Across 1,320 Google Maps listings in 11 cities of India and Southeast Asia, 47% of the measurable profiles answered none of their 20 newest reviews. Owners replied to 1–3 star reviews less often than to 5-star ones. Top-3 listings stood out by being closer to the searcher, not by having more reviews.
Reach by Locus collected the top 20 Google Maps results for six everyday searches (dentist, clinic, gym, physiotherapist, restaurant and salon) in seven Indian and four Southeast Asian cities on 7 October 2026, then read 18,391 recent reviews. This is the cross-category report; the methodology lists every rule and blind spot.
Key findings
Each finding stands on its own and carries its sample. Numbers are medians or shares of independent listings in the results, measured on 7 October 2026.
- Half the field is silent. 47% of the 958 profiles with at least five recent reviews answered none of their 20 newest reviews. The median profile answered 5%.
- Complaints get fewer replies than compliments. Owners answered 22% of 1,750 recent 1–3 star reviews and 33% of recent 5-star reviews. Of 603 profiles with a recent 1–3 star review, 402 (67%) left every one unanswered.
- Closeness beat review count. Top-3 listings sat a median 0.22 km from the search point, against 0.75 km for ranks 4–20. The top 3 were nearer in 53 of 55 city and business-type groups, yet had fewer reviews (median 74 against 110).
- Half have no website. 48% of profiles link no website: 52% in India and 39% in Southeast Asia. Chennai is highest at 70%, Bangkok lowest at 22%.
- Most profiles use one category. 60% list no additional category beyond the primary one.
- 4.8 stars is ordinary. The median rating is 4.8, and 57% of profiles are rated 4.8 or higher. Among physiotherapists it is 91%; among restaurants, 15%.
- Jakarta and Bangkok review in their own languages; India reviews in English. 77% of written recent reviews in Jakarta and 58% in Bangkok were in a language other than English, against 3.7% across the seven Indian cities.
- “Clinic” is the messiest search. 16% of results for “clinic” were other kinds of business, such as hospitals and eye care centres, and 34% of the clinic profiles counted were unclaimed. The median clinic had 11 reviews.
- A quarter of reviews say nothing. 27% of recent reviews were a star rating with no text: 30% in India and 21% in Southeast Asia.
- Gym searches in Southeast Asia are chain territory. 44% of gym results in the four Southeast Asian cities were chain outlets, against 6% in India.
Owners answer praise more often than complaints
Google tells owners that replying to reviews shows customers you value their feedback (Google Business Profile Help). In this sample most owners do not reply, and those who do favour the easy reviews. Across every counted profile, 33% of recent 5-star reviews had an owner reply, against 22% of 1–3 star reviews.
| Region | Profiles that answered none | 5-star reviews answered | 1–3 star reviews answered |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 11 cities | Profiles that answered none47% | 5-star reviews answered33% | 1–3 star reviews answered22% |
| India (7 cities) | Profiles that answered none45% | 5-star reviews answered36% | 1–3 star reviews answered21% |
| Southeast Asia (4 cities) | Profiles that answered none51% | 5-star reviews answered27% | 1–3 star reviews answered23% |
The gap comes mostly from India, where owners answered 36% of 5-star reviews and 21% of low-star ones. In Southeast Asia the two rates are close. Among the 308 profiles that replied to something and had both kinds of review in their sample, 106 answered praise but no complaint; 36 did the reverse.
A low-star review is the one a new customer reads most closely, so an unanswered complaint is the cheapest gap in this report to close. The review reply guide covers how to answer one without arguing, and the free review reply inbox lists the reviews still waiting.
