal?
In the US, yes. The FTC's rule bans creating, buying or selling fake reviews, and a knowing violation can cost up to $53,088 per violation.
From PlacePilot's data · Star ratings in tourist towns
78.6% of the 2,364 listings with a rating we read showed 4.5 stars or more, and only 70 were under 4 stars. Where most places sit at 4.5 stars or above, a rating in the low fours stands out for the wrong reason.
PlacePilot's own count: the Google Maps listings of 2,402 businesses in Greece and Croatia (1,621 restaurants, 618 tour and activity companies, 163 holiday stays), read on 24 to 26 September 2026 while we researched businesses in tourist areas, each matched to one listing. They were the best-scoring places on our research list, so the sample leans towards established, busy businesses in places visitors go. We counted what each listing showed that day; we did not survey anyone.
From PlacePilot's data · Review counts by kind of business
The median restaurant had 886 Google reviews, the median tour or activity company 67 and the median holiday stay 25. Compare yourself with businesses of your own kind, not with the busiest restaurant in town.
The same listings: 1,616 restaurants, 594 tour and activity companies and 154 stays showed a review count. The median is the middle listing when they are lined up by review count, so half had more reviews and half had fewer.
Sources
Read next
See how your business shows up.
See your rating and review count next to the places around you in the free report, then answer new reviews from one place. Reviews
Try it free