Beware of "algorithm secrets"

Google does not publish how its local ranking works, and says so openly: “We do our best to keep the search algorithm details confidential to make the ranking system as fair as possible for everyone.”1 Any article claiming to "reveal" it is selling you a guess.

What can be established seriously comes from three sources: what Google says officially, what the leading experts in the field estimate, and what scientific studies measure. Here is what they say about reviews and your replies.

What Google says officially

Local ranking rests mainly on three factors: relevance, distance and prominence, meaning how well-known the business is. Reviews fall under the third factor, and Google is explicit: “More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking.”1

On replies, Google is more measured. Replying shows that you value your customers' feedback, and “positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out”1. Nowhere does it say that a reply moves a profile up.

What the experts estimate

In the absence of official figures, the industry benchmark is Whitespark's Local Search Ranking Factors survey, in which 47 local search experts score 187 factors2. In the 2026 edition:

  • Reviews account for 20% of Google Maps ranking, the second-largest group of factors behind the Google Business Profile itself (32%), and their weight is up from the 2023 edition.
  • The number of written Google reviews ranks 9th out of 187 factors, and their recency 11th.
  • Reviews matter for AI assistants too: the experts attribute 16% of visibility in AI search answers to them.

These are expert estimates, not figures from Google. That is why we present them as such.

The myth of keywords in replies

It is the most widespread tip, and the least founded: slipping "best Italian restaurant in Chicago" into every reply to please Google.

  • In the 2026 Whitespark survey, keywords in owner responses rank 182nd out of 187, and appear on the list of local SEO myths2.
  • Darren Shaw, who runs the survey, tested it himself, with no effect at all on rankings. His advice: reply as you would speak to the person who left the review3.
  • Joy Hawkins, founder of the Sterling Sky agency, says she has never seen evidence that replies affect rankings, while still recommending replying, as simple good customer service4.

Google's guidelines point the same way: short, friendly replies with no sales pitch5. A reply stuffed with keywords does nothing for your ranking, and reads like an ad.

Why replying still matters: the indirect effect

The text of your replies may not move your profile up, but their effect on your customers has been measured.

  • More reviews, and better ones. Hotels that start replying receive 12% more reviews and gain 0.12 stars on average, according to a study published in Marketing Science6. And the number of reviews and positive ratings are exactly what Google says it takes into account1.
  • Customers who choose you. 80% of consumers say they are likely to choose a business that replies to all of its reviews, and a generic or templated reply puts off half of them7.
  • Revenue. For an independent restaurant, one extra star on Yelp means 5 to 9% more revenue8. Half a star more, and a restaurant sells out 49% more often9.

Key takeaways

  1. Reply to all your reviews, quickly: 81% of consumers expect a reply within a week7.
  2. Personalize every reply by picking up a detail from the review: that is what sets it apart from a template.
  3. Forget keywords: write for the customer who will read you, not for the algorithm.
  4. Get reviews regularly: 74% of consumers only care about reviews from the last three months7, and recency matters to Google according to the experts2.

That is the method ReplyTop applies: a reply to every review, written from what the customer said, with no added keywords, and published within hours.