Google sets no minimum number of reviews. Your rating is "the average of all ratings published on Google" for your business. Two numbers matter: how many reviews similar businesses near you have, and how many 5-star reviews it takes to move your average. The formula is: needed = n × (target − current) ÷ (5 − target).
How is my Google rating calculated?
Your rating is the average of all ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 (Google). It doesn't update right away. Google says: "After someone leaves a new review, it may take up to 2 weeks to get an updated review score." A new 5-star review may not change your number on the same day.
How many reviews do businesses like mine have?
Reach looked at Google Maps ranks 1 to 20 for each business type. Each type was searched from the centre of 11 cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok. Chains were left out of the medians. Data retrieved 2026-10-07.
| Business type | Median reviews | Middle half (p25 to p75) |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | Median reviews662 | Middle half (p25 to p75)102 to 1,834 |
| Dentists | Median reviews143 | Middle half (p25 to p75)46 to 304 |
| Salons | Median reviews135 | Middle half (p25 to p75)40 to 353 |
| Gyms | Median reviews102 | Middle half (p25 to p75)32 to 224 |
| Physiotherapists | Median reviews57 | Middle half (p25 to p75)19 to 148 |
| Clinics | Median reviews11 | Middle half (p25 to p75)1 to 96 |
How to read it: if you are below the lower number for your type, reviews are your first job. If you are above the median, your review count is probably not what holds you back.
Caveat: this is one search point and one day per city. Your own area can differ. For a fairer check, compare yourself with the 3 to 5 businesses that show for your main search near you.
Do more reviews mean a higher rank?
They help. Google says "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking."
They don't beat distance, though. In Reach's benchmark, the top 3 results did not have more reviews than ranks 4 to 20. Top-3 dentists had a median of 90 reviews against 147 for ranks 4 to 20. For salons it was 84 against 137. The top 3 were closer to the search point. For the other ranking factors, see how to rank higher on Google Maps.
How many 5-star reviews do I need to raise my rating?
Use this formula, where n is your current number of reviews:
needed = n × (target − current) ÷ (5 − target), rounded up
Here is what it looks like for a business with 80 reviews:
| From | To | Math | 5-star reviews needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | To4.3 | Math80 × 0.3 ÷ 0.7 = 34.3 | 5-star reviews needed35 |
| 4.2 | To4.5 | Math80 × 0.3 ÷ 0.5 | 5-star reviews needed48 |
| 4.5 | To4.8 | Math80 × 0.3 ÷ 0.2 | 5-star reviews needed120 |
| 4.7 | To4.9 | Math80 × 0.2 ÷ 0.1 | 5-star reviews needed160 |
Each step up costs more than the last because the gap to 5 gets smaller. Going from 4.7 to 4.9 needs more new 5-star reviews than you have in total.
Your new reviews won't all be 5 stars. If they average 4.8, replace the 5 in the formula with 4.8. Going from 4.2 to 4.5 with 80 reviews then needs 80 × 0.3 ÷ (4.8 − 4.5) = 80 reviews, not 48.
How much does one bad review hurt?
That depends on how many reviews you already have.
- 12 reviews averaging 4.8, plus one 1-star: (57.6 + 1) ÷ 13 = 4.51.
- 150 reviews averaging 4.8, plus one 1-star: (720 + 1) ÷ 151 = 4.77.
More reviews soften the effect of a single bad one. A calm public reply helps too: see how to reply to Google reviews. Google removes only reviews that break its policy. For those, see how to remove a Google review.
How do I get the reviews without breaking Google's rules?
You are allowed to ask. Google lets businesses "Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, without offering incentives".
Google's policy does not allow you to:
- "Offer incentives – such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review"
- "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers"
- Have "Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews"
In practice: ask every customer, not only the happy ones. Don't give a discount for a review. Don't set review quotas for staff.
The easiest way to ask is to send your review link on WhatsApp right after the visit. These help:
A steady pace looks more believable than 40 reviews in one week. In Reach's benchmark, dentists in ranks 1 to 20 got a median of about 2 to 3 new reviews a month. Do the pace math before you set a goal: 48 more reviews at 8 a month takes 6 months.
Worked example: a Pune dental clinic (illustrative)
Sharma Dental Clinic in Pune has 4.2 stars from 80 reviews. Nearby dentists that show for "dentist near me" have 140 to 300 reviews at 4.7 to 4.9 stars. The owner wants to reach 4.5.
The math:
- If every new review is 5 stars: 48 reviews.
- If new reviews average 4.8: 80 reviews.
The plan:
- The front desk sends the review link on WhatsApp to every patient after treatment ends. That is about 120 patients a month.
- If 1 in 10 patients leaves a review, that's 12 reviews a month. At a 4.8 average, the clinic reaches 4.5 in about 7 months.
- The owner replies to every review within 2 days.
- The owner checks the rating once a month, keeping in mind that it can take up to 2 weeks to update.
Google review QR code generator
FAQ
- How many Google reviews is good?
- Google sets no number. Compare yourself with the businesses that show for your main search near you, and with the benchmark table above.
- How many reviews do I need to get 5 stars?
- To have a 5.0 rating, every rating has to be 5 stars.
- How many reviews can I get per day?
- Google sets no daily limit for a business. A sudden burst can look like fake engagement, which Google removes. Keep the pace natural.
- Why hasn't my rating changed after new reviews?
- It may take up to 2 weeks for the score to update.
- Do reviews with no text count?
- Yes. Your rating is the average of all ratings, including those with no text.
- Can I delete bad reviews?
- No. You can flag reviews that break Google's policy. See how to remove a Google review.
Answer every new review as it comes in
With Reach
When your requests start turning into reviews, Reach by Locus puts them in one inbox and shows which ones still need a reply. It drafts a reply for each one. You check it and confirm before it posts to Google.