Why Your Old Five-Star Reviews Might Be Costing You Customers

You’ve done the hard work. You’ve collected dozens of glowing reviews over the years. Your Google Business Profile sits proudly at 4.8 stars. So why is the business down the road—the one that’s only been going for 18 months—getting more calls than you?

The answer might surprise you: your reviews are stale.

Google cares about what’s happening now

Here’s something most business owners don’t realise. Google doesn’t just count your reviews and calculate an average. It pays close attention to when those reviews were left. A business with 200 reviews from three years ago looks very different to Google than one with 50 reviews from the last six months.

Why? Because Google wants to show searchers businesses that are active, reliable, and currently delivering good service. A flood of old reviews tells Google one thing: this business used to be good. Recent reviews tell a different story: this business is good right now.

When someone searches for “plumber near me” or “best Italian restaurant in Manchester,” Google’s job is to surface businesses that will satisfy that searcher today. Fresh reviews are one of the strongest signals that you’re still in the game and still delivering.

Your potential customers think the same way

Put yourself in a customer’s shoes for a moment. You’re looking for a local accountant. You find two options. The first has 150 reviews, mostly from 2019 to 2021, with nothing in the last year. The second has 60 reviews, with a dozen posted in the last three months.

Which one feels like the safer bet?

Most people will choose the second option without even thinking about it. Those recent reviews answer an unspoken question: “Are they still any good?” Radio silence for 12 months creates doubt. It makes people wonder if something’s changed, if the owner has retired, or if quality has slipped.

I’ve seen this play out countless times. A business owner will ring me frustrated because their competitor—who frankly isn’t as good—keeps winning the work. When we dig into it, the pattern is almost always the same. The competitor has a steady stream of recent reviews. My client has a dusty collection of old ones.

The three-month window that matters most

While there’s no magic number, a useful rule of thumb is to think about your last 90 days of reviews. This is roughly the window that carries the most weight, both for Google’s algorithm and for customers scanning your profile.

Ask yourself: how many reviews have you received in the last three months? If the answer is zero or one, you’ve got a recency problem. It doesn’t matter how many five-star reviews you collected back in 2022.

This doesn’t mean old reviews are worthless. They still contribute to your overall rating and review count. But they’re not doing the heavy lifting anymore. Think of them as your foundation, not your selling point.

Why most businesses let this slide

The typical pattern goes like this. A business launches, the owner hustles hard for reviews, they build up a solid collection, and then they stop asking. Life gets busy. The reviews keep trickling in occasionally, but nowhere near the rate of those early days.

Meanwhile, a newer competitor enters the market. They’re hungry. They ask every customer for a review. They respond to each one promptly. Their profile looks active and alive. Yours looks like a museum exhibit.

The frustrating part is that you’re probably still doing great work. Your customers are still happy. You’ve just stopped capturing that proof in a way that Google and future customers can see.

The fix is simpler than you think

You don’t need 20 reviews a month. You don’t need to hassle every customer. You just need a consistent trickle of recent reviews to keep your profile looking fresh and active.

The easiest approach is to build review requests into your normal workflow. Send a follow-up message after every job or sale. Make it easy—include a direct link to your Google review page. Thank customers who do leave reviews by responding promptly.

Even two or three reviews a month will transform a stale profile into an active one within a quarter. That steady rhythm matters far more than occasional bursts followed by long silences.

Your one thing to do this week

Go to your Google Business Profile right now and scroll through your reviews. Note the date of your most recent one. If it’s more than a month old, text or email your last three happy customers today and ask if they’d mind leaving a quick review. Include the direct link to make it effortless.

That’s it. No complicated systems, no software, no expense. Just a simple ask to people who already like what you do.

Fresh reviews beat old five-stars every time. The businesses winning in local search aren’t necessarily the best at what they do—they’re the best at proving it, consistently, over time.

Thanks for reading, Ollie

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Your Phone Photos Could Be Doing Hidden SEO Work

Every time you finish a job, you probably snap a quick photo. Maybe it goes on your Google Business Profile, perhaps Facebook, possibly nowhere at all. But here’s what most local business owners don’t realise: those photos contain invisible data that Google actually reads. And if you’re not paying attention to it, you’re leaving easy wins on the table.

Let me explain what I mean, and more importantly, what you can do about it starting today.

The invisible location data already in your photos

Every photo your phone takes can include something called EXIF metadata – essentially hidden information embedded in the image file. If you’ve got location services enabled for your camera, this includes the exact GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken.

Here’s why that matters: Google can read this data.