Top-3 listings were closer, not more reviewed
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity (Google Business Profile Help). This study searched from one point in each city centre, so distance is built into the test, and it shows: the top 3 sat a median 0.22 km from that point, ranks 4–20 at 0.75 km.
| Measure | Top 3 | Ranks 4–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Listings counted | Top 3159 | Ranks 4–20945 |
| Distance from search point | Top 30.22 km | Ranks 4–200.75 km |
| Total reviews | Top 374 | Ranks 4–20110 |
| Rating | Top 34.9 | Ranks 4–204.8 |
| Answered none of the newest 20 reviews | Top 347% | Ranks 4–2047% |
| No website | Top 348% | Ranks 4–2048% |
| Profile completeness | Top 388% | Ranks 4–2088% |
Review totals did not separate the groups. In 30 of the 55 city and business-type groups with enough listings, the top 3 had the lower median review count. Reply habits, website presence and completeness were identical at the pooled level. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help, and nothing here contradicts that; these are correlations from one day and one search point, and they cannot show what Google rewards.
For an owner, the practical reading is that a profile cannot move its address, but it can match more searches. Check that categories and services describe what you sell, then measure from where your customers search with the free local rank checker.
Six business types, six different profiles
The averages hide large differences between trades. Restaurants live in a crowded review economy; clinics barely have one. The table compares the six business types across both regions.
| Business type | Median reviews | Rated 4.8+ | Answered none | No website | Unclaimed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | Median reviews662 | Rated 4.8+15% | Answered none67% | No website51% | Unclaimed21% |
| Salons | Median reviews135 | Rated 4.8+45% | Answered none44% | No website56% | Unclaimed18% |
| Dentists | Median reviews143 | Rated 4.8+82% | Answered none31% | No website33% | Unclaimed7% |
| Gyms | Median reviews102 | Rated 4.8+49% | Answered none56% | No website53% | Unclaimed14% |
| Physiotherapists | Median reviews56.5 | Rated 4.8+91% | Answered none41% | No website38% | Unclaimed5% |
| Clinics | Median reviews11 | Rated 4.8+64% | Answered none42% | No website57% | Unclaimed34% |
Dentists are the most attentive repliers: only 31% answered none of their newest reviews. Restaurants are the least: 67% answered none, though the ones that do reply are quick, with a median lag under four days. Physiotherapists collect few reviews but nearly all rate 4.8 or more, so the rating alone tells a patient little.
Clinics stand apart. A third of the clinic profiles counted were unclaimed, more than half had no website, and the median clinic had 11 reviews. An unclaimed profile cannot reply to reviews or correct its own details; Google explains how to claim a Business Profile. Each business type has its own benchmark hub with the city tables: dentists, clinics, salons, gyms, restaurants and physiotherapists.
Eleven cities compared
Every city contributed the same six searches, so a city's numbers describe what a customer there sees across everyday local searches. The table puts the seven Indian cities first.
| City | Median reviews | Answered none | No website | Written reviews not in English | Star-only reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | Median reviews171.5 | Answered none33% | No website38% | Written reviews not in English2% | Star-only reviews26% |
| Delhi | Median reviews59 | Answered none57% | No website61% | Written reviews not in English6% | Star-only reviews31% |
| Bengaluru | Median reviews158 | Answered none34% | No website38% | Written reviews not in English1% | Star-only reviews30% |
| Hyderabad | Median reviews199 | Answered none41% | No website49% | Written reviews not in English3% | Star-only reviews30% |
| Chennai | Median reviews79 | Answered none59% | No website70% | Written reviews not in English2% | Star-only reviews36% |
| Pune | Median reviews67 | Answered none46% | No website54% | Written reviews not in English6% | Star-only reviews33% |
| Jaipur | Median reviews103.5 | Answered none45% | No website54% | Written reviews not in English6% | Star-only reviews26% |
| Bangkok | Median reviews191 | Answered none58% | No website22% | Written reviews not in English58% | Star-only reviews16% |
| Jakarta | Median reviews92 | Answered none48% | No website48% | Written reviews not in English77% | Star-only reviews26% |
| Kuala Lumpur | Median reviews103.5 | Answered none52% | No website46% | Written reviews not in English17% | Star-only reviews20% |
| Manila | Median reviews44 | Answered none46% | No website40% | Written reviews not in English7% | Star-only reviews23% |
Mumbai and Bengaluru reply most: a third of their profiles answered none of their newest reviews, and the median profile answered 35%. In Delhi, Chennai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur the median profile answered none at all. Chennai pairs the weakest reply habit with the highest share of profiles without a website.
