What Is Review Velocity?
Review velocity is the pace at which a business earns new reviews over time. A healthy, steady velocity signals an active, trusted business — and recent reviews carry more weight with both searchers and ranking algorithms than old ones.
Two businesses can have the same total number of reviews but very different velocities. One that earned fifty reviews three years ago and none since looks stale; one earning a few every week looks alive and currently trusted. Searchers notice, and so does Google.
Recency matters because customer experiences change — staff, quality, and pricing all shift over time. A review from last week is far more relevant to a buyer than one from years ago, which is why recent reviews tend to be weighted more heavily and displayed more prominently.
Sudden, unnatural spikes can also backfire. A flood of reviews appearing all at once — especially generic ones — can look manipulated. The healthiest pattern is a consistent, organic flow that matches your actual job volume.
Five Star Hype is built to create steady, natural review velocity. By turning each completed job into an easy review ask at the right moment, it produces a consistent flow of fresh, genuine reviews — exactly the pattern that builds lasting local trust.