Lately, our team has been crushing on our Google reviews. But, in our quest to get five stars, we kept wondering how many more 5-star reviews we needed. So, to sate our curiosity, we built this handy review calculator.
We get it, negative reviews are a drag. So, if you’re wondering how many Google reviews you need to raise your star rating, we’ve built this tool so you can calculate it easily. After you’ve determined your goal, you can seek out good reviews to boost your average.
To use the calculator, enter your business’ current rating, your desired rating, and the number of reviews you have. Then, hit that big green ‘Calculate’ button and let us handle all of the complex math. And, if you find the tool useful, we’d be super happy if you shared it!
Determined by Google reviews, your star rating indicates how satisfied customers are with your services. Scored from 1 to 5 stars, star rating is a simplified expression of your business’ online reputation.
In a recent study, the national average rating on Google was 4.11 stars. Over the years, this has crept up as businesses focus more and more on building a positive online reputation. But, really, we wanted to know the average rating for businesses in Kalamazoo, so we did our own study.
To find the average rating in Kalamazoo, we looked at 200 randomly selected local businesses. We didn’t focus on any particular industry. We found the average rating in Kalamazoo is 4.43 stars. Higher than the national average, this means that local companies need to work harder to beat the local average.
Another thing we noticed, which isn’t surprising, is that the majority of businesses listed on the first page of the search results had a star rating that was higher than this average. So, what does that mean? If you want to rank locally, you have to aim for at least 4.5 stars.
In a study conducted by Northwestern University, they came to one surprising conclusion: a 5-star rating isn’t the best. While it may seem counterintuitive, they found that negative reviews can help to establish trust. When a business owner responds to a negative review, they show potential customers how they react to – and resolve – bad situations.
In their analysis, the researchers found that customer trust peaked between 4.2 and 4.5 stars. After that, trust began to drop as a company’s reviews approached 5 stars.
So, don’t fret a single negative review! And, more importantly, there’s no need to obsess over achieving a perfect rating. Of course, you should always encourage 5-star Google reviews. You should aim for complete customer satisfaction. But, you shouldn’t be paralyzed by the fear of receiving one bad review.
At Kzoom, we constantly tell business owners to optimize their Google Business Profiles. If you want to be found locally, there’s no better platform. And, when it comes to optimization, reviews are an essential component.
As we stated above, review score has an impact on where you appear in Google’s local pack. If you have more 5 star reviews than your competitors, you’re more likely to appear above them in the search results.
But, this doesn’t just apply to Google search, it also applies to Google Maps. Over 158 million people use Google Maps every month, with over 69,000 search queries per second. As a way to find – and get to – local businesses, it’s the go-to option.
If you want your business to appear at the top of ‘near me’ searches in Maps, you’ll want tons of positive reviews.
Let’s face it: the purpose of Google reviews is to tell potential customers they can trust you. Studies show that people trust Google reviews as much as recommendations from people they know. And, most people say reviews have a big influence on their decision to buy.
But, a higher star rating doesn’t just attract more customers, it establishes credibility. It builds your reputation. In this way, it draws more visitors to your website and, maybe more importantly, to your physical location.
Of course, visibility isn’t everything. Once people have found your business, you want to convert them into paying customers. Positive reviews are one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Let’s picture a scenario where you and a competitor offer the same product. And, for the sake of this scenario, let’s also imagine that you both have similar price points. After someone searches for you, they’re presented with two options:
In this scenario, both star rating and number of reviews are crucial. Because you’ve outpaced your competitor on reviews, you are far more likely to win the customer’s business.
If you’re using our average rating calculator, you’re probably wondering the best way to get to your desired rating. Really, there are only two ways: more positive reviews and less negative reviews.
It’s tough asking for reviews. It feels like you’re burdening someone else. That’s not to mention technical difficulties that can make it difficult for customers to leave reviews. But, thankfully, Google has made it super easy for businesses to ask for new reviews.
When you view your Google Business Profile, you’ll notice a button that says, ‘Ask for reviews.’
Once you click on that button, you’ll be provided with a short link. If you send that link to your customers, it will bring up a window that allows them to leave you a review. It really couldn’t be easier.
One suggestion we always make is to wait a few days before asking for a Google review. It can be tempting to ask immediately, while the customer is happy, but it can give customers the impression that you only provided top-notch service to receive a positive review.
The other way to improve your review score is to remove negative reviews. Sadly, there’s no easy way to do this. Your best bet is to respond to the review, attempt to resolve the issue, and then ask the reviewer to remove their review.
And, even if they’re unwilling, your dedication to customer satisfaction won’t go unnoticed. As we said, online customers value – and trust – business owners who display a commitment to fixing bad experiences.
Now that you’ve used our Google rating calculator to determine how many reviews you need to reach your desired rating, it’s time to spring into action. Increasing the number of reviews you have, getting more 5-star reviews, and responding to negative reviews are all proven ways to boost your review score.
At Kzoom, we’ve worked with companies of all sizes, local and national, to improve their online presences. Whether you just want a little help improving your reviews or you want a full digital marketing package, we’re here to help. So, there’s no better time than now to reach out to us to discuss the future of your business.
Matt loves all-day cooking projects, holding one-sided conversations with his cat, and writing unreasonably large D&D campaigns. A fan of horror movies, he may have Kalamazoo’s largest (and only) collection of Laserdiscs.