Language splits the regions. Customers in Jakarta and Bangkok mostly write reviews in Indonesian and Thai, so an owner who replies only in English answers many reviewers in a language they did not use. In the Indian cities, fewer than 7% of written reviews were in any language other than English, including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Southeast Asian profiles had more photos (median 50 against 36) and fewer missing websites (39% against 52%). Indian profiles were more likely to show a booking or ordering link (20% against 12%), and more of their recent reviews were star-only (30% against 21%). Chains made up 15% of Southeast Asian results and 7% of Indian ones.
Worked example: checking one profile against the report
Illustrative example: a salon in Pune, not a real business
A salon owner in Pune opens her profile with this report beside it. She has 140 reviews, a 4.7 rating and no website, and her last owner reply was in July. Three of her 20 newest reviews are 2 stars, and none has a reply.
The report tells her where she stands. Her review count is above the salon median of 135, so more reviews are not her first job. Her rating is below the 4.8 that 45% of salons reach, but a rating moves slowly. The unanswered 2-star reviews are the gap a new customer sees first, and like 54% of Pune profiles she has no website.
Her order of work: answer the three complaints this week, then the rest of the newest 20; add the website or booking link she already has; check that her categories cover hair, nails or bridal work if she offers them. The free GMB audit tool runs the same profile checks on her public listing.
Method, sample and limits
Reach searched Google Maps for six terms (dentist, clinic, gym, physiotherapist, restaurant and salon) from one point at the centre of each of 11 cities on 7 October 2026: Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Jaipur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila. Results were in English and unpersonalised. The top 20 of each search gave 1,320 listings.
Chain outlets and listings outside the searched business type keep their rank but are left out of medians and shares, which leaves 1,104 independent listings. Review behaviour comes from each listing’s 20 newest reviews, 18,391 in total. A reply rate needs at least five sampled reviews, which 958 profiles had. Low-star means 1 to 3 stars.
The per-type benchmark hubs use the same collection, and the dentist hub and the salon post go deeper on a single trade. This report adds the comparison across types and cities, plus two measures those pages do not carry: replies to complaints and review language.
How to cite this report
Journalists, researchers and bloggers may quote any finding with a link to this page. Keep the date with every number: the figures describe 7 October 2026 and will change.
Source: Reach by Locus, State of Google Business Profiles in India and Southeast Asia, October 2026. https://reach.locus-intelligence.com/blogs/google-business-profile-statistics-india-southeast-asia
Frequently asked questions
- How many Google reviews does a local business have in India?
- In this sample, the median independent business in the seven Indian cities had 112 Google reviews, against 94 in the four Southeast Asian cities. Trade matters far more than country: the median restaurant had 662 reviews and the median clinic 11. The reviews guide covers how many a business needs.
- What is a good Google rating for a local business?
- A 4.8 is typical, not exceptional: it was the median rating, and 57% of profiles reached 4.8 or more. Restaurants are the exception, with a median of 4.4. Compare your rating with your own trade and city rather than with a fixed number.
- Do Google reviews affect ranking on Google Maps?
- Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking (Google Business Profile Help). In this sample, top-3 listings did not have more reviews than ranks 4–20; they were closer to the searcher. Review totals alone did not separate the groups.
- How many businesses reply to Google reviews?
- Fewer than many owners assume. 47% of the 958 profiles with enough reviews answered none of their newest 20, and the median profile answered 5%. Dentists replied most and restaurants least.
- Where does this data come from?
- From public Google Maps results and public Business Profile details collected by Reach on 7 October 2026, with no private account data. The methodology explains the sample and rules.
- Can I use these statistics in an article?
- Yes. Quote the finding with its date and link to this page as the source, using the citation line above.
Close the gaps this report found on your own profile
Two gaps appear in every city: unanswered complaints and missing basics, such as a website link or a second category. Run the free audit on your public listing to see which apply to you, then keep new reviews answered from one place.