What consumers actually check before choosing you: 2025 review research

Reviews are near-universal, and Google still dominates

BrightLocal has run its Local Consumer Review Survey annually since 2010. The 2025 edition found that only 4% of consumers say they never read online business reviews. The frequency has softened — more people now read 'occasionally' rather than 'always' — but the funnel still passes through reviews for nearly everyone.

Google remains the dominant review platform, recovering share after a dip in 2024, while Facebook has declined consistently since 2022. Trustpilot is the one traditional platform trending upward.

Consumers cross-check, so one strong profile is not enough

27% of consumers use a single website before deciding, but 74% use two or more. That is the argument for diversifying: if your Google Business Profile is healthy while your listing elsewhere is empty or full of unanswered complaints, the inconsistency itself becomes the trust problem.

BrightLocal's earlier Local Business Discovery and Trust Report found 63% of consumers would lose trust in a business after seeing mostly negative written reviews — but the more actionable finding is that contradiction between platforms triggers the same suspicion.

Detail beats rating

Asked what makes them feel positive about a business, consumers named a review describing a positive experience most often — but the notable 2025 shifts were increases for reviews accompanied by photos or video (up 3%) and for long, detailed reviews (up 7%).

Consumers are gathering facts to reach their own judgement rather than accepting an average score. That changes what you should request from customers: a specific, descriptive review with a photo is worth several generic five-star ratings.

Video is now part of local research

Over three-quarters of consumers watch video when researching a local business, and — surprisingly — the most-preferred format is video posted by the business itself about its own products or services, ahead of influencer content and content from friends.

For an interiors firm, a fresh-foods brand or a boutique, that means short, plain, self-produced video of actual work is not a nice-to-have. It is the format the highest-intent segment of your audience is looking for.

Responses, recency and the AI question

Review responses continue to build trust, and BrightLocal found an uncomfortable nuance in 2025: consumers equate AI with 'fake', yet unknowingly preferred an AI-written response when shown examples. The lesson is not to automate blindly — it is that structure and completeness in a response matter more than consumers assume.

On recency, consumers grew more lenient in 2025: fewer insist on reviews from the last two weeks, and more accept reviews up to six months or a year old. Almost 10% say recency has no impact at all. A steady trickle of reviews beats a one-off campaign.

A practical checklist

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, then at least one secondary platform relevant to your category, and keep the trading name, address and hours identical across both.

Ask for reviews at the point of highest satisfaction, and ask for specifics — what was done, how long it took, what the customer was worried about beforehand.

Publish your own short video of finished work every month, respond to every review within a few days, and display phone, WhatsApp, email and working hours on every page.

None of these are marketing tactics. They are the evidence consumers have told researchers, for fifteen consecutive years, that they look for.