Short answer: replying to reviews is linked to more reviews and a higher average rating, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. Google doesn’t list replies themselves as a ranking factor, so think of replying as the habit that earns the things that do count.
Replying is linked to more reviews and a better rating
The best evidence comes from a study published in Marketing Science by Davide Proserpio and Georgios Zervas. They looked at tens of thousands of TripAdvisor hotel reviews and what happened after hotels started responding to them.
- Hotels received about 12% more reviews after they began responding.
- Average ratings rose by about 0.12 stars.
- The rating gain came mainly from fewer baseless negative reviews. When customers can see an owner is paying attention, they seem less likely to post an unfair complaint.
- The negative reviews that did come in tended to be longer and more detailed, which makes them more useful feedback.
A tenth of a star sounds small, but ratings move slowly. On a profile with hundreds of reviews, that’s a meaningful shift, and it can move you above a competitor in a list of options.
What Google says about local ranking
Google’s help page on local ranking says results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence is partly about how many reviews you have, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. The same page encourages owners to reply to reviews, saying helpful replies can help a business stand out.
So the honest chain is: replying → more reviews and a better rating → stronger prominence in local search. Be wary of anyone who promises that replies alone will move you up the map.
Replies win customers even when ranking doesn’t change
Search position only matters if people click and choose you. BrightLocal’s surveys show how much replies weigh on that choice:
- 89% of consumers expect business owners to respond to reviews (2026).
- 88% would use a business that replies to all of its reviews, compared with 47% for a business that doesn’t reply at all (2024).
A practical checklist
- Reply to every review, positive and negative. Five-star reviews deserve thanks too.
- Reply quickly. Within a day is a good standard; minutes is better.
- Be specific and natural. Mention what the customer mentioned. Don’t stuff in keywords or city names; it reads as spam.
- Keep it short and signed. Two to four sentences from a real person.
- Ask every customer for honest reviews on Google, without incentives and without only asking the happy ones.
The bottom line
Replying won’t guarantee a top spot, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. But it’s one of the few things fully in your control that’s linked to more reviews, a better rating and more customers choosing you. Here’s how to handle the hard ones.
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