When you upload a photo to your Google Business Profile that was taken at a customer’s house in Birmingham, Google knows that image was captured in Birmingham. That’s a geographic signal linking your business to that location. Now multiply that across dozens of job photos over months and years. You’re building a web of location signals that tell Google exactly where you operate.

The beauty of this is it’s almost entirely automatic. Your phone does the work. You just need to make sure the setting is switched on – and many people have it turned off without realising.

For your Google Business Profile, GPS data is the win

When you upload images to your Google Business Profile, Google compresses and reprocesses them. Your original filename often gets changed internally, so spending time renaming photos before uploading to GBP isn’t where your effort should go.

The real value is in that embedded location data. A geo-tagged photo of a completed kitchen installation in Solihull tells Google something meaningful about where you work. A photo with no location data is just pixels.

This is genuinely low-effort, high-impact stuff. You’re not learning new skills or spending money. You’re just making sure your phone is set up correctly and then carrying on as normal – taking photos of your work like you probably already do.

For your website, it’s a different story

Here’s where things change. When you upload images to your website, most content management systems and image optimisation tools strip out that EXIF metadata during processing. Your GPS coordinates often don’t survive the upload.

So for website images, you need to be more deliberate. This is where filenames and alt text earn their keep.

Instead of uploading “IMG_4521.jpg”, rename it to something descriptive like “kitchen-renovation-solihull.jpg” before uploading. Google reads filenames as a signal for understanding what an image shows. Keep it readable, use hyphens between words, and include the location where it’s natural.

Alt text is your other opportunity. This is the short description you can add to images in your website’s media library – primarily an accessibility feature for screen readers, but also read by search engines. Write what you’d say if describing the photo to someone who couldn’t see it: “New composite front door installation in Redditch” tells both humans and Google exactly what they’re looking at.

Your jobs are your proof – document them properly

Every completed job is content waiting to happen. That new driveway, the rewired kitchen, the freshly landscaped garden – these aren’t just finished projects, they’re visual evidence that you do good work in specific areas.

Get into the habit of photographing your work consistently. For Google Business Profile uploads, the GPS data does the heavy lifting automatically. For your website, take an extra minute to rename files and write proper alt text before uploading.

This isn’t complicated once it becomes routine. But those small efforts compound into genuine local SEO signals over time.

How to check your phone is set up correctly

This takes two minutes and you only need to do it once.

On iPhone, open Settings, scroll down to Privacy & Security, tap Location Services, then scroll down to Camera and make sure it’s set to “While Using the App”. That’s it – your photos will now include GPS coordinates automatically.

On Android, open your Camera app, tap the settings cog, and look for “Location tags”, “Geo tags”, “GPS tags” or “Save location” – the wording varies by manufacturer. Make sure it’s switched on.

To check it’s working, take a photo and view its details. On iPhone, open the photo, swipe up, and you should see a map showing where it was taken. On Android, open the photo, tap the three dots for info or details, and look for location data.

If your recent photos don’t show location information, the setting was probably off. No problem – just switch it on now and every photo from here onwards will include it.

Your one thing to do this week

Check your phone’s camera settings today and make sure location tagging is switched on. Then photograph your next completed job and upload it to your Google Business Profile. That’s it. One properly geo-tagged image, doing invisible SEO work for you.

Most of your competitors aren’t doing this. Their photos are location-less and invisible to Google beyond the pixels. Yours don’t have to be.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

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The Boring Detail That's Quietly Wrecking Your Google Visibility

There's a reason this topic doesn't get much airtime. It's not exciting. It's not a quick hack or a secret trick. It's admin, really. But if you're a local business trying to show up on Google, getting this wrong can undo everything else you're doing right.

I'm talking about NAP consistency. That stands for Name, Address, Phone number. And if yours don't match up across the internet, Google gets confused about who you actually are.

Why Google cares about your details

Google's job is to show searchers the most relevant, trustworthy results. When someone searches "roofer in Nottingham" or "dog groomer near me", Google has to decide which businesses to display. One of the ways it figures out which businesses are legitimate and established is by checking whether their information is consistent across the web.

If your business name is "Smith & Sons Plumbing" on your website, "Smith and Sons Plumbing Ltd" on Yell, "Smiths Plumbing" on Checkatrade, and "Smith & Sons" on Facebook, that's a problem. Google sees those inconsistencies and starts to doubt whether these are all the same business. The same applies to your address and phone number.

It's not that Google will remove you from search results entirely. But when it's deciding between you and a competitor who has clean, consistent information everywhere, you're at a disadvantage.

Where these inconsistencies come from

Most business owners don't deliberately create this mess. It builds up over time without anyone noticing.

