Do reviews still make a big difference for local rankings?

[Olaf Meta Agency]

obviously they help with trust but I’m wondering how much impact people are actually seeing from reviews when it comes to local visibility.

 

[1SEOWarrior]

Yes it makes a lot of differences for both humans and search engines

 

[Proxy_Soxy]

They still matter, but I wouldn’t expect reviews to rescue a weak listing

If the relevance is off or you’re just farther from the searcher, another 50 reviews probably won’t fix that. I’d look at them as one part of local ranking, not the whole thing

 

[india]

Yes, they definitely still matter a lot for the map pack. Just try to get your customers/visitors to write your main keywords in the review text if they can. It really helps!

 

[Andrew Scherer]

Yes but more important now that AI are sourcing them for answers

 

[Orion Marketing Agency]

google still pushes business with more recent reviews and higher ratings higher in the map pack quantity consistency plus recent omes makes clear difference

 

[Thunder Digitals]

They are one of the most important factors for local SEO.

 

[alwaysrank]

obviously they help with trust but I’m wondering how much impact people are actually seeing from reviews when it comes to local visibility.

They are very helpfull, put yourself in that situation. Imagine you live in a city and need the best service provider for something in your area. Naturally, reviews will play a major role in helping you decide which business is the best choice.

 

[RaviCPICPACPL]

Definitely for trust and local visibility.

 

[nicenic]

Even when the direct ranking impact varies, reviews still affect clicks and conversions. I’d focus on steady, genuine reviews rather than sudden bursts.