Review Velocity

Review velocity is the pace at which you accumulate new reviews, not just how many you have in total. It matters because reviews decay in perceived relevance: a stream of recent reviews signals a busy, current business, while a page whose newest review is eight months old signals decline, even at the same star rating. Steady velocity keeps you fresh in both shoppers' eyes and the ranking systems that surface local businesses.

Volume built through velocity moves revenue directly. Businesses with more than the average number of reviews earn 82% more annual revenue than those below average, and each one-star gain in Yelp rating is worth a 5 to 9 percent revenue increase. Reviews are also decisive at the moment of choice: 93.9% of clients check Google and Yelp before trying a new provider, and 71% will not even consider a business rated below three stars. Because most reviews come only when you ask, velocity is something you actively engineer rather than wait for.

Review velocity is the raw material of Reputation Management and reinforces Referral, since a referred client checks your reviews before booking. Automate the ask at the right moment (just after a great visit, over the channel clients read) with review management tools and email and SMS marketing, and let strong reviews feed your local SEO.