You registered on a directory years ago when you worked from a different address. You changed your phone number but only updated it in some places. You incorporated and added "Ltd" to your name on some listings but not others. You let an old Yellow Pages listing sit there gathering dust. A directory scraped your information from somewhere and got it slightly wrong.

Before you know it, your business details are scattered across dozens of websites, and half of them don't quite match up.

The places that matter most

Your NAP appears in more places than you might realise. Your own website, obviously. Your Google Business Profile. Facebook. Instagram if you've added contact details. Yell, Thomson Local, Yelp, Checkatrade, MyBuilder, TrustATrader, Bark, and countless other directories. Industry-specific sites for your trade. Your local chamber of commerce if you're a member. Anywhere you've ever submitted your details or had them listed.

Some of these matter more than others. Your Google Business Profile is critical and should be your single source of truth. Major directories like Yell still carry weight. Industry-specific directories relevant to your trade are worth keeping accurate. Random listings on obscure sites matter less, but if you can fix them easily, it doesn't hurt.

How to find and fix the problem

Start by deciding what your correct NAP should be. Write it down exactly as you want it to appear everywhere. The precise business name you use (with or without Ltd, with "&" or "and", any specific formatting). Your current trading address. Your main phone number.

Then search for your business online. Google your business name on its own. Google your business name plus your town. Google your phone number. Google your old phone number if you've changed it. See what comes up.

Make a list of everywhere you find yourself mentioned. Note which listings have the correct information and which don't. Then work through them one by one. Some directories let you claim and edit your listing. Others you'll need to contact directly to request a correction. A few might be impossible to change, but most can be fixed with a bit of persistence.

Keeping it clean going forward

Once you've tidied things up, maintain it. Whenever you update your details anywhere, update them everywhere. Keep a record of all the places your business is listed so you know what needs changing if you move premises or get a new phone number.

If you ever rebrand or change your business name, treat your online listings as a priority, not an afterthought. The longer incorrect information sits out there, the more it can affect your visibility.

Your one thing to do this week

Google your business name plus your town and look at the first two pages of results. Open every listing you find and check whether your name, address, and phone number are correct and consistent. Make a note of anything that needs fixing. Then pick the three most important listings, the ones on well-known sites, and get those corrected first. It's not glamorous work, but it's the foundation everything else sits on.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

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Your Google Business Profile Is Gathering Dust. Here's How To Fix It (From Your Sofa)

You set it up. Probably a few years ago. Maybe you remember doing it. Maybe you don't.

Your Google Business Profile is sitting there right now, on Google Maps, showing up (or not showing up) in local searches. And unless you've been actively maintaining it, it's costing you business.

The problem? Most small business owners don't even remember how to access it anymore.

"What's my password again?" "Which email did I use?" "Where do I even log in?"

Sound familiar?

Here's the good news: you don't need to be sat at a desktop with a cup of tea and your brain switched on. You can do this from your sofa on your phone. And it takes about 10-15 minutes every couple of weeks to keep your profile working hard for you.

Here's exactly how.

How To Access Your Profile (If You Remember Your Login)

Via Google Business Profile (The Proper Way):

1. On your phone, open Google Chrome (or your default browser)

2. Go to google.com/business

3. Tap the Sign In button (top right)

4. Enter the email address you used to set up your profile

5. Enter your password

6. You'll see a list of your business profiles (if you have more than one)

7. Tap the one you want to manage

That's it. You're in.

Via Google Maps (The Easier Way):

1. Open Google Maps on your phone

2. Tap your profile icon (bottom right)

3. Tap Your Business Profile or Manage Your Business

4. Search for your business name

5. Select your business from the results

6. You'll see an "Manage" or "Edit" button—tap that

This is often faster if you just need to make quick updates.

How To Access Your Profile (If You've Forgotten Your Login)

This happens more often than you'd think. You set it up years ago, used a random password, never saved it anywhere.

If you've forgotten your password:

1. Go to google.com/business

2. Tap Sign In

3. Enter the email address you think you used

4. Tap "Forgot password?"

5. Google will ask you to verify your identity (usually by sending a code to your recovery email or phone)

6. Follow the prompts to reset your password

7. Log in with your new password

If you've forgotten which email you used:

This is trickier, but doable.

1. Go to google.com/business

2. Tap Sign In

3. Try common emails you might have used (main business email, personal email, old email)

4. If one works, great—proceed with password recovery

5. If none work, tap "Can't sign in?" and follow Google's account recovery process

If you genuinely can't remember anything, you can verify ownership of your business another way. Google will ask for business documents or a phone verification code sent to your business number.

