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How to read Google reviews before you hire
You are about to call a shop. Google reviews are one signal. Treat them as notes from neighbors, not a scoreboard.
Prefer recent and specific
Open the business on Google Maps or its Google Business Profile. Sort by newest when you can. Favor reviews that name the job type, the city or neighborhood, the crew, and what happened when something went wrong. Vague praise like "great job" tells you little. NARI's before-you-hire guidance makes the same point: specifics beat stars alone.
The FTC's guide to evaluating online reviews tells you to check recency, watch for review bursts in a short window, and look at whether the reviewer has other reviews. One-and-done accounts deserve more skepticism. The FTC also notes that fakes can be positive or negative, and you will not always spot them by eye.
Read the lows and the replies
Scroll past the five-star pile. Read the critical reviews. Then read how the owner answered. A short, calm, factual reply that invites a private follow-up usually beats a defensive wall of text. Google's own tips for getting more reviews ask owners to stay specific and non-promotional, and to handle negatives with empathy and privacy. You are reading those replies for tone as much as for facts.
Owners must be verified before they can reply. Google covers that in Manage customer reviews. If a profile never answers anyone, note that. If every answer sounds like an ad, note that too.
Watch for manipulation patterns
Google's Maps policies ban fake experiences, paid reviews, multi-account posting, competitor smear, and incentives to post, change, or remove a review. See Prohibited and restricted content, Rating Manipulation, and Incentivized or Biased Reviews. Merchants may ask for a genuine review. They may not steer the rating or the wording with discounts or free goods.
BrightLocal's how to spot fake reviews lists patterns neighbors notice: clusters in time, vague over-the-top language, copy-paste twins, thin reviewer profiles, and details that do not match the services listed. Use those as flags, then still call and ask your own questions.
Reviews are one layer
For contractors and trades in Washington, open L&I Verify before you hand over a deposit. Confirm registration, bond, insurance, and any citations. Pair that with written bids and a clear contract, as Hire Smart lays out.
We do not paste shop review text here. We do not invent star counts. Open Maps for the live thread. Then browse one of our directories, pick a row with a phone, and call.
Browse and call
Start with a live list, then dial:
You call the shop. We list operators. We do not book the job or rank anyone by stars.