Your Reviews Are Talking to Google: How to Make Sure They're Saying the Right Things

Buddy Rathmell • October 21, 2025

The New Review Reality: It's Not About Stars Anymore...

Think a 5-star rating is enough to rank higher? Think again.

Google's AI has evolved beyond counting stars. It's now reading and analyzing the actual content of your reviews to determine:



  • What specific services you provide
  • Which locations you serve best
  • What problems you solve for customers
  • How you compare to competitors


The businesses winning in local search understand this fundamental shift: Detailed reviews are your most powerful SEO asset.

Person using a laptop outdoors with Google search results showing local business listings. A Google My Business logo is on the right.

Recent data shows the dramatic impact of review content:


  • Businesses with reviews containing local keywords see up to 45% higher click-through rates in map pack results
  • 87% of consumers read the content of reviews, not just the star rating



Google's AI Overviews now pull direct quotes from reviews into search results.

The Framework: Turning Reviews into Ranking Fuel

Instead of: "Please leave us a review"

Try: "Could you share your experience with our [specific service] in [neighborhood/city]?"


Pro Tip: Create different review prompts for different services. A roofing company might ask:

  • "How was your experience with our emergency leak repair?"
  • "What did you think of our roof inspection process?"
  • "How was our team's cleanup after the installation?"

Google's AI looks for these specific elements:


Location Signals:

  • Neighborhood names: "They were fantastic in the Downtown area"
  • City mentions: "Best electrician in Austin"
  • Landmarks: "Right near the university"

Service Keywords:

  • Specific services: "emergency plumbing repair"
  • Problem-solving: "fixed our leaking water heater"
  • Process details: "cleaned up perfectly after the job"

Experience Descriptors:

  • Timeliness: "arrived within 30 minutes"
  • Professionalism: "the team was so knowledgeable"
  • Results: "solved a problem others couldn't fix"

Your responses aren't just customer service—they're additional ranking opportunities.


Good Response:

"Thanks for mentioning our emergency plumbing service in the Highland Park area! We're glad we could fix your burst pipe quickly."


Why it works: Reinforces location + service keywords that Google's AI notices.

The Bottom Line: Quality Over Quantity

It's better to have 10 detailed, keyword-rich reviews than 100 generic 5-star ratings. Every review is a conversation with Google's AI, make sure you're telling the right story about what makes your business the best choice in your area.


Ready to transform your reviews into your most powerful ranking asset? Start by analyzing your current review content today, you might be surprised what Google's AI is learning about your business right now..

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