Google + Local has replaced its star ratings with a new scoring system. Individual reviews are also counted different. Where a “3” is “excellent, a “2” is “very good”, a “1” is “good” and a “0” is “poor”. Google then takes these ratings and averages them out to give the business a “score” between 0 and 30 – with a 30 being the best you can do.
What this means to most businesses is that you must continue to provide the best customer service you can because you never know who or what rating you will receive from a client interaction.
What this means for consumers is that they will need to understand the new scoring system in order to know which businesses to call. Our best guess is that most consumers will be confused by the new scoring system and may think a 26 is low.
Who knows how many consumers may even be scared away from the scoring altogether and look for the first organic listing AFTER the local results are published, since these do not have rating tied to them. We will keep our eye on it and update you, as we see things play out.
