Free tool
Review velocity calculator
Work out how long it takes to reach your target rating at the pace you are collecting reviews today — and how many months it takes to draw level with a competitor. Everything runs in your browser, with no sign-up.
Reviews needed
53 five-star reviews
to lift 4.2 to 4.5 across 87 existing reviews.
Time at your current pace
14 months
at 4 new reviews a month. Double the pace and you halve the wait.
Realistic mix (4.8 average of new reviews)
87 reviews
about 22 months — most businesses collect the odd four-star, so this is the honest number.
Catching the competitor
31 months
You are 123 reviews behind; at 4 a month that is how long it takes to draw level.
Why pace beats a one-off push
Your average rating is arithmetic, but your review velocity is a habit. A business collecting four reviews a month adds roughly fifty a year, which is usually enough to move a decimal point, absorb the occasional bad day and keep the newest review dated this month. A single campaign that lands thirty reviews in a week does none of that and risks being filtered.
Lifting your pace without nagging
- Ask the same day the work is finished, while the customer still remembers your name.
- Send one link, not instructions — every extra tap costs you reviews.
- Put a QR code where the customer already stands: the counter, the invoice, the delivery box.
- Reply to everything. Visible replies persuade the next person to write one.
Show the pace you are keeping
Embed your live reviews free — new reviews appear on your website automatically as they arrive.
Related free tools
- Work out the exact number of reviews with the star rating calculator.
- Score your whole setup with the review audit checklist.
- Create a one-tap Google review link to send by SMS.
- Print a scan-to-review poster for the front counter.
Frequently asked questions
What is review velocity?+
Review velocity is how many new reviews you collect over a set period, usually a month. It matters as much as your average: a business earning four reviews a month looks alive, while one with 200 reviews and nothing since 2023 looks closed. Search engines and shoppers both read recency as a freshness signal.
How many reviews a month should a small business get?+
As a rule of thumb, aim for two to five new reviews a month for a local service business and more if you serve high volumes, such as a cafe or clinic. The right number is simply enough to stay ahead of the competitors appearing beside you in the map pack.
How long does it take to raise a Google rating?+
It depends entirely on your existing review count and your monthly pace. Lifting 4.2 to 4.5 across 87 reviews takes about 53 five-star reviews — a bit over a year at four a month, or six months at nine a month. Enter your own numbers above for the exact timeline.
Is it bad to get a lot of reviews at once?+
A sudden spike after months of silence can trigger spam filtering, and reviews collected in one sitting on the same network are the classic pattern platforms look for. A steady monthly cadence is both safer and better for your rankings.
Should I worry about a competitor with more reviews?+
Only to the extent that shoppers compare. What usually decides the click is the combination of rating, review count and how recent the newest review is. The calculator shows how many months of your current pace it takes to close the gap on their review count.
Does replying to reviews increase review velocity?+
Yes, in practice. Businesses that reply to every review are seen as attentive, and Google itself encourages responding. Customers who see recent owner replies are noticeably more willing to leave a review of their own.