# Review Velocity & Rating Impact Strategist

**Platform:** Google LSA
**Category:** strategy
**Tier:** pro

## Purpose
Design and execute a review velocity strategy that sustainably grows the LSA profile's Google review count, maintains or improves the star rating, and measurably improves ranking position over a defined time horizon. Reviews are the most visible and most competitive ranking signal in LSA. The business with the most recent, highest-volume review flow in a given service area has a structural ranking advantage that no amount of budget increase can overcome. This skill turns review generation from an afterthought into a systematic, measurable growth engine.

## When to Use
- When the profile's review count is below the top competitor in the service area
- When review velocity has stalled — no new reviews in 30+ days
- When a negative review has materially affected the star rating
- When entering a new market and the profile needs review credibility to compete
- Quarterly, to reset review generation targets against updated competitive benchmarks
- When a client has high customer volume but no system for converting customers into reviewers

## Inputs Required
- Current Google review count on the LSA profile
- Current average star rating
- Most recent review date (days since last review)
- Review count and rating of top 2–3 competitors in the service area
- Monthly job completion volume (how many completed jobs per month that could generate a review)
- Current review collection process (if any): how does the business currently ask for reviews?
- Any negative reviews in the past 90 days: content, rating, whether a response was posted
- The primary job types that generate the most completed customer interactions

## What This Skill Does
Calculates the review velocity needed to close the gap with the top competitor, builds a monthly review target with a realistic generation model based on job volume, identifies the highest-conversion review request trigger points in the service workflow, and produces a review collection process the business can execute consistently. Also addresses rating protection — how to respond to negative reviews to minimize their rating impact and what operational changes reduce the root causes of negative reviews. Outputs a 90-day review velocity plan with weekly targets and a collection protocol.

## Analysis Workflow
1. Establish the current baseline: review count, rating, days since most recent review.
2. Benchmark against competitors: identify the leading competitor's review count and calculate the review gap.
3. Calculate the monthly review rate needed to close the gap with the competitor in 90 days, 6 months, and 12 months — present all three timelines.
4. Assess the realistic review generation potential: (Monthly Job Completions × Estimated Review Conversion Rate). Benchmark review conversion rates: email follow-up alone = 5–8%; SMS + direct link = 12–20%; in-person ask + SMS = 20–30%.
5. Identify the highest-conversion review request timing in the service workflow: job completion (highest), day-after follow-up call, automated SMS 2 hours post-service.
6. Evaluate current review collection process — identify the gap between current conversion rate and achievable conversion rate.
7. Design the review request workflow: who asks, when, what channel, what message, and what link.
8. Write review request templates: one in-person verbal ask script, one SMS template, one email template — each directing to the Google review link.
9. Assess current negative reviews: identify any below 4 stars in the past 90 days — note whether they received a response, evaluate whether the response was appropriate.
10. Write response guidelines for negative reviews: acknowledge, empathize, offer resolution, do not argue.
11. Identify the operational issue most commonly cited in negative reviews (if any) — this is a service quality signal, not just a reputation issue.
12. Build the 90-day review velocity plan: monthly targets, weekly tracking checkpoint, collection process, and rating maintenance protocol.

## Output Requirements
- Review velocity baseline: current count, rating, days since last review, competitive gap
- Gap closure timeline: monthly targets required to match top competitor at 90 days, 6 months, 12 months
- Review generation model: job volume × conversion rate scenarios — conservative, realistic, aggressive
- Review collection workflow: trigger points, responsible parties, channels, and timing
- Review request templates: verbal script, SMS template, email template
- Rating protection protocol: negative review response framework and operational root cause recommendations
- 90-day velocity plan: monthly targets, weekly checkpoint metrics, and process owner assignments

## Platform-Specific Best Practices
- Google reviews earned by the Google Business Profile also display on the LSA profile — they are the same review pool. Review velocity strategy should target the Google Business Profile review link, not an LSA-specific link.
- Review gating (showing a satisfaction survey before directing to Google, and only forwarding happy customers) violates Google's review policies — do not recommend or implement this practice.
- SMS review requests sent within 2 hours of job completion consistently outperform email requests sent the next day — timing is the highest-leverage variable.
- Review velocity (new reviews per month) matters as much as total count to Google's recency signal — a profile with 150 reviews but none in 6 months is disadvantaged relative to a 60-review profile adding 10 per month.
- Negative review responses should be posted within 24 hours — delayed or absent responses signal neglect and amplify the negative review's impact.
- Do not incentivize reviews with discounts, gift cards, or any form of payment — this violates Google's policies and can result in review removal and profile penalties.
- Review count goals must be grounded in job volume reality — a business completing 15 jobs per month cannot realistically generate 50 reviews per month regardless of process quality.

## Guardrails
- Never recommend or implement review gating, incentivized reviews, or any practice that violates Google's review guidelines — the consequences (review removal, profile action) are severe.
- Review velocity targets must be set against the business's actual job volume — do not set targets that require conversion rates above 35% without an unusually high-touch collection process.
- Negative review response templates should be personalized before use — templated responses that feel robotic can worsen the perception of the negative experience.
- Do not promise specific rank improvements from review growth — reviews improve rank probability, not rank certainty.

## Example Requests
1. "Our top competitor has 214 reviews and we have 67. Build me a 90-day review velocity plan to start closing that gap — I want weekly targets and the full collection process."
2. "We complete about 60 jobs a month but we're only getting 2–3 reviews per month. Design a review collection system that can realistically get us to 15–20 per month."
3. "We got three 1-star reviews in the past month and our rating dropped from 4.9 to 4.6. Write response scripts for each negative review and tell me what operational fix would prevent more of them."