Event Sponsor Thanks to The Transparency Company for Sponsoring LocalU Nashville!

[CarrieHill]

Impressions: Winning the Hearts, Minds, and Eyes of Prospective Customers​

When it comes to reviews, we all know that quality matters. But what about visibility? How many people are actually seeing the reviews that shape your business’s reputation?

Let’s talk about Impressions, the often-overlooked but powerful metric that tells you which reviews are capturing attention and driving conversions on Google Maps.

What Are Impressions?
Impressions represent the number of unique views a review receives across Google Maps, Search, and the Google Maps app. Until early 2024, Google displayed this number publicly on each review. Then, without formal announcement, they quietly removed the feature.

In March 2024, our founder Curtis Boyd shared the discovery on X:

“Breaking News @googlemaps is no longer showing view count (impressions) on new reviews… Likely prepping for the new fake review laws?”

— @DataBoyd

While this data is no longer visible to the public, or even to business owners through the Google Business Profile dashboard, it hasn’t disappeared entirely. At The Transparency Company, we’ve continued tracking impressions behind the scenes through our daily audits.

Why Do Impressions Matter?

A review’s impression count is a direct window into how often it’s shaping customer decisions. It tells a deeper story than the star rating alone.

You might worry about a scathing 1-star review, but what if it’s buried and barely seen? Conversely, your most heartfelt 5-star reviews could be hidden from view if they don’t rank high in Google’s relevance algorithm.

According to a study on The High Cost of Review Fraud by Dr. Roberto Cavazos and Greg Sterling (powered by our data):

“Ratings and reviews are the single most important influence on consumer purchase behavior; 98% of consumers say they rely on them before buying something.”

That means visibility is everything and impressions help you measure it.

Where Do Impressions Come From?
There are three main ways reviews rack up impressions:

1. The Knowledge Panel Review Snippets
   These are the three short reviews displayed in the sidebar of Google Search results. They also appear in the “Review summary” section of your business listing on Google Maps.
   • Pros: These reviews often highlight keywords related to your services and are the only ones shown directly in search results.
   • Cons: You can’t control which reviews show here. They tend to refresh only once per year, so you’re stuck with them, for better or worse.
2. “Most Relevant” Reviews on Your Google Maps Listing
   Google Maps uses its own secret sauce algorithm to determine which reviews are most relevant and “Most Relevant” is the default sort order for reviews on business listings.
   • Factors: Review length, specificity, recency, photos, and the reviewer’s Local Guide status.
   • Pros: With the right guidance, you can influence which reviews rank high by educating your clients and their customers on the factors that comprise a “Most Relevant” review
   • Cons: Local Guides tend to be over-prioritized, even when their content is generic. First-time reviewers often get deprioritized.

3. Direct Review Sharing via Link​

   Every review on Google Maps has a unique URL. You can copy and share this link on social media, in emails, or even on your website.
   • Pros: Full control over which reviews to spotlight and who sees them.
   • Cons: If a contributor edits or removes the review, or if Google flags it for violating policies, you lose that spotlight.

What This Means for Your Review Strategy

At The Transparency Company, we believe in giving businesses the tools to manage reviews with intention. That means not just fighting fake reviews, but also maximizing the value of the authentic ones.

Our TrueReview services help you:

• Understand which reviews are actually getting impressions
• Measure impression trends at the listing, rating and individual review level
• Benchmark impressions between your listing and your local competitors
• Dispute suspicious reviews quickly before they begin earning impressions
• Monitor competitor reviews and identify fake positives before they earn undeserved impressions

Let’s Talk at LocalU Nashville

We’re excited to be a sponsor of this year’s LocalU event in Nashville on September 8th. Join us to dive deeper into how impressions influence customer behavior and how our tools can help you win not just on star ratings, but on visibility.

We’ll also walk through real-world examples, including:

• Forecasting impressions on customer and competitor listings
• Impression trends across industries
• Defensive vs. offensive review strategies

Let’s help your reviews get the attention they deserve.

Learn more: https://askfortransparency.com

Meet us in person: LocalU Nashville — September 8, 2025

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