I’ll share the most important stats about Google reviews in this article. I’ll mention the key stats of Google reviews you need to know. Now, let’s start with the key stats of this article. 

1. According to Trustpilot, 89% of users read online reviews before buying the product. 
2. 59% of the buyers choose Google to read reviews online. 57% of people use Amazon to read reviews, as it is the most popular eCommerce marketplace. 
3. According to a BrightLocal research report, 79% of buyers believe online reviews, as they trust personal recommendations.
4. When it comes to negative reviews, 53% of customers expect responses to negative reviews within a week. Unfortunately, most users get disappointed.
5. As per the Local Consumer Survey 2017 by BrightLocal, people are much more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones.
6. 88% of all reviews come from only the top four review sites. It includes Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Trip Advisor. 
7. According to ReviewTrackers, 45% of consumers say they are more likely to visit a business if they respond to negative reviews. 
8. As per a recent study by ReviewTrackers, 94% of people say a terrible online review has convinced them to avoid a business entirely.
9. Online reviews not only help people decide to buy, but every star increase your business gets on Yelp leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue.
10. Only 1 in 5 consumers trust the reviews and ratings mentioned on your website. 
11. In 2020, 87% of users read online reviews for local businesses.

These are some of the key stats about Google reviews. These statistics speak a lot about the online rating system. We have come a little further on this topic. Let’s grab some more detailed data about this topic. 

Continue reading the following section to find a detailed explanation of all Google reviews’ key statistics. 

Online Reviews Statistics – Key Statistics

Here are the detailed statistics of online reviews.

Trustpilot says 89% of Users Read Online Reviews Before Buying the Product.

(Source: Trustpilot, Oberlo)

Remember when you searched for a service or business on Google to read its reviews? For me, it was barely a second ago. 

According to a report by Trustpilot, 89% of consumers search for product reviews on the internet. It states that 89% of users care and read the reviews available on the internet. 

Almost 9 out of 10 people search and read the reviews on Google and other search engines. This proves how critical reviews can be for a business or a product. Reviews make users feel that the company or product is authentic and offers satisfactory services to their customers.

Image Source: Oberlo.com

Out of 89% of the consumers, 90% of women read the reviews on the web. In contrast, only 88% of the men read the reviews present on the internet. 

The Trustpilot report also suggests that 6 out of 10 people keep looking for more reviews until they get a five-star review for that particular business or product. In addition, consumers say reviews with less than 5 stars look more authentic and attractive. 

59% of Buyers Use Google to Read Reviews Online. While 57% of People Use Amazon to Read Reviews  

(Source: Bizrate Insights, Review42)

Google is known as one of the biggest search engines and popular platforms for reading product reviews. According to Review 42, almost 227 million users make about 5.4 billion daily Google searches. In the United States alone, Google has over 246 million users. This shows why Google has a large stake in online reviews. 

According to a report by Bizrate Insights, 59% of buyers use Google to read reviews of their favorite products and businesses. Google is by far the most well-known platform for doing this activity. 

In addition, 57% of people use Amazon to view reviews and ratings. Thus, Amazon is the biggest and popular eCommerce store and deals with all kinds of products. 

After that, the other most popular websites users use to view reviews are YouTube, Reddit, Consumer Report, and a few other consumer sites. But Google and Amazon are the most trusted sites compared to local sites. 

According to the BrightLocal Research Report, 79% of Buyers Believe In Online Reviews and Trust Personal Recommendations.

(Source: BrightLocal, Bizrate Insights)

Before the internet era, we used to take recommendations from our family and friends before buying the products. Especially when they have already purchased the same product we are planning to buy. In recent years, this has changed much. We have witnessed a massive behavior change. 

As per a report by BrightLocal, 79% of shoppers believe in online reviews. This figure is similar to the personal recommendations we get from our surroundings. It indicates that people care for the reviews, and it can change buyers’ mindsets.

Image Source: BrightLocal

The BrightLocal report also states that four out of five people believe in reviews on the internet. They view them as personal recommendations. Word-of-mouth promotion has also had a significant impact on people. A negative word-of-mouth review can affect a business’s sales and reputation. 

When it Comes to Negative Reviews, 53% of Customers Expect Responses to Negative Reviews Within a Week.

(Source: ReviewTrackers)

Interacting with your customers is a key to making good relationships and holding them for a long span. Yet, most businesses don’t shed light on this point. If you also own a business, how long do you take to reply to a negative review?

According to ReviewTrackers, 53% of customers expect responses to negative reviews within a week. But for businesses, this doesn’t make sense. Businesses take at least three days or more to respond to a negative review. 

In addition, other statistics by ReviewTrackers state that 63% of consumers have never heard from merchants. Now, if you take much longer to respond to your reviews, it’s high time to respond faster. 

ReviewTrackers has also added that industry leaders like big brands respond much faster than medium or small-scale businesses. This makes the users’ experience better and more memorable for shoppers. 

Image Source: Reviewtrackers.com

As Per the Local Consumer Survey 2017, People Are Much More Likely to Leave Negative Reviews than Positive Ones.

