Review Industry 11 October 2026 3 min read

BrightLocal 2026: 31% of Consumers Now Demand 4.5 Stars or Higher

What happened

BrightLocal has published its 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, its 16th annual study into how consumers use online reviews. The headline numbers show that review expectations are rising sharply — particularly around star ratings and recency.

Key findings from the survey of 1,002 US adults:

31% will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% last year — nearly doubling in 12 months
74% look for reviews written in the last three months, and 32% want reviews from the last two weeks
41% always read reviews when looking for a business, up from 29% in 2025
80% are more likely to use a business that replies to all its reviews — but 50% are put off by generic or templated responses
Google's share of review usage dropped from 83% to 71%, with consumers now using an average of six review sites
AI tools like ChatGPT have surged into third place for local business recommendations

Despite growing frustration with fake reviews, 97% of consumers still rely on reviews when making purchase decisions.

What this means for tradespeople

The star-rating bar has jumped dramatically. A year ago, most customers were fine with a 4-star business. Now nearly a third won't even consider you unless you're above 4.5. For a plumber or electrician with a handful of older 3-star reviews dragging down their average, this shift is significant.

Recency is equally important. Three-quarters of consumers are filtering for reviews from the last three months. A business with 50 great reviews from 2024 but nothing recent looks abandoned. Regular, fresh reviews — even just one or two a month — now carry more weight than a large total count.

The response data is also telling. Customers want to see you replying to reviews, but not with copy-paste templates. A quick, personal response ("Thanks Dave, glad the boiler's running well") matters more than a corporate-sounding paragraph.

And with AI tools now the third most popular way people find local businesses, your review profile is feeding recommendation engines you can't see. AI assistants pull from Google reviews when recommending tradespeople — so your reviews are now doing marketing work across platforms you've never signed up for.

What to do about it

Focus on getting fresh reviews consistently — a steady trickle beats a one-off push
Reply to every review personally, even a short line — avoid templates
Check your star rating — if you're below 4.5, prioritise asking your happiest customers to leave reviews
Don't ignore other platforms — consumers are checking an average of six review sites, so make sure your Google, Checkatrade, and Trustpilot profiles are all up to date

Source: BrightLocal

What happened

What this means for tradespeople

What to do about it

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