People rarely choose the cheapest business or the one with the nicest website. They choose the one they trust. Reviews are the quickest way to see that.
Almost everyone reads reviews
BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that 97% of consumers read reviews when choosing a local business. 41% say they always do, compared with 29% the year before. Reviews are no longer an extra. They are the first check before someone gets in touch.
Quantity and recency matter
In the same survey, 47% say they would not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months. One enthusiastic round two years ago is not enough. Reviews need to arrive steadily.
The first reviews make the biggest difference
Northwestern University's Spiegel Research Center found that a product with five reviews had a 270% higher purchase likelihood than one with none. For higher-priced products, the increase was up to 380%. Almost all the effect appeared within the first ten reviews. The study concerns online retail products, not services, but the mechanism is similar: an empty page feels uncertain.
A perfect 5.0 can look suspicious
The same study found purchase likelihood peaked between 4.0 and 4.7 stars and fell towards 5.0. People do not believe that everyone is completely satisfied.
AI reads them too
BrightLocal found that the share of people using AI tools for local recommendations rose from 6% to 45% in one year. AI answers draw on what is written about you online, and reviews are an important part of that.
Reviews do not replace good work
Reviews amplify what you already do. Poor work becomes visible sooner. If you do good work, visibility is often what is missing: satisfied customers rarely say anything unless asked.
How to get more
Ask customers just after the job is done, with one link they can tap. Send customers wherever you want the review: Google, Facebook, Trustpilot, Tripadvisor, or anywhere else you choose. Send a friendly reminder to those who do not reply. Reply to reviews, including negative ones. This is what Omtalo does for you.
BrightLocal's figures come from a survey of 1,002 US adults; the Spiegel study dates from 2017. We have not found equivalent Norwegian figures, but the behaviour is comparable.