Once You're In: The Weekly Maintenance Checklist

Okay, so you've logged in. Now what? Here's what actually matters:

1. Update Your Business Details (5 minutes)

Tap "Business Info" or "About"

Check:

• Business name (spelled correctly, no random capitals or symbols)

• Phone number (is it current? Can people actually reach you?)

• Address (still correct? Updated recently?)

• Website (if you have one—is the link working?)

• Business hours (do they match reality? Updated for holidays or changes?)

Small changes here make a massive difference. A wrong phone number costs you jobs. Out-of-date hours frustrate customers.

2. Add Or Update Your Services (5 minutes)

This is the bit most people miss.

Tap "Services" (or "Products" depending on your business type)

Add every service you actually offer. Don't be vague.

Instead of: "Cleaning" Write: "Commercial office cleaning," "End of tenancy cleaning," "Deep carpet cleaning"

Why? Because customers search specifically. They're looking for "lock changes" or "emergency locksmith," not just "locksmith services." The more detailed your services list, the more likely you show up for what people are actually searching for.

3. Add Your Service Areas (3 minutes)

Tap "Service Areas"

List every area you actually serve. Be specific:

"Malvern, Worcestershire" rather than "West Midlands"

If you serve multiple towns or postcode areas, add them all. This tells Google (and your customers) where you operate.

4. Add Photos (5 minutes)

This matters more than people think.

Tap "Photos" or "Gallery"

Add photos of:

• Your work in progress (shows competence)

• Finished jobs (shows quality)

• Your team (builds trust)

• Your workspace or van (shows you're professional)

Don't use stock photos. Real photos of real work beat polished nonsense every time. Customers want to see what you actually do.

Recent photos matter too. Google prioritizes fresh content. If your photos are from 2022, update them.

5. Check Your Reviews (2 minutes)

Tap "Reviews"

Read through recent reviews. Respond to them—especially the good ones (say thanks) and the bad ones (address the issue professionally).

This shows you're actively managing your profile. It also shows Google that your profile is maintained and current.

Why You Should Do This Every Couple Of Weeks

I know what you're thinking. "Every couple of weeks? That's loads of work."

It's not. It's 15 minutes. From your sofa. On your phone.

Here's why it matters:

Google rewards fresh, updated profiles with better visibility. A profile that's actively maintained shows up higher in searches than a neglected one.

Customers trust maintained profiles more. Recent photos. Updated information. Responded-to reviews. These things signal that you're a business that cares.

Your competitors probably aren't doing this regularly. That's your competitive edge.

The Reality Check

One of your competitors probably has a better website than you. That's fine. But I guarantee they're not maintaining their Google Business Profile fortnightly. So while they're focused on their website, you're the one showing up in the Map Pack with up-to-date information and recent photos.

That's the job you win.

Where To Start

If your profile is currently a mess—outdated information, no photos, incomplete details—don't panic. You don't have to fix everything at once.

Tonight, from your sofa:

1. Log in (using the steps above)

2. Update your phone number and hours (5 minutes)

3. Add a couple of recent photos of your work (5 minutes)

4. Add your service areas if they're missing (3 minutes)

That's it. You've just improved your profile significantly.

Then, make a note to do a full check every couple of weeks. Not because it's a chore. But because it's the easiest way to stay visible in local search.

Your Google Business Profile isn't a one-time setup. It's an ongoing sales tool. Treat it that way and it'll work hard for you.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

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I Needed A Locksmith but I Never Visited Their Website

Yesterday I had a problem. A genuine, needs-fixing-today problem.

I needed a locksmith in Malvern. Urgently.

So what did I do? I did what everyone does. I opened Google, typed in "locksmith Malvern," and looked at the Map Pack results.

Three options appeared. Three locksmiths, all in my area, all showing up in that golden real estate at the top of Google search results.

One stood out immediately.

Why? Two things.

He had the most reviews. Not just good reviews—the most of them. That signals consistency and real customer experience.

His profile was complete. No missing information. No red flags. It looked professional and trustworthy.

So I did what any sensible customer would do. I quickly scanned through a handful of his reviews.

All recent. All five stars. Not a dodgy review in sight.

And here's the important bit—they mentioned specific details. Lock changes (exactly what I needed). Good pricing. Fast service. Quick response times. Professional work.

By the time I'd finished reading those reviews, I knew exactly what I was getting.

So I called.

He answered with expertise. Gave me clear information. No confusion. No hard sell. Just straightforward answers to straightforward questions.

I booked him for the next day.

