Google star ratings – now for any business with just one review

Last weekend Google expanded its star ratings – for the first time introducing ratings for those businesses with less then five reviews. This is what it looks like:


In Map search:

In business specific search:

The implications:

Google are determined that their users will take notice of reviews, that is for certain. This move highlights, for the first time, those businesses that have yet to engage with reviews. In the example above none of the businesses have engaged, and how that shows since the star ratings were rolled out.

The impact:

The impact is squarely on low volume businesses – like estate agency, legal and financial. Hospitality and retail, which have massive footfalls, already have critical mass; the aforementioned invariably don’t.

The opportunity: 


This is a massive opportunity for well managed customer-focused businesses in these neglected sectors to really shine. To look like this:

And this:

It is not rocket science – consumers are impressed by businesses that care enough to ask their customers to write reviews; Google know that – it’s why they are putting so much effort and resource behind reviews. Shouldn’t your business be doing the same?


A note of caution


Before you simply rush to get reviews direct to Google, bypassing your own website, read this or speak to us.