Local Memo: Is Google Really Targeting 5-Star Reviews?

Mike Snow

In this week’s update, we look at whether Google is really targeting 5-star reviews; more AI features in Local Search; and other Google News.

Is Google Really Targeting 5-Star Reviews?

The News

Over the holidays, Michel van Luijtelaar at GMBapi posted a great study that seemed to indicate Google was targeting 5-star reviews for removal at a much higher rate than other reviews. Dubbing his findings “the 5-star shocker,” Michel found that 73% of deleted reviews across 79 countries and 20,000 locations were 5-star reviews.

Source: Search Engine Land

While I agree with the overall sentiment of the article, which is that Google is increasing its crackdown on fake reviews, I felt like I was seeing far more 1-star removals for our customer. So I had to check for myself.

An analysis of 1,081 reviews removed from approximately 360,000 mostly US-based enterprise locations over a one month period revealed a nearly opposite picture from the one in the study:

Nearly 4 out of 5 review removals were for 1-star reviews.
All of the reviews removed had text (or emojis).
Many reviews removed were responded to by the business owner.

Source: SOCi

To be fair, there are many reasons why our data could be so vastly different. The most likely reason comes down to the differences in data sources (i.e. the customer types we manage).

My key takeaway from this exercise is that for nearly all the reviews, there was an obvious reason it was removed. A large number of reviews removed contained content Google likely considers low-quality, irrelevant, or distracting (i.e. misspellings, gimmicky character use, gibberish, etc.), or offensive (in the case of many 1-star reviews). And a surprising number of reviews were from people who had never visited the location, or left a review for the wrong business altogether.

Source: SOCi

Why This Matters

Low quality reviews that don’t provide thoughtful feedback on real world experiences may not seem genuine and be more susceptible to removal by Google. Promote more thoughtful feedback by responding to all reviews, good or bad; customers are much more likely to leave longer more descriptive reviews when they know the business is listening.

Google Expands AI/Gemini Features in Google Maps

The News

According to a recent Linkedin post by SEO market research firm Near Media, Google is planning on replacing the UGC Google Q&A with “Ask Maps”. While news of its death may be premature, there’s no question the new AI/Gemeini powered “Ask Maps” is a far superior experience.

Announced by Google in late October, the “Ask Maps about this place” feature on Google Maps allows users to ask specific questions about a location directly within the app, where Google’s AI, powered by Gemini, will generate an answer based on information gathered from reviews and other data about the place; essentially letting you ask questions and get insights about a location without leaving the map interface.

Source: Google

This feature can be helpful for quickly getting answers to specific questions about a place, like “What’s the atmosphere like?” or “Is there parking available?” With questions like this, it will be doubly important to ensure all attributes are marked, and plenty of photos and videos are uploaded as this feature can only answer questions it has answers for.

While I have not yet seen the feature in the wild, Mike Blumethal published a thorough overview of the feature that I highly recommend checking out to better understand how it works and where Google sources its information for this feature (actually anything by Mike and the NearMedia team is worth your time).

Why This Matters

The “Ask Maps about this place” feature could provide valuable insight into what Google knows about your business. For example: if you manage a gym that has a pickleball court, you could ask Maps if your location has a pickleball court. If Google doesn’t know the answer (or worse, gets it wrong), you know there is a need to create content (photos, posts, features on local pages) and cultivate reviews that validate the feature and provide signals to Google that you have a pickleball court.

More Google News

“Open in Maps Button” Now Appearing in a Local Pack Near You

First spotted in late October but seemingly rolling out wider in early January, “Open in Maps” does exactly what it advertises: it relaunches a local search in Google maps. Customers can still get directions from the traditional Local Pack search path (i.e. “More business”, “More places”), but likely think of Maps as the same thing.

While not an earth-shatteringly innovative feature, this new option appearing in the top right corner of the Local Pack map, could cause a further shift in GBP impression reporting from Search to Maps for brick-and-mortar businesses where customers are explicitly looking for directions to a local business.

Source: Google Search Results

Update WhatsApp and SMS/Text Messaging Contacts via API

In July, Google announced it was replacing Google Chat with WhatsApp and SMS/text message integration. Businesses wanting to add a messaging CTA to their Google Business Profile so customers can reach out directly with questions can now add their WhatsApp and/or SMS/text messaging information at scale via API.

Source: SOCi

Google Delivers on Long Awaited Attributes for Rental Properties

In July, Google finally started adding amenity attributes for property listings, including long-needed attributes like “Pets welcome” and “Has swimming pool.” When they added “Has elevator” and “Has golf simulator” in December, I noted in a LinkedIn post that I was surprised Google still hadn’t added the ability to control more common attributes like “Laundry room,” “Outdoor space,” and “Maintenance,” which regularly appear as Highlights alongside selectable attributes.

Well, Google must have been listening, because those three very same attributes are now available for direct control by the property owner.