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Homeowners check the dates on your reviews.  Last year's reviews look like last year's business.

Most people look for reviews from the last 3 months.  A steady trickle of new ones keeps you current, and pulls a low rating up too.

Reviews · 2 minute read · Updated October 19, 2026 · Sources

Roofer A4.6 ★★★★★96 reviews · newest 3 days ago12 new this year
Roofer B4.7 ★★★★★41 reviews · newest 14 months agoNone this year
Example, drawn by us.  Almost the same stars.  Very different dates.

How a homeowner compares reviews

  1. Roofer A4.7 (96)You4.7 (41)Roofer C4.6 (58)Same stars. So they look closer
    1See

    The ratings look about the same

    In the map box, 4.6 and 4.7 look alike.

  2. Roofer ANewest:3 days ago12 this yearYouNewest:14 months ago0 this yearNext, they check the dates
    2Check

    They look at the dates

    74% look for reviews from the last 3 months. [1]

  3. Roofer ACall“They’re busy, so they’re good”
    3Choose

    They call the busy one

    Recent reviews tell them you're working now.

Why it matters

74%
Last 3 months74%Last 2 weeks32%
look for reviews written in the last 3 months.  32% look for the last 2 weeks, up from 20% a year earlier. [1]
68%
2026 survey68%2025 survey55%
will only use a business with 4 or more stars, up from 55% in 2025. [1]
47%
won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. [1]

Experts say new reviews help you rank, too

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. [3]

Where review factors ranked among map box factors, in one survey of 47 experts [2]

  • #6a high star rating
  • #11how recent your reviews are
  • #14a steady flow over time, not bursts

A low rating climbs with new reviews

Every new review counts the same as an old one.  So asking every customer, every time, pulls a low average toward how you work today.

Example: 20 reviews averaging 3.9 stars3.9 nowAdd 20 new 5 star reviews4.45 afterMath, not a promise. New reviews pull theaverage toward how you work today.
Drawn by us, as an example.

What CornerWick does about it

This is part of the Maps and reviews plan. See the plans and prices

How we handle reviews

Sources

  1. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, published Feb 11, 2026), checked 2026-10-16.
  2. Whitespark, 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors (survey of 47 local search experts, Nov 6, 2025; expert opinion, not Google data), checked 2026-10-19.
  3. Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google", checked 2026-10-16.

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