Local Business Reputation Audit

Check your reputation in two minutes

This local business reputation audit is a quick self-assessment. You enter a few numbers from your Google Business Profile, and the tool calculates a score from 0 to 100 along with a prioritized checklist of improvements.

It does not connect to Google, scrape your listing, or store your answers. Everything is calculated in your browser from what you type, so the result is only as accurate as the numbers you enter.

How to use the local business reputation audit

1. Open your Google Business Profile and note your average star rating and total number of reviews.
2. Count how many reviews you received in the last 90 days.
3. Estimate what percentage of your reviews have an owner reply.
4. Choose your typical reply time.
5. Tick the profile items you have completed, such as hours, photos, categories, services, and description.
6. Run the audit to see your score and your checklist, ordered by impact.

How the score is weighted

Your score is the sum of six components, each with a maximum number of points:

• Average rating: 30 points. The largest share, because star rating is the first thing customers see.
• Review volume: 20 points. More reviews give shoppers more to go on and make one bad review less prominent.
• Recency: 20 points. Reviews in the last 90 days show the business is active and the feedback is current.
• Reply rate: 15 points. The share of reviews with an owner response.
• Reply speed: 5 points. How quickly you typically respond.
• Profile completeness: 10 points. Based on the checklist items you tick.

These weights are our own framework for prioritizing effort. They are not Google’s ranking formula, which Google does not publish. Google does state that local results are based mainly on relevance, distance, and prominence, and that review count and ratings factor into prominence.

Why each component matters

Rating and volume

A 4.7 from 12 reviews and a 4.7 from 300 reviews tell customers different stories. The audit rewards both a strong average and enough reviews to make that average believable.

Recency

Customers want to know how the business performs now, not three years ago. A steady trickle of new reviews each month usually matters more than a burst followed by silence.

Replies

Owner replies show that someone is listening. Reply rate gets more weight than speed because consistency is what readers notice first.

Reading your results

80-100: strong

Your reputation basics are in place. Focus on keeping review flow steady and replies consistent.

50-79: room to grow

Usually one or two components are dragging the score down, often recency or reply rate. Start with the top item on your checklist.

Below 50: needs attention

Begin with the fundamentals: complete your profile, reply to existing reviews, and set up a simple routine for asking every customer for feedback.

Common fixes and the tools that help

• Low reply rate: work through unanswered reviews with the Google Review Reply Generator.
• Few recent reviews: ask every customer with the Review Request SMS Generator or the email version.
• Incomplete profile: follow the Google Business Profile optimization checklist.
• Low rating: respond calmly to negative reviews, fix the underlying issues, and keep asking all customers for honest feedback.

Tips for an honest audit

• Use real numbers from your profile instead of estimates where possible.
• Run the audit monthly or quarterly and note your score so you can track progress.
• Audit each location separately if you have more than one.
• Improve the score the right way. Google prohibits review gating and incentives for reviews, and the FTC’s rule against fake reviews took effect in October 2024.

For a step-by-step manual version, read our guide to the local business reputation audit, and explore more in Reputation Management.

FAQs

Does the audit pull data from Google automatically?

No. It is a self-assessment. You enter your numbers and the score is calculated in your browser. Nothing is stored on a server.

Is this score the same as my Google ranking?

No. It is a framework for spotting reputation gaps. Google does not publish a reputation score, and rankings depend on many factors.

Why does reply speed only count for 5 points?

Replying at all matters more than replying instantly, so reply rate carries more weight. Speed is still worth improving once you reply consistently.

How often should I run a local business reputation audit?

Monthly works well for busy businesses, and quarterly is enough for most others. Re-run it after making changes to see the effect.