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Statistics

Where do people leave reviews for local businesses?

By Sergey Sulimko, Founder6 min read

BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that respondents were most likely to leave reviews on Google: 45% said they had written a Google review in the past year. Facebook followed at 34%, Yelp at 24%, Apple Maps at 17%, Tripadvisor at 16%, and the Better Business Bureau at 16%.1

The figures describe stated review-writing activity among a representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers surveyed through SurveyMonkey. BrightLocal published the report on February 11, 2026, and did not state exact field dates. They are not a census of every review written, and they do not mean that each respondent used only one site.1

Which sites do people use to write local-business reviews?

Review surface Respondents who wrote there in the past year Sample and study timing What the finding describes
Google 45% BrightLocal's representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers via SurveyMonkey; report published February 11, 2026; exact field dates not stated Stated use of Google to write a business review during the past year
Facebook 34% Same panel and report date Stated use of Facebook to write a business review during the past year
Yelp 24% Same panel and report date Stated use of Yelp to write a business review during the past year
Apple Maps 17% Same panel and report date Stated use of Apple Maps to write a business review during the past year
Tripadvisor 16% Same panel and report date Stated use of Tripadvisor to write a business review during the past year
Better Business Bureau 16% Same panel and report date Stated use of the Better Business Bureau to write a business review during the past year

Google is the leading writing surface in this survey, but the result is not exclusive platform share. A respondent could have written reviews on more than one site. The percentages therefore should not be added to estimate the share of consumers who wrote any review.1

The result also answers a different question from the average of six review sites BrightLocal reported in the same 2026 survey. That average describes how many sites consumers used when choosing businesses. The table above describes where respondents said they wrote reviews. The two measures are related, but they are not interchangeable.1 The research index keeps these dated survey questions separate.

How do people write a review on Google Maps?

Google says people can write reviews for places they visit on Google Maps. On a computer, Google instructs the reviewer to sign in to Google Maps, search for a place, choose Write a review, select the stars, and optionally add written feedback.2

Google says reviews are public, and an anonymous review cannot be added. Google also says it moderates user reviews and related content for policy violations, and may remove content that violates its policies.2

That makes Google review writing both a public contribution and a policy-governed one. Google's Maps policy says a review or rating should reflect an actual experience and be genuine and unbiased. It prohibits paid or incentivized reviews, fake engagement, conflicts of interest, selectively soliciting positive reviews, discouraging negative reviews, pressuring people to review while on the premises, and requesting specific review content. Google also says merchants may solicit reviews that reflect a genuine experience without offering incentives or attempting to influence the rating or review contents.3

For the platform's editing, reporting and visibility questions, see the Google reviews guide. These survey findings do not establish a required review count or rating.

What review details do people use when researching a business?

Writing activity is only one part of the review ecosystem. In a separate BrightLocal study, 49% of people using Yelp or similar review sites looked at review count during their most recent local-business search, while 48% looked at the star rating.4

That study used a representative panel of 1,227 US-based consumers who had searched online for a local business in the previous three months. BrightLocal published it on July 15, 2026. Its percentages describe what respondents inspected while researching a business, not where they posted a review.4

BrightLocal's older 2018 directory-trust report adds a separate accuracy finding. In its representative sample of 1,025 US consumers, fielded in March 2018, 80% said they lost trust in a local business after seeing incorrect or inconsistent contact details or business names online, and 93% said incorrect information in online directories frustrated them.5 This is historical directory-trust context, not a current measure of review-platform writing.

What do these review-writing statistics not tell you?

  • The survey records what respondents said they did in the past year. It does not count every review posted or verify each respondent's account activity.
  • The six platform percentages are not mutually exclusive. They cannot be added to produce a total share of review writers.
  • The report gives the past-year window and its publication date, but not exact field dates. The findings should not be presented as a daily or monthly posting rate.
  • The sample represents US adults recruited through a representative panel. It does not establish the same pattern for every country, industry, age group or customer base.1
  • The 1,227-person BrightLocal study answers a different question from the 1,002-person writing survey. Its review-count and star-rating percentages describe research behaviour among recent local-business searchers.4
  • The 2018 directory report is useful as dated context about information accuracy. It should not be treated as current evidence of where people leave reviews.5

The practical answer is simple: people leave local-business reviews on several surfaces, with Google the most frequently reported writing site in BrightLocal's 2026 survey. A business that studies review activity should keep the platform, question, sample, denominator and date together. Broader local discovery context is covered in the local SEO guide.

Sources

  1. BrightLocal, "LCRS 2026: Study Shows Reviews Matter More Than Ever - BrightLocal," published February 11, 2026; representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers via SurveyMonkey; writing activity in the past year; exact field dates not stated; read October 1, 2026. Read the BrightLocal survey

  2. Google Maps Help, "Add, edit, or delete Google Maps reviews & ratings"; current help guidance, no publication or update date stated; read October 1, 2026. Read Google's instructions

  3. Google Maps User-Generated Content Policy, "Prohibited & restricted content"; current policy guidance, no publication or update date stated; read October 1, 2026. Read Google's policy

  4. BrightLocal, "What makes consumers choose your business? - BrightLocal," published July 15, 2026; representative panel of 1,227 US-based consumers who had searched online for a local business in the previous three months; read October 1, 2026. Read the consumer-search study

  5. BrightLocal, "Local Citations Trust Report," published March 27, 2018; representative sample of 1,025 US consumers, fielded in March 2018 with an independent consumer panel; read October 1, 2026. Read the citations report

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