He's coming tomorrow, the job will be done, and I'll pay him immediately.

All within 24 hours from the moment I started searching.

Here's Why This Matters For Your Business

I run a digital strategy consultancy. I help local businesses get found online. And even I—someone who absolutely knows better—completely bypassed the website.

Because the decision was already made before I ever would have clicked it.

The Google Business Profile made the sale. The reviews closed it. The responsiveness confirmed it.

The website never got a look in.

This is the reality most local business owners don't understand.

The Website Myth

There's this persistent belief in small business that the website is where the magic happens. That if you just get your website right, customers will find you and buy from you.

It's not completely wrong. But it's not the full picture either.

For a lot of local service businesses—plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, cleaners, builders—the website isn't the primary decision driver. It's the afterthought. The thing people might look at if they've already decided to call you.

But they have to find you first. And they have to trust you before they dial.

And in 2026, that happens on Google Maps.

The Map Pack Is Where You Win

The Google Map Pack—those three results that show up at the top of a local search—is where the real competition happens.

When someone searches for your service in your area, they see those three listings first. They see ratings. They see review count. They see how many people have rated you. They see your phone number, your address, your hours.

If you're not in those top three, you're fighting for attention further down the page.

But here's the thing: being in the top three isn't enough. Your profile has to be complete. And you have to have reviews—recent ones, genuine ones, that mention the specific services people are searching for.

That's what converts.

• The Locksmith's Winning Formula - The locksmith I called didn't win the job because his website was beautiful. He won it because:

• He showed up in the Map Pack - Top three. Right there when I searched. That's visibility.

• He had more reviews than his competitors - Not just good reviews—more of them. That signals consistent quality and real customer experience. That builds trust instantly.

• His profile was complete and accurate - No missing information. No confusion. No reason to distrust him. That removes friction.

• His reviews were genuine - Recent. Consistent quality. Five stars across the board. No obvious fake reviews. That's authentic social proof.

• His reviews mentioned what I was actually looking for - Lock changes. Good pricing. Fast service. Professional work. They answered my questions before I even called him. That's targeted social proof.

• He responded with real expertise - When I called, he was informative, helpful, and clear. No runaround. That confirmed what the reviews suggested.

• He converted fast - From search to booking within minutes. From booking to job completion within 24 hours. That speed is trust in action.

That's the entire sales process. Compressed into less than an hour.

What His Website Actually Did

Now, does he have a website? Probably. Maybe it's great, maybe it's terrible. I have no idea because I never went there.

But here's the thing—even if his website had been stunning, it wouldn't have mattered. The decision was already made through the Map Pack listing and reviews.

If he'd invested in a beautiful website but neglected his Google Business Profile and reviews, he'd have lost this job to someone with a worse website but better local SEO and social proof.

Because I wasn't looking for a website. I was looking for a locksmith who was easy to reach, came recommended by real customers, and could actually solve my problem.

The Lesson For Your Business

If you're a local service business owner, this should be your priority order:

1. Google Business Profile. Full, complete, accurate, with all the information a customer needs. This is where customers find you. Don't leave anything blank.

2. Recent, genuine reviews. Actively collect them. Respond to them. Make it easy for customers to leave feedback. Recent reviews (last few months) matter more than old ones. And reviews that mention specific services and details matter far more than generic praise.

3. Responsiveness. When someone calls, emails, or messages you through Google, be fast. The locksmith called me back quickly. That confirmed the reviews. That sealed the deal.

4. Quality service. The reviews were five stars because the work was good. That's not luck—that's consistency.

5. A functional website. Not fancy. Just working. Clear information about what you do and how to contact you. It's the safety net, not the main event.

6. Everything else. Social media, clever copywriting, fancy design—these are nice to have. But they're not what drives the phone ringing.

The Real Opportunity

Here's what excites me about this: most of your competitors are probably getting this wrong.

They're focused on their website. They're not actively managing reviews. They're not responding quickly to inquiries. They're not optimizing their Google Business Profile for visibility. They're not collecting reviews that mention specific services.

That means there's a massive opportunity for businesses that do get it right.

Show up in the Map Pack. Have a complete profile. Get more recent reviews than your competitors. Make sure those reviews mention the services people are searching for. Respond faster. Be helpful. Be professional. That's the formula.

The locksmith I called understood this. Whether by accident or design, he was the option that looked most trustworthy, most complete, and easiest to reach. His reviews answered my questions before I even called. And when I called, he delivered exactly what the reviews promised.

So I booked him. Paid him the next day. He converted a lead to a paying customer within 24 hours.

That's what happens when you get the fundamentals right.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

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