Joy Hawkins clarifies how Google reviews influence local search rankings—and what they don't do

At AmpUp 2025, GatherUp covered a presentation by Joy Hawkins, founder of Sterling Sky, who clarified that Google reviews are one ranking signal among many in local search, not a decisive factor on their own. Hawkins emphasized that review recency matters more than volume alone, that businesses should respond to all reviews (including negative ones) to signal engagement rather than chasing perfect ratings, and that Google reviews alone drive local pack visibility—third-party platforms like Yelp and Facebook don't affect rankings. She also noted that review weight varies by industry, with legal and home services seeing stronger review impact, and flagged that Google's spam detection remains limited. The key takeaway: reviews build credibility and influence customer behavior, but should be part of a broader local SEO strategy that includes proximity, category optimization, website authority, and engagement signals.