BrightLocal: 41% of Consumers Now "Always" Read Reviews — And 31% Won't Use Anything Below 4.5 Stars
What happened
BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey reveals that the bar for online reviews has jumped sharply in the past year. Two findings stand out:
- 41% of consumers now "always" read reviews when browsing for a local business — up from 29% last year. That's a 41% increase in the share of people who check reviews every single time.
- 31% will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higher — nearly double last year's figure of 17%.
The survey, conducted with 1,002 consumers, also found that 97% of consumers still use reviews to guide purchase decisions and that 85% are more likely to use a business after reading positive reviews.
Perhaps most telling: slow or generic review responses are now seen as a red flag. Consumers increasingly expect businesses to respond to reviews quickly and personally — copy-paste replies signal that a business doesn't care.
What this means for tradespeople
The minimum viable star rating just went up. A year ago, being at 4.2 stars was fine for most tradespeople. Now, nearly a third of potential customers won't even consider you unless you're at 4.5 or above.
For a plumber or electrician, that means one or two unanswered negative reviews can push you below the threshold where a significant chunk of homeowners will scroll straight past your listing.
And the "always read reviews" jump from 29% to 41% means the days of winning work on word of mouth alone are fading. Even when a neighbour recommends you, the homeowner is still checking your Google reviews before they call. If they see a 4.1 star rating or a string of unreplied negative reviews, they're moving on.
What to do about it
- Check your current star rating — if you're below 4.5, make getting recent positive reviews your top priority. Every five-star review from a genuine customer lifts your average
- Reply to every review personally — BrightLocal's data shows generic responses are now actively hurting trust. A quick, personal reply shows you care
- Don't ignore negative reviews — a professional, empathetic response to a bad review can actually build trust. Homeowners know nobody's perfect; they want to see how you handle problems
Source: BrightLocal