Do you ever scroll through Google Maps and immediately rule out a business based on its star rating? Your customers are doing the very same thing to you! Each review they leave contributes to the perception of your business.
When customers post reviews for your business on Google, those reviews don't simply sit there idle. Google takes all those ratings and aggregates them into a single, average rating, a process referred to as review aggregation. And that number is your business's online reputation. That aggregated rating is what a customer sees when searching for your business on Google Search or Maps.
Imagine being able to control that rating and getting more local customers by simply understanding the math. Let's break this down and see how your Google star rating gets calculated, why it's important, and how you can use it to your benefit.
What Is a Google Star Rating
A Google star rating is a number that reflects how your business is rated based on customer reviews. It's on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with the highest being 5. Your rating is highly visible on your Google Business Profile and can play a huge role in people deciding to come to your business.
The more stars you have, the more your business seems to be attractive to individuals looking at Google Maps or in search results. Your customers will be making decisions about whether they will click on your business, visit your website, or even enter your store based on that rating. A 5-star rating can make you seem trustworthy, and a low rating can repel customers.
How Google Computes Your Star Rating
You may have dozens or even hundreds of reviews, and yet what your customers see is an average score. Why? It's not rocket science to understand. Google simply aggregates all the star ratings and then averages them out.
Google calculates your star rating based on the following formula:
Average Rating = (Sum of All Ratings) ÷ (Total Number of Reviews)
Here’s an example. Let’s say you have:
10 reviews at 5 stars = 50 total stars
5 reviews at 4 stars = 20 total stars
Total stars = 70, divided by 15 reviews = 4.6 stars
So, your star rating will be 4.6 stars. But wait, you must also know that:
- Google only computes based on live, published reviews.
- Filtered or policy-removed reviews don't count toward your average rating.
- New reviews have an instant impact on your rating because they influence the average directly.
- The more reviews you've got, the less likely a bad review is to bring your score down.
Why Your Google Star Rating Is Important
Your Google star rating is not just a number. It's an important element of your business's success:
- Influences Online Reputation: Your Google rating acts as the first impression of your business.
- Affects Customer Choices: McKinsey's analysis points out that even small changes in star ratings can trigger significant product growth on the order of 30% to 200% based on the product category.
- Impacts Local SEO: Google gives importance to your star rating while ranking your business in search results for local areas.
- Establishes Trust: A high rating establishes trust and confidence in potential customers.
Factors That Affect Your Google Star Rating
Although the calculation is simple, there are a number of factors that affect your star rating:
1. Review Recency
Google gives more importance to recent reviews. Positive reviews can quickly drive your rating up, but a chain of negative reviews can do the opposite.
2. Review Volume
Having many reviews will make your rating more credible. But don't do too much of it. A few negative reviews among plenty of positive reviews will make your business look more authentic.
3. Review Quality
Detailed feedback with specifics is more effective than vague comments. Google values feedback that gives you specific comments on your products or services.
4. User Engagement
When you reply to every review, regardless of whether it is positive or negative, it shows that you care about the customers' feedback. This can play a major role in positively impacting your rating and getting more customers to you.
How to Improve Your Google Star Rating
Enhancing your star rating involves the following:
- Deliver Great Service: Consistently providing great service will get you good feedback.
- Request Reviews: You can politely request customers to share their feedback after a positive experience.
- Deal with Bad Reviews: Respond to negative reviews in a professional manner.
- Monitor Your Reviews: Regularly check your reviews and keep yourself informed about customer feedback.
- Maintain Consistency: Do not give up after getting just 1 review. Getting positive Google reviews regularly will keep your profile active and balanced.
- Consider Buying Verified Reviews: Some businesses choose to buy Google 5 star reviews from trusted providers like TrustlyR to boost credibility quickly and stay competitive.
Conclusion
Learning how Google determines your star rating is the starting point for managing your visibility online. To summarize:
- Google takes all your reviews and averages them into one score (review aggregation).
- Star ratings impact a business’s reputation and local search visibility. Customers rely on it while deciding whether to choose you over others.
- You can raise your score by getting positive reviews, replying thoughtfully, and continually giving a first-class service.
So, understanding how star rating is calculated is not that complicated. It's just basic math that informs real-world choices. But now the question is, what will you do about your star rating today?
We at TrustlyR understand how difficult it is to maintain an online reputation. That's why we assist local businesses like yours to increase visibility with 5 star Google reviews from real customers.
Our services can help you boost your online reputation, which will bring more customers to your business. Get in touch with us today to purchase Google reviews and higher star ratings that give your business the edge it needs.
