Your 200 five-star reviews might actually be working against you. Google's algorithm now cares as much about when you got those reviews as how many you have.
Picture this: A roofing company in Winter Park has been in business for 15 years. They have 247 Google reviews with a solid 4.8-star rating. By all traditional measures, they should be dominating local search.
But lately, they have noticed something strange. A newer competitor with only 60 reviews keeps showing up above them in the map pack. The competitor has a lower rating (4.5 stars) and has been around for less than two years.
What gives?
The answer comes down to one word: recency.
Google now weighs review freshness as heavily as total count. A steady stream of recent reviews signals an active, trustworthy business more effectively than a large collection of older reviews.
For local businesses across Orlando, this changes everything about how you should approach your review strategy. If you hit your "target number" of reviews back in 2022 and stopped asking, Google's AI might now see your business as stagnant.
The numbers tell a clear story about why you can't rely on past success:
It's not just Google making changes. In August 2024, the Federal Trade Commission implemented new rules that directly affect how businesses can solicit and manage reviews. Understanding these rules is essential for any Orlando business owner.
The days of "review gating"—where you only ask happy customers for reviews while ignoring the rest—are over. It is now illegal to filter who you ask based on whether you think they'll leave positive feedback. If you ask for reviews, you must ask everyone equally.
The stakes are high. Buying fake reviews or violating these new protocols can result in fines up to $50,000 per violation. This means your review strategy must be built on authentic customer feedback. The good news? Authentic review strategies actually work better for ranking and conversions anyway.
Review velocity is the rate at which new reviews come in over time. In 2026, this metric is often more important than your total review count.
Imagine you run an AC repair company in Dr. Phillips. If you get 20 reviews in April and zero in May, Google gets suspicious. It looks like a campaign, not genuine customer activity.
A steady stream of 2-4 reviews per week signals to Google that you are consistently active and serving customers well. This consistency builds long-term ranking power that sticks.
We see this pattern all across Central Florida. When a homeowner in Lake Nona searches for "emergency plumber," Google prefers the business that got a review yesterday over the one that got 50 reviews last year.
You don't need a complicated software suite to fix this. You just need a system. Here is a simple framework we use with our clients in College Park and Mills 50 to keep that review velocity steady.
The best time to ask for a review is right after you have solved the customer's problem. Whether you just fixed a leaky pipe or installed a new landscape design, satisfaction is highest the moment the job is done.
Coach your team to say something simple: "Would you mind sharing your experience on Google? It really helps other homeowners find us."
Don't make your customers hunt for your business online.
People get busy. It is okay to send one reminder if they haven't left a review after a few days. But two reminders is pushing it, and three is annoying. A gentle nudge is often all it takes to get that 5-star rating.
Your job isn't done when the review comes in. You need to respond, and you need to do it fast.
48 hours is the ideal response time for review replies. Google and customers both notice when businesses actively engage with their reviews.
When you respond, you are creating more content for Google's AI to read. Don't just say "Thanks!" Be specific.
This helps Google understand where you work and what you do, reinforcing your local SEO.
Review strategy in 2026 is about consistency, not campaigns. The businesses winning the review game in Orlando aren't the ones with the most reviews. They are the ones with the most recent reviews.
If you build a system that generates 2-4 authentic reviews every week and you respond quickly, you will eventually outrank competitors who are just coasting on their past reputation.
We put together a complete guide on building a review system that actually works in 2026. It covers the new FTC rules, response templates, and a week-by-week plan.
Download the Complete Review Strategy Guide
Want help setting up a review system for your business? We work with service businesses across Central Florida to build sustainable strategies that keep the leads coming.