(Source: BrightLocal)

According to the Local Consumer Review Survey 2017 By BrightLocal, people are likelier to write negative reviews than positive ones. Yet, this is not the same for all case businesses. They also suggested that people also leave positive reviews if they found the service best.

In 2020, consumers wrote more positive reviews than negative reviews. 32% of consumers wrote a review of a negative experience in 2020. In comparison, only 32% of people wrote a negative review. 

Image Source: BrightLocal

88% of All Reviews Come From Only 4 Review Sites. It includes Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Trip Advisor. 

(Source: BrightLocal, ReviewTrackers)

Google is not the only one on which people rely for reviews. Some other third-party services let you see the reviews of different businesses and products. 

You would be amazed to know that 88% of all reviews come from only four review sites. The other 12% of reviews and ratings come from small directories and consumer sites. 

Out of 88%, Google comes in first with over a share of 73% of reviews. Yelp, Facebook, and Trip Advisor follow Google with 6%, 3%, and 3%, respectively. 

Other services like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing Maps also help people effortlessly see reviews and ratings without searching. 

In 2016, 32% of consumers used Yelp. Nowadays, these reported numbers are lower than the regular stats. The reason behind this is the pandemic. During COVID-19, places to hang out, like bars, restaurants, and cafes, were closed or restricted. 

Image Source: Reviewtrackers.com

According to ReviewTrackers, 45% of Consumers Say They Are Likelier to Visit A Business If they Respond to Negative Reviews. 

(Source: ReviewTrackers)

Who doesn’t like authenticity and loyalty? Of course, everyone does. Your customers also expect the same from you. Replying to your customer reviews makes your business more trustworthy and caring.

According to a report by ReviewTrackers, 45% of consumers will visit your store or business if you respond to their negative reviews. This shows that you are ready to accept positive criticism and are good at making changes based on it. 

Image Source: Reviewtrackers.com

ReviewTracker also reviewed over 200,000 review responses, and the most common phrase used to respond to positive reviews was inviting them to come again. Yet, they used Thank you for your feedback phrase to reply to negative reviews.

Image Source: Reviewtrackers.com

94% of People Say an Online Review Has Convinced Them to Entirely Avoid a Business.

(Source: ReviewTrackers)

Reviewing is one of the best ways for a customer to check the authenticity and quality of any product or service. We have understood how critical each review is. This point will explain how a bad review can impact your business reputation. 

According to a report by ReviewTrackers, 94% of consumers state that a bad review forces them to avoid the business entirely. They never look back and deal with that business again. 

Additionally, if a user leaves a negative review on your business and you respond to it ideally in less time with a good tone, there are chances that the user will come back to your business again. 

Online Reviews Not Only Help People Make the Decision to Buy, But Every Star-Increase Your Business Gets on Yelp Leads to A 5-9% Increase in Revenue.

(Source: Harvard Business School Research, Qualtrics)

A bad review can impact business sales. On the other hand, a good review can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue. Yes, you heard it right. Read it ahead to find out. According to a Harvard Business School report, a good rating can increase the business revenue by 5-9%. At the same time, a one-star rating can decrease the revenue by 5-9%. As discussed earlier, each star in a rating can decide a business’s reputation. Yet, these are the statistics of restaurant and food services. 

Only 1 in 5 Consumers Trust The Reviews Mentioned On Your Website.

(Source: Oberlo)

Do you think people trust the reviews mentioned on your websites? Yes? You might be going wrong somewhere. According to Oberlo, only one out of five people trust the ratings and reviews mentioned on your or any business website. 

In addition, 70% of consumers mentioned that they care about the reviews, but they don’t rely on them when buying the product or service. Yes, the reviews are important, and we can’t deny this fact. But not all reviews work every time. 

In 2020, 87% of Users Read Online Reviews For Local Businesses.

(Source: BrightLocal)

According to a BrightLocal report, around 87% of consumers read online reviews of local businesses. It means people around you might read reviews and ratings about your business. Most importantly, those reviews should be positive to convert those visitors into customers. 

Looking at the previous data available in the BrightLocal report, the figures increased from 81% in 2019 to 87% in 2020, which is around a 6% increase. In Addition, 86% of people were used to searching for reviews of local businesses in 2018. 

The report also states that 34% of people always see reviews. On the other hand, 27% of consumers occasionally look for reviews and ratings. The interesting fact is that 13% of people never see reviews of any local business. 

Image Source: BrightLocal

72% of Users Write A Review If They Were Asked

(Source:  BrightLocal)

Do you ask your customers to write a review for your business or brand? No. That’s a mistake. Getting reviews might seem like a huge task, but it isn’t. It would help if you simply asked them for a review. You will be surprised to see how many users wrote reviews after asking for it. 

According to the research report by BrightLocal, 72% of people wrote a review for a business when asked to do so. Previously, only 63% of customers reviewed the business in 2019, compared to 68% in 2018. 

You can see that asking for a review can significantly impact your business. You can ask them multiple times unless it feels annoying to them.

Image Source: BrightLocal.com

Sources

Trustpilot

Oberlo

Bizrate Insights

Review42

BrightLocal

ReviewTrackers

Harvard Business School Research